"My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursedcut off from Christ!if that would save them." Romans 9:23
Wow! Are these verses not amazing? The Apostle Paul was grieved because he knew that many of his Jewish brethren would never accept Jesus as Messiah. They were too hard headed. Think about what Paul says here. He says that if he could exchange his salvation in order that the Jews might believe in Jesus and be saved, he'd give it up in a heartbeat!
What love! What passion! Even though Paul knew that nothing could ever separate him from the arms of Jesus, he still voiced his willingness. Their salvation was more important to him than his own. He couldn't bear the thought of them being eternally separated from God when they died. He couldn't bear to think of them living the rest of their lives with emptiness inside where Christ wanted to enter.
So what lesson can Christians gather from these verses? The answer is that we should show more love to the lost all around us. Would you be willing to give up your salvation in exchange for someone else to believe? Are you so burdened for the lost souls all around you that you would sacrifice eternal life with Jesus so that someone else could attain it?
Don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying that I would choose death over Christ, nor am I saying that you should. I'm merely saying that we as Christians should learn from Paul's passion and seek to mirror his example. Let Christ guide you as you seek to bring the lost to Christ. We are in this world to bring as many people to the Truth as possible. So let's go in confidence as we battle the forces of evil with the help of our God!
Wow! Are these verses not amazing? The Apostle Paul was grieved because he knew that many of his Jewish brethren would never accept Jesus as Messiah. They were too hard headed. Think about what Paul says here. He says that if he could exchange his salvation in order that the Jews might believe in Jesus and be saved, he'd give it up in a heartbeat!
What love! What passion! Even though Paul knew that nothing could ever separate him from the arms of Jesus, he still voiced his willingness. Their salvation was more important to him than his own. He couldn't bear the thought of them being eternally separated from God when they died. He couldn't bear to think of them living the rest of their lives with emptiness inside where Christ wanted to enter.
So what lesson can Christians gather from these verses? The answer is that we should show more love to the lost all around us. Would you be willing to give up your salvation in exchange for someone else to believe? Are you so burdened for the lost souls all around you that you would sacrifice eternal life with Jesus so that someone else could attain it?
Don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying that I would choose death over Christ, nor am I saying that you should. I'm merely saying that we as Christians should learn from Paul's passion and seek to mirror his example. Let Christ guide you as you seek to bring the lost to Christ. We are in this world to bring as many people to the Truth as possible. So let's go in confidence as we battle the forces of evil with the help of our God!
