Liberty Within Torah Obedience
14: 1-23

The contrast Paul makes is between the stronger and the weaker believer, who believes that there is some intrinsic sin in eating and drinking meat and wine. The question that is answered in Chapter 14 is, “What does Torah observance means in practical lifestyle?” Paul is not dealing with something that was forbidden by the Torah, nor ethically wrong, nor something that would jeopardize one’s testimony, rather, he was dealing with things that are amoral. Neither good nor bad, but could be used for both good or bad.

Respecting Civil Authority
13: 1-14

Respecting civil authority DIG: Why must believers be subject to the laws of the government? What is the exception to the divine command that “everyone is to obey the governing authorities?” What if a governmental official is corrupt, disreputable? What are our options as believers? Why do we pay taxes? How is God’s view of love different from the world’s view? How does our conscience work against or with governmental authority?

REFLECT: When you consider your current set of elected officials (federal, state, and local), is it easy or hard to submit yourself to their authority? If it is difficult for you, what would the Bible say is your responsibility? How do you respond to the unlovable people in your world? What motivates you to love others? What tends to prevent you from loving others? What does it mean to clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah?

Although not of the world, we are still in the world; therefore, we have a responsibility to obey the governing authorities, as long as they do not ask us to violate the Word of God.

Having discussed believer’s relationships with believers and with unbelievers (to see link click Dd – Walking in Love), Paul naturally turns to how we should relate to the chief external institution, civil authorities. His advice, which can be seen as an application of 12:21, conquer evil with good, corresponds to Judaism’s “Dina dimalkuta dina,” Aramaic for “The law of the kingdom is Law,” Torah to be obeyed as if God Himself had commanded it. As Yeshua had said: Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God (Matthew 22:21). Does this mean that believers should obey the wicked laws of an evil government – the Nazis, the Communists, or other totalitarian regimes? No, because this rule does not stand by itself in in Scripture; it must be set against Acts 5:29, We must obey God, not men, when the will of the state and will of God conflict (see Acts Au – The Apostles Persecuted).³⁴³ But we must do so with respect and with the willingness to suffer whatever penalties and consequences may result.

Paul was writing to believers at the very heart of the Roman Empire. As yet, the great persecutions had not begun, but were on their way. Christianity was still considered a Jewish sect, and the Jewish religion was approved by Rome. However, the day would soon come when it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for a believer, either Jew or Gentile, to be loyal to the emperor. He or she could not drop incense on the altar and affirm, “Caesar is god!³⁴⁴

What, then, is the believer’s responsibility to society, and to the government in particular, if we are to remain aliens and temporary residents in the world (First Peter 2:11), who have an obligation to call people to salvation? How are we to live in the world but not be of the world (John 17:11 and 16). In the present context, Paul presents the two basic principles that answer those questions. First, be subject to the government, and second, pay taxes. It is through fulfilling those two obligations that we give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God (Matthew 22:21).

First, be submitted to governing authorities: Everyone, believers and unbelievers alike, are to obey the governing authorities (Romans 13:1a). While writing to believers who were living as aliens in the Diaspora – in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bithynia (First Peter 1:1), Peter said: For the sake of the Lord, submit yourselves to every human authority – whether to the emperor as being supreme, or to governors as being sent by him to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do what is good. For it is God’s will that your doing good should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Submit as people who are free, but not letting your freedom serve as an excuse for evil; rather, submit as God’s slaves. Be respectful to all – keep loving the brotherhood, fearing God and honoring the emperor (First Peter 2:13-17). Peter gives no qualification of condition. Every civil authority is to be submitted to willingly, unless any law or command would require disobedience to God’s Word.

When Pharaoh ordered the Jewish midwives Shifrah and Pu’ah to kill all the boy babies when they were born, because they were God-fearing women, they didn’t do as the king of Egypt ordered and let the boys live. Because those women refused to disobey YHVH by committing murder, ADONAI honored their civil disobedience and prospered the midwives, and the people continued to multiply and grow very powerful. Indeed, because the midwives feared God, He made them founders of families (Exodus 1:17 and 20-21).

When four young Jewish men named Dani’el, Hananyah, Misha’el and ‘Azaryah were commanded by King Nebuchadnezzar to worship the golden statue he had erected, they said, “Your question doesn’t require an answer from us. Your majesty, if our God, whom we serve, is able to save us, He will save us from the blazing hot furnace and from your power. But even if He doesn’t, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will neither serve your gods nor worship the gold statue which you have set up.” Again, Ha’Shem blessed their faithfulness, to the extent that the fire had no power on their bodies – not even their hair was singed, their clothes looked the same, and they didn’t smell of fire (Dani’el 3:16-18, 27).

Regardless of the failures of government – many of them immoral, unjust, and ungodly – believers are to pray and live peaceful lives that influence the world by godly, selfless living, not by protests, sit-ins, and marches, much less rebellion. Like the prophets of the TaNaKh, we have both the right and the obligation to confront and oppose the sins and evils of our society, but only in the Lord’s way and power, not in the world’s. In this way, says Paul, our living is good and valuable to the community (Titus 3:8), because it shows them the power of God in salvation. They see what a person saved from sin is like.³⁴⁵

Paul next presents seven reasons why believers are to submit to human government:

1. Government is by divine decree: For there is no civil authority, Paul declares, that is not from God. No matter what form it takes, no human government at any time in history, at any place on earth, at any level of society, has ever existed or will ever exist apart from the sovereign authority of YHVH, because all power belongs to God (Psalm 62:11 NASB), and the existing authorities have been placed where they are by God (Romans 13:1b; Dani’el 2:21 and 4:17). The entire world, everything in heaven and earth, including Satan and his demons, are subject to their Creator. God’s sovereignty created and absolutely controls the universe, with no exceptions or limitations. Also, without exception, the power that any person, group, or society may possess is divinely delegated. How well or how poorly that power is used is another matter. Paul’s point here is that this power has only one source – ADONAI!

Yet, in His sovereign wisdom, YHVH has permitted Satan to have vast unlimited power over the world and the affairs of men. Although the Adversary was not directly responsible for mankind’s sin at the Fall, it was his seductive enticement that led Adam and Eve to disobey God and thereby commit the first sin, a sin which all mankind has inherited (see Bm – The Consequences of Adam). The Evil One does not have the power to make us sin, but since that tragic day in the Garden of Eden, he has used every means at his disposal to entice us to indulge in sinful impulses and thereby express our defiance to God (Ephesians 2:1-2).

The autocratic, ruthless, and demonic regimes of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mo Tse Tung were no exceptions to God’s command to be subject to civil authority. The equally ruthless empires of ancient Assyria and Babylon were no exceptions. The Roman Empire, sometimes ruled by caesars who proclaimed themselves to be gods, was no exception. The apostate and heretical “Christian” kingdoms of the Middle Ages were no exceptions. Shaman-ruled primitive tribes of South America are no exceptions. In short, there are no exceptions!

2. Resistance to government is rebelling against God: Therefore, whoever resists the civil authorities is resisting what God has instituted (13:2a). The seriousness with which God takes rebellion is illustrated vividly in the book of Numbers. God had chosen Moshe not only to be His messenger of the Torah, but to be the human leader of Isra’el as He delivered her from Egypt and led her through the wilderness to the Promised Land. YHVH had also appointed Moses’ brother Aaron to be high priest. But during that journey, a group of 250 rebels, led by Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, assembled themselves against Moshe and Aaron and said to them, “You take too much of yourselves! After all, the entire community is holy, every one of them, and ADONAI is among them. So why do you lift yourselves up above ADONAI’s assembly” (Numbers 16:3)?

