Rom. 12:9-15 - Playing Well with Others...

The previous section of this chapter (12:6-8) taught us about the qualities of leadership for the church, and the gifts or skills God has granted to us. Not every believer will prophecy, or teach, or lead, or serve, or be able to give. If the Lord has blessed you with these talents (aka: gifts or skills), use them for Him.
The next section of the letter (12:9-21) provides guidelines for living together in the Christian community. What Paul lists or describes below are not quite commands, but have the ‘power’ of being common sense instructions, especially when coupled with the love of Christ and the Holy Spirit working in you.

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9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  

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Living Together in the Church Community

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V. 9 - “Let love be without hypocrisy.” - Let love be genuine. Isn’t that much clearer? No? How do I love with false pretenses? Showing love to others without expecting recompense. The way we treat and interact with other people can be a ‘business’ decision; i.e., ‘If I demonstrate love to you, I expect you to reciprocate.’ This shows selfish ulterior motives. Another aspect is ‘grudgingly loving’ someone because you have to: “I despise you, but I know I have been commanded to love, so I will put on a happy face, etc.”
It might be better for you to confess your bad attitude, telling Jesus that you really can’t do this. Then, having confessed your sin, ask Jesus to love the other through you. This will do more to change your hateful attitude than gritting your teeth and trying hard. (I confess I’ve been there, and needed to do that. Jesus did change my heart. I never would have felt anything positive except that Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, loved them and me.)

“Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” - No mystery or secret message here. This has God’s message from the beginning. (See: Deut 5:7-21, 7:26; Eze. 33:11; Psa 4:4, 34:14, 37:27; Pro 11:27, 17:11; 2 Chr 7:14; 1 Ki 3:9; Amos 5:14-15; Heb 5:14; 1 Pet 3:11; 3 John 1:11)

V. 10 - “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” - treat each other like family members - members you love not just tolerate. Some of us grew up in slightly dysfunctional families, and the idea of ‘brotherly love’ is somewhat foreign. We have all heard, “blood is thicker than water, “ and “family comes first.” Jesus’ command: love one another (John 13:34-35; John 15:12, 17). This is a main theme of the Epistles: Eph 4:2; 1 Thes 3:12, 4:9; 2 Thes 1:3; Heb 10:24; 1 Pet 1:22, 4:8; 1 John 3:11, 23, 4:7,11,12; 2 John 1:5.

“give preference to one another in honor” - Put the needs of others before yours. Gal 5:13; 1 Thes 5:13; 1 Cor 12:24; 1 Pet. 2:17; Luk 6:3; Phil 2:4.

V. 11 - “serving the Lord“ - Living for Christ is not lackadaisical. Throw your whole self into it! Look at the words in this verse: not lacking; diligence; fervent; serving. Christ said that His kingdom was worth giving up every other thing, (Luke 15:8, 9); the man who found a treasure (Luke 13:43, 44); the merchant who located an invaluable pearl (Luke 13:45). The rich young man went away sad because he knew he had to give away all his wealth (Mat 19:24).

V. 12 - “rejoicing... persevering... prayer” - Look at the superlatives in these verses! In some ways this list (vss. 9-15) reminds me of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, in that His commands were impossible. Living the Christian life is not possible under our own power. Jesus also said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” It may seem easy to rejoice while hoping - look at our hope, eternal life with the Lord and our Savior! Our hope is in Jesus. Jesus is in us. Persevering in tribulation is most definitely done in the power of the Holy Spirit. Access to that power is through prayer.

V. 13 - “contributing to those in need” - The commands in this verse are outward in nature - caring for others. By the way: this is not just a NT concept. God commanded that the poor and needy be protected - by allowing them to harvest (gleaning) (see: Lev 19:10); and they would be protected legally - not taken advantage when legal decisions were made. If an Israelite became so destitute that they lost their home property, it was returned to them each sabbath year, debts forgiven. (See: Lev. 25)

“practicing hospitality” - Again, not a new idea. Showing foreigners, and visitors hospitality is not limited to the NT. Travelers were often invited to stay, rest and be refreshed in homes in the OT. See: Lev. 22:21, 23:9; Deut. 10:18, 19.

