The Current State of Affairs

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; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

— Romans 9:30–33

The current state of affairs, or should I say, the present dispensation, has been a difficulty for Christendom to get a grasp of. It has been difficult for Christians too.

Even the relation of Israel to the law as they were living under that covenant has not been a point of consensus among the theologians.

There are many streams of thought on this, but we can see a statement here that most can see. The question then is “what do we do with it?”

To the Jew, Christianity is a Gentile religion. To the rest of us, if we would be asked, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?”, it would not be a strange question, because they are not the same thing.

Now the word that Paul uses to in these verses to speak of the Jew, or the Jewish people as a whole is “Israel”. At this point in our study, it is probably a good time to discuss what is meant Biblically when we speak of Israel.

Biblically, Israel is the nation of people descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob’s name was changed by the Lord to Israel. He had twelve sons, from whom were descended the twelve tribes of Israel. I would expect that none of what I said is controversial.

Jacob and his sons went into Egypt to come under the provision of Egypt that was engineered by Joseph, one of the twelve patriarchs who was sold by his brothers into Egypt because of their jealousy. They grew there and multiplied until many years later a new Pharaoh that did not know Joseph enslaved the Israelites — the physical children of Israel.

Moses was raised up by God to lead them out of Egypt and when they left and crossed the Red Sea, a nation was born. Israel was already blessed by God because of the covenant with Abraham, but a new covenant (which is now the old covenant) was added when they reached Mt. Sinai and the Law was given to and through Moses.

The law (the old covenant) was added to define proper worship, lifestyle, diet, and behavior. It was a governmental code for the people to walk with their God.

All those born into this large extended family were born under the covenants. They were born into the Abrahamic Covenant and now into the Mosaic Covenant. Their faith was not in question in entering into the Covenant, but some things have to be discussed. An Israelite born into the Abrahamic Covenant could, if a male, be cut off from his people if he was not circumcised.

Now, he was not circumcised in or out of faith, but on the 8th day of his life. Make no mistake though, his circumcision was required to keep his place in the covenant. There were also many things in the Law of Moses for which an Israelite could be cut off from among his people. “Saved” and “unsaved” was not the issue here, but a correct walk with their God under His Covenant. Jehovah was their God, and Israel was His People. An Israelite would walk faithfully with His God if he walked according to this covenant.

Now still, even when in rebellion against the LORD, they were still His people. Interestingly, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, the LORD speaking to Solomon about Israel, has this to say about them in their time of rebellion:

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

His people called by His name here is without question Israel. In verse 10, we read “…the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.”

What is said there in verse 14 has some ramifications when we understand it. “If my people”, who we defined by the context as Israel, “which are called by my name”, again Israel. This should have some impact on how we understand the third commandment: “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). This nation was called by the name of the LORD. They were His people, and in taking His name, they are married to Him. That imagery is throughout the Old Testament Scriptures. To take His name in vain would mean to have the name of the people of Jehovah, but not to be walking in covenant faithfully as His People. Very similar to a woman taking the name of a man, but not living faithfully as his wife.

But the LORD was still speaking of them as the people called by His name. If this people, Israel, would repent, which is what humbling themselves and praying, and turning from their wicked ways, and seeking the face of the LORD means, then the LORD would hear them, forgive their sin, and heal their land. This is what Deuteronomy 28–30 speak of.

There came a time when their sins became so great that they were left with “no remedy”, which is how 2 Chronicles ends (36:16). They are taken captive to the Gentiles. But even in that state, the very last verse of that chapter, Cyrus, the king of the Persians says this:

2 Chronicles 36:23 — “Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.”

Notice that in this verse, after being in rebellion, Cyrus, as recorded in God’s word without correction, calls the Israelites the people of the LORD God of heaven.

Now, in the scriptures as the Jews keep them, this is the very last verse of them all.

Our New Testament Scriptures open up saying “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). In that same chapter, we read the angel’s instruction for naming the Son of God born to Mary his espoused wife:

Matthew 1:21 — “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

At this point in reading, there should be no question about who “His people” are, for they have been defined throughout the 39 books that come before. should this statement be controversial? This is where we start having some arguments, because our Bibles certainly do show that “HIs people” is inclusive of much more than Israel. We also see that earlier in Romans 9, quoting Hosea, Paul writes this:

Romans 9:25–26 — “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.”