YHVH was so angered by their rebellion the ground under them split apart – the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households . . . then fire came out from ADONAI and destroyed the 250 men who had offered incense (Numbers 16:31-35). Incredibly, the people learned nothing from that awful judgment. Instead of drawing them back closer to God, it merely escalated their hatred of His chosen leaders. The very next day, the whole community of the people of Isra’el complained against Moshe and Aaron, saying: You have killed ADONAI’s people (Numbers 16:41). In response to that defiant accusation, the LORD sent a deadly plague that instantly killed 14,700, besides those who died on account of Korah (Numbers 16:49). Had Aaron not intervened by making atonement for the people, the entire congregation would have been annihilated (Numbers 16:46-48).

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that You are more powerful than any ruler or government. Praise You that no ruler can sneak his way into a political office, but rather you are in control of who gets into each governmental position and how long they stay in that office. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, then he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff (Isaiah 40:23-24 NIV).

3. Those who resist the government will be punished: And those who resist will bring judgment, or discipline, on themselves (13:2b). Believers can resist if the government asks us to act contrary to the Scriptures. The function of government is to punish the evil and protect the good, but when a government reaches a state, such as it did under Nazi Germany, where it promoted the evil to destroy the good, at that point the believer must, out of necessity, rebel against the government. Corrie ten Boom hid Jews in her “hiding place” even though it was against the law during World War II in the Netherlands. She was eventually arrested and sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp, a women’s labor camp in Germany. After her release, Corrie was told that it was because of a clerical error and that a week later, all the women in her age group were sent to the gas chambers.³⁴⁶

4. Government serves to restrain evil: Paul was obviously speaking in general terms when he said: For rulers are no terror to good conduct, but for evil (13:3a). He had suffered a great deal at the hands of rulers who abused him for no other reason than his godly good conduct. But in that day, as throughout history, even the most wicked regimes were, and are, a deterrent to murder, theft, and many other crimes. Although the fact far from justifies totalitarian government, the fact is that crime rates under such systems are frequently lower than those in the free world. Until recently, at least, such crimes as murder, robbery and rape were all but nonexistent in some communist countries. In Muslim nations, severe punishment has been a formidable deterrent to such crimes.

When Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, they entered into a knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17 and 3:1-7). That knowledge has been passed down to all their descendants throughout history. It is that knowledge that forms the basis for conscience, even the conscience of unbelievers (see Ar – The Warning to the “Good Person”). When people sin, it is not because they don’t know the difference between good and evil, but because in their wickedness they keep suppressing the truth, because what is known about God is plain to them, since God has made it plain to them (1:18b-19).

Therefore, through God’s natural revelation in conscience, reason, and under His universal common grace, even the lost rulers instinctively know right from wrong, and constantly know that part of their duty is to punish evil conduct and to promote good conduct. Civil authorities also realize that basic morality is essential to basic living. No society can survive very long with excessive murder, theft, dishonesty, sexual immorality and violence. Good conduct is essential for any nation’s self-preservation. Without it, society self-destructs.

5. Government serves to promote good: Would you like to be unafraid of the person in authority? Then simply do what is good, and you will win his approval; for the government is God’s servant, there for your benefit (13:3b-4a). Generally speaking, peaceful and law-abiding citizens have been favorably treated by their governments throughout history. With notable exceptions, such people have been unafraid of the person in authority. As long as they do what is good, they not only will not be mistreated, but win his approval. Because civil authority represents the God-ordained institution of civil government, a civil official is actually God’s servant, regardless of his beliefs about, or his relationship with, ADONAI. He is doing the Lord’s work whether he realizes it or not.

6. Rulers are empowered by God to inflict punishment for disobedience: But, if you do what is wrong, be afraid! Because it is not for nothing that he holds the power of the sword. For he is God’s servant, there as an avenger to punish wrongdoers (13:4b). YHVH has given the power of the sword to the government, and with it the authority to punish, and even to execute, wrongdoers. In the earliest period of human existence, the LORD instituted capital punishment: Whoever sheds human blood, by a human being will his own blood be shed; for God made human beings in His image (Genesis 9:6).

When a society rejects capital punishment for even the most serious crimes, including murder, it declares itself guilty of failing to obey YHVH. After Cain killed Abel, God said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10)! Like Satan, whom he unknowingly had come to serve, Cain was both a murderer and a liar. Immediately after the Flood, Ha’Shem established the divine law of capital punishment for murder (Genesis 9:6). As part of the Torah, God declared: You will not defile the Land in which you are living. For blood defiles the Land, and in this Land no atonement can be made for the blood shed in it except the blood of him who shed it (Numbers 35:33).

Among other things, Isra’el was sent into the Babylonian captivity because of the many bloody crimes in the nation that went unpunished. Forge a chain, for the Land is full of capital crimes and the City [of Jerusalem] full of violence. Therefore, I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their homes; I will end the arrogance of the strong; and their holy places will be profane (Ezeki’el 7:23-24). When a nation does not administer justice, it eventually falls under Ha’Shem’s justice.

Abortion is murder of unborn children, and a nation that permits, and even encourages, this ghastly execution of the most innocent and helpless of those created in God’s image cannot possibly escape His judgment. The land cries out for the blood of millions upon millions of massacred babies. God will answer in His time.

7. Government should be submitted to for conscience’s sake: Another reason to obey, besides fear of punishment, is for the sake of conscience – which for the believer, is for the Lord’s sake (13:5). Peter declares: For the sake of the Lord, submit yourselves to every human authority – whether to the emperor as being supreme, or to governors as being sent by him to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do what is good. For it is God’s will that your doing good should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people (First Peter 2:13-15). As God’s own children, who are indwelt by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, we should realize with spiritual instinctiveness that disobedience of and disrespect for government is wrong, whether or not those sins are punished, and that obedience of and respect for it are right, whether we are personally protected by it or not.³⁴⁷

Second, pay your taxes: This is also why you pay taxes; for the authorities are God’s public officials, constantly attending to these duties. Pay everyone what he is owed: if you owe the tax-collector, pay your taxes (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Iz – Is It Right For Us to Pay Taxes to Caesar or Not?); if you owe the revenue-collector, pay revenue; if you owe someone respect, pay him respect; if you owe someone honor, pay him honor (13:6-7). No one enjoys paying taxes. But taxes are a part of everyday life. It goes without saying that all taxes are not just. The only completely just tax system the world had ever known was in divinely-revealed taxes of ancient Isra’el, which amounted to about twenty-five percent a year (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Cx – Do Not Neglect the Levite). But although their taxes were absolutely fair, the people soon discovered ways to cheat on them.

In Isra’el, as in most other parts of the Roman Empire, nationals of the country were appointed (usually after paying a high fee) as tax collectors and were given specified amounts to collect for Rome each year. They were free to charge virtually any rate they wanted, under the protection of the Roman soldiers. Whatever they collected over the prescribed amount for Rome, they could keep for themselves. As would be expected, abuse was rampant, and because most of them were fellow countrymen, tax collectors were often more hated than the Roman officials and soldiers. The gospels vividly reveal how much the tax collector was despised in Isra’el (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Cp – The Calling of Matthew).³⁴⁸

Love fulfills the Torah: Yeshua said that all the Torah and the Prophets depended on two commandments – loving God (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bw – Sh’ma Isra’el), and loving one’s neighbor as oneself (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Jb – Which is the Greatest Commandment?). Paul quotes four of the five commandments in the “Second Table” of the Ten Words (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bk – The Ten Words) that control our relationship to a neighbor, “Don’t commit adultery” (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Br – Do Not Commit Adultery), “Don’t murder” (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bq – Do Not Murder), “Don’t steal” (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bs – Do Not Steal), “Don’t covet” (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bu – Do Not Covet). And any others are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (13:9). Paul’s point here in these verses is to show that the principle of loving one’s neighbor must underline all the rules governing Jewish life and will lead to right behavior. For the whole Torah can be [fully obeyed] in a single saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14).

