In this enlightening episode, we delve into the profound questions surrounding the nature of divine election and predestination. Rabbi Schneider takes us on a journey through Romans 9, exploring the mysterious ways in which God chooses individuals throughout history. The concept of the chosen people, as explained in the Hebrew Bible, is unraveled, raising questions about fairness, mercy, and divine justice.
He said, if Israel is God’s chosen people, and if Yeshua, Jesus, is the Messiah, why are so many within Israel not believing? Paul asked, has the Word of God failed? Father God, we just ask you for a spirit of wisdom and revelation now to understand your word and to understand you and your nature. In Yeshua’s name, amen. I am talking about how the plan of salvation that we see revealed in the Hebrew Bible that we call the Tanakh, which is often referred to as the Old Testament, is identical to what we find in the New Testament. How were people saved in the Hebrew Bible? Beloved, they were saved through God’s sovereign choice of them. And because God chose an individual, he then gave them faith. That’s how Israel got saved. Israel as a nation was chosen out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, according to the book of Deuteronomy chapter seven, verse six and seven. God didn’t choose them because they were great, but because God loved them. In the same way today, individuals come to know God because of his sovereign choice. In the book of Romans chapter 9, Paul is asking this question. He said, if Israel is God’s chosen people, And if Yeshua, Jesus, is the Messiah, why are so many within Israel not believing? Has the Word of God failed? Paul actually asked that question. Has the Word of God failed? Listen again. If Israel is God’s chosen people, we know that Israel is God’s chosen people. They were chosen, we’re going to find out, to bring the revelation of God to the world. They were not chosen in a sense that every individual Jew was chosen to walk with God because we read through Israel’s history, many Jews didn’t walk with God, but they were chosen as a nation to be the couriers to bring the revelation of salvation to the world. The prophets were Jewish. The scriptures came to us through the Hebrew people. And ultimately, Messiah himself came to us through Israel. So the nation of Israel was chosen But not every individual Jew in Israel was chosen. This is why God said to Elijah, I’ve reserved 7,000 for myself that have not bowed to the knee of Baal. So listen once again. We’re in Romans chapter 9, and Paul is asking the question, Israel’s God’s chosen people Jesus is the Messiah, but so many within Israel are not believing. Paul asks, has the Word of God failed? If Israel is God’s chosen people, and Yeshua is the Messiah, and so many within Israel are not believing, has something gone wrong? Has God’s plan failed? And Paul answers the question, absolutely not. And the way, beloved one, that he answers the question is by showing us that not everybody born into the nation of Israel was chosen to know God. Now, I know at this point, things are really beginning to feel a bit controversial. It’s beginning to be a bit, what is he saying here for some? So I want to ask you, if you would please, just to hear me out and to be patient, because I’m just going to be sharing with you, beloved ones, the Word of God. And I know that there’s balance to what I’m going to teach you today, and I’m going to try to bring balance to it. But what I’m sharing with you is really important because when you understand the truth of what I’m going to share with you, it will really solidify you in your walk with God. So once again, Paul is going to answer the question. Listen, God’s word has not failed. Although many within Israel have not believed, Romans chapter 9, it’s not as though the word of God has failed. And Paul shows us this now by quoting to us some truths from the history of the Bible. Let’s begin Romans chapter 9 today. And I want to begin reading in verse number 10. Paul says this, and not only this, but there was Rebekah also when she had conceived twins by one man, her father Isaac. So Rebekah is pregnant. There’s twins in her womb, okay, verse number 11. For though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose, according to His choice, some translations read election, that’s His choice, according to His choice would stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls. It was said to her, the older will serve the younger, just as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. Now that does not sound fair. The twins were not yet born. Neither had done anything either good or bad. Now some people, because they don’t like what Paul is saying here, and it doesn’t make sense to them, and it’s not easy to receive, and it makes God seem unfair to them, they think, how could this be? They say to themselves, well, even though the twins had not yet done anything either good or bad, God knew what they were going to do. And so God made the decision because he knew what they were going to do. But beloved ones, Paul is trying to make the exact opposite point. Paul is trying to make us understand that God is making a determination about who he’s going to bring to himself, and it has nothing to do with either Jacob or Esau. It has nothing to do with their works. It has nothing to do with anything within them. It’s based, Paul said, on God’s sovereign choice that election might stand. So listen once again. For though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls.” I’m saying, if you’re open, isn’t it plain what Paul is saying here? He’s saying