Romans 11 – Ministry of Grace Church

Category: Romans 11

Romans 11:36 – It’s All His

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Will

For from Him and through Him and unto Him are all things, to Him be glory forever. Amen.

Truth to Learn

God deserves all our praise for only He is worthy.

Behind the Words

There is a three-fold expression that Paul uses in the first part of this verse which is very simple and yet profound. In the Greek Paul says ex autou kai di autou kai eis autou ta panta. Let’s look at this in detail.

The word kai simply means “and” and the word autou means “him, that is, in relation to him or with respect to him.” Next, let’s look at the three words ex, di, and eis. All three of these are prepositions. The first, ex is a form of ek, meaning “from” or “out of,” implying that He is the source. The second preposition is di, a contraction of dia, meaning “through, either as movement or as the instrument of action.” Finally, the third preposition is eis, meaning “into” or “unto.” Paul then finishes the first phrase with the two words, ta panta which mean “all things,” or “everything.” Thus, Paul says that all things originate with God, He is the instrument of action for all events, and all things will culminate in Him.

“Glory” is translated from doxa, from which we get our English word doxology. It is derived from the verb dokeō, meaning “thought or opinion, particularly favorable human opinion.” Thus, we see that doxa means “dignity, glory, or honor.” This word is sometimes translated as “praise” or “worship,” since that is the highest possible form of favorable human opinion.

The Greek expression translated “forever” is eis tous aiōnas. This literally means “unto the ages” or “forever.”

Putting this all together we could paraphrase this verse as: All things come from God, are created and sustained by God, and ultimately belong to God. Therefore, He alone should receive our praise both now and forever! Amen.

Meaning Explained

Paul ends this chapter of Romans with a doxology that we would all do well to meditate on. He says that everything which exists, both physical and spiritual, has its source in God and God alone. Everything that is, exists through God’s instrumentality, that is, it has come into being as a result of His creative action. Finally, everything that exists belongs to God and will be laid at His feet, and all creatures will give Him the glory. We see this in the heavenly scene painted for us by the Apostle John in the book of the Revelation:

the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who is seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and they cast their crowns before the throne, saying: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, To receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." (Revelation 4:10-11)

And I heard every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that are in them, saying: "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!" (Revelation 5:13)

Application

Think about that as you worship Him this Sunday!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:35 – Who’s In Charge?

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Will

"or who has first given to Him that it should be repaid to him?"

Truth to Learn

God does not owe you a thing, nor is He obligated to do what you want Him to do.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “has first given” is prodidōmi, which is a compound word made up of pro, meaning “before, in position or time” and didōmi, meaning “to give.” Thus we see that prodidōmi means “to give ahead of time.” It is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicating an action that was performed at a point in time in the past. So, we could translate the first part of this verse as, “or who first gave to Him.”

“Repaid” is from antapodidōmi, which is made up of anti, which means “opposite, against, or in turn,” apo, meaning “from or away from,” and didōmi, which means “to give.” When we put this all together we see that antapodidōmi means “to give or do something which is necessary to fulfill an obligation, doing so in return for something previously done.

Meaning Explained

This verse is essentially the same as Job 41:11 which says

Who has first given to Me, that I should repay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.

What Paul is pointing out is the fact that God is not indebted to any one of us. He does not owe us a thing! There is nothing that we have done or that we could do which would force God to take any action apart from His eternal plan. There is nothing that we have produced that God did not already own. There is nothing we can give Him that was not already His.

Think about that! There is nothing that we can do that will require God to take action of any kind. He is not indebted to anyone.

Now, apply this to what Paul has been teaching us in this and the previous chapters of this letter. God was not forced to turn to the Gentiles when the Jews rejected Him, He chose to do so. And God is not required to save anyone from their sins, He chooses to do so and He chooses whom He will save. It is His choice and it is of His own free will, it is not our choice. There is nothing we can do that will require God to save us. If we are saved, it is because He decided to do it before time began as Paul teaches in Ephesians:

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us to be holy and without blame before Him in love. (Ephesians 1:4)

Neither is God required to bless anyone whom He does not choose to bless, nor is He required to answer in the affirmative any prayer He does not choose to answer that way. He is not a puppet that we can control by pulling the right strings or by reciting a magic mantra. God responds to our prayers according to His desires and His will. We are totally at His mercy and we are totally subservient to Him. The sooner we realize this and submit to His authority and will, the sooner we will know the peace that only He can provide through His spirit.

