Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

In Romans 11:25–27, Paul opens what I like to call “the mystery box.” Verse 25 says, “Lest you be wise in your own sight.” God decides who is wise; we don’t decide. You can go to college and gain a lot of knowledge but not have a lot of wisdom. You can have more degrees than Fahrenheit but zero wisdom. Wisdom is determined in the sight of God.

The apostle continues, “I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved” (vv. 25–26). Paul then quotes the prophet Isaiah, who prophesied about the Deliverer coming to take away Israel’s sins.

In the Old Testament, before the coming of Jesus, most people who were worshippers of God were primarily Jewish people. Abraham was the beginning of the Jewish people. The Old Testament is filled with all things Jewish, with only a few exceptions. The prophet Jonah reluctantly goes to Nineveh, an evil country full of Gentiles, and though he preaches only a few words, a massive revival occurs. Everyone from the king downward repents. In the book of Exodus, many previously pagan Egyptians follow God’s people out of Egypt because they converted to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who is Jesus Christ.

Two Gentile women play important roles in the Israelites’ history. Rahab is a prostitute who aids two Hebrew spies as they prepare to conquer Jericho. She follows the one true God, and her son Boaz eventually marries a Moabite (Gentile) woman named Ruth. Ruth has an entire book of the Bible named after her because of her faithfulness to God.

The point is that the Old Testament is mainly Jewish, but there are some Gentiles included. The numbers had reversed by the end of the first century when the apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans. Most Christians are Gentile, and the minority are Jews.

After the Holocaust, many Jews determined that there was no God. They became atheists. Some who maintained a belief in God became Orthodox Jews—they try to do what the Old Testament says, though they can’t fully obey because they have no temple, priest, or way to sacrifice. Others are Reformed Jews, who are liberal and progressive. Only a small percentage of Jews love Jesus and await His Second Coming. They are the remnant.

Paul raises an important question that means a lot to him because the Jewish people are both his nation and his family: Is there any hope? You may have wondered the same thing about the United States. Our nation is deeply troubled. Billy Graham once said, “If God doesn’t judge the United States of America, he owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.” If Jesus came today, how many of your friends and family members would be eternally separated from Him? How many of your fellow churchgoers would be missing from heaven?

Today’s Reflection

Why does God include Gentiles in the Old Testament narrative?