that God is going to make a determination about these two in the womb. Jacob have I loved, but Esau I hated. The elder shall serve the younger. And God’s determination of choosing the one and not the other has nothing to do with anything within Jacob or anything to do with what’s in Esau. It’s based only in God’s prerogative to choose who he wants to because he’s God in the same way that God said in Deuteronomy 6 and 7, Israel, I’ve chosen you to be a people for myself. out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. God chose them out of all the peoples. He made a distinction. He didn’t treat everybody the same. He chose Israel out of all the world. And then He said, and it wasn’t because you were great. You were the fewest. I did it because I loved you. So I want you to grab this because when you understand that you love Jesus because God first loved you and that the reason you have faith is because he gave it to you as a gift. It’s the gift of God. It’ll make you rejoice exceedingly and you’ll know who you are. You’ll know your identity and you’ll know your destiny. When you realize, as Jesus taught in John 15, 16, we did not choose him. but He chose us. Let’s continue on. So though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose, according to His choice, would stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls, it was said to her… The older will serve the younger, just as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Now, that doesn’t sound fair. What I’m teaching doesn’t sound fair. And the reason you can be assured that what I’m saying and teaching is the correct way to interpret this is because Paul knows that we won’t like this revelation. So what’s the very next thing Paul says? What should we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be. In other words, beloved, what I’m teaching is that God does not treat everybody the same. He doesn’t have to. He’s God. I’m teaching that plainly and clearly because it’s exactly what the scripture says. But people don’t like hearing this because they want to bring God down to their own morality. They think God needs to be fair in the same way that humanity’s fair. But beloved, God’s ways are above our ways. His thoughts are above our thoughts. God is fair. And the way to understand that is he didn’t have to choose anybody. No one deserved to be chosen. The Bible says in Ephesians, we too, those that believe, were by nature children of wrath, Ephesians chapter 2, indulging in the lust of the flesh and of the mind, being led by the course of this world. God didn’t have to save us if God would have not saved anybody. If he would have destroyed the whole world, just like he did during the time of Noah, without saving the soul, God would have been just, right? No one had a claim on him. No one deserved anything. So if God wanted to show mercy to a few when no one was deserving of his mercy, does that make God guilty and unfair because he showed mercy to a few when he didn’t need to show mercy to anybody? What if I walked out my building right now, and I just walked across the street, knocked on a door. The person came to the door, and I gave them $100. And that person was stunned. They said, well, what’s this for? And I said, well, I just felt like I wanted to do this for you. I just wanted to bless you. Here’s $100. Would I be guilty for not going to the other 55 homes on the street and giving them $100 too? No, I wouldn’t be guilty because none of them deserved $100. The one that I gave $100 to didn’t deserve it. I just, out of my own free will, wanted to be merciful to that one and to bless that one. It didn’t make me guilty for not doing the same for all the other homes on the street because none of them deserved a thing in the same way.” God, beloved, out of a world that was walking away from him. We too, the Bible says, were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. We weren’t seeking God. The scripture says no one seeks God. No, not one. We read in the gospels that someone came to Jesus and said, good teacher. Jesus said, why do you call me good? Only God is good. When Isaiah saw the Lord, he fell on his face as a dead man. He said, woe is me from a man of unclean lips. I’m surrounded by an unclean people. The whole world is filthy. So if God wants to take out of the world a few people and reconcile them to himself, God’s not guilty for doing that. God has not rejected people that come to him. God saves everybody that comes to him. God doesn’t turn anybody away. The problem is no one comes to him unless God brings them to himself. It’s a gift.
SPEAKER 01 :
You’re listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Schneider, and he’ll be right back. But first, have you thought about the legacy you’ll leave when you’re no longer on this earth? Planning for the future, it’s an important step in walking with wisdom. So we’ve partnered with Freewill, a free online tool that makes creating a will simple, secure, and accessible to everyone. I’ve used it myself, and it’s really easy and efficient. And this tool, it also gives you the opportunity to make a lasting impact. And if you want to support this ministry, you can include a financial gift to us in your plans to help us share the love of Yeshua with generations to come. You can get started today at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. Just click on our resources and need a will tab. It’s completely free, whether you choose to give to this ministry or not. So check it out today. And for those of you who do choose to give, thank you so much. And now back to Rabbi with the second half of today’s lesson.
