Coffee House Chapel #5

August 20

Romans 11:27, “For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”

What has God promised the Jews in this covenant? He promised to take away their sins! There is only one way to take away sin - through the death of the Lord Jesus. The covenant of our text is not only unilateral and unconditional, it is a covenant of salvation, which means that it is also a covenant of grace.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews uses the word covenant many times! The author writes to the Jews to tell them that the old covenant, which required obedience but not the means to that obedience, has been replaced with a new covenant, which is mediated by Jesus and was provided for by His death. The author refers to the O.T. sacrifices and says such things as, “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.” (8:6) and “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” (9:15)

Hebrews closes with this exhortation, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (13:20-21) Note that the everlasting covenant is through the blood! This book, written to Jews, makes very clear that there is only one way of salvation. Some have suggested that there are two tracks, one for the Jews, and the other for the rest of us! God only has one people, and they are all saved through the blood of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. This people is composed of both Jews and Gentiles.

The covenant Paul states in our text has nothing to do with a separate people and a separate destiny. It does state that God will keep His promises to the Jews by “leading a mass of them to faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior in the final days.” (Boice)

Paul told young Timothy, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim 2:5-6) There is only one God, and there is only one way to God, and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we live in “time of the Gentiles,” and when that “time” draws to a close, God will call to Himself, through His Son, the mass of the Jews, and they will be saved, as God has promised.

Amen!

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

August 22

Romans 11:27, “For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”

God is faithful! If we have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, we have an interest in God’s covenant of salvation with Israel. Not because we, the church, have replaced Israel, but because God’s faithfulness to Israel proves that He will also be faithful to us! The covenants we’ve looked at must be an encouragement to us! Dr. Boice writes, “Paul has been arguing for God’s faithfulness to the Jews as being consistent with His faithfulness to us, and now, having shown that ‘all Israel will be saved,’ he breaks into praise of God’s gracious attributes, since they affect us also.”

Through the rest of Romans 11 Paul is going to praise God’s mercy, knowledge, wisdom, judgments, and paths. He will close by saying, “to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” (Ver 36)

God is immutable - He does not change. “Because He does not change He can be counted on.” (Boice) In what ways does God not change? J. I. Packer lists six areas in his book “Knowing God:”

1. God’s life does not change. You and I, as well as every other created thing, have a beginning and an end – but God does not. His life is a constant datum. Think about these facts, then compare them to yourself! “God does not grow old or mature or weaken or grow stronger. God cannot change for the better, because He is already perfect, and He certainly cannot change for the worse.”

2. God’s character does not change. Consider what God revealed of Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7, “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” “That is what God was like in the days of the Jewish exodus, and that is what He is like today. Sickness, old age, or adverse circumstances can destroy our good traits, but nothing like this ever happens to God. He can be counted on to be as kind, gracious, forgiving (and holy) as He always was.”

3. God’s truth does not change. What a blessing that should be to each of us. We have something that we can depend on. God’s Word is “rock solid!” The truths of the Bible do not change. What God wrote for us thousands of years ago, through the pen of holy men, is just as applicable, and fresh, and true today, as it was in the day that it was written. This timeless treasure that God has given us reveals to us all that God want us to know. We have no need of any other message, whether is it from man or angel, because we have God’s Word - the Holy Scripture.

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

August 22

Romans 11:27, “For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”

We serve a faithful God. J. I. Packer, in his book “Knowing God,” lists areas in which God does not change. Last time we considered the first three: (1) God’s life does not change; (2) God’s character does not change; and (3) God’s truth does not change. Today we consider the final three:

4. God’s ways do not change. Packer writes: “He continues to act towards sinful men in the way that He does in the Bible story. Still He shows His freedom and lordship by discriminating between sinners, causing some to hear the gospel while others do not hear it, and moving some of those who hear it to repentance while leaving others in their unbelief .... Still He blesses those on whom He sets His love in a way that humbles them, so that all the glory may be His alone. Still He hates the sins of His people, and uses all kinds of inward and outward pains and griefs to wean their hearts from compromise and disobedience ... Man’s ways, we know, are pathetically inconstant – but not God’s.”

