Romans 1:16 -2:10 mentions 3 times "to the Jew first & then to the Gentile/Greek".! Reading them Im not understanding Gods purpose of placing It in that order. Is it because He knew they'd be harder to turn to Christ? And whats the signifacance of them remaining His 'chosen' ppl after they had Jesus crusified? it does make sense "if" when they Finally Realize who Jesus truly was/is, they will be so happy they found Gods truth they will be more faithful servents,.! Any other ideas or facts?
Your answer is your post in v. 39 ..."for I say unto you, you will not see me henceforth, till you shall say, Blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord." It is never said nor implied forever more, and they will see him when he returns, and will bless his name, and not just the southern kingdom, house of Judah, but also the northern kingdom house of Israel, and He will covenant with them, and they with Him.
Albeit, the conditions will be much different as declared by Jeremiah:
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the LORD; 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, saith the LORD.
and Paul in writing Hebrews, (again to the Israelites):
Hi Texsis. One can understand why Paul wrote this oft-quoted "to the Jew first", as he longed for his people who waited for the Messiah, would also like him, come to know that the Scriptures indeed were being fulfilled before their very eyes in Jesus ( Romans 10:1,2).
And so it was, that God had not forgotten or cast away His people ( Romans 11:1), but that the Messiah would be appointed & sent by God to Israel for their salvation - and what did they do? John 1:11, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not". Jesus saw their hard stubborn hearts, yet could still weep for them ( Luke 19:41,42). And as you wrote & implied, not only did they reject Jesus, ridiculed Him & crucified Him, but the day would come when they would recognize Him.
Paul wrote in Romans 11:12,15, "Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" For now, by their rejection, the Jews have failed to know & appropriate the immeasurable Love & Grace of God for them and by their "fall & diminishing", the Gentiles have been granted salvation through the preaching of the Gospel. So, if by their casting away, the rest of the world can find reconciliation through Jesus' Sacrifice, Paul exhibits great exhilaration, that when Israel finally turns to Christ, it would be akin to a resurrection from death & corruption to a glorious new life.
And those of Israel who come to salvation, through much suffering now & particularly in the time of Great Tribulation, will also join the saved from the Gentiles ( Galatians 3:28,29). Yet there will be much rejoicing because Elect Israel is truly the "beloved for the fathers' sakes" ( Romans 11:28: Elect, for the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, & Israel). So, it was always "the Jew first", but all who are IN Christ Jesus are special & precious.
Thanks you for this, it helped. I know and understand God knows ALL so He already knew that 'they may take the long road to get there yet because of their faithfulness once there, they will NOT turn away from Him as so many do'. Thanks again Chris
I just want to point to one thing I disagree with. I do not agree that it is because the Jews failed to recognize and accept Jesus as the Messiah that Gentiles have been granted salvation. It is because of God's mercy and the sacrifice of our Lord for the sines of the world that salvation comes to both Gentiles and Jews. If the nation of Israel had accepted Jesus as the Messiah, I believe that salvation would still come to the Gentiles from the preaching of those God had chosen before creation to bring the gospel to all nations (Paul, Peter, and other apostles and disciples did this). If the Jews had accepted Jesus, then the Gentiles would have been reached with the Gospel by all from Israel who believed, not just the few (by comparison to the whole) from the Jewish nation who delivered the gospel abroad in obedience to the command and commission of Jesus after His resurrection.
Thank you GiGi. I didn't intend to infer, that had the Jews received Christ at the first, then they alone would have received the blessings of salvation, to the rejection of Gentiles; the Gentiles would hear the Gospel as well, though not as the initial beneficiaries. And of course, had the Jews overwhelmingly accepted Jesus as their Messiah, would they have put Him to the Cross? How then would their sins find perfect atonement without the shed Blood of God's Holy Lamb? It could well be that Jesus would still have needed to come & give His Life, but not by what we know now as hateful Jews condemning Him to death.
So, verses such as John 3:16 & Galatians 3:8,9, clearly show that God's Salvation Plan did include the Gentiles ("God so loved the world" & "justify the heathen through faith"), but God's primary focus was that His people Israel would be saved by the Gospel & then Acts 13:46-48 would take place. The Jews would have first inherited salvation's blessings & be a mighty beacon to the whole world of salvation's plan, yet rather, because of their rejection, the Gospel then came to us. And so we see Paul's great yearning for his people in spite of his primary calling to preach to the Gentiles; in Romans 11:14, "If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them". That through the abundant conversion of Gentiles, even through his ministry, his own people might be provoked to jealousy/rivalry (Gk. parazeloo), that he might also save some of them. That they too might inherit eternal life when their ears & hearts are opened, not only to the Gospel, but to the power of the Gospel, just as those of the Gentiles who came under the sound of it, were convicted & believed.
It would be hard to imagine what the State of Israel would be like today had they turned to Christ (as the firstfruits) - or would they have gone down the same road as the other nations, allowing Satan to gain a foothold into their hearts & government?
