Tag: covenant

Romans 11:27 – God’s Covenant

Posted on 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,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 9:4 – New Old Truths

Posted on by Will

who are Israelites, to whom is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;

Truth to Learn

We can learn a lot about our faith from the Old Testament.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “adoption” is huiothesia, which is composed of huios, meaning “a son” and a form of tithēmi, meaning “to place.” Thus we see that it is a reference to the placing of a person as a child, or “adoption.”

“Covenants” is translated from diathēkēs, which refers to “the disposition which a person makes of his property in the prospect of death.” The English word “dispensation” expresses the idea fairly closely. It is a reference here to the dispensations or covenants that God made with the patriarchs and the Jews.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul now continues on from the previous verse. He said that he almost wished that he was accursed for the sake of his kinsmen, the Jews. He is making a comparison between the things he has been teaching about the church (chosen by God, adopted by God, given promises by God, etc.) and the Jewish people. In doing so he will demonstrate to his Jewish brothers that God’s dealings with the church are very much the same as His past dealings with the Jews (until the time they rejected the Messiah). In the current verse Paul begins to detail some of the special privileges that the Jews had. Let’s look at each of them.

“Who are Israelites” – They are the descendants of Jacob (renamed Israel by God when Jacob wrestled with God at Penuel – See Genesis 32:28.) Jacob means “trickster” and Israel means “a prince of God.”

“To whom is the adoption” – This is probably a reference to Deuteronomy 7:6 where God chose them (the Israelites) as a special people to Him above all people that are on the face of the earth. Is it fair that God chose the descendants of Jacob (Israel) and excluded all others? This is an example of God’s election (choosing) just like His election of Christians.

“The glory” – probably a reference to the glory of God which led the Israelites through the wilderness.

“The covenants” – The various compacts or promises which had been made from time to time with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and with the nation of Israel.

“The giving of the Law” – On Mount Sinai – see Exodus 20.

“The service of God” – A reference to the temple service which was a point of pride for Israel, indicating that only they worshipped at the true temple of the true God.

“And the promises” – Most notably the promise of the coming Messiah from the seed of David.

In showing to his brothers in the flesh that theirs was a special relationship with God, soon Paul will also show them that this relationship does not guarantee righteousness. Righteousness only comes from believing the promise of the Messiah and accepting the Messiah when he comes, which they didn’t do.

 

Application

There is much for the church to learn from studying God’s dealings with the Old Testament saints. We serve the same God, and He deals with us much the same as He did with them. For us, as well as them, it is a relationship built on faith.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 11:27 – God’s Covenant

Posted on by Will

Romans 11:27 – God’s Covenant

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 and thankfully producing fruit.

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 shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember 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,

Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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