TRANSFORMATION

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!”

“I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.”

Romans 11:12-16

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The Gospel changed everything and that made Jesus a game changer.

Think about it. Millions upon millions of non-Jewish people were not included in God’s old covenant, the covenant that forms the backbone of the Old Testament. These non-Jews, also known as Gentiles, were a people separated from any relationship with God unless they chose to become a Jew. The Jews had an exclusive partnership with the Lord of all creation.

They were God’s people and God was their God.

But there were two major problems that led to the need for a new covenant. Those major problems were sin and the disobedience sin instigated. Both led the Israelites to repeatedly violate their end of the covenant agreement, a covenant agreement always perfectly kept by a perfect God.

And so God took action. He removed the exclusive privilege the Jews had with Him and opened up salvation to all people of the world through His Son Jesus. As we see in Paul’s words from our passage today, the change led to a loss for the Israelites but it brought the greatest of riches to the Gentiles who now had full inclusion into the family of God. All they had to do is believe in Jesus as Savior to gain eternal life.

Therefore, we see that the advent of God’s new covenant was transformational and life-altering, a covenant that Paul rejoiced in as he carried out Jesus’ plan to bring the Gospel to “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). He was once a Christian-persecuting Jew who was transformed into an “apostle to the Gentiles” by none other than Jesus Himself. This was something Paul delighted in but deep down in his heart, he yearned that his fellow Jews would change they mind and follow his lead, placing their hope in Jesus for salvation. He wasn’t giving up hope that the Jews could come to Jesus and find transformation through Him.

This is why Paul invests three chapters on the Jews in this letter to the people of Rome. Paul wasn’t willing to just give up on them but continued to preach the good news about Jesus because that was all he could do. He couldn’t reach into anyone and switch their heart toward Christ. The best he could do was preach the Gospel and pray it would take root in the hearts of his listeners.

Today, there are still millions upon millions of people who need to come to their own transformational moment, hearing the Gospel and then choosing to believe in Jesus as Savior. Without Him, they are destined for eternal damnation and torment.

This is the urgency that should drive every single Christian to be obedient to Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations. It was an urgency we see in Paul and we would be well served to follow his lead because every person’s life hangs in the balance between Heaven and Hell, whether Jew or Gentile.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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