Paul’s heart was broken and in deep pain as he contemplated the terrible situation Israel was in, having rejected God’s Son and Messiah.
[powerpress]
Israel Accursed!
Romans 9:1-5
This morning we embark on an entirely new section in the book of Romans. Romans can be divided into two parts: chapters 1-11 and chapters 12-16. Chapters 1-11 are doctrine, and chapters 12-16 are application. However, within the first 11 chapters there are two parts: chapters 1-8 and chapters 9-11. Chapters 1-8 deal with the revelation of God’s righteousness and its fruits in the believer’s life. Chapters 9-11 deal with how Israel fits into God’s sovereign plan. So, please keep that in mind over the next few months as we study chapters 9-11. We are going to be seeing how Israel fits into God’s sovereign plan.
Before we dive deeply into the first five verses of Romans 9, let’s get the bigger picture of Romans 9. What is Romans 9 all about? In Romans 9:1-5 Paul tells us that he is in anguish when he thinks about the present state of Israel. They are accursed and separated from Christ. And this, in spite of the fact that God had given them so many advantages and privileges. To them belong the adoption as sons, the glory and the covenants, and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises. They descended from the patriarchs, and the Messiah had come from them.
Then in 9:6 Paul says that in spite of the fact that Israel by and large was lost, the word of God had not failed. It is important to know that the word “failed” means “fallen.” That is the word used in Galatians 5:4 where Paul speaks of people who have fallen from grace. So, what does Paul mean when he says that the “word of God” has not fallen? Well, let’s compare verse 6 and verse 11.
Romans 9:6, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed (fallen)…”
Romans 9:11, “…so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand…”
Now, what is the opposite of “stand”? To fall, of course. In Romans 9:6 he says that the word of God stands. In Romans 9:11 he says that God’s purpose according to His choice stands. What does that tell us? It tells us that when Paul says the word of God has not fallen, he means that God’s purpose according to His choice has not fallen. Paul is looking at the fact that the majority of Israel has rejected Jesus as their Messiah. But, in spite of that, God’s purpose according to His choice has not fallen or failed. Why? Because it was never God’s purpose according to His choice to save every Israelite. There was always the true Israel within ethnic Israel. In God’s sovereign purpose, He has chosen those He would save, and they were always the minority. So, God’s purpose is being fulfilled, even though the majority are not believing on Christ. So, that’s where Paul is going in Romans 9. He is going to establish the truth of God’s sovereign choice of those He has determined to save. And he is doing that to prove that God’s purpose has not failed, but is being fulfilled, even though most Jews are accursed.
So, now we can go back to Romans 9:1-5 and go deeper into this passage. The central idea is Paul’s great grief because Israel is accursed and separated from Christ. What makes matters even more grievous is that Israel had so many advantages and privileges, and yet has not believed when her Messiah has come. Let’s look at Paul’s Sorrow, and then at Israel’s Privileges.
1.Paul’s Sorrow
Paul expresses his oath in verse 1, his sorrow in verse 2, and his wish in verse 3.
Paul’s Oath. “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit.” Paul calls in 3 witnesses to testify of the claim he is about to make. He calls in the witness of Christ, his conscience, and the Holy Spirit. What Paul is about to say is so startling and extraordinary, that he knows no one will believe him unless he takes an oath. What he is doing is like the fellow that is testifying in a court of law. He puts his hand on the Bible and raises his right hand and says, “I testify to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”
I am telling the truth in Christ. I am united to Christ, and just as Christ always speaks the truth and never lies, so too, I am telling the truth in Him.
I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me. Paul could say in Acts 23:1, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” Therefore, when he says he’s not lying and his conscience testifies with me, he can be believed.
In the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, so when the Holy Spirit testifies with Paul, what he says must also be the truth.
Basically Paul wants the Roman believers to know that what he is about to say is not a lie, and that they can believe him. So, what does he want them to know?
Paul’s Sorrow. “that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.” Paul doesn’t just say that he has sorrow and grief. He has great sorrow and unceasing grief in his heart. What a change from Romans 8:38-39. When he looked at the love of Christ, he rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory. When he looked at the rejection of Israel, he descended into the valley of sorrow and grief. Paul’s heart was big enough to shout hallelujah at God’s rich salvation, and weep with a burdened soul for his lost Jewish brethren.