Paul had just been speaking of paying taxes, and the warning to owe nothing to anyone continues with his focus on the believer’s financial obligations. Don’t owe anyone anything (13:8a). Some have interpreted this to mean that a believer is never justified in going into debt of any sort. But neither the TaNaKh nor the B’rit Chadashah categorically forbids borrowing or lending. Borrowing and lending were common and legitimate practices in ancient Isra’el (Exodus 22:25 Leviticus 25:35-36; Deuteronomy 15:7-9; Proverbs 19:17). The Torah carefully regulated lending by prohibiting charging interest to those who were destitute, but it did not forbid lending with honest and reasonable interest.

When borrowing is truly necessary, the money should be repaid as agreed upon with the lender, promptly and fully. But Scripture nowhere justifies borrowing for the purpose of buying unnecessary things, especially luxuries, that cannot be afforded. And whatever is owed must be paid on time and in full. Those financial principles are the essence of Paul’s warning: Don’t own anyone anything.

Then Paul makes what appears at first glance to be a radical transition, declaring that all believers have a type of perpetual indebtedness. Completely apart from financial considerations, all believers have the constant obligation to love one another; for whoever loves his fellow human being has fulfilled Torah (13:8b). It is a debt we are constantly to pay against, but can never pay off. The early church Father, Origen said, “The debt of love remains with us permanently and never leaves us. This is a debt which we pay every day and will forever owe.” And by our Lord’s gracious provision, it is a debt we will always have the resources to pay and which, the more we pay toward it, the mor willing and joyous the payment will be.³⁴⁹

Clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua Messiah: Following his declaration that godly love fulfills the Torah, Paul next focuses on the urgency of believers to be conformed to the image Yeshua Messiah (8:29), who is Himself, the source and power of that divinely-required love. We are to clothe ourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah (13:14a). That phrase summarizes our sanctification (see Db – The Mercies of ADONAI), the continual spiritual growth of those who have become the children of God through faith in His Son, Yeshua Messiah. The faithful, obedient, loving believer grows spiritually by becoming increasingly like Yeshua. As we clothe ourselves in Messiah, His righteousness, truth, holiness, and love become more and more evident in our own lives. His character becomes reflected in us.

Besides all this, you know at what point of history we stand; so, it is high time for you to rouse yourselves from sleep; for the final deliverance is nearer than when we first came to trust (13:11). The time is limited, the opportunity is brief. The time to listen and obey is now! There is no time for apathy, complacency, or indifference. Jewish writings of at that time too regarded the final deliverance as imminent. “In those days the Elect One will arise and choose the righteous and holy from among them, because the day for their being saved has come near” (Enoch 51:1b-2). And, “For truly my redemption has drawn near; it is not far off as it was before” (Second Baruch 23:7). This is our motivation for living out the life of a believer consistently. The night is almost over, as each day passes, the day of our redemption is almost here.³⁵⁰

Night and day, also darkness and light, as metaphors for evil and good are found in the Gospel of John: I am the light of the world; whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives light (John 8:12), and in the TaNaKh: Arise, shine [Yerushalayim], for your light has come, the glory of ADONAI has risen over you. For although darkness covers the earth and thick darkness the peoples; on you ADONAI will rise; over you will be seen His glory. Nations will go toward Your light and kings toward Your splendor (Isaiah 60:1-3). The Essenes, who separated themselves from what they considered the decadent and immoral life fostered by the rabbinic Judaism of their day, pictured themselves as the sons of light in a holy war against the sons of darkness.

Negatively, let us put aside the deeds of darkness and arm ourselves with the weapons of light. Let us live properly, as people do in the daytime – not partying and getting drunk, not engaging in sexual immorality and other excesses, not quarrelling and being jealous. Positively, clothe yourselves with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah (Isaiah 61:10; Galatians 3:27); and don’t waste your time thinking about how to provide for the sinful desires of your old nature (13:12-14). Every generation has had its share of skeptics who ask: Where is this promised “coming” of His? For our fathers have died, and everything goes on just as it has since the beginning of creation (Second Peter 3:4). No believer who honestly holds God’s Word to be inerrant could think Paul and Peter were simply overanxious about the imminence of Messiah’s Second Coming. The majority of believers throughout Church history have lived their lives expecting the Lord’s the final deliverance is near.³⁵¹

So, Lord God Almighty, the Lord of the angelic armies of Heaven, we come before You now covered by the blood of Yeshua, we and our families. We proclaim over the worldwide systems of evil seeking to take control: Let the occult shields of protection be taken away from everyone involved in theft, fraud, and corruption. May their occult shields of protection no longer be able to hide them from being exposed by the light. Let witchcraft manipulation be brought to an end. As Joshua and Caleb proclaimed to the Hebrews intimidated by the giants, we say to all who are intimidated by today’s giants: Their protection is gone . . . Their protection is gone . . . Their protection is gone . . . but the Lord is with us. Don’t rebel against ADONAI, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They will be food for us. The protection over them is gone. ADONAI is with us! Do not fear them (Numbers 14:9). We say this day that their occult shields of protection are stripped away from them and can no longer hide their evil. We proclaim this in the mighty Name of Yeshua.

Walking in Love
12: 9-21

Walking in love DIG: How does this section disclose what Paul means in 12:1-2? How does your dedication to God show up in your relationships with others? How are love and peace the general principles out of which all the rest of these examples flow? When we are wronged, what is the proper response? Can you love your enemies? Why is this so difficult?

REFLECT: Of all the commands listed here in these verses, which one is easiest to keep? Which one is the most difficult? What principle or truth have you learned from this passage that you want to stop talking about and start living? Write out a verse from Chapter 12 that you will memorize and meditate upon this week to help you renew your mind.

God expects unity, not uniformity, and we can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue. But that doesn’t mean we give up on finding a solution.

In connection with the Sermon on the Mount (to see link click The Life of Christ Da – The Sermon on the Mount) I pointed out that there is no reason to expect B’rit Chadashah ethics to differ from ethics in the TaNaKh, since YHVH does not change. All the advice found in these verses is implicit in the Torah and the Prophets, and frequently explicit as well. Because Gentiles are not bound by Torah in the same way as Jews, and because the Ruach Ha’Kodesh does His work from within, Paul draws out for believers the core principles of right action, confident that people who are conformed to the likeness of His Son (8:29b), will, by the power of His Spirit, be able to apply those principles in their daily lives.³³³

Within the Body of Messiah: Paul began these specific encouragements with the key ingredient for success: Don’t let love (Greek: agape, which centers on the needs and welfare of the one loved) be a mere outward show (12:9a). Agape love is more important to a believer than any spiritual gift he may have: But for now, three things last – trust, hope, love; and the greatest of these is love (First Corinthians 13:13). The love which Paul speaks of is genuine love, the sincere and steadfast love that is completely without hypocrisy, not merely an outward show. Hypocrisy is the complete opposite of agape love. The two cannot coexist.

The second longing of the new nature is to hate (Greek: apostuegeo, from apo and stugeo, to hate) what is evil, and cling to what is good (12:9b). Hatred of evil is the other side of love, which, by its very nature, cannot approve of or rejoice in unrighteousness (First Corinthians 13:6 NASB). Evil is the opposite of holiness and therefore the opposite of godliness. Just as the fear of ADONAI is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10a), the fear of ADONAI is also the hatred of evil (Proverbs 8:13a). The child of God hates evil because God hates evil. We are to love what He loves and hate what He hates.³³⁴

Dear Heavenly Father, How wonderful Your gracious and merciful love! Everyone loves that You are loving. Praise You for Your love that calls those who love and follow You, Your children. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Your loving kindness gives eternal life in heaven with You to all who love You! So that whoever believes in Yeshua may have eternal life (John 3:15)! What a great gift of reconciliation that You gave thru Messiah. Be reconciled to God.  He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:20c-21).

True love not only loves; but it also hates what is wrong. You call Your children to be like You and to hate wrong. Loving is so good to do; but when we try to follow You by hating wrong – the world rises up in great anger and condemns Your children. How sad that world likes their sin so much that they hold onto it with a tight unyielding grip. Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed (John 3:19-20). They fail to receive the love You want to pour over them because they do not want any correction; but in so doing they miss the true and eternal joy you have for them in heaven. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not put his trust in the name of the one and only Ben-Elohim (John 3: 17-18).

