Do you love a good mystery? I do. Sherlock Holmes, the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, all classic mystery characters that people have so loved over the years. Oh, and who could forget the Mystery Incorporated crew from Scooby-Doo!
As we turn to Romans 11, Apostle Paul addresses a mystery. Perhaps it’s a mystery that you’ve wondered about yourself. How come since Jesus is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah Christ, there aren’t more Jews who are saved? I mean, some are. But the vast majority of Jews reject Jesus to this day. In fact, right now in the nation of Israel, it is basically illegal to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. They as a people were given all the prophets and all the promises. Yet, why aren’t more Jews saved today?
Well, by the Holy Spirit, Apostle Paul reveals the answer to this mystery in Romans 11:25–26, saying “…I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved…”
What that means is that God in His sovereignty, having mercy on whom He’ll have mercy and compassion on whom He’ll have compassion and hardening whom He will harden, has placed a partial hardening on Jewish people right now while He is focusing on saving Gentile people. Some Jews are being saved as well, but not many proportionally speaking.
But here’s some good news. Once the fullness of the Gentiles is saved, God will remove that partial hardening, and there will be a huge infilling of Jewish people coming to faith in Jesus Christ at the end of this age before Christ returns. In fact, Israel itself very well might become a Christian nation. Wouldn’t that be amazing?!
Why in the world has God done it this way? I don’t know. I just know that God’s ways are not man’s way and that God’s wisdom is greater than man’s wisdom. And so, I trust Him. Do you?
Change begins in you!
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