King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Chapters: Romans 9-12
Message: Grafted Into The Family
Hello My Friend,
There is a lot of talk about race lately, particularly the color of ones skin. I grew up in a predominantly colored neighborhood, and while we all had our share of racist remarks spoken to us, most of us never saw the color of our skin. What we saw were people of diversity, meaning we were all very different in our abilities, and yet we all laughed, we loved, we cried, we struggled, we had crushes, and we had bullies. There really is only one race among men, and that is the human race. Now, there are different nationalities, but we are all the same, souls that need to be saved. “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” – Romans 11:29-33.
“yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:” When Paul wrote this he was referring to the Jews, it was actually their unbelief in Jesus that opened the door to the Gospel being preached to the Gentiles, those who are not Jews. Contrary to belief, being a Jew is technically not a religion, or a race, it is a person of decent that came from Jacob (Israel), who was born of Isaac, who was born of Abraham. The Book of Romans is not only great for explaining that salvation is, and basically has always been about grace, and that eternal life is available for all, but it is also great for explaining how both Jews and Gentiles become the nation of Israel. Paul starts off by explaining that the Israelite’s were the children of promise, not necessarily the children of God.
“I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” – Romans 9:1-8.
“For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:” This means that not everyone who are called to be God’s people are from the children of Jacob. When you think about it, it is pretty sad that out of all the people God created only the Jews were recognized as His chosen people. And why were they recognized as His chosen people? God decided to narrow it down to one man, Abraham, who had great faith in Him. This did not mean that no one else had faith in Him, this meant that God was going to use Abraham to establish a nation of believers though one promise, a son, and that son was Issac (Genesis 17). Paul goes on to explain why the seed of promise would reject God’s Son, preparing the way for the Gentiles to be able to receive Him.
“What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;” – Romans 9:22-27,30-32.
“hath not attained to the law of righteousness.” By the Jews rejecting Christ, salvation by grace was passed on to the Gentiles. This by no means means that no Jews can get saved or that Gentiles did not have the opportunity to get saved before Christ came in the flesh, this means that salvation by grace was now open for all who had some recollection of the Almighty God to be able to be saved. “Because they sought it not by faith,” Righteousness or salvation has never been based on works, if that were the case, then no one would be saved before Christ’s passion, as even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were sinners. And salvation has never been based on a persons nationality or decent, God never denied anyone the opportunity to become one of His, regardless of their being a Jew or Gentile. We learned of this with Rehab, who was a Canaanite, and of Ruth, who was a Moabite, who became the great grandmother of David. You see, the people of God have always been those who choose Him as their Saviour. Paul goes on to explain how and why all of the Jews are not saved by decent.
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” – Romans 10:1-4,13-17.
“For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God,” These are the very people who get caught up in religion, many of them love God very deeply, but they have no knowledge of Christ. “But they have not all obeyed the gospel.” If they truly love God, then they will come to know Jesus, and accept Him as their Saviour because faith only comes by hearing, and hearing comes by knowing and accepting all of God’s Word. The problem with the Jews is that they only read the Torah, which is the first five books of the Bible, they will not accept that Jesus is the Messiah promised in the prophetic books. And they obviously ignore the fact that God would put His focus off them and on the Gentiles believers who are grafted into the family of Israel.
“For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.” – Romans 11:16-23.
“wert graffed in among them,” This is referring to the Gentiles. When, we by faith, believe in the Gospel of Christ, we are grafted into the family of God. That means that we are also the ones promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who will be so large a number that it would be as counting each grain of sand in the seas (Genesis 32:12). “for God is able to graff them in again.” This is referring to the Jews, once Jesus returns, the Jews will recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and they too will be grafted back in. Graft; A small shoot of a tree, inserted in another tree as the stock which is to support and nourish it. These unite and become one tree, but the graft determines the kind of fruit. Just think about that, Jesus said that He is the Vine, the second we receive Him as our Saviour we become a branch, grafted onto the Vine, becoming one with Him. Amen! (John 15:1-5) And by the way, Jesus supports and nourishes us as we conform to Him, not the world. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Romans 12:-2.
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for giving me life, and the life You have given me. It has not always been an easy life, but it is one that led me to Your Son. And thank You for giving me eternal life solely upon my faith in Your Son, I know there is nothing I could ever do on my own to receive the most important gift I will ever receive. There is something else You do that I find amazing when we call on Your Son as our Saviour, You recognize us as being Your sons and daughters. Amen! Lord, Being a part of Your family is so amazing, let me live the rest of my life here proclaiming Your Son, and showing the world that no matter what nationality we are, we who receive Your Son as our Saviour are one of Yours. I pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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