Your holy love is wonderful and so is Your righteous refusal of entrance into heaven to all who do not love You. He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36). I choose to love You, obey You and hate evil, even when the world laughs at me and puts me down – for I know that someday I will live with You forever in peace and joy. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Love each other devotedly and with brotherly [and sisterly] love; and set examples for each other in showing respect (12:10). All of us are more consistent in our faith when others walk with us and encourage us. The Bible commands mutual accountability, mutual encouragement, mutual serving, and mutual honoring. Thirty-seven times in the B’rit Chadashah we are commanded to do different tasks to one another (see Af – The List of “one another” Commands). The Bible says: So then, let us pursue the things that make for shalom and mutual upbuilding (14:19). You are not responsible for everyone in the Body of Messiah, but you are responsible to them. ADONAI expects you to do whatever you can to help them.³³⁵

Don’t be lazy when hard work is needed, but serve the Lord with spiritual fervor (12:11). The Lord rewards those who serve Him with hard work. The writer to the Messianic Jews reminds us that God is not so unfair as to forget your hard work and the love you showed for Him in your past service to His people – and in your present service too (Hebrews 6:10). But living the spiritual life inevitably brings opposition from the world, and sometimes even sparks resentment by fellow believers. Even after years, decades, of faithful service to the Lord, some see few, if any, apparent results from their labors. Without hope, we could never survive. Thus, rejoice in your hope, be patient in your troubles, and continue steadfastly in prayer (12:12). It is because we can rejoice in hope that we can persevere in our troubles.

Share (Greek: koinoneo, and the noun koinonia is often translated fellowship) what you have with God’s people. In the parable of the Good Samaritan (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Gw – The Parable of the Good Samaritan), Yeshua made it perfectly clear that we have a responsibility, to the best of our ability, to help anyone in need whom we encounter. But we have a still greater responsibility to serve fellow believers: Therefore, as the opportunity arises, Paul says: let us do what is good to everyone, and especially to the family of those who are trustingly faithful (Galatians 6:10). And practice hospitality (12:13). The literal meaning of that phrase in the Greek is pursuing the love of strangers. In other words, we are not only to meet the needs of those people, believers and unbelievers, who we encounter in our daily lives, but we are to look for opportunities to help.

The next command is one that is completely contrary to unredeemed human nature: Bless those who persecute you – bless them! Wow! This is easier said than done! Nevertheless, the obedient believer must resist hating and retaliating against those who harm him, but is commanded to take the additional step of blessing them. As we would expect, the supreme example of blessing one’s persecutors was given by our Lord Himself. As the sinless Son of God hung in on the cross, He prayed with unimaginable mercy: Father, forgive them; they don’t understand what they are doing (Luke 23:34). Not only are we to bless them, we are never to curse them (12:14)! Wow!

In a much more positive note, Paul next counsels us to rejoice with those who rejoice. At first thought, that principle would seem easy to follow. But when another person’s blessing and happiness is at our expense, or when their favored circumstances, or noble accomplishments, make ours seem small, barren and dull, the flesh goes into overdrive and does not lead us to rejoice, but tempts us to resent. However, it is also important for believers to weep with those who weep (12:15). This is the duty of sympathy, empathy, entering into the suffering of others. ADONAI is called a compassionate God (Deuteronomy 4:31; Nehemiah 9:17; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). Reminding us that we should reflect our Lord’s character, Paul said: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with feelings of compassion and with kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12).³³⁶

Be sensitive to each other’s needs – don’t think yourselves better than others, but make humble people your friends. Don’t be conceited (Romans 12:16; Proverbs 3:7). To the believers in Philippi, Paul wrote: Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but, in humility, regard each other as better than yourselves – look out for each other’s interests and not just for your own (Philippians 2:3-4). Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others. Humble people are so focused on serving others, they don’t dwell on themselves.³³⁷

Outside of the Body of Messiah: The believer who seeks to obey God is going to have enemies. However, we are not only to bless those who persecute us and not curse them, but certainly never move beyond a verbal curse to an act of revenge (Proverbs 20:22 and 24:29). Repay no one evil for evil (12:17a). The mitzvah in the TaNaKh, tooth for tooth, hand for hand (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Do – Life for Life, Eye for Eye) pertained to civil justice, not personal revenge. Not only that, but the main purpose was to prevent the severity of punishment from exceeding the severity of the offense. In other words, someone guilty of destroying another person’s eye could not be punished with any greater penalty than that of forfeiting one of his own eyes. Not only that, it prevented continued bloodshed between families.

A right attitude toward enemies involves respect for what is right in the sight of all people (12:17b NASB). If we genuinely respect others, including our enemies, we will have a “built-in” protection against angrily repaying them evil for evil and will be predisposed to doing what is right towards them. Such respect will help us develop the self-discipline necessary to prepare ourselves beforehand for responding to evil with what is good instead of what is bad. Believers should respond instinctively and spontaneously with what is pleasing to God and beneficial to others.³³⁸

If possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in peace with all people (12:18). Peace always has a price tag. Sometimes it costs us our pride; often, it costs us our self-centeredness. For the sake of fellowship, do your best to compromise, adjust to others, and show preference to what they need (12:10). To paraphrase Yeshua: You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family (Matthew 5:9 The Message). To the extent that it depends on you, emphasize reconciliation, not resolution. It’s unrealistic to expect people to agree about everything. Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem. When we focus on reconciliation, the problem loses its significance and often becomes irrelevant.³³⁹

Again, Paul denounces returning evil for evil, declaring: Never seek revenge, my friends; instead, leave that to God’s anger. If a wrong has been done to us, no matter how serious and harmful it may have been, we never have the right to render punishment for the offense ourselves. We are to leave that to God’s anger. Quoting from Deuteronomy 32:35, Paul reminds his readers that in the Tanakh it is written, “ADONAI says: Vengeance is my responsibility . . . I will repay (Romans 12:19; Second Samuel 22:48; Nahum 1:2; Hebrews 10:30). In His divine time, God’s anger is coming on those who disobey Him (Colossians 3:6).

But merely not returning evil for evil does not fulfill our responsibility. And sometimes the positive part is more difficult. To withhold revenge is one thing; it only requires doing nothing. But to actually return good for evil is quite another.³⁴⁰ On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” These words, a straightforward rendering of Proverbs 25:21, are easy to read, but difficult to practice. For by doing this, you will heap fiery coals [of shame] on his head, not condemning your enemy deeper into hell, but attempting to get such a one to turn and to repent (Romans 12:20; Proverbs 25:22a). When we love our enemy, we shame him for his hatred. However, Paul is not claiming that acts of kindness toward enemies will guarantee repentance; whatever degree of shame our sins might produce, they may be quickly pushed aside and produce even greater hostility toward both us and the Lord.³⁴¹

Paul rounds off his series of warnings about the believer’s response to hostility with a final, general summons: Do not be conquered, or tempted, by evil, but conquer evil with good (12:21). Temptation begins by capturing your attention. What gets your attention arouses your emotions. Then your emotions activate your behavior, and you act on what you feel. The more you focus on, “I don’t want to do this,” the stronger it draws you into its web.

Ignoring temptation is far more effective than fighting it. Once your mind is on something else, the temptation loses its power. Therefore, when temptation calls you on your cell phone, don’t argue with it . . . don’t answer!

Sometimes this means physically leaving a tempting situation. This is one time it’s okay to run away. Just ask Joseph (see the commentary on Genesis Ji – Potiphar’s Wife said: Come to Bed with Me! But Joseph Ran). You can shut down your computer. Walk away from a group that’s gossiping. Leave the theater in the middle of a movie. To avoid being stung, stay away from the bees. Do whatever is necessary to turn your attention away to something good.