V. 14 - “bless and do not curse.” - Blessing those who persecute us is a tough sell to the natural man within us. We want to defend ourselves, defend our honor, defend our reputation. It is so hard to learn that is not you or me that is being attacked. (Well, yes, we are being attacked. Because we are Jesus’ own and are living for Him, we receive Satan’s ire. See: 1 John 3:1) The hard part for us is to release these things to Jesus, and let Him deal with it. Admonitions to let God handle the vengeance abound. (See: Deut 32:11; 2 Chr 1:11; Isa 1:24; Nah 1:2; isa 61:8; Heb 10:30) Even the “second greatest commandment” comes within a command to turn it all to God. (Lev 19:18). Oh, how it hurts to be persecuted simply because you want to live for Jesus. He told this would happen! Knowing it will happen does not make it seem better. The reason believers can rejoice when be persecuted is we know the hatred of Jesus is being turned on us. If we are living in a way that opposes Jesus’ teaching, the world will not oppose us. (The old ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ belief system.)

V. 15 - “Rejoice... weep” - Be empathetic, not just a show of empathy. When your fellow believers are in joyous circumstances, rejoice with them. Or if they suffer, come along side. Share in their feelings. Cry when you hurt with them.

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Rom. 12:6-8 - Exercise Your Gifts

6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;
7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;
8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

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Diversity - In a Good Way

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V. 6 - “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us” - There is a common belief that says there are no two identical snowflakes. (That one might be hard to disprove.) However, look at the landscapes around us - what a multitude of beauty. Consider how many thousand species of birds, or snakes, or fish, or insects - all different. Look into the cosmos, what do you see? Billions of stars, maybe billions of galaxies. Want to be amazed? Look at some of the photos of galaxies taken by the Hubble Telescope. Or, you can sit down at a junction in a shopping mall and watch the people go by. God has created a vast diversity of life on earth, stars in the sky, planets in the solar system. Why would you think God has made each of His believers automatons. We are not identical robots, programmed to follow the same program.

When you are in church, does every person with you look the same, sound the same? God has provided each of us with a gift. There are a variety of gifts, which God has provided to match our personality and life experiences. These variations are used by God so that we can minister and help others that may have been going through similar situations. The gifts are given to ‘build up the church’  

“each of us is to exercise them accordingly” - A gift for each of us which is to be used to serve Him. There is more than one list of gifts in scripture. (See: 1 Cor. 12:8-10; 12:28; Rom. 12:6-8; Eph. 4:11) These gifts are not for your personal aggrandizement. They are to be used to strengthen and instruct the church. The common theme for all the gifts is: Display your gift by using it. No one has a lamp and hides it. (Matt.5:15-16)

Gifts of the Holy Spirit
1 Cor 12:8-10	1 Cor 12:28	Rom 12:6-8	Eph 4:11
Wisdom Knowledge Faith Healing Miracles Prophecy Distinguish Spirits Tongues Interpretation of Tongues	Apostles Prophets Teachers Miracles Healings Helps Administration Tongues	Prophecy Service Teaching Exhortation Giving Leadership Mercy	Apostles Prophets Evangelism Pastors Teachers

There are seven gifts listed below, to be exercised accordingly:

“if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith” - Prophecy is direct revelation from God, essentially speaking for God and interpreting His will for man. The gift of prophecy is different from the preaching and teaching gifts. Implied here is to admonish and reprove the believing body, to denounce prevailing sins and to call to repentance. The gift of prophecy can be used to warn us when we appear to be going off the tracks, to call us back from our errant ways, to show us we need to confess, repent, and return to the gospel of Jesus and God, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It can also be in the sense of a ‘seer’, looking into the future and communicating the declarations of God. I am not sure this is a main function of prophecy for the New Testament church. It cannot be ruled out however.