In this paragraph, Paul is trying to tear down some walls. The Jews, by and large, had great animosity toward Paul, and thought he had great animosity toward them. The Jews considered Paul a turncoat and traitor. Paul preached to Gentiles, and taught that they were free from the Law of Moses. Throughout the book of Acts, it is the Jews that persecute Paul and stir up riots against him. They have beaten him, imprisoned him, cursed him, stoned him, and castigated him. Wherever Paul went, they have stirred up the multitudes against him. The Jew, likewise, felt that Paul was against them. Already in Romans 2 Paul has taught that the Jews were under God’s condemnation. He has told us that merely because the Jews possess the Law and have been circumcised does not avail anything in the sight of God. They, like the Gentiles, are sinners that need a Savior. The typical Jew would feel that Paul is not really one of them. They would feel that he is against them and their nation. But here, in this introductory paragraph of Romans 9, Paul actually puts himself under oath, to assure them that he loves them, and is deeply devoted to them.
Paul’s Wish. What exactly is it that Paul feels is so shocking that no one will believe him, unless he takes an oath and calls Christ, his conscience, and the Holy Spirit as witnesses? He tells us in verse 3. “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” Accursed and separated from Christ! Why in the world could Paul wish that on himself? Because Israel was accursed and separated from Christ. Why are they accursed? Because they had rejected the only One who could save them from the curse of the Law. The word for “accursed” is anathema. It means to be devoted to destruction, or willing to be damned forever. Paul’s love for his own kinsmen is so great, that he would be willing to go to Hell if they could be saved! Now, that is one of the most incredible statements in all of Scripture. Moses had said something similar in Exodus 32:32. He had been up on the mountain receiving the Law from God when Israel was dancing around a golden calf below. Basically Moses said, “If you won’t forgive them, then don’t forgive me either. Just blot my name out of Your book of life.” God would not do as Moses had said. And God could not do as Paul had wished. Notice Paul says “I could wish…” Paul knows that what he could wish can’t be done. He has just got done telling us in Romans 8 that nothing could separate him from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And, even if he could be accursed and separated from Christ, that couldn’t do anything for the salvation of Israel. Only Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the cross can save.
Application
My friends, just stop and marvel with me for a little while at Paul’s burden for the lost. He is very much like Jesus Christ. Jesus was willing, and actually was accursed and separated from the Father for our sakes. Galatians 3 tells us that He was cursed for us. We know that He was separated from the Father because from the cross He cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Down through the centuries, there have been many extraordinary Christians who have shared this supernatural burden for lost souls.
John Knox cried, “Give me Scotland or I die!”
George Whitefield prayed, “O Lord, give me souls, or take my soul!”
David Brainerd prayed, “I care not where I live, or what hardships I go through, so that I can but gain souls to Christ. While I am asleep, I dream of these things; as soon as I awake, the first thing I think of is this great work. All my desire is the conversion of sinners, and all my hope is in God.”
John Wesley wrote to his fellow workers, “The church has nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore, spend and be spent in this work. It is not your business to speak so many times, but to save as many souls as you can – to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance.”
In 1865 a man by the name of William Booth believed God was calling him to go to the worst, most vile slums of London to win the drunkards, harlots, and outcasts to Jesus Christ. He began preaching on street corners, and God began to bless his work. Soon, there was an army of bold witnesses for Christ working alongside Booth. They called themselves the Salvation Army. This motley group of Christians would march down the streets of London singing and playing gospel songs on any instruments they happened to have. They were often cursed, hissed at, egged, beaten and stoned. Some members were even killed. But by the year 1884, there were 270,000 people attending Salvation Army open air meetings in England alone, not to mention the meetings going on in America, Europe, India, Australia, and Japan. William Booth became the first general of the Salvation Army. His motto was, “Go for souls and go for the worst!” He lived a life of poverty and self-sacrifice. When Salvationists would inquire how to have greater devotion for the cause of Christ, Booth would say, “Just stoop down, and put your ear to the ground and hear the sound of multitudes of people marching to hell!” Toward the end of Booth’s life, King Edward VII asked him to sign his autograph album. Booth summed up his life’s work by saying, “Your Majesty, some men’s ambition is art, some men’s ambition is fame, some men’s ambition is gold, my ambition is the souls of men.”
Paul was burdened for the salvation of Israel. It caused him to write in Romans 10:1, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.” Paul loves Israel, prays for Israel, writes, works and preaches for Israel’s salvation. In every city he enters, he heads directly to the synagogue to proclaim the gospel to the Jews first. He is willing to lay down his life and even go to hell if it meant their salvation! It is that kind of a burden that causes missionaries to go to leper colonies and cannibalistic tribes, to vile slums. It was a burden like this that caused Hudson Taylor to go to China and C.T. Studd to go to darkest Africa.
My question to all of us is do we have a burden for lost souls? If not, why not? Christ was burdened for the lost. Moses was burdened for his people. Paul was burdened for his people. Believers down through the centuries have had a burden for the lost. Why shouldn’t we?