The key to doing this is your mind. To reduce temptation, keep your mind occupied with God’s Word and other good thoughts. You defeat bad thoughts by thinking of something better. This is the principle of replacement. You conquer evil with good. Satan can’t get your attention when your mind is preoccupied with something else. That’ why the Bible repeatedly tells us to keep our minds focused: Think carefully about Yeshua (Hebrews 3:1); focus your thoughts on what is true, noble, righteous, pure, loveable or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

If you’re serious about defeating temptation you must manage your mind and monitor your media intake. The wisest man who ever lived warned: Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts (Proverbs 4:23 TEV). Don’t allow trash into your mind indiscriminately. Be selective. Choose carefully what you think about. Follow Paul’s model: Take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah (Second Corinthians 10:5b). This takes a lifetime of practice, but with the help of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh you can reprogram the way you think.³⁴²

Responding to the Mercies of ADONAI
12: 1-8

Responding to the mercies of ADONAI DIG: What does it mean to present your body as a living sacrifice to God? What are the mercies of God? What is the definition of mercy? What tends to hinder believers from thinking and acting like parts of one Body. What advice does Paul offer about getting along with one another in the Body of Messiah? What tends to hinder believers from thinking and acting like various parts of one Body?

REFLECT: How do you renew your mind? Why is it difficult to resist comparing our gifts with other believers in Messiah? Why is it often hard to resist wishing we had their “role” in the Body? What are some areas of your life where you need to be more patient and seek God’s will? What does it mean to be “transformed” and serve God with all your heart? How can you offer yourself and your spiritual gifts as a living sacrifice to ADONAI?

God gave Himself for us in order that we might give ourselves to Him.

Therefore, because of everything ADONAI has done, and is doing, in Chapters 1-11, I encourage you to do everything Chapters 12-15, all of which is epitomized in the instruction, in view of God’s mercies, to offer yourselves as a sacrifice, living and set apart for God (12:1a). Offering your life to Messiah is not a foolish emotional impulse, but a rational, intelligent act, the most responsible and sensible thing you can do with your life. So, we make it our goal to please Him (Second Corinthians 5:9a NIV). Your wisest moments will be those when you say “yes” to God.³¹¹ God’s mercies were spoken of throughout Chapters 1-11, especially in Chapters 9-11, and explicitly in 11:30-32. The mercies of ADONAI form a pivot of the book of Romans, on which Paul turns from doctrine, to practical advice. This is where life and the Bible meet.

The basic meaning of redemption, is to be purchased from slavery. When Yeshua redeems us, we have been purchased out of the marketplace of sin and set free. But we don’t automatically turn from slavery from sin to slavery to Messiah. Yes, we are justified at the moment of salvation, but to be conformed to the likeness of His Son (8:29b) is a choice. Our sanctification is something that we cooperate in with God. Sha’ul considered himself a bond-slave to Messiah, a slave by choice (1:1). So now having been set free from the slavery of our sin nature, we should now be willing to become a bond-slave to Yeshua Messiah.³¹²

We are to make this choice based upon the mercies of God. This includes our past justification, our present sanctification, and our future glorification. Our identification with Yeshua Messiah, the fact that we are co-crucified, co-buried, and co-resurrected with Messiah, so we are united with Him in such a way that what is true of Him is true of us, minus His deity. In Chapter seven, we are no longer slaves to sin; in Chapter eight, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh helps us in our weakness and nothing can separate us from the love of God (8:39); in Chapter Nine, we can have full confidence in God’s faithfulness as we see with His dealings with Isra’el. Because God has proved faithful to Isra’el, He will certainly prove faithful to us. So, with the one phrase, the mercies of God, Paul summarizes his whole theology, because everything ADONAI has done on our behalf in Chapters 1-11 out of His mercy for us.

Dear Great Heavenly Father, Your mercies and love are so great! The fact of your living within those who love and follow You is absolutely fantastic! Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). We humbly bow before You in worship and love.

How wonderful that You are totally trustworthy for Your promises are always one-hundred percent true, giving those who love and follow You a sure hope of heaven! When trials come, we will keep our eye on Your eternal love and the heavenly home that Yeshua is preparing for His children. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:1-3). We will remember that this world with its problems will soon pass away and those who love You will spend eternity in joy and peace and in worship of You our Great Lord and Savior! Praise You Always! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Therefore, on the basis of the mercies of God, we are to offer (Greek: paristemi, is the same word used for the Levitical sacrifices on the Bronze Altar) ourselves as a living sacrifice, and such a sacrifice, set apart for God, becomes holy (Exodus 29:37). The Greek tense for offer, is an aorist tense, and, hence, a once-and-for-all act. In one sense, it is a voluntary act, but on the other hand, we should reach a point in our walk with the Lord that when we recognize all that God has done for us, and that He took our place on the cross so that we could be redeemed, on that basis, we should make a once-and-for-all decision of offering up ourselves as a sacrifice like Isaac (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fm – Take Your Only Son Isaac, and Sacrifice Him as a Burnt Offering).³¹³

Our bodies are what Paul considers to be the sacrifice. A striking metaphor when animal sacrifices were still being made twice daily in the Jerusalem Temple worship. Back in Chapter 6, he talked about our bodies as an instrument of righteousness. Before we were saved, our bodies were used as instruments of unrighteousness; but after salvation, we are to use our bodies as instruments of righteousness. When we do that, we make a once-and-for-all offering of our bodies to the Lord for all He has done for us. This will please Him; it is the logical “Temple worship” for you (12:1b).

Offering ourselves as living sacrifices to God starts with our minds. In other words, do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the ‘olam hazeh. We have a different lifestyle to lead than those who are lost and in the world. Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed (Greek: metamorphis, meaning to be changed) by the renewing of your minds (Romans 12:2a; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10). How do you renew your mind? By filling it with God’s Word. To win the battle for your mind, you must let the shalom which comes from the Messiah be your heart’s decision-maker, and let the Word of Messiah, in all its richness, live in you (Colossians 5:15a and 16a). As you continue to stockpile your mind with God’s truth, you will equip yourself to recognize the lies of Satan and take them captive (see Bq – The Background of the Messianic Mikveh: Five ways to win the battle of the mind).³¹⁴

The reason why we are told to renew our minds is so that you will know what God wants and will agree that what He wants is good, satisfying and able to succeed (12:2b). Your first step in spiritual growth is to start changing the way you think. Change always starts first in your mind. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel influences the way you act. You must make a counter-culture decision to focus on becoming more like Yeshua. Otherwise, other forces like peers, friends, coworkers, and popular-culture will try to mold you into their image.³¹⁵

For I am telling every single one of you, through the grace that has been given to me, not to have exaggerated ideas about your own importance. Lack of this virtue causes many believers to stumble. No matter how well grounded we may be in God’s Word, how theologically sound we may be, or how vigorously we may seek to serve Him, our gifts will not operate so that our lives can be spiritually productive until self is set aside. From self-denial in the spiritual worship of God flows self-surrender to the will of God, and from self-surrender flows selfless service in the work of God. No believer is exempt from this call to humility, because Paul is speaking to every single one of you – a universal command to all believers.³¹⁶

Instead, develop a sober estimate of yourself based on the standard which God has given to each of you, namely, trust in Yeshua (12:3). Take a long, honest look at what you are good at and what you’re not good at. Make a list. Ask other people for their candid opinion. Tell them you’re searching for the truth, not fishing for a compliment. Spiritual gifts and natural abilities are always confirmed by others. If you think you are gifted to be a teacher or a singer and no one else agrees, guess what? If you want to know if you have a gift of leadership, just look over your shoulder! If no one is following you, you’re not a leader.³¹⁷

Unity, diversity, harmony: Even though we are all members of the Body of Messiah, no one gift is given to all believers, and no one believer is given all the gifts. This creates a sense of interdependence. If you had all the gifts and I had all the gifts, we wouldn’t need each other. For just as there are many parts that compose one Body, but the parts don’t all have the same function; so, there are many of us, and in union with the Messiah we comprise one Body, with each of us belonging to the others (12:4-5). As believers share one Lord, one Body, one purpose, one Father, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one love, we also share the same salvation, the same life, and the same future – factors far more important than any differences we could list.

