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We need to consider this passage of scripture in detail because it has been so severely wrested by many that claim to be teachers of the word of God. These false teachers insist that the ancient nation of Israel has been completely and permanently rejected by God. They imagine that the Bible teaches that all the blessings promised to Israel have been transferred to the church. And they claim that these three chapters support this idea. But in actual fact, they clearly teach the very opposite.
This important section begins, “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen” (Romans 9:1-5)
Here the Apostle’s great stress is his personal concern for his “countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” But in considering these words, we need to remember that, although we are reading words written by a man, we are actually reading words that come from the Holy Spirit. Before we can fully understand what the Holy Spirit is here saying, we need to clearly understand who these words are written about. The object of these words is “my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” Thus we see that the object of the Apostle’s concern is unquestionably those who are Israelites “according to the flesh.” That is, members of the fleshly nation of Israel. These words leave no chance whatsoever that the group he is talking about is actually the church. The specific words that were used completely eliminate that possibility.
But what does this passage say about these people? It explicitly says “to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises.” As we have already noticed, the words “my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites,” just before these words, prove beyond a possibility of rational debate, that this is about those who are members of the fleshly nation of Israel. So here the Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, has given us a list of things that pertain to the fleshly nation of Israel. This list is:
“to whom pertain
the adoption,
the glory,
the covenants,
the giving of the law,
the service of God,
and the promises.”
It is critical to understand that the Holy Spirit is not here saying that these things pertain to (or belong to) the church. Rather, He expressly says that these things pertain to (or belong to) Paul’s “countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.”
(Some may challenge this stress on the words “to whom pertain,” because the word pertain was not actually in the Greek text, but was added by the translators to complete the meaning. That is why the NKJV, which we are using, put this word in italics. But while this word was not actually in the Greek text, essentially every translation agrees that this is the true meaning of the Greek words actually used. The KJV gives exactly the same reading, while the ESV, the ISV, the NRSV and the HCSB all say to them belong, as does the MANT except it changes the word belong to belongs. The NASB says to whom belongs, as does the Douay, except that it says belongeth. Young’s literal translation says whose are, which Darby also said, but he bracketed the word are. The CEV and the GWN use is theirs. The ASV gives whose is, while The NCV gives they have.)
While everything in this list is important, for our present purposes we need to notice two specific items in this list. At the time this was written, “the covenants” and “the promises” still pertained to (or belonged to) Paul’s “countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” This was written long after Jesus had said, “your house is left to you desolate,” (Matthew 23:38 and Luke 13:35) long after Jesus had been crucified, long after that day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the church, and long after Stephen had been stoned, completing Israel’s rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. Yet “the covenants” and “the promises” still pertained to (or belonged to) the fleshly nation of Israel. This conclusively proves that the time Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans, “the covenants” and “the promises” had not been transferred to the church. They still pertained to (or belonged to) the fleshly nation of Israel.
This important section begins, “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen” (Romans 9:1-5)
Here the Apostle’s great stress is his personal concern for his “countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” But in considering these words, we need to remember that, although we are reading words written by a man, we are actually reading words that come from the Holy Spirit. Before we can fully understand what the Holy Spirit is here saying, we need to clearly understand who these words are written about. The object of these words is “my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” Thus we see that the object of the Apostle’s concern is unquestionably those who are Israelites “according to the flesh.” That is, members of the fleshly nation of Israel. These words leave no chance whatsoever that the group he is talking about is actually the church. The specific words that were used completely eliminate that possibility.
But what does this passage say about these people? It explicitly says “to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises.” As we have already noticed, the words “my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites,” just before these words, prove beyond a possibility of rational debate, that this is about those who are members of the fleshly nation of Israel. So here the Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, has given us a list of things that pertain to the fleshly nation of Israel. This list is:
“to whom pertain
the adoption,
the glory,
the covenants,
the giving of the law,
the service of God,
and the promises.”
It is critical to understand that the Holy Spirit is not here saying that these things pertain to (or belong to) the church. Rather, He expressly says that these things pertain to (or belong to) Paul’s “countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.”
(Some may challenge this stress on the words “to whom pertain,” because the word pertain was not actually in the Greek text, but was added by the translators to complete the meaning. That is why the NKJV, which we are using, put this word in italics. But while this word was not actually in the Greek text, essentially every translation agrees that this is the true meaning of the Greek words actually used. The KJV gives exactly the same reading, while the ESV, the ISV, the NRSV and the HCSB all say to them belong, as does the MANT except it changes the word belong to belongs. The NASB says to whom belongs, as does the Douay, except that it says belongeth. Young’s literal translation says whose are, which Darby also said, but he bracketed the word are. The CEV and the GWN use is theirs. The ASV gives whose is, while The NCV gives they have.)
While everything in this list is important, for our present purposes we need to notice two specific items in this list. At the time this was written, “the covenants” and “the promises” still pertained to (or belonged to) Paul’s “countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” This was written long after Jesus had said, “your house is left to you desolate,” (Matthew 23:38 and Luke 13:35) long after Jesus had been crucified, long after that day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the church, and long after Stephen had been stoned, completing Israel’s rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. Yet “the covenants” and “the promises” still pertained to (or belonged to) the fleshly nation of Israel. This conclusively proves that the time Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans, “the covenants” and “the promises” had not been transferred to the church. They still pertained to (or belonged to) the fleshly nation of Israel.
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