In this thought-provoking episode, join us as we explore the transformative teachings of Paul in Romans 15. We examine how the message of salvation was extended to the Gentiles, bringing hope to the nations. Discover why this profound revelation redefines our understanding of God’s plan for humanity and the role of Israel as a beacon for the world.
So now, Paul, having explained in detail how we should care for the weak, how we should not have controversy with those weak in faith, then expands this whole idea, the truth of this generosity towards those who are our neighbor or who are troubled or who do not have the full faith that we have. He then expands it, and look how he does. Romans 15, verse 7, Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, as it is written, For this reason I will confess you among the Gentiles and sing to your name. And again he says, Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. And again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, Lord him, all you peoples. And again, Isaiah says, there shall be a root of Jesse, and he who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in him the Gentiles shall hope. Now, this is remarkable. We, of course, are Gentiles ourselves. The word Gentiles is the equivalent of the word nations. And we have lost some of the surprise of all this because we are among the Gentiles. We’re among the nations. But has it occurred to you what a wonderful message this is? Because if it were not so, then Judaism would have stayed there in isolation in the Middle East, being a little tin-pot religion that was meant only for a certain few, and we would be left out in our paganism. So I want you to think of this and the surprise of it, because, of course, the Jewish people originally seemed to develop the mentality that they were the chosen people of God and the rest of the world was rejected. But that’s not the case. The case is that God chose Israel to represent to the world the God Yahweh, the God of salvation. So let’s read this again with the nations in mind. “…therefore receive one another just as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” Now, I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision, that is, the Jewish people, for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers. And by the way, what were those promises? That all the world would be inherited by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers and that the nations might glorify God for his mercy. So we are the nations. and we are meant to give glory to God for the mercy he has shown us in Jesus Christ, and for having revealed his name through Israel, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, and that the nations might glorify God for his mercy, as it is written, For this reason I will confess to you among the nations, and sing to your name. And again he says, Rejoice, O nations, with his people. And these are all quotations from the Old Testament, you see. And again, Praise the Lord, all you nations. Lord him, all you peoples. And again Isaiah says, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he shall rise to reign over the nations. In him the nations shall hope. Now this is one more reason why I’ve said to you, and I believe it is demonstrable throughout Scripture, that God is going to redeem the whole world. The plan of God is not that God saves Israel and rejects the world, but that God saves Israel to represent him to the world. Now, they failed in their mission, of course. They have not accepted Jesus Christ, and yet the world has heard about Christ through their disobedience. because their disobedience led the Romans to crucify Jesus. But that disobedience ultimately will boomerang back onto them for salvation, not for judgment. For that is what Paul is making very, very clear in Romans 11, verse 32. Remember what I’ve said to you about this. For as you, that is the Gentiles, were once disobedient to God, I’m sorry, for as you who were once disobedient to God, that is the Jewish people, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, I’m sorry, I’m confusing the issue here. Verse 30 is referring to the Gentiles. For as you were once disobedient to God, you Gentiles, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, that is the Jewish disobedience, by their rejection of Christ, even so these also… have now been disobedient, that is the Jewish people, that through the mercy shown you, that is the nations, they also may obtain mercy. And there you have this boomerang effect that their rejection of Christ led to the proclamation of the gospel to the nations, which then boomerangs back onto the Jewish people so that ultimately some now, and all in the judgment, receive Jesus Christ, when they see him as one slain like a lamb on the throne of God. It is an amazing message that we have, and we can be very confident, if we know any Jewish people, in declaring to them that God is will redeem them also. Because, as Paul says in Romans 11, concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. In fact, in other words, they have rejected Christ. But concerning the election, they are beloved. Oh, they are elect. Yes, indeed. As all the world has been elected by God, and so have they been, and they will be restored. So, when we think about the nations, what are we thinking in our minds? Are we looking at this from a point of view of self-protectionism, that we are Christians hiding away from the nations that are under the control of Satan? Well, certainly the nations are under the control of darkness at this moment in time, but according to Scripture, all have been reconciled even while they were enemies. Not just we who believe. Look, think of it carefully. If you are reconciled while you’re an enemy, that’s Romans 5 verse 10, then that means that you did not become a believer in order to be reconciled. You were reconciled which will lead to your becoming a believer, because God has reconciled you to his heart and will therefore draw you to Jesus Christ. So how do we look upon the nations? How do we look upon the secular world? Yes, we know it is a pagan world, and we seek by God’s grace to avoid the paganism and to come out of that paganism. At the same time, we recognize that these men and women around us and children, they are redeemed. They have been reconciled to the heart of the Father through the atoning work of Christ, even though they don’t know him yet. Because it says, even while they were enemies, Romans 5.10. And thus, our work is to let the nations know, the pagans know, the world know, the unbelievers know, the enemies know, that God has redeemed them and he is calling upon them to trust in him. That is the message of the gospel. Let me read these verses again. They are utterly stunning. Therefore receive one another just as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, that is, a servant to the Jewish people, to confirm the promises made to the fathers. Jesus Christ, the atoning sacrifice, the Messiah, confirms the promises to Israel that in you shall all families of the earth be blessed. but also and that the nations might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, for this reason I will confess to you among the nations and sing to your name. And again he says, rejoice, O nations, with his people. And again, praise the Lord, all you nations. Lord him, all you peoples. And again, Isaiah says, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he shall rise to reign over the nations. In him the Gentiles shall hope. We have a message that is utterly mind-blowing. God is going to scoop up this world which has lost itself in all the mire and sin and paganism, and he is going to bring it back. In fact, God has appointed his Son, Jesus Christ. to do that work. And it will be done, and then God, then Jesus will hand back, this is 1 Corinthians 15, then Jesus will hand back the kingdom to his Father. Not a little bit of the kingdom, not a portion of the kingdom, the whole of the kingdom. And so Paul concludes this passage, this wonderful section, by saying, verse 13 of chapter 15, Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now notice this, the God of hope. Now I know that God is a God of judgment also, and there will be judgment, and there is a time of trouble before the coming of Christ, but we must look beyond all that to the ultimate, The God of hope. When we have a God of hope, what does that do for us? It makes us hopeful too. And what is God hoping? What is God certain about? This, by the way, the word hope here is not the wishful thinking that we have in the meaning of our word hope. It means certain expectation. God knows what he’s doing. He knows he can pull this off. And God is full of hope for the world. He is utterly sure that he can do what he has promised. Romans 8 says, Verse 21, because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs, not with death pangs, with birth pangs, together until now. The whole creation is in labor to give birth, yes, to the new earth, to the new creation. That’s God’s plan. So you and I are those weird and wonderful people who are endlessly hopeful, not because we’ve got our head in the sand, but because we know what God’s doing and what his plan is. And that plan is that he may have mercy on all, Romans 11.32. So we share that mercy around us and bring people to Jesus because we’re full of hope, just as God is. Thanks for listening today, everyone. Colin Cook here, and how it happens, you can hear the broadcast on your smartphone any time of the day or night. Simply download a free app, soundcloud.com or pudbean.com, and key in how it happens with Colin Cook when you get there. Please consider a donation, would you? It’s listener-supported radio. A week’s programs cost $200. You can make your donation online at faithquestradio.com. Thanks. I’ll see you next time. Cheerio and God bless.
In this thought-provoking episode, join us as we explore the transformative teachings of Paul in Romans 15. We examine how the message of salvation was extended to the Gentiles, bringing hope to the nations. Discover why this profound revelation redefines our understanding of God’s plan for humanity and the role of Israel as a beacon for the world.
