HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1392
RO MA N S 1 1
page 1022
19 But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of
Moses, God said,
looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones
God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were
hardened. 8 As the Scriptures say,
“God has put them into a deep sleep.
To this day he has shut their eyes so they
do not see,
and closed their ears so they do not
hear.”*
“I will rouse your jealousy through people
who are not even a nation.
I will provoke your anger through the
foolish Gentiles.”*
— promises —
from God
If you openly declare that
Jesus is Lord and believe
in your heart that God
raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
R O M A N S 10:9
20 And
later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying,
“I was found by people who were not
looking for me.
I showed myself to those who were not
asking for me.”*
21 But
regarding Israel, God said,
“All day long I opened my arms to them,
but they were disobedient and
rebellious.”*
God’s Mercy on Israel
I ask, then, has God rejected his own
people, the nation of Israel? Of course
not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant
of Abraham and a member of the tribe of
Benjamin.
2 No, God has not rejected his own people,
whom he chose from the very beginning. Do
you realize what the Scriptures say about this?
Elijah the prophet complained to God about
the people of Israel and said, 3 “Lord, they have
killed your prophets and torn down your altars.
I am the only one left, and now they are trying
to kill me, too.”*
4 And do you remember God’s reply? He said,
“No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed
down to Baal!”*
5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of
Israel* have remained faithful because of God’s
grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing
them. 6 And since it is through God’s kindness,
then it is not by their good works. For in that
case, God’s grace would not be what it really
is—free and undeserved.
7 So this is the situation: Most of the people of
Israel have not found the favor of God they are
11
9 Likewise,
10
David said,
“Let their bountiful table become a snare,
a trap that makes them think all is well.
Let their blessings cause them to stumble,
and let them get what they deserve.
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
and let their backs be bent forever.”*
11 Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond
recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient,
so God made salvation available to the Gentiles.
But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. 12 Now if the
Gentiles were enriched because the people of
Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation,
think how much greater a blessing the world
will share when they finally accept it.
13 I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to
the Gentiles. I stress this, 14 for I want somehow
to make the people of Israel jealous of what you
Gentiles have, so I might save some of them.
15 For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their
acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will
be life for those who were dead! 16 And since
Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy,
their descendants will also be holy—just as the
entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots
of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.
17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have
been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were
branches from a wild olive tree, have been
grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing
God has promised Abraham and his children,
sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of
God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag
about being grafted in to replace the branches
that were broken off. You are just a branch, not
the root.
19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were
broken off to make room for me.” 20 Yes, but
remember—those branches were broken off
because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you
are there because you do believe. So don’t think
highly of yourself, but fear what could happen.
10:19 Deut 32:21. 10:20 Isa 65:1 (Greek version). 10:21 Isa
65:2 (Greek version). 11:3 1 Kgs 19:10, 14. 11:4 1 Kgs 19:18.
11:5 Greek for a remnant. 11:8 Isa 29:10; Deut 29:4.
11:9-10 Ps 69:22-23 (Greek version).