Application

What we have here is big God, little man theology. He is the sovereign ruler over all creation. Our attitude should be like that of Jesus Christ, “Not my will, but yours be done, O Lord!”

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:34 – The Greatest Mind

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Will

"For who has known the mind of the Lord? or who has become His adviser?"

Truth to Learn

God is infinitely more intelligent and wise than we are; therefore, we have no reason to question his actions or plans.

Behind the Words

“Known” is from ginōskō, which means “to know, either in a beginning or completed sense.” It is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicating action that occurred in the past at a point in time. It does not express the process of gaining knowledge of God, but of having such knowledge.

The word translated “mind” is noun, which refers to “the consciousness that precedes actions or recognizes and judges them. That is, intelligence and understanding.”

“Adviser” is from the Greek word, sumboulos, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of boulē, meaning “advice or counsel.” Together they indicate “someone who is called together to give counsel or advice.”

Meaning Explained

A parallel verse to the current one is 1Cointhisns 2:16:

For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Both our current verse and this one above appear to be paraphrases of Isaiah’s words:

Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or instructed Him as His counselor? (Isaiah 40:13)

Paul is teaching us that God is infinitely more knowledgeable and wise that any man. No man can teach God anything nor could any man ever give counsel to the infinitely wise God. Earthly rulers have advisors to consult in times of difficulty or danger, but God needs no such council. He sits alone on His throne, ruling over all His creation with perfect wisdom.

Before we were saved, we did not know God’s mind, his intentions, or His plans. It is only since we have received His gift of grace that we now have “the mind of Christ” as we see in 1Corinthians 2:16. Therefore, who are we to question His plan of pruning out the Jews and grafting in the Gentiles until the fullness of the Gentiles comes? Who are we to question why He will once again turn to the Israelites and lead them in the ways of salvation? Who are we to question why God allows some to suffer the consequences of their sinful ways and bestows His grace on others, choosing them to be saved when they don’t deserve it? Who are we to ask Him “Why?” when He allows sorrow or heartbreak or tragedy to come into our lives? Who are we to question anything that God does?

Instead of trying to make God’s words say what we want them to say, let us accept His teaching as truth – God’s truth! Instead of questioning Him, let us humble ourselves before Almighty God, submitting ourselves to His will and committing ourselves to living His way.

Application

Instead of asking “Why?” let us simply ask, “What? What do you want me to learn from this, God? Teach me, for I am here to do Your will, O God!”

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:33 – Immeasurable Riches

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Will

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways intraceable!

Truth to Learn

God has given us a gift of immeasurable worth.

Behind the Words

The word translated “depth” is the Greek word bathos. This word literally does mean “depth,” but by interpretation it refers to the profundity or the extent of something.

Anexeraunētos is the Greek word translated “unsearchable.” It is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and the noun form of exereunaō, which means “to search out.” So this Greek word refers to something that no one can completely search out. The implication is that his judgments are unquestionable because no one could ever completely understand all that went into them.

“Riches” is translated from ploutos, which refers to “monetary wealth, richness, or abundance of possessions.” So what Paul is proclaiming in the opening part of this verse is how vast and extensive is the abundance of value of both God’s knowledge and of His wisdom.

The word translated “intraceable” is anexichniastos, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and the noun form of exichniadzō, which means “to explore.”

Meaning Explained

Throughout this eleventh chapter of the book of Romans, Paul has been demonstrating why it was necessary for the Israelites to be rejected. But he also teaches that they will someday be brought back into the fold. In this and the following three verses he will now step back to acknowledge and admire the wisdom and sovereignty of God.

He proclaims that no one can completely search out or fully comprehend God’s judgments, nor can anyone discover the fullness of God’s way of doing things. This can surely be applied to God’s plan of election. We certainly can’t understand why He chose whom He did, especially since we know that none of us deserve it.

We who are in the Church age should consider ourselves quite fortunate that we have as much insight as we do into God’s redemptive plan, both for the Gentiles and for the Jews. Many of the truths that are contained in the New Testament were foretold by the Prophets of old, and yet they didn’t understand fully even that which they were prophesying about. Not only that, but we are privy to the truth of God’s grace in a way that even the angels of heaven can’t experience . However, they are desirous of looking into and learning about these things. Both these facts are pointed out by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:10-12 which says:

Of this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, have sought diligently and searched carefully, searching what person, or what time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels long to look into.

At the risk of using a word which is heavily overused and barely understood, let me ask, “Isn’t our God awesome?!”

