The Bible, Israel, and Antisemitism:Part 5: Jesus, The Jewish Hope
Paul argues that God has not rejected Jewish people and points to himself as an example. He is accepted, not because he’s Jewish, but because he’s a Jewish CHRISTIAN. Jews that haven’t accepted Jesus as the Christ Paul calls “hardened” (Romans 11.1-10).
Paul then argues that the hardening of the Jews has opened the door of salvation to the Gentiles (Romans 11.11) – a wonderful thing.
Then Paul says something important regarding the question of a future for Israel:
Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!”
-- Romans 11.12
“For if their [i.e. the Jews’] rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?”
-- Romans 11.15
Both verses look forward to the Jews returning to a place of blessing – called “their full inclusion” (v. 12) and “their acceptance” (v. 15). But Paul is not talking about politics or a revived Israeli state, but Jews coming to faith in Jesus as their Messiah.
The apostle makes the point with the illustration of the olive tree (Romans 11.16-24), mentioned in my last blog. The holy roots sustain Jewish believers in Jesus as well as Gentile Christians, whom Paul depicts as “wild olives” grafted into the Jewish tree rooted in God’s promises to Abraham.
Jews who reject Jesus, Paul says, are broken off of their own tree because of unbelief. But such Jews, the apostle adds, “if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again” (Romans 11.23).
Paul suggests strongly that the Jews will in the future return to faith in biblical promises embodied in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But what about the land of Israel? Will there be a future Israeli state that is a part of God’s program? The apostle doesn’t say! It seems to me that absolute insistence that there will be or will not be such a Jewish state goes beyond what Paul says. Paul’s focus is Jewish belief in Jesus, not Jewish politics. An Israeli state may – or may not – be something God uses in the process of bringing the Jews to faith in Jesus Christ.
We will have to wait and see. And we must keep preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul then argues that the hardening of the Jews has opened the door of salvation to the Gentiles (Romans 11.11) – a wonderful thing.
Then Paul says something important regarding the question of a future for Israel:
Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!”
-- Romans 11.12
“For if their [i.e. the Jews’] rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?”
-- Romans 11.15
Both verses look forward to the Jews returning to a place of blessing – called “their full inclusion” (v. 12) and “their acceptance” (v. 15). But Paul is not talking about politics or a revived Israeli state, but Jews coming to faith in Jesus as their Messiah.
The apostle makes the point with the illustration of the olive tree (Romans 11.16-24), mentioned in my last blog. The holy roots sustain Jewish believers in Jesus as well as Gentile Christians, whom Paul depicts as “wild olives” grafted into the Jewish tree rooted in God’s promises to Abraham.
Jews who reject Jesus, Paul says, are broken off of their own tree because of unbelief. But such Jews, the apostle adds, “if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again” (Romans 11.23).
Paul suggests strongly that the Jews will in the future return to faith in biblical promises embodied in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But what about the land of Israel? Will there be a future Israeli state that is a part of God’s program? The apostle doesn’t say! It seems to me that absolute insistence that there will be or will not be such a Jewish state goes beyond what Paul says. Paul’s focus is Jewish belief in Jesus, not Jewish politics. An Israeli state may – or may not – be something God uses in the process of bringing the Jews to faith in Jesus Christ.
We will have to wait and see. And we must keep preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.