SPEAKER 03 :
Let’s continue on. So, what I’m sharing, it doesn’t fit the world’s framework of being fair, but it fits the way God is able to be fair. The reason you can be assured that what I’m explaining is true, beloved, the way I’m explaining it, is because Paul tells us how people will react And the way that people will react, Paul says, is exactly the way perhaps some of you are reacting. So Paul says in the very next verse, he says, what should we say then? Paul asked the question because he knows, I’m in verse number 14, he knows that what he’s saying doesn’t seem fair to humankind. Humankind says God has to treat everybody the same way. Paul knows that when he explains to people, say that’s not fair. So what does Paul say? What should we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? In other words, he knows people are going to say, is God unjust? That seems unjust. Is this an unjust God that we believe in? Paul says, what should we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be. Now notice, beloved one, the next verse. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” In other words, God can show mercy to who He wants to. Just like I gave the analogy of my walking out of my building, 55 homes on the street. I haven’t done a thing for any of them. None of them have done a thing for me. No one owes me anything. I don’t owe anybody anything. But I just decide, you know what? I want to go bless somebody on that street. I walk up to one of the homes again, knock on their door. They come to the door. I give them a $100 bill. They said, wow, what’s this for? I say, nothing. I just want to bless you. I turn around and walk away. They’re like, wow. I’m not guilty for not giving the other 54 homes a $100 bill. That was an incredible thing that I gave the one, the $100 bill. So once again, God says, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then, it does not depend on the man who wills or on the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” Once again, it doesn’t depend on who we are or what we do, but it depends on God that has mercy. Now, a lot of people hear what I’m teaching, and they just won’t let themselves receive it. They want to bring it back to themselves. The reason that God would be merciful to one and not another, they reason, is because something about the person, God foreknew the person was going to choose him. God foreknew the person. That’s exactly the opposite of what Paul’s saying. Paul just got done saying here, it does not depend on the man who wills or on the man who runs, but it depends on God who shows mercy. It’s the same thing, beloved, we looked at in the book of Ephesians chapter 2, that we also were by nature, all of those that are born again and believe, that we also were by nature children of wrath, Even as the rest, we were dead, Paul said, in our transgressions and sins. What was the difference? Paul says in verse number 4 of Ephesians 2, but God, that’s the difference, not who we were, but God, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you’ve been saved through faith and the faith is under yourselves. It is the gift of God that no one should boast. Do you see the commonality? Do you see, church, the similarity? Will you receive the word of God today? Throw out your own understanding. Throw out your own limitations. God’s ways are not your ways. The word of God is clearly revealed. And I’ll continue, beloved, by the grace of God to show it to you today. I hope that you’ll be able to receive it. Now, what many people argue is that, well, God chose some because the scripture definitely speaks about God choosing. For example, I read in Ephesians chapter one, verse number four, that God chose us, the exact word God chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Peter writes, to those that are chosen. So there’s no question that the word chosen is used in the Bible, as is the word predestined used in the Bible. God predestined us, we read in the book of Ephesians chapter 1, to himself. We read in the book of Romans chapter 8, whom he chose, he also did predestined to himself. People say, okay, I see it in the Bible. I can’t deny the word chosen is in the Bible. Let’s actually, let me just show it to you once again very quickly because I know that what I’m teaching is new for some of you. Look at verse number four of Ephesians 1. Just as he chose us and him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. Verse number five, he predestined us to adopt him. He chose us and because he chose us to be his, to be before him holy in love and blameless because he chose us, verse 5, he predestined us to adoption. So right off the bat, let me say, no one can argue with the concept of being chosen or with the concept of being predestined because if you’re going to argue that there’s no such thing as being chosen or there’s no such thing as being predestined, well, you might as well just throw out the Bible because it’s in the Bible. Let’s go to the book of Romans, chapter 8. I’m going to show you the same concept. Romans chapter number 8. Look in verse number 29. