In this enlightening episode, Colin Cook delves deep into the theological paradox surrounding salvation. He discusses the Christian responsibility to hold reverence for the Jewish people, despite their historical rejection of Jesus Christ, highlighting the divine mission they were assigned by God. Throughout the conversation, Colin examines Paul’s teachings that emphasize the understanding of God’s goodness and severity, urging listeners to consider their own paths of faith.
00:00:05 Discussion on Salvation and Faith Dynamics
SPEAKER 01 :
So we talked about not being boastful and not being contemptuous of the Jewish people simply because, well, I won’t say simply, but because they did not accept Jesus Christ. Over the centuries, there have been terrible acts of evil by Christians against Jewish people. And we cannot, no matter how much wrong Israel has done, no matter how many mistakes they have done, we must accept the fact that they were appointed by God for a mission to represent his name in the earth, and that they are elected for that purpose, elected for salvation and called for the purpose of representing him. Well, you say, wait a minute, Colin, it says a little later on in these verses, yes, they did not believe, but it talks about belief in a way that suggests that it is our responsibility, and if this is the fact, then how is it that you keep telling us that God is the initiator of salvation? Let’s look at these verses. For if some of the branches were broken off, and you being a wild olive tree were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the fruit and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. Israel, in other words, supports our faith rather than we supporting them. But let’s go on. And you will say, but you will say, branches were broken off that I might be grafted in. Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off. And you stand by faith. Do not be haughty but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Well, that doesn’t sound like salvation of all, does it? Because he’s telling us to continue to believe, and he says, therefore, consider the goodness and severity of God on those who fell, severity, but towards you, goodness. If you continue in his goodness, otherwise you also will be cut off. Well, that again doesn’t sound like the salvation of all, does it? If you don’t believe, you’ll be cut off. Read carefully, I tell you, because look again at verse 11. Go back to verse 11 of chapter 11. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not, but through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now, if their fall is riches to the world, in other words, their fall led to the crucifixion of Christ, which led to the riches for the world because people received Christ who were Gentiles, then their failure and their failure, riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness? Oh, after their fall and stumbling, he’s now talking about their fullness. Verse 15, For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, in other words, they were cast away because they accepted, rejected the Messiah, what will their acceptance be? So now he’s talking about acceptance and life from the dead. You see, Paul is able to bring two realities together, the initiation by God of salvation and the call for us to have faith. So, look, let me take you through some verses. I’ve done this before, but we need to be reminded of it a lot. There are verses in the Bible that suggest and make clear that faith is a gift from God, but then there seem to be verses that seem to suggest that faith comes from man. So which is it? We can’t choose one or the other. We must learn and practice and train our minds to bring opposite thoughts together. Look at the verses that clearly state that faith comes from God. These are the words of Jesus. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out. You did not choose me, but I chose you. and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, John 15, 16. Speaking to the Father, Jesus says, You have given him authority over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him, John 17, 2. I have manifested your name, says Jesus to the Father, to the men whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours. You gave them to me. That’s John 17, 6. This is the will of the Father who sent me, talking to the disciples now, Jesus is, that of all he has given me, I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day, John 6.39. And then that humdinger, John 6.65, “‘No one can come to me unless the Father who has sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.'” That’s John 6.44, and then 6.65, “‘No one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by the Father.'” So that clearly shows you that faith comes from God. No one comes to Christ unless God has drawn him. But look at other verses that seem to suggest that it’s all about us, about us accepting. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Mark 1.15 Your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Luke 7.50 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13.9 John baptized, saying that they should believe on Christ. Acts 19.4 If you believe, you will be saved, Romans 10.9. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God, 2 Corinthians 5.20. And this is his commandment, believe on the name of his Son, 1 John 3.23. He who does not believe is condemned because he has not believed, John 3.18. He who comes to God must believe, Hebrews 11.6. