Romans 11 - Israel's Future

 

Last time in Romans, we saw how Israel is presently in unbelief. They have sought their own righteousness, and have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God is by faith, and it is near in our mouths and in our hearts. Its greatest evidence is that it confesses Jesus Christ as Lord, even in the face of persecution. I also expounded on this topic more in a separate post. The Jews have been given the good news, but have rejected it. So, the Lord is provoking them to jealousy by bringing salvation to the Gentiles. He ended with a quote from Isaiah that the Lord had stretched out His hands to a disobedient and contrary people.

If the Jews are a disobedient and contrary people, has God cast them away? Paul, again, answers his own question with, “Certainly not!” If He had, then Paul would not be a Christian, because Paul was a Jew, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Israel is the only nation that God has foreknown Amos 3:2, and as He says in Jeremiah, “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the Lord.” (Jer 31:37)

Paul then references Elijah who, after killing all the prophets of Baal, flees from Jezebel into the wilderness. Elijah complained to the Lord that Israel had killed His prophets, torn down His altars, he was the only one left, and they were seeking to kill him too. However, the Lord responded to him, “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In this day and age where it can be easy to think we are the only ones who are staying on the straight and narrow path, we can be sure God still has a remnant. This remnant is according to the election of grace. There have always been Jews throughout history who have accepted the Gospel; in fact, the early Church started with only Jews. This is yet another proof God has not cast away His people. This election is not of works, because none of us, Jew or Gentile, are deserving of this grace. Paul seems a bit redundant in verse six, and I believe his purpose was to make a point. So many people cannot simply accept the grace of God, but attempt to add to it by some sort of work they do. You can’t have it both ways, we operate under grace, or we operate under works. Since the latter is impossible, we should eagerly and willingly accept the former.

Israel has not obtained what it seeks, except for those who are the elect, and the rest were blinded. The word for blinded here means to become hardened or callused. Paul goes on to quote from Isaiah 29 who spoke of God giving them a spirit of stupor so that they did not have eyes to see or ears to hear. David prayed in Psalm 69 that their table (their sitting and feasting comfortably) would become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a recompense to them. He prayed that their eyes would be darkened so they could not see, and that they would bow down their backs always.

This may seem harsh that God would give them over to a spiritual stupor, but Israel has been hardened or callused to the Gospel because of their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. If we recall when Jesus was on trial, all the people answered Pilate, “His blood be on us and on our children.” God still loves His people and has a plan for them, but you just cannot say something like that without there being consequences.

Again, we see Israel hardening themselves, and God hardening them. This will happen to many during the Tribulation. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thes 2:10-12)

Another part of this is God’s punishment on the nation by causing them to be dispersed. On His triumphal entry, Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and said, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” (Lk 19:42-44) The Messiah had come down to Earth, lived among them for almost His entire life, ministered to them for over three years, and then presented Himself as King to the nation. Hundreds of years earlier, the angel Gabriel had appeared to Daniel to give him a prophecy concerning their coming Messiah: “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.  And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.  The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.” (Dan 9:24-26) In the Old Testament a week is commonly used to refer to a period of seven years.  So, from the command to restore and build Jerusalem, there would be a period of 69 weeks (483 years), and after these 69 weeks, the Messiah would be cut off.  We know from history this command to restore and build Jerusalem came on March 14, 445 B.C. by Artaxerxes Longimanus, and took place under the leadership of Nehemiah.  Using a Jewish calendar that consists of 360-day years, this translates into 173,880 days.  When counting 173,880 days from the decree by Artaxerxes, this comes out to April 6, 32 A.D.  On the very day, guess who rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey?  “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zechariah 9:9) Jesus Christ presented Himself as King on the very day that the angel had predicted.  In other words, Gabriel’s margin of error was zero. In my opinion, this is one of the most astounding prophecies in the entire Bible. The Jews (especially the religious leaders) should have known better from these two prophecies in Daniel and Zechariah alone, but according to gotquestions.org, Jesus conservatively fulfilled at least 300 prophecies during His earthly ministry. That’s an incredible testimony, folks! They stumbled at the Stumbling Stone because they did not come to God by faith as mankind has always had to do. This resulted in the Diaspora in which Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in 70 A.D., and the Jews were dispersed throughout the nations for the last 2,000 years. This was predicted by Moses in Deuteronomy 28:64-67 and Deuteronomy 31:17-18, and  by Jesus in Luke 21:24. However, the Lord promised to bring them back again as seen in Jeremiah 31:7-8, Isaiah 43:5-7, and in Isaiah 66:8. This began happening after WWI., but really picked up in May of 1948 when Israel became a nation again. The horrific events of the Holocaust moved the world to sympathize with the Jewish people, and to give them a homeland to return to.