Application

Do you realize the extreme value of your salvation? Even the richest person who has ever lived could not purchase a “get out of Hell” pass. And yet, we who have believed God’s truth about our sinfulness and Christ’s sacrificial death will not have to pay the penalty for our sins. God has paid it for us. Our gift came in the form of a little baby, born in poverty, in a stable among farm animals. Let’s thank God for our free gift!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:32 – Freed Prisoners

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Will

For God confined them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

Truth to Learn

We were once imprisoned by sin, but God has set us free.

Behind the Words

The word translated “confined them all” is the Greek word sugkleiō. This word is made up of sun, meaning “together” and kleiō, which means “to enclose.” The notion is of a group of people who have all been incarcerated or put in prison together.

Meaning Explained

Let’s look carefully at this verse so that we get the true meaning. First of all, this verse does NOT say that God has caused all people to be in a state of unbelief and it does NOT say that God will show mercy to all people. Let’s see why.

God has put people in prison. In this case the prison is unbelief and the “who” is all of mankind. God has not caused this unbelief but, rather, having found all to be in unbelief, He has left them there where they cannot get out by themselves.

One of the best ways to understand what is meant by any passage of Scripture is to find a parallel passage and see exactly what it says. A parallel passage to the current verse is found in Galatians 3:22:

But the Scripture has confined [put in prison] all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ [freedom from the prison of sin] might be given to those who believe.

The word here translated has confined all, is sugkleiō, the same word as in today’s verse. Also, you may recall what Paul said back in the third chapter of this letter?

As it is written: there is none righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one seeking God. They all turned away; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, not even one (Romans 3:10-12)

As we take these all together we see that all of mankind, Jews and Gentiles, are sinners and are bound in unbelief because of sin. But why would God do such a thing? The second half of today’s verse tells us why, “that He might have mercy on all.” As we compare this with our parallel passage we see that this mercy is not referring to “all people” but to “all who believe.” If you look at the context of the verse in Galatians (read it with the previous verse), you will see that “all” refers to “Jews and Gentiles.”

Finally, you may ask, “But if all are imprisoned in unbelief, how can they believe so that God’s mercy can be shown?” Only God can release a sinner from the prison of unbelief, and it is strictly by His grace and not from any action on our part. In Ephesians Paul tells us:

that in the ages coming He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (Ephesians 2:7, 8)

Application

If you are a born-again Christian then God has shown His mercy on you by allowing you to see and believe in the Gospel message. You were bound in prison by sin, but God has set you free. Think about that, and show your gratitude to Him!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:31 – Give Away the Treasure

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Will

so these also now have not believed, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

Truth to Learn

We can hoard the truth and be poor, or we can give it away and enjoy spiritual riches together with all who will receive it.

Meaning Explained

Since this verse and the preceding one are tied together, let’s look at them together:

For as you previously did not believe in God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief, so these also now have not believed, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

That is to say, we as Gentiles were not believers while the Israelites had possession of God’s Word and God’s blessing. But now, as a result of their rejection of the Messiah, we have been given the gospel message and can now obtain God’s mercy through belief in the Savior. In the same manner these Jews are not believing now. They are still rejecting the Messiah, the Christ, who came to save them. But now, because of the mercy that we have received from the Jews’ rejection of the Messiah, we are to be the instrument of God’s mercy to them by proclaiming the truth of the gospel: namely, that Jesus, whom they crucified, is in fact the Messiah for whom they have been looking all these many years. But now they can receive salvation through belief in His sacrificial death on the cross.

That’s still pretty complicated, though, isn’t it? Let me say it more simply. Because of the disbelief of the Jews, we Gentiles have found God’s mercy, and because of that, they will also receive God’s mercy through our belief and our witness to them. And, to put it even more simply, “We now have it because they rejected it, and some day they will have it again because we received it and gave it back to them.”

God originally chose the Jews, through Abraham, so that the Gentiles might also be saved. Here’s God’s original promise to Abraham:

Now the LORD said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (Genesis 12:1-3)

The tragedy is that Israel became exclusive in their thinking and failed to share the truth with the Gentiles. They thought that the Gentiles had to become Jews in order to be saved. Now we have the truth and an obligation to “provoke them to jealousy,” as Paul has stated several times in this letter.

The underlying principle is that God has had a plan throughout the ages for mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, and nothing is a surprise to Him. Not only does God have a plan, but all is going, and will continue to go, exactly according to that plan.

Application

We have a treasure of truth contained in the Scripture: the truth about Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus is the one promised to the Jews as their Redeemer, but He is also promised to us as our Redeemer. Let’s not squander this treasure, let’s give it away freely to everyone. The rest is up to God. And He will get the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:30 – Believe It or Not

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Will

For as you previously did not believe in God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief,

Truth to Learn

We can obtain mercy from God when we believe Him.