Very well said cuz I was confused too. Yet as I said before "God knows ALL & knew what was to happen in order to fulfill His will
by sending His Son. Jews (true ones, there are wolves in sheep clothing in ALL beliefs out there), are very true to their beliefs so when God does get ahold of them causing them to finally believe & understand His word, watch out cuz they are mighty powerful therefore I can see now why God chose them first.! So many others, from my experience, have fallen away & come back & away & back, makes me dizzy. Jews on the other hand; they're going to feel so guilty for not believing sooner that (I feel) will be more faithful after their repentance.! When God gets ahold of you & you no longer allow satan to corrupt you, your stuck & stuck good & THEN (as Sound of Freedom said) "when you hear Him speak, DO NOT HESITATE". Till then many will fall away Cuz they don't realize being in a garage doesn't make them a car.! We have to read, study & learn His word DAILY, standing up for His truth not allowing the evil world to corrupt us as well.!
Your answer is your post in v. 39 ..."for I say unto you, you will not see me henceforth, till you shall say, Blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord." It is never said nor implied forever more, and they will see him when he returns, and will bless his name, and not just the southern kingdom, house of Judah, but also the northern kingdom house of Israel, and He will covenant with them, and they with Him.
Albeit, the conditions will be much different as declared by Jeremiah:
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the LORD; 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, saith the LORD.
and Paul in writing Hebrews, (again to the Israelites):
Hebrews 8
A commenter quoted Matthew 23:37-39, I pointed out vs.39 dispelled any inference it was
everlasting or endless.
And so it was, that God had not forgotten or cast away His people ( Romans 11:1), but that the Messiah would be appointed & sent by God to Israel for their salvation - and what did they do? John 1:11, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not". Jesus saw their hard stubborn hearts, yet could still weep for them ( Luke 19:41,42). And as you wrote & implied, not only did they reject Jesus, ridiculed Him & crucified Him, but the day would come when they would recognize Him.
Paul wrote in Romans 11:12,15, "Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" For now, by their rejection, the Jews have failed to know & appropriate the immeasurable Love & Grace of God for them and by their "fall & diminishing", the Gentiles have been granted salvation through the preaching of the Gospel. So, if by their casting away, the rest of the world can find reconciliation through Jesus' Sacrifice, Paul exhibits great exhilaration, that when Israel finally turns to Christ, it would be akin to a resurrection from death & corruption to a glorious new life.
And those of Israel who come to salvation, through much suffering now & particularly in the time of Great Tribulation, will also join the saved from the Gentiles ( Galatians 3:28,29). Yet there will be much rejoicing because Elect Israel is truly the "beloved for the fathers' sakes" ( Romans 11:28: Elect, for the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, & Israel). So, it was always "the Jew first", but all who are IN Christ Jesus are special & precious.
I just want to point to one thing I disagree with. I do not agree that it is because the Jews failed to recognize and accept Jesus as the Messiah that Gentiles have been granted salvation. It is because of God's mercy and the sacrifice of our Lord for the sines of the world that salvation comes to both Gentiles and Jews. If the nation of Israel had accepted Jesus as the Messiah, I believe that salvation would still come to the Gentiles from the preaching of those God had chosen before creation to bring the gospel to all nations (Paul, Peter, and other apostles and disciples did this). If the Jews had accepted Jesus, then the Gentiles would have been reached with the Gospel by all from Israel who believed, not just the few (by comparison to the whole) from the Jewish nation who delivered the gospel abroad in obedience to the command and commission of Jesus after His resurrection.
So, verses such as John 3:16 & Galatians 3:8,9, clearly show that God's Salvation Plan did include the Gentiles ("God so loved the world" & "justify the heathen through faith"), but God's primary focus was that His people Israel would be saved by the Gospel & then Acts 13:46-48 would take place. The Jews would have first inherited salvation's blessings & be a mighty beacon to the whole world of salvation's plan, yet rather, because of their rejection, the Gospel then came to us. And so we see Paul's great yearning for his people in spite of his primary calling to preach to the Gentiles; in Romans 11:14, "If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them". That through the abundant conversion of Gentiles, even through his ministry, his own people might be provoked to jealousy/rivalry (Gk. parazeloo), that he might also save some of them. That they too might inherit eternal life when their ears & hearts are opened, not only to the Gospel, but to the power of the Gospel, just as those of the Gentiles who came under the sound of it, were convicted & believed.
It would be hard to imagine what the State of Israel would be like today had they turned to Christ (as the firstfruits) - or would they have gone down the same road as the other nations, allowing Satan to gain a foothold into their hearts & government?
by sending His Son. Jews (true ones, there are wolves in sheep clothing in ALL beliefs out there), are very true to their beliefs so when God does get ahold of them causing them to finally believe & understand His word, watch out cuz they are mighty powerful therefore I can see now why God chose them first.! So many others, from my experience, have fallen away & come back & away & back, makes me dizzy. Jews on the other hand; they're going to feel so guilty for not believing sooner that (I feel) will be more faithful after their repentance.! When God gets ahold of you & you no longer allow satan to corrupt you, your stuck & stuck good & THEN (as Sound of Freedom said) "when you hear Him speak, DO NOT HESITATE". Till then many will fall away Cuz they don't realize being in a garage doesn't make them a car.! We have to read, study & learn His word DAILY, standing up for His truth not allowing the evil world to corrupt us as well.!
Thanks for the clarification on this point. Now I understand more fully what you intended to say in your first post.
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