I believe it is important to point out here that God’s love for His people does not cause Him to gloss over their sins. If the Lord does not gloss over their sins, then we should not either. They are back in their land, but the majority are there in unbelief. As a result, it is largely a secular society with much of the same immoral practices that go on in our own country. If you speak with a Jewish person today about the Gospel, there really is a blindness or hardness there in many of them. In the conversations I have had with Jewish people, some do not even believe their own Scriptures. The Lord will fix this problem with one more major trial, and it is called the Tribulation. It is unfortunate this will be what it takes, but one of the main reasons for the Tribulation is to wake up the Jewish people to the fact that Jesus is their Messiah.

So then, the nation is being disciplined by God because of their rejection of His Son, but as we will see in the remainder of the chapter, they will be restored. This restoration in spite of Israel’s failures and rejection of the Lord will make it all the more glorious.

Salvation By Belief or Confession - A Commentary on Romans 10:9-10

There is a passage in the book of Romans that many well-meaning Christians use in leading people to Christ that states, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Rom 10:9-10) If we were to only look at this passage, it does seem to be saying that both confession and belief are necessary for salvation, but if we adopt this view, it presents some challenges to all of us as it relates to salvation by grace through faith alone. The doctrine of salvation by grace through faith is a central doctrine of Christianity, and is one of the things that separates Christianity from every other man-made religion. So, which is it: is it salvation by belief, or by belief plus confession? Let’s examine this in more detail.

For starters, we must be careful not to take one passage from the Bible and formulate doctrine from it. Each passage must be compared with the rest of the counsel of God's Word to make sure we are interpreting it as we ought to. There are at least 160 New Testament verses that speak to the fact that justification is through faith in Jesus Christ alone apart from works. In the Gospel of John alone there are around 98 occurrences of the Greek word that is translated ‘believe’, and in the majority of these instances it is referring to the response of the heart to the call of God bringing eternal life. The word means to have faith in, to be persuaded of, to credit, or to place confidence in. Obviously, here the context is placing one’s confidence in Jesus Christ for salvation. There is no mention of confession or any other work in the definition of the Greek word.

Probably the most notable of these passages is in Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. He stated, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:14-16) Jesus was referencing an Old Testament story here that Nicodemus would have been familiar with. When the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them because they were murmuring against Him. After the people confessed their sins and asked Moses to pray for them, the Lord had Moses put a bronze serpent on a pole, and whoever looked on the bronze serpent would be healed from the poisonous snake bite. Now in the Bible the serpent is a symbol of sin, and bronze is a symbol of judgment. So, Jesus was telling Nicodemus that he would be lifted up in like manner, referring to His death on the cross. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us, and suffered the wrath of His father in your and my place. Now, all who look upon Him by faith will be saved and receive eternal life.

We also see several examples in the book of Acts. Consider the following Scriptures: When the Ethiopian eunuch asked what hindered him from being baptized, Philip responded, “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” (Acts 8:37) When Peter spoke to Cornelius and those gathered with him, Peter stated, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” (10:43) Lastly, when the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas what must he do to be saved, they stated that he and his house should believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. (16:31)