5. God’s purposes do not change. Boice writes: “The ups and downs of history do not frustrate God or cause Him to alter what He has determined beforehand to do. Has He planned to bring many sons and daughters into glory through faith in Jesus? Then He will do it. Has He purposed to bless Israel in a special way nationally? Then that will be done. What God does in time He has planned in eternity, and what He has planned in eternity is carried out in time.”

6. God’s Son does not change. What a blessed and comforting truth. Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Know this, “... he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him” (Hebrews 7:25).

When Oliver Cromwell was dying, he was overcome with spiritual darkness and depression, and in his despair he asked his chaplain, “Tell me, is it possible to fall from grace?” “No,” replied the chaplain. “It is not possible.” “Then I am safe,” said Cromwell, “For I know that I was once in grace. I am the poorest wretch that ever lived, but I know that God has loved me.”

I close with Question 1 and its answer, from the Heidelberg Catechism! “What is thy only comfort in life and in death?” “That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready henceforth to live unto Him.”

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

August 26

Romans 11:18-29, “As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “It is impossible to step into the same river twice.” The point of his saying is that life is in a state of constant change. Though you can step into a river, step out, and a moment later reenter the same river, the water you first stepped into is gone, and the river at reentry is no longer the same. Heraclitus then asked, “But if that is so, how is it that things are not in a state of constant chaos?” His answer was that life is not chaos because the change we see is ordered change. The reason that it is ordered and not random is that the mind, reason, or order of God stands behind it. “To the Greek philosophers, God (or reason) was the only fixed point in an otherwise chaotic universe.” (Boice)

Heraclitus was not a believer in the true God, but had he lived in Paul’s day, and been able to read Romans, he could have easily understood our text. In the closing lines of Romans 11 Paul says that the “character, and therefore, also the plans of God do not change, regardless of the way human beings alter or behave.” (Boice)

Romans 11:28-32 is a summary of what Paul seeks to prove. Why had Israel seemingly been rejected by God and why had they rejected their Messiah. Paul’s answer - for the sake of Gentile conversions. Paul used the olive tree as an illustration of this truth. The Jewish branches had been broken off and the Gentile branches (from the wild olive) had been grafted in. The Jews had been set aside for a time so that salvation could be offered to the many peoples of the world.

This setting aside is only temporary - because once “the full number of the Gentiles has come in ... all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25-26). There is coming a time when there will be widespread Jewish conversions, just before the final judgment.

All this is summarized in our text! But how could Paul say this? Paul had witnessed the widespread Jewish rejection of the gospel, and he had seen the Jews set aside. Paul had also seen a widespread acceptance of the gospel by the Gentiles. But how could Paul possibly teach that there would be a future widespread acceptance of the gospel by the Jews. The only answer is the character of God. God’s character is unchanging, thus His plans for the Jews are unchanging - they are irrevocable.

“God chose the Jews to be His special people, and nothing that has happened since, or will happen, can change that choice or relationship.” (Boice) Leon Morris wrote, “God had made promises to Israel, and these promises would be kept. Israel’s refusal to accept the gospel did not mean either that the gospel was a failure or that God would not perform all He had promised to His ancient people.”

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

August 28

Romans 11:28-29, “As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

In the past we measured God’s faithfulness by His covenant relationship with Israel. Today we will begin to measure His faithfulness through His gifts and His call.

“Gifts is linked to the words call and covenant, which means Paul is thinking of the specific gifts given to the covenant people as part of that relationship.” (Boice) God gave gifts to Israel. Some of those gifts are listed in Romans 9:4-5, “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”

What does the term “call” refer to? Some say it refers to God’s effectual call, the call used by the Holy Spirit that leads one to salvation. That is the way the term is used in Romans 8:30, “Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

“However, this is probably not the right meaning here. In this verse ‘call’ is virtually synonymous with predestination or election. The meaning is not that God has called or will call the Jews to saving faith, though Paul is teaching that the mass of Israel will come to faith in the final days, but rather that God has chosen the nation to be a special nation for His purposes and that He will not, indeed cannot, abandon that choice because Israel has rejected the Messiah.” (Boice) That surely defines what faithfulness is all about.