2.Israel’s Privileges
What makes Paul so sorrowful and fills his heart with so much grief is that Israel had rejected God’s Messiah after having so many spiritual privileges. That is what makes her rejection of Christ so tragic. Paul lists eight advantages that Israel possessed over all the other nations of the world.
To whom belongs the adoption as sons. In Exodus 4:22 God had said, “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn.” When someone adopts a child, they choose to commit themselves to take care of that child until it comes to maturity, and grant the child an inheritance when they pass away. God pledged to Israel that He would take care of her and protect her, and pass on an inheritance to her.
The glory. Israel experienced the shekinah glory of God, when God would manifest His presence with a cloud by day and a fire by night. This glory cloud would billow up from on top of the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies, and spread out covering the entire camp of Israel. When the temple was dedicated the Lord fell in fire displaying His glory
The Covenants. In the Old Testament, God made several covenants, and Israel is a beneficiary of them. God made a covenant with Noah that He would never again destroy the world with a flood. God made a covenant with Abraham that He would give him all the land of Canaan. God made a covenant with Moses, which we call the Old Covenant, in which God gave them His Law and bound them to obey it. God made a covenant with David, in which He promised that one of his descendants would sit upon his throne forever. Israel was blessed with many covenants.
The giving of the Law. The Law was a blessing to Israel because it was to be a tutor to lead them to Christ. The Law brought condemnation and a curse, but would then lead the humble to Christ to find salvation in Him.
The Temple service. This refers to the ministry of the priests in offering sacrifice to God in order to make atonement for the sins of the people and enable them to have acceptance with God. It prefigured and pointed toward the cross of Christ, where He as the great High Priest, once and for all, atoned for the sins of the people.
The promises. Israel was given many precious and magnificent promises from God. In Genesis 3:15 they were promised that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the seed of the serpent. In Genesis 12:3 God promised that in Abraham and his seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed. In Deuteronomy 18:15,18 God said that He would raise up a prophet like Moses from among their countrymen and that He would speak all of God’s words. In fact, God made promise after promise to Israel of the Messiah that He would send to save them from their sins.
The Fathers. This refers to the patriarchs. Israel had a glorious heritage. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were godly men who knew God, walked with God, and wrote of God.
The Christ. This is speaking about the Messiah whom God would send to redeem Israel. This is by far the greatest blessing of them all. Notice Paul’s description of the Messiah. He is the Christ according to the flesh, but he is also God blessed forever! Here Paul is pointing to the divine and human natures combined in Jesus the Christ! The Messiah would be both God and man, and as such, could be their perfect Mediator. No wonder Paul says that He is “over all”!
Imagine a father with two sons. One of those sons has always been the black sheep of the family, always getting into trouble. The other son was brilliant, and obedient. However as they became men, both began to drink heavily, and both of them ended up homeless on skid row. The father’s sorrow for his second son will be greater than his sorrow for the first son. He expected bad things from the first son, but never dreamed it would happen to his second son. The second son had so many advantages, and so many things going for him, that his demise is doubly tragic!
Application.
My friends, you are a lot like Israel, because you have had many advantages over other people. You were born into the wealthiest nation on earth, with a history of Christian influence. You were not born into North Korea, or Saudi Arabia, but the good old USA. You weren’t born in the Old Testament era when only Israel had the oracles of God, or in 900 AD when the only church was the Roman Catholic church, and the truth of justification by faith was obscured. You weren’t born into a world where most people were illiterate, and very few even owned a copy of the Scriptures. You were born into a world where the Bible is freely preached from churches on almost every corner, on the radio, TV, and everywhere on the internet. You were born into a world where you have the greatest and easiest access to the Scriptures that the world has ever known.
Some of you were born into families where your parents are Christians. They have taken you to church. They read the Bible and pray with you. You could have been raised into a family where your parents are atheists, and curse the mention of a God. You have untold advantages over other children.
My friends, if you are damned, it is doubly tragic, because you have every advantage and privilege in the world. Make sure you don’t trifle away those privileges! If you end up in Hell, you will only have yourself to blame.
Your privileges make you more responsible. Jesus said in Luke 12:48 that the one who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who didn’t know his master’s will, will only receive but few lashes. This means that the person who had more spiritual advantages is more responsible and will face a greater eternal punishment than the person with fewer spiritual advantages.
My friends, flee to Christ! Make sure you lay hold of Him by faith. Sue for mercy! Cry out, “God, be merciful, the sinner!”, while you still have opportunity to do so!
______________________________
© The Bridge
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by The Bridge.
Follow Us!