In the first five chapters of the book of Romans, Paul gives one of the most definitive explanations of the Gospel in the entire Bible. Surely if confession was a requirement for eternal life, he would have mentioned it there, but if he had, he would have been directly contradicting himself. Paul writes, "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Rom 4:1-5) Paul is saying that if Abraham were justified by works, he could boast, but not before God. Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. The person who works for their righteousness will be indebted to God, but the person who believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith will be counted unto him for righteousness just as Abraham's was. Again, Paul writes, "Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all." (Rom 4:15-16) The person who is indebted to God by his breaking of the law will face God's wrath, but the person of faith receives the grace of God and the sure promise of eternal life. Lastly, Paul writes, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Rom 5:1-2) We are justified by our faith, made at peace with God, and by this same faith have access to an endless supply of His grace. Notice, there is no mention of confession as a prerequisite for eternal life in any of these passages, but it is only belief or faith (the noun form of the word). In fact, Paul does not mention confession in connection with salvation anywhere else in his epistles. So, salvation based solely on the mercy and grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ is a consistent and reoccurring theme throughout the entire New Testament, and to interpret Romans 10:9-10 to say that confession is also required is erroneous because it contradicts everything else we see in the Scriptures. It’s really no different than saying that an individual must be baptized or take communion in addition to believing in Jesus to be saved.

What did Paul mean then, when he, under inspiration of the Spirit, penned that with the mouth confession is made unto salvation? When we look at verse 10, the first thing Paul says is "For with the heart man believes unto righteousness." From what we have covered so far, we have already seen that God imputes the righteousness of Jesus Christ to us as a result of our faith. However, one also cannot deny the obvious link Paul makes between confession and salvation. The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible, so I believe it will be helpful to look at a similar passage to shed some light on this for us. The only other time that confession is directly linked with salvation in the NT is when Jesus stated, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." (Mat 10:32-33) It appears then that this confession is a public declaration of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is important to remember that correct beliefs produce correct actions. Our faith in Jesus should naturally produce our public confession of Him as it does any other good work. Notice the Ethiopian Eunuch’s response to Philip after Philip told him he must believe, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (Acts 8:38) If a person is consistently unwilling to confess the lordship of Jesus Christ to others, we have a legitimate reason to question the genuineness of their faith. This does not mean there will not be moments of fear or timidity in our lives, but a true Christian will repent from this and seek to conquer his fear through the power of the Holy Spirit. We see this in the case of Peter. Peter denied he knew Jesus three times, but he later repented and was restored by Jesus Himself.

At times in the Scriptures, we see ideas like this closely linked together because there is a direct cause and effect relationship between them. Another example of this is in the Gospel of Mark.  Just prior to his ascension Jesus stated, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16) Here we see Jesus closely link salvation and water baptism, and the reason He did so is that baptism is to be an act of obedience that closely follows one's faith in Christ. It is an outward sign of an inward faith in which a person states publicly that he or she is a Christian and identifies with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Notice however, the only thing that causes damnation, according to Jesus, is unbelief. Baptism, just like any other good work, is merely the evidence that that person has already been saved. So too, public confession of Jesus Christ as Lord is an act of obedience that closely follows our belief on Him. Confession is important because Jesus stated out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If we are willing to confess Jesus as our Lord, it is the greatest evidence that we believe it. Like baptism, once someone has declared his or her faith publicly, they are also a lot less likely to go back on their commitment. There's just something about confession with our mouths that helps in bringing our sin nature (including unbelief) into submission to the will of God. If we are faithful in our profession of faith in Jesus Christ until the end (even in the face of death) Jesus will confess us before His Father in Heaven.

So, can we use this passage in Romans 10:9-10 in leading someone to Christ? Absolutely! We just cannot make the jump from confession being the evidence of our salvation to that it is the means of it. The original Greek carries the idea of confirming with the mouth what has already taken place in the heart. It is possible for someone to state the truth of the Lordship of Jesus Christ without having faith. For example, many Catholics (and Protestants for that matter) will state their belief that Jesus Christ is Lord, but they are trusting in their keeping of Church rituals and other good works to save them. Interestingly enough, Jesus anticipated this when he stated, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  (Matthew 7:22-23) You see, a person’s profession is meaningless unless it proceeds out of a heart of faith.