We must remember that it was YHVH who chose to give us different personalities, backgrounds, races, and preferences, so we should value and enjoy those differences, not merely tolerate them. God wants unity, not uniformity. But for unity’s sake we must never let our differences divide us. We must major in the majors, and not major in the minors. That means we should stay focused on what matters most – learning to love each other as Messiah has loved us. Conflict is usually a sign that the focus has shifted to less important issues. When we focus on personalities, preferences, interpretations, styles, or methods, division always surfaces. But if we concentrate on loving each other, harmony results.³¹⁸

Spiritual gifts: God gave every believer spiritual gifts to be used to minister. This is usually in the form of one dominant spiritual gift, and a lesser, secondary, spiritual gift. These are special God-empowered abilities for serving Him that are only given to believers. The Bible says: Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit (First Corinthians 2:14 GNT). You can’t earn your spiritual gifts or deserve them – that’s why they are called gifts! They are an expression of God’s grace to you. Neither do you get to choose which gifts you’d like to have . . . the Ruach Ha’Kodesh determines that. The Spirit distributes spiritual gifts to each person as He chooses (First Corinthians 12:11).

But we have gifts, our God-given ability for service, that differ and which are meant to be used according to the grace that has been given to us (also see First Corinthians Chapters 12-14; Ephesians 4:11; First Peter 4:10 for some other lists of spiritual gifts). Because God loves variety and He wants us to be special, no single gift is given to everyone. Also, no individual receives all the gifts. If you had them all, you’d have no need for anyone else, and that would defeat one of God’s purposes – to teach us to love and depend on each other. Your spiritual gifts are not given for your own benefit, but for the benefit of others, just as other people were given spiritual gifts for your benefit. God planned it this way so we would need each other. When we use our gifts together, we all benefit.

Whenever we forget these basic truths about spiritual gifts, it always causes trouble in the Body. Two common problems are “gift-envy,” and “gift-projection.” The first occurs when we compare our gifts with others’, feel dissatisfied with what God has given us, and become resentful or jealous of how ADONAI uses others. The second problem happens when we expect everyone else to have our gifts, do what we are called to do, and feel as passionate about it as we do. There are different kinds of gifts, but it the same Lord we are serving.³¹⁹

If your gift is prophecy, use it to the extent of your [the] faith (12:6a). The word prophecy in this context does not necessarily refer to future predictions or new revelation. The word simply means to speak forth, and applies to any authoritative proclamation of God’s Word where the person who is gifted to declare God’s truth is speaking, edifying, encouraging and comforting God’s people (First Corinthians 14:3). So, a fitting paraphrase of Romans 12:6 would be: If your gift is proclaiming God’s Word, do it according to the faith, being consistent with previous biblical revelation.

Charismatics use this verse to argue that this verse teaches the accuracy of prophecy is dependent on the measure of a person’s faith. However, that is not even close to Paul’s true meaning here. The word translated your, in the Complete Jewish Study Bible is actually the definite article in Greek. It is most accurately translated simply as [the]. Therefore, Paul is instructing his readers that those with the gift of prophecy must prophecy in accordance with [the] faith – the body of previously revealed biblical truth. As Jude wrote: Contend for the faith which was once and for all passed on to God’s people (Jude 3b).³²⁰

In the early church, before the B’rit Chadashah was complete, certain prophets were used by God on occasion to encourage believers with messages inspired as the prophet spoke. That was necessary to instruct the churches in matters that were not yet covered by Scripture. This aspect of prophecy was unique to the apostolic era and ended with the book of Revelation.³²¹ Once the last book in the Bible was written, the canon of Scripture was closed and there was no need for any further revelation. God the Holy Spirit had equipped believers with everything they would need to live a victorious life, and prophecy passed away. There is no continuous revelation.

If it is serving, use it to serve (12:6b). The second spiritual gift is that of service, which translates diakonia, from which we also get deacon and deaconess, meaning those who serve. Service is a simple, straightforward gift that is broad in its application. It seems to carry a meaning similar to that of the gift of helps mentioned First Corinthians 12:28. This gift certainly applies beyond the offices of deacon and deaconess and is the idea in Paul’s charge to the Ephesian elders to help the weak (Acts 20:35). The gift of service is manifested in every sort of practical help that believers can give one another in Yeshua’s name.

If you are a teacher, use your gift in teaching (12:7a). The third spiritual gift is that of teaching. Again, the meaning is simple and straightforward. Didaskon (teaches) refers to the act of teaching, and didaskalia (teaching) can refer to what is taught as well as to the act of teaching it. Both of those meanings are appropriate to this gift. The believer, if you are a teacher, is divinely gifted with special ability to interpret and present God’s truth understandably. The primary difference between teaching and prophesying is not in content but in the distinction between the ability to proclaim and the ability to give systematic and regular instruction in God’s Word. The gift of teaching could apply wherever God’s truth is taught. The early Messianic community was characterized by regular teaching (Acts 2:42). The Great Commission includes the command: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations – teaching them to observe all that I commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB). Paul’s spiritual gift included features of both preaching and teaching.

If you are a counselor, use your gift to comfort and exhort (12:7b). The fourth spiritual gift is counseling. This gift involves the idea of advising, pleading, encouraging, warning, strengthening and comforting. At one time the gift may be used to persuade a believer to turn from a sin or bad habit and at a later time to encourage the same person to maintain his correction behavior. The gift may be used to admonish the church as a whole to obedience to the Word. Like the gift of showing mercy (below), counseling may be exercised in comforting a brother or sister in the Lord who is facing a different trial or persistent temptation. Sometimes he may use his gift simply to walk beside a friend who is grieving, discouraged, frustrated, or depressed, to give help in whatever way is needed. This gift may be exercised in helping someone carry a burden that is too heavy to bear alone.

If you are someone who gives, do it simply and generously (12:7c). The fifth category of giftedness is that of giving. The usual Greek verb for giving is didomi, but the word here is the intensified metadidomi, which carries the additional meanings of sharing and imparting that which is one’s own. The one who exercises this gift gives sacrificially of himself. Generously translates haplotes, which has the root meaning of single mindedness, open heartedness, and then generosity. It carries the idea of sincere, heartfelt giving that is untainted by affection or ulterior motive. The believer who gives with generosity gives for others, not for himself. He does not give for thanks or recognition, but for the sake of the ones who receive his help and for the glory of ADONAI.

If you are in a position of leadership, lead with diligence and zeal (12:7d). The sixth category is that of leadership. Leads is from proistemi, which has the basic meaning of standing before others and, hence, the idea of leadership. In the B’rit Chadashah it is never used of governmental rulers but of headship in the family (First Timothy 3:4-5 and 12), and in the church (First Timothy 5:17). In First Corinthians 12:28, Paul refers to the same gift by a different name, administration (Greek: kubernesis), which means to guide. In Acts 27:11 and Revelation 18:17, it is used of a pilot or helmsman, the person who steers, or leads, a ship.

Effective leadership must be done with diligence, with earnestness and zeal. Spoude (diligence) can also carry the idea of haste (Mark 6:25; Luke 1:39). Proper leadership therefore precludes procrastination and idleness. Whether it is possessed by church officers, or by members who direct such things as Sunday school or Club Maccabee in Messianic congregations, the youth group, the nursery, or a building program, the gift of leadership is to be exercised with carefulness, constancy and consistency.