V. 7 - “if service, in his serving” - Service in Greek is the same word as ‘deacon’, a person who attends to another’s needs (See: 1 Tim. 3:8-13). The idea is this a a gift of ministry (doing things for others) and not a title or office. Paul does note in 1 Timothy there are people who are called to serve the church, and the qualifications for these people are similar to those of ‘Elders’.

“He who teaches, in his teaching” - One of the essential gifts of the church. A teacher takes the word of God - scripture - and helps other believers see how to become disciples. Jesus gave the ‘Great Commandment’, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:19-20) Note: Make them disciples by teaching them His commandments. A teacher is not making things up, but taking scripture (whether Old or New Testament writings) and pulling out essential truths for guiding our behavior.

V. 8 - “He who exhorts, in his exhortation ” - The gift of motivating and encouraging. It might be thought of as a cheerful and encouraging aspect of prophesying. (See “prophecy” in verse 6, above.) I am reminded of a football coach making half-time adjustments. He is prophesying when he warns them to tackle better. He is exhorting when encouraging them to continue the good plays made in the first half. No one wants to hear criticism. “You’re doing it wrong,” is negative, but it highlights what needs to be fixed. “That’s much better. Continue working on it, and you will see improvement.” This encouragement will help me to succeed. This same type of encouragement is necessary when building disciples.

“He who gives, with liberality” - Who would guess giving is a gift from God, on a par with prophecy, or being an apostle, or teaching, or tongues? We know God gives liberally. He is not parsimonious. (See: 1 Cor. 15:38; 1 Thess. 4:8; 1 Tim. 6:13; Jam. 1:5.)

“He who leads, with diligence” - Leaders are not to be lackadaisical. (1 Tim. 3:1-13; 2 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 4:10; 1 Pet. 1:10, 15)

“He who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” - If mercy is done grudgingly is it mercy? If it under compulsion, will it last, will it be withdrawn later.

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Romans 12:3-5 - Your Delusions of Grandeur

3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
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Thinking Too Highly of Yourself

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V. 3 - “For through the grace given to me” - Paul is not speaking on his own.Jesus also said He only spoke what the Father told Him to say, (See: John 8:28, 12:49) Paul was called by Jesus to preach and teach the gospel - to train leaders and other believers in the Good News. God chose Paul, despite his history of persecuting Christians, to be His messenger and missionary to the Gentiles.

“not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think” - Interesting statement considering how proud Paul was of his heritage! (See: Phil 3:4-6; Gal. 1:13-2:21). However, no matter the pride he felt, Paul called it all garbage compared to knowing Christ as Messiah and Savior. (See: Phil 3:8)

“think so as to have sound judgment” - Take a realistic view of yourself - probably the hardest thing for a human to do. Christ died for you - not because you are such a wonderful person, not because of your many and varied accomplishments. God’s mercy, His love, is the reason you are saved. You did not earn it. Timothy Keller wrote in his devotional book "The Songs of Jesus", "He doen't love because we are lovely but in order to make us so, by grace."

V. 4 - “we have many members in one body” - This is a lead-in to a new topic: how the church operates. Not the ecclesiastical hierarchy, but how God has set up the church to meet the needs of the members. The church is populated by people. (Well, duh!) “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) One of the key words, “everyone”, implies people, lots of people. The offer goes to all people. Unfortunately, not all respond to Jesus with belief and worship. People of from all nations and races are welcome - many members.

“the members do not have the same function” - We are not turned in to automatons when we are saved. The Holy Spirit enters us, but does not overwhelm. Our personalities remain intact. Our skills remain ours to be used for Jesus.

V. 5 - “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ” - There are many local churches worshiping Christ, but these form one church, the bride of Christ.

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Romans 12:1-2 - Present Your Body

CHAPTER 12
12:1-2 - Present your body
12:3-5 - Delusions of Grandeur
12:6-8 - Gifts
12:9-15 - Playing Well With Others
12:16-21 - No Revenge

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1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
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Living and Holy Sacrifice

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V. 1 - “Therefore” - It naturally follows: Based on the vast riches that are ours in Christ... (Rom. 11:33) Based on that all things are from Him, and through Him, and to Him... (Rom. 11:36)

And,

“by the mercies of God” - Everything you are now, everything you will be, are yours because God is merciful. His mercy does not cancel out His judgement, nor His wrath. The penalty of sin is still death (and always will be death). God in His mercy and wisdom has taken that penalty on Himself for you and me. He died for all. We do not have to die the second death. The judgement was executed on Christ Jesus. By His mercy, His righteous judgement is satisfied. He has done for us what we could not.

“Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice” - Most sacrifices required an animal, that had to be killed and placed on the altar. There was no ‘partial commitment’ on the part of the animal sacrificed. Plus the animal had to be pure and unblemished. The animal did not volunteer.

We are called to volunteer ourselves to Jesus. We are ‘bond-slaves’. Just as the animal sacrificed was to be pure and unblemished, we too are to come to Jesus in the same way. Do not offer your service to Jesus if you have unconfessed sin in your life. John says in his letter, “If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10)  

FORGIVING all our sins, and CLEANSING us of all unrighteousness means we can be holy offerings to Jesus.

“Which is your spiritual service of worship” - Worshipping Jesus is to be in spirit and in truth (See: John 4:23). Presenting yourself is the worship; it is the service. We tend to think of physical activity, Meals on Wheels, mission trips, etc, as service.
Indeed they are. They are manifestations of your faith. The works are meaningless (with respect to salvation and eternity) if you have not believed and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

We are stubborn and stiff-necked people, and seek to be in control of all things in our lives. Our spiritual service of worship is to daily surrender to Jesus.

V. 2 - “do not be conformed to this world” - The opposite of presenting your bodies as living and holy sacrifices. The world is opposed to the ways of the Lord. “because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16) Jesus came to save the world, but the world has rejected Him. The natural state of people, often led and deceived by Satan, is to reject God’s call. “He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not recognize him.” (John 1:10) “Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

One of the reasons God instructed the Israelites to get rid of all the Canaanites was He knew the Jews would be corrupted, polluted, conformed to the evil ways of those nations. In 2nd Corinthians Paul says, “Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? And what agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever?” (2 Cor. 6:14-15) See Note 1 and 2 (below)

“be transformed by the renewing of your mind” - This is not done by dint of effort, your personal effort. The Holy Spirit is in you when you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The renewing comes by surrendering your will to Him. (See: Titus 3:5,6; John 3:3-8; Ezek. 11:19, 36:26) You cannot cling to the old ways of doing things and expect to experience spiritual renewal. Supposedly, Albert Einstein said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” (See note 3 below) We do not find God by living according to the world, but living according to His mercy and Holy Spirit.

“so that you may prove what the will of God is” - We usually think of the word “prove” as testing and verifying the truth of a piece of information or theory. We run tests to see if a theory is valid. We lay out facts and reasons to determine is they are true. The ‘prove’ here is closer to discerning what God’s will is for us. God’s will is true and correct - we are often ignorant of what He has planned for us. We need to find out what He wants for us, and then do it. (See: Phil. 2:12)

The Holy Spirit will teach us and lead us so we can “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” (Col. 1:10) Just as you cannot renew your mind by clinging to your sinful ways, you cannot discern God’s will for your life by practicing worldly ways.

“that which is good and acceptable and perfect” - If God is good, His ways is good for you. If God is perfect, HIs will is perfect for you. Our ‘job’ is to find out what God has planned for us. Talk with Him. Read the Bible. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you.

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Note 1: some think this is warning Christians against marrying non-believers. I am not sure about that.
Note 2: Paul recommends that a believer is not to divorce a non-believer - assuming married before accepting Christ - so the believer might win the spouse to Christ through godly behavior. 
Note 3: several sources attributed this to ‘anonymous’

Romans 11:33-36 - Wisdom, Knowledge, All Things

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
34 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?
35 Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?
36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

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Who Knows God’s Mind?

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This reads like a hymn of praise, and could have been used in the early church.