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

August 30

Romans 11:28-29, “As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

We serve a faithful God. Today, I am going to quote an imaginary conversation between a questioner and almighty God.

“But God! When you chose Abraham to be the father of a special people, didn’t you know that he would be weak in faith himself? Didn’t you know that he would step aside from his high calling and go down to Egypt, where he would be willing even to sacrifice the honor of his wife to save his own skin?”

“Yes,” says God, “I knew that. But I called him anyway, and my gifts to him and my calling of him were irrevocable.”

“But God! Surely you knew that the people who came along in the line of Abraham would be unfaithful. You gave them the law through Moses. But even Moses, great as he was, dishonored you by taking your glory to himself. He struck the rock contrary to your command, saying, ‘Must we bring you water out of this rock?’ (Num 20:10) You even kept him from entering the Promised Land as a result. Did you really take all that into account when you called the Jews to be a special people?”

“Yes,” God replies, “I knew what Moses would do. But my gifts and my call are irrevocable.”

“But God! What about David? David committed adultery with Bathsheba and even had her husband, Uriah, killed to escape detection. Certainly, if you had known what David would be like, you would have done things differently. Did you really consider David’s sin when you set your electing love upon this people?”

“Yes,” God answers, “I did, and my call is irrevocable.”

“But God! What about the kings who followed David? And the people who copied the debased morality of those kings? How could you have set upon such people an eternal love, expressed in an irrevocable covenant?”

“Your ways are not my ways,” says God. “I knew the people would be wicked. Everyone is wicked. ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.’ I wrote that, remember. Still I have fixed my covenant love upon these people, and my call is irrevocable. My will for them has not changed.”

“But God! Surely your call must change in light of the way these people treated Jesus Christ. Jesus was loving and compassionate. His greatest offense was to be holy and to speak the truth. Yet they rejected Him. They hounded Him to death and eventually secured His execution on a cross between two thieves. If you had foreseen that, You would never have made the promises You did. Or now, having seen their treatment of Jesus, surely You will repudiate whatever relationship You did have with them. Surely You are going to cast them off forever!”

“No,” God replies. “I know the end from the beginning. I knew how it would all turn out. Yet, in spite of what they did, I set an irrevocable love upon them.”

As I said in the beginning, we serve a faithful God!

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd

 

Just noticed this in the common ground coffee house:

Blackbird and I have discussed the idea of asking someone to join us in writing this devotional. Specifically - we are looking for someone who would be willing to write the Saturday and Sunday devotionals - and help out when either Blackbird or myself are unable to write during the week. Blackbird writes on the odd days - and I take the even days.

If you are interested in joining us - PM me.

I'll post the Sept 2 devotional later on this evening.

Dan Todd

 

September 2

Romans 11:28-29, “As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

How does this passage, a prophetic passage written about the Jews future, affect us? Most of us are Gentile-Christians, who are members of the body of Christ (the Church). What relevance is there to us?

Boice writes, “As Leon Morris said, this is not an example of Paul’s Jewish patriotism, but rather an outworking of his doctrine of justification. And because he is basing his conclusions on the character of God, everything he emphasizes about God’s dealings with the Jews is for us, too.” Previously we’ve looked at God’s immutability - the fact that God does not change. We are now looking at God’s faithfulness.

Arthur Pink wrote a book in which he discussed seventeen great attributes of God. He later expanded that list of attributes to twenty-five and added twenty “excellencies” of Jesus Christ. One of those attributes that Pink discusses was faithfulness. Pink suggested three ways that God is faithful:

1. God is faithful in preserving His people. Reformed or Calvinistic theology refers to this as the perseverance of the saints. Boice states that this can be understood in two ways. “It can mean that the saints persevere, or it can mean that God perseveres with the saints.” Both statements are true, but the first is only true because the second is true. God said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb 13:5), and Jesus said, “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt 28:20).

There are four New Testament passages that teach the perseverance of the saints, two from the Lord, and two from Paul.

John 6:37-40, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.”

Romans 8:31-39, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

These texts promise us that God is faithful and that His call is irrevocable.

Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.

In Christ,
Dan Todd