If you are one who does acts of mercy, do them cheerfully (12:8). In the seventh and last spiritual category mentioned here is that of showing mercy. Eleeo (Greek: shows mercy) carries the joint idea of actively demonstrating sympathy for someone else having the necessary resources to successfully comfort and strengthen that person. The gifted believer who does acts of mercy is divinely given with special sensitivity to suffering and sorrow, with the ability to notice misery and distress that may go unnoticed by others, and with the desire and means to help alleviate such afflictions. This gift involves much more than sympathetic feeling. It is feeling put into action. The believer with this gift always finds a way to express his feelings of concern with practical help. He does acts of mercy by what he says to and what he does for the one in need.

The believer who does acts of mercy may exercise his gift in hospital visitation, jail ministry, or in service to the homeless, the poor, the handicapped, the suffering, the sorrowing. This gift is closely related to that of encouragement, and it is not uncommon for believers to have a measure of both. This gift is not to be ministered grudgingly or merely out of a sense of duty, but do them cheerfully. As everyone knows who has had a time of suffering or special need, the attitude of a fellow believer can make the difference between his being a help or a hindrance. He who despises his neighbor sins, the writer of Proverbs tells us: but happy is he who is gracious the poor (Proverbs 14:21); and He who opposes the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him (Proverbs 14:31). The keyword in those verses is gracious. The genuine helper always serves with gracious cheerfulness, and is never condescending or patronizing.³²²

Life lessons: The challenge for a follower of Yeshua is never as much what to do as where to start. We lack obedience more than guidance. There are always enough general commands from God to keep us busy for a lifetime. Obeying what we know usually leads to clarity about what we don’t know. Most of what God instructs us to put into action doesn’t require that we go somewhere else to practice. We can start practicing love, peacemaking, and patience right where we are. These often help us identify our gifts and roles in the Body of Messiah.³²³

The Mercies of ADONAI
12:1 to 16:27

If it’s really true that because we have a relationship with ADONAI, and if it’s true that nothing can separate us from the love of God, how do we know that God is going to keep that promise, in light of the fact that there seems to be promises to Isra’el that are unfulfilled. And if YHVH can avoid fulfilling His promises to Isra’el, how do we know that the same would be true with us?

Therefore, in Chapter 9, Paul dealt with the salvation of Isra’el, showing that the rejection of Isra’el was not something that caught Ha’Shem by surprise, but part of His plan of redemption. In fact, if Isra’el had accepted Yeshua at His First Coming it would have proved that He was not the Messiah, because ADONAI had made promises regarding the salvation of the Gentiles.

In Chapter 10, because of Isra’el’s rejection, the Good News can go out to the whole world, Jews and Gentiles alike on an individual basis: God is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on Him. Those whose greatest pride was in the belief that they were far superior to all other peoples could not tolerate that humbling truth. Then, to prove his point, Paul quotes Joel, who centuries earlier had declared to Isra’el the extent of saving grace when he said: Everyone who calls on the name of ADONAI will be saved (10:12).

In Chapter 11, Paul points out that Isra’el’s rejection of the Messiah is not total, because there has always been a Jewish remnant, in the past, and today. This rejection is not the final note in Jewish history. When God is through with His program with the Gentiles, all Isra’el will be saved during the last three days of the Great Tribulation. Therefore, both Jew and Gentile believers will reap the benefits of the Messianic Kingdom.

Now, in Chapters 12-16, Paul can go into the practical applications. What are the mercies of God and how do they impact our everyday lives? What should be our response, in light of all of what ADONAI has done for us? This is where life and the Bible meet! Theology should never be divorced from real life; it always has practical ramifications and implications. Paul’s description here is nothing short of supernatural living. He demonstrates that when believers give themselves fully to God and then, in the power of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, live out in experience what is true of them theologically in Messiah, the result is staggering. Such living will be a bright neon sign in a dark culture.³¹⁰

The Redemption of Isra’el
11: 25-36

The redemption of Isra’el DIG: What is a mystery in the Bible? What mystery is Paul talking about here? In what sense is Isra’el’s stoniness only “to a degree?” How would you paraphrase God’s purpose in these verses? What is the ultimate hope for Isra’el? For Gentiles? How does this tie in with Paul’s teaching in 3:21-24? When Paul says, “For God’s free gifts and His calling are irrevocable,” what is he talking about? With Isra’el’s national regeneration, how will the circle, as it were, be complete?

REFLECT: When someone else receives God’s blessing and grace in their lives, does that spur you on to seek God all the more, or does it make you upset? If so, why? How has God blessed you by the fact that Isra’el has rebelled? What should be your response? Do you view Messianic believers as joint heirs to the kingdom, or foreigners in your land? How has ADONAI shown you mercy in your life? How can you respond, and show His mercy to others? What does God’s faithfulness to Isra’el have to do with you?

For God’s free gifts and His calling [of the Jewish nation] are irrevocable.

ADONAI’s setting Isra’el aside is not only partial and passing but also purposeful. YHVH temporarily set aside His chosen people in order to bring salvation to the Gentiles (11:11b), to make Isra’el jealous of them (11:11c) so they would yearn to receive the blessings of the Messiah they had rejected, and thereby be used to bring blessing to the rest of the world (11:12-15). But God’s ultimate , overriding purpose is to glorify Himself.³⁰³

The promise of Isra’el’s redemption. In 11:25 the word “for” points forward to the reason, given immediately, why Paul has presented the olive tree illustration (to see link click Cz – The Illustration of Isra’el’s Future). Paul uses the word brothers to emphasize that he considers not only Messianic Jews, but also Gentile believers to be his brothers in the faith, because he didn’t want any of them to be offended at what he was about to say next.

For, brothers, I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery (Greek: musterion), which God formerly concealed but has now revealed (11:25a). At the end of Paul’s letter, he defines mystery as being a revelation which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is made known, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God (Romans 16:25-26; Ephesians 3:5-7 NASB). In this, both the Messianic Jews and the Gentile believers must grasp the fullness of their individual callings by ADONAI.

Why was this secret truth kept hidden for so long until Paul revealed it? Because one would have expected Isra’el to be the first nation to be saved. Isra’el had all the advantages enjoyed by no other people (see Cp – The Grief of Isra’el’s Past Paradox: Eight advantages that the Jews have). The Gospel itself is to the Jew especially (1:16), and YHVH has promised Jewish national salvation (Ezeki’el 36:24-36; Matthew 23:37; Acts 1:6-7). Why then, is God doing the unexpected, making the Gentiles joint-heirs (Ephesians 3:3-9) with the Jews? In order to give the fullest possible demonstration of His love for all humanity and not merely to the Jews.

But before Paul identifies and explains the particular mystery of which he is speaking here, he once again cautions the Gentiles against their pride, warning them to avoid twisting the truths of the mystery as being wise in their own eyes: So that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do (11:25b). Proverbs 3:7 reminds us: Don’t be conceited about your own wisdom; but fear ADONAI, and turn from evil.