In summary, the confession referred to by Paul in Romans 10:9-10 is a public one that is not the means for salvation, but rather the greatest evidence of it. Those who say it is a requirement for salvation may be well meaning, but there are many people who are well meaning and still wrong. This line of thinking is dangerous, because it causes people to place their trust in a work they have done rather than solely in Jesus Christ. It also places doubt and confusion in people's minds that should not be there.  “If I don’t pray the prayer just right, then maybe I am not saved.” Jesus plus works is still just works. Works-based theology not only demonstrates a person does not fully understand the depths of their own sin, it also demonstrates they do not fully understand the mercy and grace of God given to them because of what Jesus did on the cross. It is either a complete trust and reliance on Jesus Christ or it is not. So, when we encounter difficult passages like this, again it is important to balance them with the rest of Scripture. The overwhelming evidence in the New Testament is that we are saved by grace through faith alone, and this needs to be the lens through which we filter somewhat difficult passages like the one found in Romans 10. If you are reading this today and are trusting in your own works, whether it be your public confession, baptism, communion, or something else, repent (change your mind about what God says about your sin) and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. Believe on Him, and He will give you everlasting life. Then confess Him as Lord to others, and tell them about what He has done for you.

 

Additional Links

 

Is public confession necessary for salvation (Romans 10:9-10)?

Romans 10 - Israel's Present

 

Previously in Romans, we learned how deep Paul’s love was for his own people, the Jews. He said he could wish himself cut off from Christ if it meant the Jewish people would be saved. The Jewish people are blessed, for they were the first to receive the adoption, the covenants, the giving of the law of God, etc., and ultimately were the people the Lord chose to bring Jesus into the world. However, only those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life. Most of them have rejected their Messiah, but Paul tells us near the end of the chapter that a remnant will be saved. The rest have stumbled at the stumbling block which is Christ.

Paul picks up in chapter 10 by stating that his heart’s desire and prayer for Israel is that they would be saved. He bore them witness that they had a zeal for God, but it was not according to knowledge. This is still true today: there are many who are very sincere and zealous for God, but they do not have the correct understanding of who He is or how a person enters into a relationship with Him. You can be sincere and zealous, but still be wrong. This is the case for many in the Jewish community, in pseudo-Christian cults, and even within the Church.

They are ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seek to establish their own righteousness. In so doing, they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God, although if you were to talk with them, they would say that they have. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. This is an echo of what he said in chapter eight, “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Paul then references Moses who said of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” In other words, if a person wants to be righteous by keeping the law, they must do it perfectly, something he has already proven impossible. So, if attempting to keep the law is not God’s form of righteousness, what does God’s righteousness look like? Paul will tell us next.

He says, “but the righteousness of faith speaks in this way.” The first thing to take note of is that God’s righteousness that He wants mankind to have is that of faith. The author of Hebrews writes, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb 11:6) This coincides with everything Paul has told us thus far in Romans. “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’” The Lord first counts us righteous by faith, and then He begins making us righteous. Second, he uses a literary device called a personification to help illustrate what genuine faith looks like, and it appears to primarily be connected to how faith speaks. The next two verses are actually a paraphrase of Deuteronomy 30:11-14 in which Moses was telling the children of Israel God’s commandments were not mysterious or difficult to be sought out; they were in their mouths and in their hearts. So, too, with the Gospel, it’s not about ascending up to Heaven or descending into the abyss to find Christ, for going to great lengths to keep the law will not bring us closer to Him. The word of faith is also near us, in our mouths and in our hearts.

These next two verses are probably among the most quoted from in the entire NT, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Rather than being some formula or rote prayer we coach people to say in order to be saved, I believe, again, Paul is telling us what genuine faith looks like in line with what he said in v 6. Making salvation about a specific prayer takes the emphasis off faith in Jesus Christ, and places it in words that we say (if I say the right words, I will be saved). This then goes against everything Paul has told us in Romans so far about being justified by faith. It turns into people calling Jesus Lord, but there is no faith in Him to make their relationship real. To these Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Also, “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Mat 7:21, 23) Having said this however, I do believe it is a great model to follow when leading others to Christ, because confessing Jesus Christ as Lord is one of the greatest evidences a true change has taken place in their heart. I have used this model in leading others to Christ, including my own children.