It has been hard for me to pinpoint exactly who Paul was speaking about here. I wrote a while ago arguing the case that it has to be Israel, because that is who Hosea is talking about in Hosea 2:23 and 1:10.

But the very verse before this says “Even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles” (Romans 9:24).

Then, in verses 27–33, and the following two chapters, Paul speaks again concerning Israel.

Consider that Paul is making a point that is true in both instances. In Romans 9, we have the truth that God is sovereign in His dealing with mankind. He can choose a people, Israel, the people of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and then He can also choose to operate without them and deal with the rest of the nations independent of them. The record of Acts shows why this is happening and that it is not an arbitrary turning from Israel to the Gentiles, but a turning to the Gentiles because the Israelites both in the land of Israel and those scattered willfully refused the preaching of Jesus Christ and fought against it. This was indeed a continuation of the fight that the Lord had from them throughout His ministry among them as a “minister of the circumcision” (Romans 15:8).

This is why Paul, quoting Isaiah 65:2 says “But to Israel he saith, All day long have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people” (Romans 10:21).

God did not just decide to leave Israel to begin a mostly Gentile church arbitrarily, or because Gentiles could not be saved if God was still working with Israel. Prophetically, Gentiles would be saved as Israel was saved through Christ as we see in Isaiah:

Isaiah 49:6–7 — “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.”

This is just one example among a host of others. Christ would be a blessing to the world, first to and through Israel and then to the world. But Israel would not be a cooperative vessel, so in God’s sovereignty He went without them. Romans 10 shows that Jews can be saved just like Gentiles. They can only be saved in the same way that Gentiles are saved, and that is through faith in the finished work of Christ, as in Romans 10:9-13, which we will discuss as we study Romans further.

But in the present, which was a time beginning during the period covered in Acts, more Gentiles are coming to Christ while the Jews are being left behind by their own doing. They would argue that having the law would make them righteous, and that those preaching Christ were blaspheming the law (Acts 6:11). Paul in Romans 2 would set the record straight that it is not the hearers of the law that are just, but the doers of it are just (Romans 2:13). In Romans 3 the conclusion is reached that there is none righteous (3:10) and that righteousness without the law, necessary because by the law all are condemned, is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles (3:19-30).

And the Gentiles that followed after this attained the righteousness of faith, while the Jews who stumbled at that stumblingstone did not. It is not because God chose against them, but because they chose against God’s word toward them that they were not righteous.

The righteousness of God by faith, as we will read in the next chapter, is open to all, even to Jews who corporately refused the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ. But it will only be in coming to the Lord in His way that they will receive it. Peter in Acts 4 told the rulers and elders of Israel that their salvation would be in none other than in Jesus Christ:

Acts 4:8–12 — “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

In Romans 10, the next verse after these closing chapter 9, Paul begins with sharing his heart for his own kinsmen according to the flesh:

“Brethren, my heart’s desire for Israel is, that they might be saved” (Romans 10:1).

The controversy that we have in this is that we live during the current state of affairs and know some things that were later revealed.

With the many opposing views regarding Israel out there, Bible believing Christians should be able to stand Biblically with the Apostle Paul on this. We should not hold animosity toward them as many do, nor should we have them on a pedestal that would make some think almost that we teach that they can be saved in another way or apart from Christ. They need Christ and will not be saved without Him. The Biblical position on Israel is that they need to be saved and as Gentile Christians we should want that too. It shouldn’t be a theological argument between those that are dispensational or those that are covenantal on what God’s heart toward Israel is. It is the same as in Paul’s heart in 10:1. We should also speak as though we believe that.

In all of our discussion of the need for Israel to be saved, coming to God in God’s way, that is true of you no matter what your background. You are a sinner, as is proved through scripture, and no doubt in your own experience. You need a savior from your sins, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior. He is the Savior that died for your sins and rose again. In dying for your sins He offers full and complete forgiveness in putting away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. The only requirement is that you believe on Him to everlasting life and you will receive the gift of the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is all that you need, BUT YOU DO NEED HIM!