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even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n God chose us, Jews and Gentiles alike, to be His holy children so that He will receive praise and glory.<\/p>\n \u201cCalled<\/span>\u201d is from the Greek word kale\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which properly means \u201cto call aloud to someone.\u201d It represents the action of calling to someone to give them instructions.<\/p>\n The expression, \u201cof the Jews<\/span>\u201d is translated from ex ioudaion<\/em><\/span>, which literally means, \u201cout of Jews.\u201d And the expression \u201cof the Gentiles<\/span>\u201d is from ex ethnon<\/em><\/span>, which literally means \u201cout of nations\u201d or \u201cout of gentiles.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n As you will recall, Paul has written this letter to the Christian Jews in Rome. Part of his reason for writing this letter is to show them that this salvation they have does not come from being born a Jew, but from being chosen by God. The Jewish people, however, have always considered themselves the special chosen people of God. They believed that as descendents of Abraham they were chosen and set-apart. They also believed that by keeping the Law they were justified before God. In the earlier portion of this letter, Paul clearly showed that justification does not come from keeping the Law but, instead, it comes as a result of God\u2019s free gift of grace. None of us deserve it because:<\/p>\n all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,<\/span> (Romans 3:23<\/strong><\/span>)<\/p>\n But, because they believed that they were a chosen nation, the early Jewish Christians would likely miss the impact of what Paul has just said, namely that God has chosen the \u201celect\u201d to receive His grace and only they would gain entrance into His glory in the hereafter. They believed they were the \u201celect\u201d because they were descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That\u2019s why the current verse would come as a surprise to a lot of them.<\/p>\n There are two very clear implications in this verse. The first is that not all Jews are called, only some of them. That is demonstrated by the fact that Paul said the called ones were \u201cout of the Jews.\u201d The second is that God called some of the Gentiles as well. This would come as a surprise to some of the Jewish Christians in Rome. These early Jewish Christians had believed that all<\/strong> Jews were called and only<\/strong> Jews were called. Paul, however, is clearly teaching them that being a physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has absolutely nothing to do with their being chosen to salvation.<\/p>\n In the next few verses Paul will amplify this statement with quotes from the Old Testament which demonstrate the fact that God does not shower His grace on Jews exclusively.<\/p>\n Being one of God\u2019s chosen called ones is not a reason for pride. It is a reason for humility. God has not chosen us because of what family we are in or what church we go to. He has not chosen us because we performed the proper rituals or because we chose to believe. He chose us because it will bring glory to Him. For that we should be thankful and humbled and we should give Him all the praise and all the glory.<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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