Behind the Words

The grammatical construction that ties this verse with the following one is the use of the Greek word kai in both these verses. This word is most often translated as “and” or “also.” But in the case of these two verses, the use of kai in both verses represents a construction called “correlative conjunction.” That means that the ideas in the two verses are tied together. This is sometimes translated as “both … and …” Paul is going to show us that our ability to believe is a direct result of the Jews’ lack of belief.

The word translated “did not believe” is apeitheō, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” and the verb peithō, meaning “to persuade.” So, literally, this word means “not to persuade.” When used in the passive voice, as it is in this verse, it means “not willing to be persuaded, not willing to believe, or unbelieving.” This really gives a different meaning to this verse. It could be translated as:

For as you were once unbelieving in God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unwillingness to believe.

“Mercy” is translated from eleeō, meaning “to have compassion” or “to show mercy.” This word is also expressed in the passive voice, so it means “to be shown compassion or mercy.”

Meaning Explained

In this verse and the next, Paul is going to show that the Jews who are now alienated from God will one day be restored. And, in a similar manner, we Gentiles were once alienated from God and are now under God’s blessing through the gospel message.

Let’s look at what the correlation is between these two verses. Paul says “For as you previously did not believe in God.” This refers to a time when the truths about God were delivered to and held by the Jews, and we Gentiles did not have the truth. And, since we didn’t have the truth, we didn’t believe in it. In the book of Acts, Paul and Barnabas expressed it in these words,

(God) who in past generations allowed all nations to go their own ways, (Acts 14:16)

In other words, there was a time when we Gentiles did not believe in the one true God, therefore we walked in our own ways instead of God’s ways. The second half of the current verse goes on to say, “yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief,” that is, we who previously did not believe in God now can believe in God and walk in His ways. And our belief is a direct result of the unbelief of the Jews who rejected the Messiah when He first came.

In the next verse we will see the conclusion of how Paul is correlating these two verses.

Application

God has shown His mercy to us because the Jewish people did not believe the Messiah when He came. Now that He has come and paid for your sins with His blood, do you believe in Him? If so, does your lifestyle demonstrate it to others?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:29 – Irrevocable Gifts

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Will

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Truth to Learn

God’s choosing is final and unchangeable.

Behind the Words

“Gifts” is from charisma, which means “a gift of grace” or “an undeserved benefit.” In the New Testament it is used only of such a gift or undeserved benefit received from God.

The word translated “irrevocable” is the Greek word ametamelētos, which is made up of a, meaning “without,” meta, indicating “a change of place or condition,” and a form of melō, meaning “to be concerned.” When we put this all together we see that ametamelētos means “without changing one’s position of concern,” or “without changing one’s mind regarding an action taken.”

Meaning Explained

This verse serves as an addendum to the previous verse where Paul said, “With regard to the gospel they are enemies, but with regard to the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.” We mentioned the word “election” in the previous verse as coming from the Greek eklogen, which means “the act of choosing.” Paul has used various forms of this word several times in this letter to the Jewish Christians in Rome. In each case he is referring to “election unto salvation” whereby God chose who would receive His free gift of grace.

Paul is now expanding on the concept of the “election.” He says, “For the gifts …” that is, those gifts of grace whereby sinners are chosen to believe the gospel and to be forgiven of their sins. Paul then couples those free gifts with God’s calling, just as he did back in Romans 8:28, 29 where he said:

And we know that to the ones loving God all things work together for good, to those who are the called ones according to His purpose. Because whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

He now tells us something about this election and its associated calling. They are irrevocable. God does not regret having chosen anyone, and He will not change His mind regarding His selection and calling. So you see Paul is actually saying that this free gift of Grace and the associated irresistible calling of sinners to Himself are done by God without regret and without changing His mind. In other words, once God chooses a sinner to be saved He does not change His mind and revoke that calling unto salvation.

Think about this. Since your salvation is God’s choice and wholly dependent on His actions apart from any action on your part, and since God does not change His mind regarding this choosing, if you are genuinely saved then you cannot become unsaved. It simply can’t happen! You can do nothing to change God’s mind, nothing!

Application

Now, instead of focusing so much of your time and effort on trying not to lose your salvation, you can focus all that time and effort on submitting to God and serving Him. You don’t have to worry about losing your salvation. It can’t happen! Let’s take a moment to thank God and give Him praise.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:28 – Not Your Enemies

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Will

With regard to the gospel they are enemies, but with regard to the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

Truth to Learn

The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are God’s beloved people whom He will rescue one day.