V. 33 - “depths of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God!” - Overwhelmed with amazement! God’s way of forgiving our sins, and establishing a relationship with us is beyond imagination. God knows we need to be saved - we cannot work our way to perfection. God knows that if the means of salvation is not provided, there will be people who claim unfairness. They will claim ‘privilege’ or ‘lack of privilege’ as the reason they are not saved - “It’s unfair”! The absolute fairness of God displays His wisdom. Sacrificing Himself in order to save all is amazing! We have all heard of a person sacrificing himself in order to save another person - The United States’ Medal of Honor is often awarded posthumously to such a person. We know of stories - e.g., “Tale of Two Cities” - where a person gives his life for another. None of these save everyone. None of these saves anyone for eternity.

“How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” - How do you argue with God on this? What holes can you punch in HIs wisdom and method of saving us? You don’t like the sacrificial system in the Old Testament? How would you demonstrate mercy? How would you show that forgiveness is not earned, but accepted as a gift? How would you show a build up of pride in people will be inevitable if they work their way into God’s mercy? (You know that people will brag about how they worked and were saved. They shun you because you worked and failed.)

V. 34 - “Who has known the mind of the Lord...” - Quoted from Isa. 40:13ff. We can not understand God and how He thinks, anymore than we can know how the universe began (KNOW absolutely, not theorize based on partial ex post facto observation.) We can see what He has done. We can believe He has done it. We have no rational basis for challenging His plans or His methods. His ways are higher than our ways (Isa. 55:9). We can not understand all He does anymore than a kindergartner understands quantum physics.

V. 35 - “Who has first given to Him...” - Quoted from Job 35:7, 41:11. What have you taught God, for Him to recite back to you, that you might grade and correct His progress in learning? Have you taught Him how to build a planet from nothing? Have you showed Him how to create gravity to hold the moon or satellites in their orbits? Did you teach Him how to work sunlight and chlorophyll in plants? Did you design the reproductive process, and then share it with Him so the world could be populated?

V. 36 - “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” - All things. Enough said.

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Rom 11:25-32 - Israel - for our sake

25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery--so that you will not be wise in your own estimation--that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."
27 "THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS."
28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers;
29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,
31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.
32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
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The Calling of God

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V. 25 - “I do not want you... to be uninformed of this mystery” - What mystery? There are a couple of answers that fit. First, that salvation is by God’s grace and mercy through Jesus Christ our Lord. Second, the Gentiles were added to the family tree of God, even as some Jews were being lopped off because of their rebellion.

The mystery is revealed in the last half of this verse - “a partial hardening has happened to Israel...” Because Israel hardened themselves to the message of salvation from God, the way was opened up for us, the Gentiles. Not all of Israel rejected Jesus. Does this mean if the Jews had not rejected Jesus as Messiah, the Gentiles would have been ‘shut out”? No. The Gospel came to the Gentiles in spite of the Jews, rather than directly through them. The promise is the whole world would be blessed - that is, both Jews AND Gentiles.

“so that you will not be wise in your own estimation” - Don’t think that you are better than others - any others - because salvation has come to you.

V. 26-27 - “so all Israel will be saved” - The salvation of the Gentiles through faith - which has come to them because of the recalcitrance of Israel - will also come to the Jews. This does not mean after all of the Gentiles are saved, then all of the Israelites will be saved. In verse 25, above, we see the phrase “until the fullness”, which is also used in Gal. 4:4. The idea is that when God determined the time was right, He sent His Son to save the world. Jesus came to the Jews, being a descendant of David, and now the time is right for the Gentiles to be offered salvation directly. Before Christ came, the salvation path appeared to be through the Jewish faith and practices. Now it is offered to all. Paul is a evangelist called to preach to the Gentiles. (See: Acts 9:15-16, et. al.)

I am not sure that “all Israel” means that every Israelite will be saved. In several places in the NT, it is noted that salvation is offered to all, but only many will actually be saved - a remnant, so to speak. All Israel has the gospel message. The offer of salvation is made clearly to all Jews. All could accept Christ and be saved. In reality, most will not; neither will most Gentiles

The quotation is from Isa. 59:20-21; 29:7. God has promised holiness to His people. He has promised to take away their sins, take away their guilt, take away their shame. All of this is through Jesus Christ our Lord.

