Is God to the Jews Only?

[Guest Soldier of God]

Romans 3:29 - 6:23

 

29 Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.

30 Seeing there is one God who will declare the circumcision righteous by faith and the uncircumcision through the faith.

31 Do we, then, make law void through faith? Let it not be: on the other hand, we establish law.

4:1 What, then, shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, has found according to the flesh?

2 For, if Abraham was justified by works, he has cause for boasting, but not before God.

3 For what says the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.

4 But to him that works, the reward is not counted as a favor, but as a debt:

5 to him, however, that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly man, his faith is counted for righteousness.

6 Even as David also speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God counts righteousness without works:

7 Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sins are covered:

8 blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not count.

9 Is this blessedness, then, upon the circumcision only, or also upon the uncircumcision? For we say: Faith was counted to Abraham for righteousness.

10 How, then, was it counted? While he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

11 And he received a sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while in uncircumcision, that he might be the father of all that believe while yet in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be counted to them,

12 and the father of circumcision to them that are not of the circumcision only, but that also walk in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham, which he had while in uncircumcision.

13 For not through law was the promise to Abraham, or to his posterity, that he should be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith.

14 For if they that are of law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is rendered powerless;

15 for the law works wrath; for where no law is, neither is there transgression.

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be according to grace, in order that the promise may be sure to all the posterity; not to that of the law only, but also to that of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

17 As it is written: A father of many nations have I made thee before him whom he believed, even God, who makes the dead alive and calls things that are not as if they are:

18 who against hope on hope believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which was spoken: So shall thy posterity be;

19 and not being weak in faith, he considered his own body that had become dead, being about a hundred years old and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;

20 but in regard to the promise of God he doubted not through unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,

21 and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform.

22 Wherefore also it was counted to him for righteousness.

23 It was not written, however, for his sake, only that it was counted to him,

24 but also for the sake of us. to whom it shall be counted if we believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and raised because of our justification.

 

5:1 Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

2 through whom, also, we have had the access, by faith, into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only so, but we also boast in afflictions, knowing that affliction works endurance,

4 and endurance approval, and approval, hope;

5 and hope makes not ashamed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit that was given to us.

6 Furthermore, we being yet without strength, at the proper time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; though for the good man perhaps some one would even dare to die;

8 but God renders his love for us conspicuous in this, that, we being yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more, then, being now justified in his blood, we shall be saved through him from the wrath.

10 For if being enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more having been reconciled we shall be saved in his life;

11 and not only so, but also glorying in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

12 Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin death, and so death passed through upon all men, inasmuch as all sinned;

13 for till the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed where there is no law;

14 yet, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those that did not sin after the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the coming one.

15 Yet, not as the offense, so also the gracious gift; for if through the offense of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

16 And not as through one that sinned is the gift; for the judgment passed from one offense to condemnation, but the gracious gift from many offenses to the righteous decree.

17 For if, in the offense of one, death reigned through the one, much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.

18 Therefore, as through one offense judgment came upon all men to condemnation, so also through one righteous deed, judgment came upon all men to justification of life.

19 For as through the disobedience of the one man the many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the one shall the many be constituted righteous.

20 But law came in beside, that the offense might abound; but where sin abounded, grace exceedingly abounded,

21 that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

6:1 What, then, shall we say? Let us continue in sin, that grace may abound?

2 Let it not be. How shall we that died to sin live any longer in it?

3 Know you not that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into his death?

4 We were, therefore, buried with him through baptism into death, that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we, also, might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have grown together with the likeness of his death, we shall grow together also with the likeness of his resurrection,

6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be made powerless, that we should no longer serve sin;

7 for he that has died has been acquitted of sin.

8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him,

9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more: death no longer has dominion over him.

10 For in that he died, to sin he died once for all; but in that he lives, he lives to God.

11 Thus do you also count yourselves dead indeed to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Therefore let not sin reign in your mortal body, in order to obey its desires;

13 neither present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you; for you are not under law, but under grace.

15 What then? shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Let it not be.

16 Know you not that to whom you present yourselves servants for obedience, his servants you are whom you obey, either of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

17 But thanks to God that you were servants of sin, but you obeyed from the heart the form of teaching into which you were delivered,

18 and having been made free from sin, you became servants to righteousness.

19 I speak as a man, because of the weakness of your flesh. For as you present your members servants to uncleanness and to lawlessness in order to lawlessness, so now present your members servants to righteousness in order to sanctification.

20 For when you were servants of sin you were free in respect to righteousness.

21 What fruit, therefore, had you then? Of which things you are now ashamed; for the end of those things is death.

22 But now, having been made free from sin, and having become servants to God, you have your fruit to sanctification, and the end, life eternal.

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gracious gift of God is life eternal in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[Luke_Wilbur]

I think some historians focus on Jesus forbiding His disciples to declare to the Gentiles the coming of the Kingdom of God. Part of Jesus ministry was to let Jews know that their prophecies were going to be fulfilled. But, not in a triumphant material way they were expecting.

 

Matthew 10

 

10:1 Jesus 1 called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits so they could cast them out and heal every kind of disease and sickness.

 

10:2 Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (called Peter), and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee and John his brother;

 

10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

 

10:4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

 

10:5 Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them as follows: “Do not go to Gentile regions and do not enter any Samaritan town.

 

10:6 Go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

 

10:7 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’

 

10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.

 

10:9 Do not take gold, silver, or copper in your belts,

 

10:10 no bag for the journey, or an extra tunic, or sandals or staff, for the worker deserves his provisions.

 

10:11 Whenever you enter a town or village, find out who is worthy there and stay with them until you leave.

 

10:12 As you enter the house, give it greetings.

 

10:13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

 

10:14 And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or that town.

 

10:15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town!