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Hebrews 10.22 Beware lest there be any of you of an evil heart of unbelief. Hebrews 3.12 Whoever desires, let him take of the water of life freely. Revelation 22.17 So which is it then? Well, you see, if you bring these thoughts together, you realize that God is the initiator of faith, because Jesus has made that very clear. And so when God calls us to believe, He has positioned us to open our hearts because he has brought us to an end of ourselves by his providence. And then he calls upon us to believe. which is that we are now ready to receive mercy, and so we open our heart to him. So the call that God makes, calling us to believe, is God’s initiation of his act of giving us faith in the first place. Now, I know that sounds complicated, but you have to bring opposites together in Scripture in order to get to the truth of the matter. And so when Paul tells us, if God did not spare the natural branches, he may not spare you either if you don’t keep on believing. He is actually exercising the call of the Holy Spirit to call us to believe, because the Holy Spirit has revealed to us who Jesus Christ is, and is now giving us the faith to receive it, and now says, receive it and believe. So God is initiating faith by positioning us to helplessness because we now realize in our helplessness that we need him, and hearing the good news about Jesus, God bringing the faith down to us, our hearts are now open to receive it. This is how it works, you see, and that’s how you need to understand what Paul is saying here. If God did not spare the natural branches, he may not spare you. Therefore, consider the goodness and severity of God on those who fell severity. But wait a minute. That severity, does it mean that God cast them off forever? No, it doesn’t. The severity is that those who fell, who refused to believe Christ, were sent back and put back under their suppression. God, okay, you refuse to accept Christ, you are suppressing him, therefore I hand you over to the powers that you choose instead of me. That is his severity. But it is an act of love because he is saying, if you will not accept me, I have to hand you over to the consequences of your rejection. You will choose other gods instead of me because you can’t bear not to worship. You have to have something higher than yourself. and that something will be blocks of wood and stone, and they will be useless to you, and they will lead you to a void and to an emptiness which will be so unbearable it will cripple you, and you will call upon me for mercy. This is how it works, you see. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God on those who fell severity, but towards you goodness. If you continue in his goodness, otherwise you also will be cut off. If you don’t continue in his goodness, he hands you back to the powers that you choose instead of him. That’s his severity, but it is love. And so we go off into our addictions or we get lost in the world, you know how it is, and we think we are finished. And yet God is showing us, no, I will meet you in your blackness. I will meet you in judgment, but I will love you still and I will redeem you. For if you were cut off of the olive tree, which is wild by nature, and were grafted in, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? So do you see how Paul makes it very clear that though the Israelites have been rejected, God is fully able to bring them back into being grafted in. Because when they reject, and when you and I reject, and you may be listening to this program as one who has rejected God and Jesus Christ, then look back on your empty life. Look back on what you have lost, because Jesus Christ is life itself. Jesus Christ brings us all the beauty and warmth of love and goodness and mercy and forgiveness. And so, in the blackness that you are experiencing, do not think there’s no hope, but say, Oh God, I realize now. Like Israel, you are exercising severity on me for having rejected you. But that severity does not mean that you have rejected me forever. You have brought me by that severity into the darkness of my soul so that I am desperate for light. And of course you are. And then you can call upon him, Lord, have mercy upon my soul. And no matter how deep your rejection has been, calling upon God for mercy, where he has positioned you to do that, will bring his mercy to you. Thanks for listening today. This is Colin Cook and How It Happens, and I encourage you to read Romans 9, 10, and 11, the 9-11 passage, as I call it, because it shows you how Israel will be saved, all of them, every last one, every sheep and goat, and by extension, it shows you how God will save you, no matter how deep the blackness and the hole that you have dug for yourself. Well, if you’d like to support this broadcast, please do so. I need your help. It’s listener-supported radio. Send your donation to Faith Quest, P.O. Box 366, Littleton, Colorado, 80160, or make your donation online at faithquestradio.com. Thanks so much for all your support. See you next time. Cheerio and God bless.
In this enlightening episode, Colin Cook delves deep into the theological paradox surrounding salvation. He discusses the Christian responsibility to hold reverence for the Jewish people, despite their historical rejection of Jesus Christ, highlighting the divine mission they were assigned by God. Throughout the conversation, Colin examines Paul’s teachings that emphasize the understanding of God’s goodness and severity, urging listeners to consider their own paths of faith.
