God’s Mercy Is for Everyone
25 I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters,[g] so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. 26 And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,[h]
and he will turn Israel[i] away from ungodliness.
27 And this is my covenant with them,
that I will take away their sins.”[j]
28 Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29 For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. 30 Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. 31 Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share[k] in God’s mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.
33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to give him advice?[l]
35 And who has given him so much
that he needs to pay it back?[m]
36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
5 comments:
I guess I never really noticed this verse before, 32 For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. What do you guys think about that one?? Of course it follows by saying it is impossible for us mere mortals to understand. I guess at the end of the day, verse 36 pretty much sums things up - For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
CAS, that is an interesting verse. It would be good to look it up in another translation and/or a commentary.
Heres how I see it. We were imprisoned as a result of our sin. I dont think it means God covered us with sin so He could imprison us then show us mercy.
But you're right everything is to bring about His Glory and Honor and Praise.
Good point trm, here is the NASB version - For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all, and here is the NIV - For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all, and finally the Message - In one way or another, God makes sure that we all experience what it means to be outside so that he can personally open the door and welcome us back in.
OK, the most literal translation from the Greek is Hath shut up or to shut together like a net ( Luke 5:6 ). Looking through a few commentaries, here is what Wesleys had to say - For God hath shut up all together in disobedience - Suffering each in their turn to revolt from him. First, God suffered the gentiles in the early age to revolt, and took the family of Abraham as a peculiar seed to himself. Afterwards he permitted them to fall through unbelief, and took in the believing gentiles. And he did even this to provoke the Jews to jealousy, and so bring them also in the end to faith. This was truly a mystery in the divine conduct, which the apostle adores with such holy astonishment.
True cas, 36 is awesome, but 33 struck me, “How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” A couple of families at CCC can relate to this (Hicks and Hetzels come to mind) right now. Need to keep them in our prayers.
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