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son. Now what does it mean, those whom he foreknew? Paul doesn’t say there that he foreknew what you were going to do, and because he foreknew that you were going to choose him, he predestined you. That’s exactly the opposite of what Paul is saying. Paul is saying he forloved you, he foreknew you. As he said in the book of Ephesians, you were chosen before the foundation of the world. Because you were chosen before the foundation of the world, Ephesians chapter 1, verse 4, God predestined you to himself. Do you get it, beloved? His choice of you was not dependent on you. He did not choose you because he saw that you were going to choose him. Let me say it again. He did not choose his people. He did not choose you, beloved, or I or any other believer because he saw that we would choose him. That would make his choice of us dependent on our choice of him. But Paul just went out of his way to say it did not depend on the man that wills or the man who runs, but on God who shows mercy. He shows mercy to whom he wants to show mercy to. Before the twins were born, neither having done anything either good or bad in order that God’s purpose according to his choice might stand. He did not choose you and I, and as a result of that, predestine us to himself because he saw that we were going to choose him. When the scripture says in Romans 8, 29, whom he foreknew, he also did predestine to himself. It means that God predestined chose us before the foundation of the world, and because we were chosen, beloved, in him, before we were born, just like Jeremiah was chosen in his mother’s womb, because we were chosen, beloved, he brought us to himself. Jesus hits this head on in John 15, 16. He says to his followers, he said, “‘You did not choose me.'” but I chose you.” You were chosen by God. Why would any of us want to resist that? To know, beloved, that you were specifically, personally chosen by your Creator to be His before the foundation of the world, to be in relationship with Him, to be holy and blameless and loved before Him. Beloved, why would you not want to receive that? I always make it a priority, beloved ones, to teach the truth of the Word of God. And I know that on the earth today, sometimes it’s hard to find teaching that you feel is authentic and that feeds you. I want to simply say this. It costs me a lot of money to broadcast. You see, Christian programmers like myself, we have to pay for our own airtime. And the only way that I can broadcast is when those that are receiving from this ministry respond by financially sowing into it. So I want to simply say, beloved one, if you believe in me, If this ministry is feeding you, would you make a special offering to the Lord through Discovering the Jewish Jesus? The Bible teaches that we should financially support those that are feeding us. Paul said such men are worthy of support. If you’re being blessed by this ministry, if you believe in what we’re doing, if you want other people to be blessed by it, simply, beloved, respond to the Holy Spirit and make an offering to the Lord today through Discovering the Jewish Jesus. I want to thank you in advance for your support. God bless you and shalom.
SPEAKER 01 :
You can give a financial gift of any amount to Discovering the Jewish Jesus just by visiting us online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. If it’s easier for you, I want to encourage you to give us a call. Our number is 800-777-7835. That’s 800-777-7835. Or if you’d like, you can also send your donation in the mail. Our address is discoveringthejewishjesus.com. P.O. Box 777 Blissfield, Michigan 49228. That’s P.O. Box 777 Blissfield, Michigan 49228. And I also want to remind you today that we want to bless you with a free gift. It’s our Self-Deliverance Teaching Bundle, and it’s super popular. And it’s an engaging resource that includes Rabbi Schneider’s step-by-step PDF guide that explains how to recognize spiritual footholds and close open doors through Scripture. You’ll receive an MP3 audio file with prayers that you can model, and declarations that have been designed to help you walk in lasting freedom in Messiah Jesus. So make sure to claim your free self-deliverance bundle online at myfreegift.com forward slash freedom. That’s myfreegift.com forward slash freedom. Don’t forget that forward slash freedom. It’s the only way you’re going to get it. Now let’s turn things back over to Rabbi with the Aaronic Blessing.
SPEAKER 03 :
What I love about the Aaronic blessing is that it did not originate with man. The words actually proceeded from the very essence of God himself. The blessing comes from the book of Numbers, chapter six. So listen to these words and receive the blessing of the Lord into your life today.
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with his countenance. And the Lord give you, beloved one, his peace. God bless you and shalom.
SPEAKER 01 :
This program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. And I’m your host, Dustin Roberts. Join us tomorrow when Rabbi Schneider shares where our faith comes from. Can we create faith ourselves or not? Join us Thursday and find out on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.
In this enlightening episode, we delve into the profound questions surrounding the nature of divine election and predestination. Rabbi Schneider takes us on a journey through Romans 9, exploring the mysterious ways in which God chooses individuals throughout history. The concept of the chosen people, as explained in the Hebrew Bible, is unraveled, raising questions about fairness, mercy, and divine justice.
