Monthly Archives: June 2026

ROMANS…THE WAY – 20a

Bible Study, ,

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Therefore”…! I was taught at Bible college that, when you see a “therefore…”, you must ask what it’s there for…

So, as we have already met “therefore” in previous posts, we know that “therefore” is a bridge between what has gone before and what follows. Paul has spent eleven chapters, at least according to artificial chapter divisions, explaining to his readers the magnitude and scope of God’s righteousness. In the face of the disaster of human sin, God intervened…in perfect harmony with who He is…and set in motion His plan to rescue sinners from His judgment. He reinstated them as His sons and daughters. Included in His plan is the gift of His Spirit who gives them the power to do what He wants them to do and become…to become like His Son and to live in obedience to His will. 

However, nothing in this new life is automatic. God has set the stage for us to co-operate with Him…to work out what He has worked in us who believe in Jesus and have become a part of His forever family.  

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This new life begins with an exchange…a sacrifice. I don’t know whether my idea fits the biblical teaching on sacrifice but…I view sacrifice as an exchange. We give to God what He requires… and He gives back something much greater.

Now, since our bodies are very often the part of us through which we indulge in sin, is it not logical that we should give God our bodies first? In other words, should we not hand over the control of our bodies to the Holy Spirit who is in us so that we follow His leading rather than giving in to sinful desires and behaviour? 

Sexual sin, and overindulgence of every kind, is not the way to live in our bodies because our bodies are not ours to use as we choose. 

“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!…Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭15‬, ‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬

This is a compelling reason for us to treat our bodies as sacred…God’s temples…not our playground. (Does this not also apply to what happens to our bodies after death? Is it okay to put God’s temple into the fire?)

Why, then, must we give our bodies to God as a sacrifice? Why must we live in our bodies in a way that expresses His ownership? Why should we take care of our bodies? What does God give us in exchange for His right to use our bodies for His purposes?

Look at the outcome of this sacrifice!

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A living sacrifice…just what it says…a gift to God that is alive and responsive to Him! For what purpose?

 Worship! 

Paul says that giving our bodies to God is an acceptable sacrifice and an act of true worship. That’s amazing! We think worship is what we do on a Sunday morning in church. No…worship is much more than that. Worship is what we do every moment, in every day of our lives in our bodies. 

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Worship is doing everything we do for God and with Him in mind because…we represent Him here on earth…all the time. 

The second part of this exchange takes effort and work. 

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We were born with minds that soak up everything like sponges. As young children, we absorbed everything as truth. We learned, as we grew older, the difference between what is ťrue or false if we had wise teachers. Unfortunately many, if not most children believe that everything they hear is true, especially from those closest to them or those representing the world around them…and they live accordingly. 

Paul says that, as God’s children, we need to learn to be guided by truth rather than by what the world says and does. This means that we must exchange what we have been taught and absorbed by the world’s influence… the systems and standards set by ungodly people…for God’s instructions for living contained in His word. 

This is not a once-off activity. It takes a lifetime to uncover the false ideas and beliefs we have gathered from our early childhood… and replace them with what God says about Himself, about us, and about the way we relate to Him, to other people, and to the world around us. 

As we take time and effort to do this work…especially learning, by trial and error…how to act and react in our everyday lives as the Bible teaches us… we slowly begin to understand more of God’s will and His ways. As we become wiser in our understanding, we come closer to God and His people in togetherness and fellowship. 

John says it like this…

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

These two verses in Romans 12 set the stage for Paul’s instructions about living our daily lives as God’s children in a sinful and broken world in accordance with the righteousness God has given us by His grace. 

To be continued

ROMANS…THE WAY – 19d

Bible Study, ,

Did you notice that I jumped over chapter 10?  Romans 10 is packed with so many truths that it needs a treatment all on its own. I’ve called it “the way” because Paul inserts practical applications of the truths he has been explaining in the previous and following chapters. 

“Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What’s wrong with these Jews? Have they not yet learned, despite their history of both zeal on the one hand and consistent failure the other, that it is impossible to satisfy God’s righteous standards by trying to keep the law? They still reject God’s way of faith and hold on to those own way!

God’s way is far simpler but more effective…

“For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 Imagine that! The law’s way, as taught by Moses in the Torah, was to obey all 613 laws all the time without missing a beat. That was simply not possible, and yet…that’s what the Jews insisted on trying to do!

God’s way has always been trusting Him for mercy and forgiveness…and this way was made visible and real through Jesus. We did not need to try to get to up God. Instead, He came down to us. 

“But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God’s way is the way of trusting in what He has spoken…and everything He has promised is to be found in a person…Jesus…who is God’s spoken word who came in person. He has come…He has spoken…He has done everything for us…now we simply confirm, in our hearts and through our mouths, our faith in Him. 

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬

What could be simpler than that?

On one sentence, Paul sweeps aside obedience to the law as a way to gain acceptance with God.  He replaces it with faith in Jesus and verbal confession of that faith as the one and only way to get right with Him…efficient because Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law and effective because His death and resurrection perfectly satisfied God’s justice. Now, when we believe in Him, we become one with Him in His death and resurrection for us. 

Jew and Gentile access God’s salvation in the same way…by faith and confession. 

“Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the ngame of the Lord will be saved.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is the first and most important practical step into God’s promise of salvation. However, to believe in Jesus requires confidence in God’s spoken word. How do we access this word?

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ NLT

God has always been speaking…through creation and conscious, but now He is speaking through His Son. 

“Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

However, to hear this good news about Jesus in all its detail requires a messenger. It is God Himself who sends people out to declare this message so that those who hear it (and read it in His written word), can believe. The message and faith in the message are intimately connected. 

“So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The tragedy is that those who hear the message don’t all believe it. They have a choice…and some still choose to reject the good news about Jesus in favour of their own way. The Jews rejected the message. They disqualified themselves from a place in God’s scheme of things, making room for the Gentiles to be brought in… but God, in His mercy, is restoring them.  

“But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.” But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, “I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭16‬, ‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Jews had every opportunity to believe the message and share in God’s salvation…but they refused…

…and that’s what opened the door for the Gentiles to come in and  participate in God’s cosmic plan…

To be continued

ROMANS…THE GENTILES – 19c

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“Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, “Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.” And, “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’””

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If God chose the Jews to be His own special nation, how did the Gentiles get into the story?

God’s plan was never to rescue only the Jews from the plight of sin. There is s strong prophetic thread running through His dealings with Israel…that they were to be the nation to whom He would reveal Himself…and through whom He would reach all nations with His salvation. 

God said to His Servant…

“I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to me.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Jews hated the Gentiles, blamed the  Gentiles for their troubles, and resisted the preaching of God’s grace extended to them through Jesus by the ministry of the apostles. However, Paul explained, in his letter to the Ephesians, that God’s plan to unite Jews and Gentiles into one new race was a secret He had hidden in the past but was now revealed in the gospel. 

“God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God…And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭10‬, ‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God’s plan worked perfectly, not in spite of the unfaithfulness of His  people but through their rejection of their Messiah. Paul’s argument was as follows…

Abraham was made righteous through his faith in God’s promise, not through circumcision.  Not all his natural descendants are automatically his true offspring, but only those who are God’s children by faith. Gentiles who believe the gospel also become the spiritual descendants of Abraham by faith in Jesus. 

“Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised…So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith….Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬, ‭13‬, ‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Jews who don’t believe in Jesus cannot be part of God’s promises to Abraham. So, they have been cut off from being Abraham’s descendants. 

“So, this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened…. Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭7‬, ‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Israel’s disobedience cut them off from God’s blessings in Christ, God’s “olive tree”, so that the Gentiles, the “wild olives”, could be grafted into the cultivated tree. 