V. 28 - “from the standpoint of the gospel” - It all depends how you want to look at it... Because they rebelled against God - in essence became enemies of God - the gospel has come directly to you.

“From the standpoint of God’s choice” - However, God chose Abraham and his descendants for the promise. Their rebellion notwithstanding, God did not, nor does not rescind His promise. (See: Num. 23:19; Deut. 7:5; Josh. 23:14; 2 Sam. 7:25; Acts 7:17; Gal. 3:17, 18)

V. 29 - “for the gifts and the calling” - There is no substantive difference between “gifts” and “calling”. Both are given by the Lord to us, not because we have earned them, but by His grace. Once given, they are not recalled by God. We did not choose God to bless us. (Deut. 30:19; Josh. 24:15) We can choose to accept and give thanks for His gift. (Psa. 65:4; Isa 14:1; John 15:16; Jam. 2:5) God does not withdraw His offer to us, because we reject it. He waits patiently for us to repent and turn to Him.

V. 30 - “you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy” - (See: Col. 1:21-22; Eph. 2:3-4, 12) “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us... For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son” (Rom. 5:8, 10)

V. 31 - “they also may now be shown mercy.” - Not that Jews were not previously shown mercy. Paul’s hopes the Jews will see Gentiles are receiving mercy and eternal life, and want the same for themselves. The mercy and grace is already there, but is not efficacious because the Jews are stubborn. God does not force us to be blessed.

V. 32 - “God has shut up all in disobedience” - No one can say, “I am not, nor have been, disobedient!” All of us, everyone, fall far short of the glory of God (See: Rom. 3:23). God is sinless perfection, holy and righteous. We most definitely are not. It is a gap we cannot span, cannot cross.

“so that He may show mercy to all.” - Logically, if all are failures then all need mercy. If there was some way for us to earn our way into God’s presence, then there would be some who would do it. Others would not. How would you know if your efforts were sufficient? There is no way to know, until it is too late. When standing in front of God our Father in the final judgement, some would claim, “It’s not fair! I tried really hard! They got lucky breaks I didn’t get! If I had known, I would have tried harder.” There are as many excuses as there are people.

All need God’s mercy and grace - no exceptions. No one can claim they deserve salvation because of their own efforts. Everyone is dead in sin. God’s mercy is offered freely to all - no exceptions. Everyone has the same “lucky break” - Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior has paid the price.

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Rom. 11:22-24 - Kindness and Severity of God

22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.
23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
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God Will Welcome Them Back!

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V. 22 - “Behold then the kindness and severity of God” - It depends on your point of view. If you reject God’s offer of salvation in Jesus, you may think God is being too harsh. If you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and His forgiveness of your sin, you know His kindness and mercy. You’ve received what you do not deserve - eternal life, peace with God, freedom from sin and guilt, and victory over death (you will be with Him forever!). See: “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God's wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)

V. 23 - “And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in” - Salvation is offered to the Jews, in spite of their rejection. If they can overcome their pride and disbelief God will save them just as He has done for us. We can only be saved by faith in Jesus. The Jews can only be saved by faith in Jesus.

V. 24 - “ For if you… were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree” - The picture painted here is you Gentiles were ‘wild’, outside the boundaries of the farm or orchard, not bearing edible fruit. God took you wild branches, adding you to His precious tree of life. You now have life eternal. You can know God, be with Him, be friends with Him, be part of His family! If God can do that for you (Note He did do that!) thin of what He will do for the Jews. 

“how much more” - God pruned them from His family. He can graft them back in. Gentiles are not part of His chosen family, and are added at His grace. We are welcomed into the family. The Jews are welcomed back. See: Luke 15:11-32. The parable of the prodigal son fits here. They rejected and then came back. They are lost but are now found. There is much rejoicing for those who were lost are are now saved! There is also rejoicing over those of us who were in the wilderness, “wild branches” as it were, when we have heard the message and come to Christ as Savior! The OT prophets foresaw that Gentiles would be added to God’s’ family.

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