Salvation is for EVERYONE

Good afternoon friends! Do you recall a few months ago when this blog did a study on Leviticus? Well, Moses writes that the law's way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands (Lev. 18:5). But faith's way of getting right with God says, "Don't think in your mind, 'Who will go up to heaven?' (to bring Christ down to earth) (Deut. 30:12). And don't say 'Who will go to the dead?' (to bring Christ back to life again)(Deut. 30:13). In fact, faith says:

"The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." (Deut. 30:14)

And that message is the very same message I've been telling you about: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord (Matt. 10:32) and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. You see, it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Isaiah talks about it in the Old Testament when he tells us, "Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced." (Is. 28:16). Jews and Christians are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call in Him. As Joel says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Joel 2:32)

This raises the question: How can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Bible says, "How beautiful are the feet of the messengers who bring good news!" (Is. 52:7 & Nah. 1:15)

But not everyone welcomes the Good News, because as the prophet Isaiah said, "Lord, who has believed our message?" (Is. 53:1). So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. You might be asking (particularly after my last entry) have the Jewish people ever heard this message? Yes, they have:

"The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world." (Ps. 19:4)

You might still be asking, did the Jewish people really understand? Yes, they did, because even in the time of Moses and the Exodus, God said,

"I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiled." (Deut. 32:21)

And later, Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying (about us),

"I was found by people who were not looking for me, I showed myself to those who were not asking for me." (Is. 65:1)

But regarding the Jews God said

"All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious." (Is. 65:2)

I ask, then, has God rejected His own people? Of course not! All of the apostles were Jewish, and Paul tells us that he is a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin (Phil. 3:5). So no, God has not rejected His own people, whom He chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Bible says about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, "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." (I Kings 19:10,14)

And do you remember what God's reply was? He said, "No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!" (I Kings 19:18).

It's the same today, for a few of the Jewish people remained faithful because of God's grace--His undeserved kindness in choosing them. And since it is through God's kindness, then it is not by their good works. Because if that were the case, God's grace would not be what it really is--free and undeserved.

So this is the situation: Most of the Jewish people have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have--the ones God has chosen--but the hearts of the rest remain stubborn. As the Bible says,

"God has put them into a deep sleep (Is. 29:10). To this day He has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear." (Deut. 29:4)

David also talked about this when he wrote:

"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." (Ps. 69:22-23)

Did God's people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to everyone else, too. But He wanted His own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the rest of the world was enriched because the Jews turned down God's offer of salvation, think about how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

I stress this because I want somehow to make the Jewish people jealous of what we all have, so that some of them might be saved. 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! 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 used in Communion is holy. If the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

But some of these branches from Abraham's tree--some of the Jewish people--have been broken off. And the rest of us, who were like wild branches from the woods, have been grafted in. So now we also receive the blessing that God has promised Abraham and His children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God's special tree. I know what your inclination might be, but must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, after all, not the root.

"Well," you may say, "those branches were broken off to make room for me." 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 to you. If God did not spare the original branches for not believing, He won't spare you, either.

Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in His kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the Jewish people turn back from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into His cultivated tree, He will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

Have a wonderful evening, and if I hear from you before, I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!

Paul