“But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root….Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen…You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So, if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭17‬-‭18‬, ‭20‬, ‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In summary, some of God’s people refused to believe and were broken off the cultivated “olive tree”. Gentiles who received the message of the gospel…branches of the “wild olive”…were grafted into God’s “olive tree” in their place. God’s plan was to make those who refused to believe jealous so that they would want to be part of God’s tree again. 

“Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Once again, Paul turns the spotlight onto God’s mercy. God is always willing to receive those who trust in Jesus, even though they might have disobeyed Him at first. He is always willing to forgive and restore, no matter how far people have wandered from His way. He does not hold grudges. He does not retaliate out of spite. 

“O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.”

‭‭Micah‬ ‭7‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ…Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬, ‭28‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul’s contemplation of God’s plan…foretold by the prophets and revealed in the gospel…brought him to an outburst of extravagant praise. What could he say?

How…? Who…?

“Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭11‬:‭33‬-‭36‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s all about Him from beginning to end. No discussion! No argument! God said it! God did it! …and all the glory belongs to Him alone!

To be continued

ROMANS…CHOICE – 19b

Bible Study, ,

Paul’s discussion about predestination opens up another puzzle. If God has chosen to make people what He wants them to be, to suit His purposes, before they are born, how can they, then, be held responsible if He created them for judgment? 

Some people think that, because God knows beforehand what they will become, He chooses each one to be that person. This sounds like God’s being at the mercy of people. This cannot be! God is sovereign in all He does. 

So, how can we understand and marry God’s sovereignty and human freedom to choose…which sounds like an impossibility. 

God created the first human, Adam, with perfect freedom to choose good or evil. God did not create evil but…if Adam could choose, there must have been at least two alternatives.  When Adam chose to disobey God, he lost his freedom to choose the good. His frame of reference was narrowed to choices that were only evil. Why? He has lost the nature of God and had become evil by nature. Therefore, he could not choose the good. 

This means that no one can choose to obey God. So, God not only chooses a person’s destiny but He also gives him the responsibility of confirming His choice by obeying or rejecting Him.  

Paul uses the illustration of Pharaoh who rejected and disobeyed God’s instructions. In the story, Pharaoh disobeyed God five times…and God hardened his heart five times. 

“For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God’s plan was to judge and destroy the gods of Egypt and to reveal His glory by what He did to Egypt through the plagues. So, Pharaoh’s destiny was tied up with God’s purpose for Egypt. 

So, if we are evil by nature and can only make evil choices, how can we confirm God’s plan for us by choosing to obey Him without His intervention? If God chooses to create a person who will do His will, He must do something in that person to empower him to make that choice. This is where grace comes in. 

First, we were dead in our sins. This means that it was  impossible for us, dead people, to hear or respond to God. 

“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

That’s who and what we were…but then…

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 

…God gave us life…He enabled us to respond to Him…

…and then…

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…God also gave us faith…

“Faith is considered a gift from God because it is not something humans can earn, invent, or conjure on their own. Instead, it is a spiritual realization—a divine spark and an unearned grace that God graciously places in a person’s heart to help them trust in His promises and understand spiritual truths.” (Source: Google AI)

God’s mercy initiated everything He did for us so that we could make the choice to believe in Jesus and to do His will. By grace, He restored His own image in us so that we are now able to make godly choices. 

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Would you look at that! God takes a lump of clay…decides to make a person who will do His will…then He breathes life into the clay…creates a human…restores His own image in him…gives him faith…and he chooses to obey God and do His will. 

It’s both a mystery and a reality. Can you see now, how predestination and free will can work in tandem when God is writing His big story…by weaving together each person’s individual story into the whole? The plot in God’s story is the redemption of all creation…natural and human. Every detail has been woven into the plot. Every person has a part to play in the story…every person must participate by choice…each choice confirms what God has already written before time began and each choice is made out of whatever nature rules in them…the evil nature with which he is born out God’s nature which He has restored through the “new birth”. 

Now that is God’s sovereignty!