Behind the Words

The word translated, “concerning” is the Greek word kata, which primarily means “down.” However, this word has many nuances that imply position or relation. As it is used in this sentence it expresses “the relation in which one thing stands towards another.” So, we could translate it as “with respect to” or “as it relates to.”

“Enemies” is translated from the Greek word, echthros, which is based on the verb echthō, meaning “to hate.” Thus, echthros means “one who is hateful or odious, an enemy.” In this verse it refers to those who are odious in the sight of God. God is not saying that the Jews are His enemies, but that they are enemies of the gospel message.

The word translated “election” is eklogen, based on the verb eklegō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and legō, meaning “to choose.” Thus, eklogen refers to the act of choosing or the selecting a select few out of a larger collection.

“Beloved” is from the Greek word agapētos, which is based on the verb agapaō, meaning “to love in a social or moral sense.” It means to be ultimately concerned for the welfare of the one who is loved. Agapētos refers to the one who is loved.

Meaning Explained

Paul has been explaining that it was the rejection of the Messiah by the Jews that occasioned the gospel (good news) to be proclaimed to the Gentiles. Remember, also, that Paul is talking in generalities about groups of people, not specific individuals. He starts off the current verse with, “With regard to the gospel, they are enemies.” He is not saying that the Jews are the enemies of Christians. He is saying that the Jews are enemies of the gospel message; they are hateful of the message regarding Jesus being the Messiah and that salvation and the righteousness of God is obtained by believing that Jesus died to pay for the sins of all mankind.

But, Paul goes on to say, with respect to God’s selecting who are righteous and who aren’t, they are beloved because of God’s covenant with the patriarchs. This may be a reference to a passage in Deuteronomy which says,

The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 10:15)

The point is that God choose the Israelites as His special people and though they rejected their Messiah, God will one day turn back to them and restore their position of blessedness because of the covenant (the one sided contract) that He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Application

We should not hate the Jewish people even though they are hateful of the gospel message. Instead, we should recognize that they, as a nation, are loved by God. Sometime in the future He will remove Christians from the earth and once again bless the Jewish people when their Messiah comes as their conquering king.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 11:27 – God’s Covenant

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Will

For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."

Truth to Learn

If God has graciously taken away your sins, you should be humbly producing fruit with thanksgiving.

Behind the Words

The word “covenant” is from the Greek word diathēkē, which is based on the verb diatithēmi, meaning “to set out in order” or “to dispose or disperse in a certain order” as someone would do in their last will and testament. In classical Greek, diathēkē always meant “the disposition which a person makes of his property in prospect of death.” It is a binding contract made by one party on behalf of others. Hence, this covenant is God’s contract of what He will do for the Jews in the future.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul quoted Isaiah 59:20, and in this verse he quotes the first part of Isaiah 59:21, “For this is My covenant with them.” The remainder of this verse, however, is not from Isaiah at all, rather it appears to be taken from, or abridged from, Jeremiah 31:33, 34 which says:

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, and a man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” because they all will know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.

It appears that Paul is expressing the general sense of these promises which were, and are, well known among the Jews. It is clear that God has promised the Jews that at some future time He will gather the remnant of Israel to Himself and they will all believe at that time. Paul does not state when that time will be because even he did not know exactly when it would happen (and neither do we).

The point he is making, remember, is that we Gentiles should not become arrogant about the gospel having been delivered to us as a result of the unbelief of the Jewish people. If God was able to graft us into the good olive tree, we who were not of the good olive tree but of a wild olive tree, then he can certainly graft in branches from the good olive tree again.

As we’ve discussed in the preceding verses, this is precisely what God will do. At some time in the future the Messiah will return and will gather the remnant of the Jews to Himself, and they will all believe just as He has promised them. He will take away their sins just as he has taken away the sins of all who have believed on Him in the Church age.

Since God has a future plan for the ones who are responsible for our having heard the gospel message, we need to give them special heed and treat them dearly. There is no room for pride in those who are submitted to and humbled before God.

Application

How about you, my Christian friend? Are you grateful to God for the way He has orchestrated history? Are you thankful that the Jews rejected their Messiah when He first came? Are you humbly grateful for the person or persons who delivered the gospel message to you? In response, will you produce fruit, or will you be a withering branch enjoying what the world has to offer you? Show your gratefulness by your works!

In God's service, for His glory,