It’s all about grace: Romans 11.1–32 (Day 233)

Pray

Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.

Read

1 Samuel 13 Romans 11 Jeremiah 50 Psalms 28–29

Daily reflection: Romans 11

Paul explains more here about the position of the Jews within God's plans. Most, he says, have historically not responded to his grace, and it's the same in his own time. However, God's covenant with them remains. They are the original olive tree, onto which Gentile believers have been grafted as branches (verse 17). Furthermore, while Jews are 'God's enemies' because they reject the Good News, this is 'for the sake of you Gentiles' (verse 28) – Jewish failure has opened the way for Gentile inclusion. And even so, Jews are 'God's friends' because of their ancestors: 'For God does not change his mind about whom he chooses and blesses.' So Paul hopes and prays that Jews will respond to the Good News of grace, and believes that 'all Israel will be saved' (verses 25–26).

We need to be very careful about passages like this. For Paul, this was an 'internal' argument: he was writing as a Jew, and knew there was no contradiction between being a Jew and a follower of Jesus. It would not be long, though, before Christian intolerance combined with political power would result in centuries of antisemitism. Paul explicitly warns against Gentile hostility to Jews (verses 19–21); if they were 'broken off' from the tree, it's just a warning that Gentiles could suffer the same fate; we all depend on God's mercy.

Romans 9–11 expresses an overwhelming sense of God's grace. The original context is the relation between Jews and Gentiles, but the message is the same today: we have no right to hate or reject anyone, because God has loved and accepted us.

Pray

God, help me never to take your grace to me for granted; and let me see others through your eyes, and love them rather than condemn.