To be continued

ROMANS…PREDESTINATION – 19a

Bible Study, ,

Now, before Paul goes on, in his usual way, to show his readers how to put into practice this amazing new life God has given them, he must explain something we find difficult to understand. 

Jews and Gentiles…how do they fit together in God’s plan? Both groups have been alienated from God because of sin. More than that, they hate each other. What has God done to fix this terrible situation?

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul explained how Jesus’ death dealt with the enmity between Jew and Gentile…

“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why did God want to reconcile Jews and Gentiles in the first place?

Predestination…that’s a big, scary word. It’s a word that people have studied, argued about, and struggled over for centuries. Does God choose some people for heaven and send others to hell just because He wants to or decides that way? God chose the Jews but they messed up so badly that they had actually rejected their own Messiah. 

“With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul begins this new section with a lament…Oh, if only…why are God’s people lost when they are such a privileged people. Look at what they have received from God! Even Jesus, the Messiah, traced His human ancestry through the Jews. And yet…look what they did…look where they are now! Hating and rejecting Jesus as their own Messiah!

Did God make a mistake when He made wonderful promises to the Jews and they didn’t work?  Is it God’s fault that the Jews don’t believe in Jesus?

No, He didn’t… no, it isn’t…and here’s the reason…

“Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too. This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children. For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Natural descent from Abraham doesn’t automatically mean that every Jew is a true Jew. Real Jews are those who are Abraham’s descendants by faith…who are what Paul calls “children of promise”…like Isaac, not Ishmael. God chose Isaac, the son who was born by a miracle, to be the ancestor of the Jewish race although Ishmael was also his son. 

And so, time and again, God selected the person who would continue the bloodline through which Jesus would be born. He could do that because He is God. He has the right to make those choices. 

However, we think that God was being unfair. How could He choose one and reject another…? And He did that before the people were born! Is this the meaning of predestination? Does God randomly pick one and reject another…and send those He rejects to hell! Really? 

Paul says, “You’ve got it all wrong. This is not about being fair or unfair. This is about mercy!”

“Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now, that’s a completely different perspective! Without God’s mercy, no one would survive. Everyone is under divine judgment apart from His mercy. The thing about mercy is that we can do nothing to earn it. So, it is God’s right alone to choose to whom He will show mercy. 

This puts what God does or doesn’t do in a whole new light. 

“For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now, that raises another question…

“Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Again, Paul responds…” You don’t understand…”

“No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is about God, not about  human reasoning. This is, as always, about God’s glory.  

Just as a potter picks up a lump of clay, examines it carefully and then decides what it will become, so it is God who decides about people, not us. We have no choice in the matter because He is God and because every lump of clay will become a vessel that suits His purpose, not ours. 

So, predestination is not about God choosing people for heaven or hell. It’s about God deciding beforehand what to make of each lump of clay, so that each one becomes a player in His big story. God’s story, in turn, is about revealing to the whole universe, including everything and everyone in it, who He really is. 

Now, let’s narrow this down. Before we were born, before the beginning of time, God chose us, you and me, to be His children. 

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

He predestined us for something specific…

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Predestination is always tied to the end result…what we were chosen to become…for example…when a freshman steps through the doors of the university for the first time, say…to study medicine…he is predestined to become a doctor if he stays the course. 

So, the moment God chooses us to be His child, we are predestined to become a son or daughter in the image of Jesus…if we allow Him to do His work in us… and He chooses us because of His mercy. 

Can you now see that predestination is all about God…revealing who He really is to a world of people…through both Jews and Gentiles whom He has chosen…who hate Him and are in rebellion against Him…but whom He can transform by His grace. 

So, Paul answers the troubling question, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”, first by warning…” Who are you to question God?”

“Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?”

…and second, as we have said before, this is about God, not about us…

“When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

…and the point is that we confirm God’s choice about us by the choices we make. Now, that’s a mystery. God chooses and we, because God gave us the freedom to choose, choose to do what He wants. So, He doesn’t force us to do anything but, because of grace, we choose to do His will. 

This requires more explanation…

To be continued