At the heart of this passage, what I believe Paul is getting at is what will we do with Jesus publicly. True faith will ultimately remain faithful to Christ, even in persecution. The word Paul uses for ‘Lord’ is the same word Roman citizens would use in calling Caesar lord. Emperor worship was common in the Roman empire, and was political in nature to keep unity amongst its citizens. However, Nero took it a bit more seriously, and Domitian sought to establish it on a larger scale. Roman citizens would be required to stand before a statue of Caesar, offer incense on an altar, and say Caesar is lord. The penalty for not doing this was death. Paul was writing to a Roman audience, and what he was essentially saying is that Christians need to choose to whom they would give their allegiance, Jesus Christ, or an earthly ruler. If they did not renounce their faith in Christ (even to save their lives) they would be saved. This echoes what Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” (Mat 10:23-33)

Many of you probably remember the story: In 2015, 20 construction workers from Egypt, and one from Ghana, came to Libya for work. The twenty Egyptians were Christian, while the man from Ghana was said not to be initially. While there, they were abducted by ISIS, and told to renounce their faith and convert to Islam or be executed. The men refused, many of them crying out in the moments before their death, “Ya Rabb Yesua! – ‘O Lord Jesus!’” The man from Ghana was asked if he would renounce Christ, and he responded, “Their God is my God.” The man from Ghana, seeing the courage of his fellow co-workers, became a convert himself, and was willing to lay down his own life.

Again, whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. If we have trusted in Christ for salvation, He has removed everything that would cause us shame on the day of judgment. There is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile, for the Lord is over all and is rich to all who call upon Him. If we remember from chapter 8, God is for us, has freely given us all things, He has justified us, He intercedes for us, and He loves us. He does not only save some of us, but, “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Next, Paul explains the importance of evangelism by asking a series of questions. How will someone call upon the Lord if they have not believed? How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? How shall they hear if there is not a preacher? How shall they preach unless they are sent? He then quotes from Isaiah, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” If it were a matter of working hard enough and doing enough good, and maybe you’ll make it, that would not be a Gospel of peace. Those who go to preach the Gospel (glad tidings of good things) are preaching a message of peace, and it is a beautiful thing. Not all have obeyed the Gospel, for Isaiah in speaking of Jesus said, “Lord, who has believed our report?” This insertion may seem out of place, but Paul is getting ready to bring it back to the nation of Israel and how they rejected the Gospel as predicted by the prophets.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. This says two things: first there must be those who are willing to preach the Word. There is a popular saying out there, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” Although many who quote this may be well-intended, it does not line up with what we see in the Scriptures. True faith confesses Jesus as Lord, and true faith preaches the Gospel to others. We see this in Romans 10, and we see this demonstrated in the early Church in the book of Acts. Our conduct as believers is crucial, but preaching comes first. Yours and my conduct are not perfect; we will have both good and bad days. If people coming to Christ is based off how I am doing in the sanctification process, then this will always fall short of portraying the Gospel. However, the truths of the Gospel and of the Scriptures never change. As long as I can point them back to Jesus and the word of God, they are pointed to something that never fails. As we are preaching, then, yes, we are to seek to ensure our lives line up with what we are preaching as to not distract others from coming to the Lord.

Second, this verse implies there has to be a willing listener for faith to be produced. The Jewish people, by and large, were unwilling to hear the preaching of the Gospel, and thus remain in unbelief. It is not as though the Gospel message has not gone out however, and here Paul quotes from Psalm 19 in which the heavens are declaring the glory of God. God’s first witness to Himself and the Gospel is seen in the Heavens. Second, is His provoking them to jealousy through the Gentiles as foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 32:21. Isaiah also speaks of this in stating He (the Lord) was found by those who did not seek Him, and was made known by those who did not ask for Him. Lastly, God says through Isaiah, “All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” Israel, a nation chosen by God and recipients of the law and prophets who foretold of the coming Messiah, should have known better. They did not know better because they are a disobedient and contrary people. Missler writes, “God has not withheld salvation from Jews; He has held out His hands, imploring them to return to Him. Israel’s continuing rebellious and unbelieving disobedience was judged by God’s turning to the Gentiles.” On the other hand, when the word of God is preached to a willing listener, someone whose heart is as the good fertile soil, it will produce faith. So far, Paul has discussed Israel’s past rejection of the Messiah that has lasted until the present, but in the following chapter, he will discuss their future salvation.