Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.
11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.
12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
In the first part of verse 8 Paul was directed to remind his readers that Jesus Christ was a Jew and He came to the Jews as the Truth and with the Truth. Notice that the truth here is identified as “the truth of God.” Jesus Christ was not an imposter. The chief priests and the Pharisees accused Him of being Belial and a fraud. They could not make any of their false accusations stick.
Jesus Christ came to lay down His life for the sheep. He is the only One Who could pay the debt we could never pay, and yet it needed to be paid. Jesus Christ went to the cross for you and I. He is the Saviour of the Jew and the Gentile. He was hated by many of His own people, but He loved them anyway.
Many of the Jews of Paul’s day still hated Jesus Christ and they also hated the apostles and anyone else that would believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Saviour. Many Jews today still are of the same opinion. None of this will ever change the facts.
The Jews are currently suffering greatly in Israel. Soldiers are putting their lives in danger as they go after Hamas and Hezbollah. These groups are backed by Iran. Israel has made some progress in slowing down their enemies, but they will never defeat them. Mr. Netanyahu has declared that he will not stop the fighting until Hamas is destroyed. He will never accomplish that. If there is a declaration of the defeat of this enemy made at some point, it will be a lie just as the American lie that ISIS was no more. The Jews need to turn to the God of Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. There is no peace without knowing the Prince of Peace.
In verse 9 we see that this message is not just for the Jews. It is also for the Gentiles. The Gentiles need to glorify God for His mercy. They need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as well. The apostle Paul quoted from Psalm 18:49. The Psalmist spoke prophetically in that passage of the facts. The apostle Paul was working in fulfilment of that prophecy. He was a willing servant of the Lord and thus could be directed to write of the fulfilment of that Word. He was declaring the truth to the Gentiles. There are many Gentiles who have been saved through believing the same truth that the Jews must believe. There are also many more Gentiles that have rejected the truth, to their own shame and judgment.
In verse 10 Paul quoted from Deuteronomy 32:43. God knew all about this back before Israel even entered the promised land. God knows everything. He gave Israel the opportunity to be His voice to the nations, but they rejected that privilege. They chose to adopt the paganism of the nations around them, rather than be a light to the nations. The result was that Israel was cut off at the root, and Gentiles were being graffed into the root. God is not finished with Israel, but they are not the main vessel He is working through at this time.
We can see much activity in the Middle East. We can see an increasing hatred for the Jews in our time. This hatred seems to run in cycles, but it seems to be intensifying at present. We will see how long the Lord will allow these things to go on before the next big event on His timetable. Many are sleep-walking today and not paying attention to what God is doing. Many religions are deceiving their people into thinking of things in a false manner.
In verse 11 Paul quoted from Psalm 117:1. Scripture supports Scripture. Scripture helps us to understand Scripture. The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. This is not circular reasoning as some people like to think. Those who argue that way are looking for a way to justify their sin and so they dismiss the authority of the Bible.
Years ago I was speaking with some Mormons who wanted to use their corrupt writings to assist me in understanding the Bible. I refused to allow them to do that. The book of Mormon is a lie from beginning to end. It is not an addendum to the Bible. The Mormons are presently advertising that they will give a King James Bible to anyone who asks them, for free. What they do not tell you is that they have corrupted that King James Bible with some of their false doctrines. They have an agenda. They want converts. They will try to piggyback their corruption on the sure Word of God and make it look like it is all the Word of God. Don’t be fooled.
In verse 12 Paul quoted from Isaiah 11:1,10. Job also spoke of this in Job 14:7. The root has not been plucked up. It is still alive and the Gentiles are benefactors of that root. One day the Jews will humble themselves and they will repent and acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah and King. There are individual Jews who believe that now, but the nation does not. That will change one day. The root is not Israel. It is Jesus Christ. Israel would not exist if God had not chosen Abraham and declared that He would make a great nation through Abraham. Abraham believed God and was blessed in doing so. Many of his natural descendants have rejected the true God. They have missed out on blessings. Israel needs to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, just as Gentiles must. There are Gentiles today who are saved. Many are lost. Those who are saved are blessed indeed. There is room for many more in that true root. In fact there is room for all people in that true root.
If you are reading this and not saved, why not turn to God now and be saved. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation. He will bless you with the gift of salvation and eternal life. Your soul is longing for this gift. You can have it today. Don’t delay.
Pastor Bartel