It is that stoniness, to a degree, that has come upon Isra’el (11:25c) it is a partial stoniness of the heart that has come upon Isra’el (11:25c). The stoniness is not total, because there has always been a remnant of Jewish believers trusting in Yeshua Messiah, the righteous of the TaNaKh. All Isra’el, including Messianic believers, is affected by this partial stoniness, for, as we shall see below, it delays Isra’el’s national salvation. This passage does not say that God caused the stoniness, as He hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 9:17-18); but it does imply that ADONAI knew it would happen. Nevertheless, it does not provide an excuse for anyone to remain stone-hearted (10:13).³⁰⁴

Until the Gentile world enters in its fullness (Romans 11:25d; Proverbs 3:7 and Romans 12:16). The times of the Gentiles (see the commentary on Revelation An – The Times of the Gentiles) must be distinguished from the fullness of the Gentiles (Acts 15:14; Ephesians 4:11-13; First Corinthians 12:12-13). The former term refers to that time from Nebuchadnezzar’s deportation of the dynasty of David to the defeat of the antichrist at Armageddon (see the commentary on Isaiah Kh – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon), during which the Gentile rules the Jew. However, the latter term speaks of the completion of the Invisible Church, made up of Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:14), saved from Shavu’ot until the Rapture. The partial stoniness of Isra’el extends the time when the last Gentile sinner dies and is introduced into the Body of Messiah, completing that Body. Sometime after this, the Rapture occurs, a covenant is signed between Isra’el and the antichrist (see the commentary on Revelation Bz – The Signing of the Seven-Year Covenant with the Antichrist), and the Great Tribulation begins.³⁰⁵

During the last three days of the Great Tribulation (Hosea 6:1-2), the Jews will recognize that Yeshua was actually their Messiah, and they cry out to Him in repentance (see the commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ). Then Messiah will return to redeem His people. And in this way all Isra’el will be saved. To be clear, this does not mean that every single Jew in all of history will be saved, but that those Jews, surrounded by the armies of the antichrist at the end of the Great Tribulation, will experience a national salvation (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah). And to prove that all Isra’el will be saved, Paul quotes the TaNaKh, which says: Out of Tziyon will come the Redeemer; He will turn away ungodliness from Ya‘akov (Jacob) and this will be my covenant with them, . . . when, as a nation, I will take away their sins (Romans 11:26-27; Isaiah 59:20-21 and 27:9a). Paul combines two passages of Isaiah that speak of Isra’el in the far eschatological future, that is, in Messianic times. The passages are appropriate, since the objective in Chapters 9-11 is to show that despite appearances to the contrary, God’s promises will not fail to be fulfilled.³⁰⁶

Gentiles in the Church should not be jealous at the concept of Isra’el’s election. As soon as a person put his trust in God’s Word, the concept of Isra’el’s election loses its offensiveness and becomes, instead, the means of blessing for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, according to the promise of Genesis 12:3. However, because in most of its history, the Church has sought to replace Isra’el as the recipient of God’s promises, the question of who is God’s people has become a point of contention and separation between Judaism and Christianity. For the Church has historically claimed, over against Isra’el, to be the “New Isra’el,” the “True Isra’el,” the “Isra’el of God,” and regarded the Jewish people as merely the “Old Isra’el,” no longer eligible to receive God’s promises because of having rejected Yeshua. How ironic that the Church claimed to supplant the Jewish people as Isra’el when it behaved like Isra’el’s old name, Jacob, which means supplanter. This perverted understanding of election, ignoring everything that Paul writes in Chapters 9-11, has raised an unnecessary barrier between Jews and Christians, which I hope this commentary can help to eliminate.³⁰⁷

On October 23, 2010, the Vatican – in the final statement from a two-week bishops’ synod – blamed Isra’el for the plight of believers throughout the Middle East, and stated that Isra’el cannot use the biblical concept of a Promised Land or a Chosen People to justify territorial claims or new “settlements” in the Golan Heights for their national survival.

The World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church (ELCA), the Anglican Church, and the United Church of Christ have publicly condemned Messianic Gentiles through statements or resolutions. They have also called for the boycott of goods made in Judea and Samaria, and divestment in companies that provide equipment for Isra’el’s protection and economic viability as a productive democracy.

These Catholic and Protestant leaders condemn Messianic Gentiles, saying that they place an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history, rather than living out Christ’s love and social justice. They say that Messianic Gentiles are more concerned with the Second Coming than with the Jewish People. They even say that Messianic Gentiles are a cult, and that their beliefs amount to heresy. And finally, they say that Messianic Gentiles have enabled the unjust treatment of Palestinians by Isra’el.

Paul analyzes the truth of what he has said so far: With respect to the Good News, Isra’el is hated for your sake. Hated by whom? Enemies of whom? Clearly, ADONAI – by whom also they are loved. It is very interesting that Replacement theologians, who say that “Isra’el” today means the Church, do not apply their theology to the first clause in this verse! If they did, they would have to conclude that God hates the Church! Again, clearly it is the Jews who, with respect to the Good News . . . are temporarily hated by God for the sake of the Gentiles, so that the Good News can come to them. But with respect to being permanently chosen as God’s people . . . they are permanently loved by God (11:28).

Moreover, if 11:28 speaks of the Jews, then 11:29 also speaks of the Jews. For God’s free gifts and his calling of [the Jewish nation] are irrevocable (11:29). No matter how much Replacement Theology theologians sputter over it. Why are God’s people permanently loved? Without thinking, a Christian might answer, “Because God is love (First John 4:8), it simply flows out of God’s essential nature to love His people. Paul’s answer may come as a surprise to many and seem “unspiritual” – for the sake of the Patriarchs. YHVH made promises to the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, which He is honor-bound to keep. Protecting His honor is also an essential attribute of God.

Dear Holy Heavenly Father, I love to meditate on how wonderful and faithful You are! ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot, who is like You, mighty ADONAI, with Your faithfulness all around You (Psalms 89:9)? But the mercy of ADONAI is from everlasting to everlasting on those who revere Him, His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep His covenant, who remember to observe His instructions (Psalms 103:17). You always keep every promise You make.  As surely as God is faithful. . .  For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ (Second Corinthians 1:18a and 20a). Praise you that your love for Isra’el, Your first-born (Exodus 4:22), never ceases but continually seeks to draw her back to Yourself in a loving relationship. You even set aside the last seven years of life on this earth as a time to bring Isra’el to welcome You as their Messiah, before You return to set up Your Millennial Kingdom.

Your love is unceasing! Even when You had to discipline Your firstborn (Exodus 4:22) Isra’el as in the seventy year Babylonian captivity, You did it out of love planning to rid her of idol worship and to bring her back to You in a closer relationship. This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11-12).

Your faithful love is a breath of refreshment compared to today’s “love” that is so selfish. How gracious You are to include in Your olive tree both believing Gentiles (Romans 11:17) and also any of the Jews of the natural branches who now trust in You as their Messiah (Romans 11:24). How wonderful Your love! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of resurrection. Amen

For the sake of the Patriarchs does not express the rabbinic notion of Z’khut-avot, or “the merit of the Fathers.” The rabbinic idea is that the good deeds of the ancestors add to the welfare of their descendants. The expression, “zokher chasdei-avot” (“You remember the good deeds of the Patriarchs”) appears in the first blessing of the ‘Amidah. The concept draws on the fact the Torah, in the second of the Ten Commandments, indicates that the benefits of a person’s good deeds extend into the indefinite future.

While it is true that good deeds yield ongoing consequences, nevertheless, Paul is not saying that the Patriarchs earned God’s favor by their good deeds, neither for themselves nor for their descendants. Rather, he is speaking of the Patriarchs as receivers of God’s gracious promises. YHVH made wonderful promises to them concerning their descendants, the people of Isra’el; and He must keep those promises in order to vindicate His own righteousness (3:25-26) and faithfulness (3:3). For, given that ADONAI is forever righteous and faithful, God’s free gifts, those promises and indeed the gifts mentioned in 9:4-5, and His calling to the Jewish people to be dedicated to Himself, a holy nation (Exodus 19:6), a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6), are irrevocable, because YHVH cannot deny His own eternal nature as a Promise Keeper.

In light, then, of Chapters 9-11 in general, and these verses in particular, any Christian theology which teaches that ADONAI no longer loves the Jews, or that the Jewish people will not receive all the good things God has promised them, contradicts the express teaching of the B’rit Chadashah. Furthermore, such teaching, by necessity, portrays God as unfaithful and thus less than God, unworthy of being trusted by anyone, Jew or Christian, or “other.”³⁰⁸

Jewish unbelief has given God a chance to reveal His mercy. Paul makes a final restatement of his theme, Isra’el’s salvation in history, this time in terms of God’s mercy. These verses look back to 9:15-18, where God’s mercy was presented as an aspect of His sovereignty; and forward to 12:1, where His mercies (plural to the Jews and to the Gentiles) are made the basis and motivation for right action (see Db – The Mercies of ADONAI).

YHVH Himself does not withhold His mercy, and anyone who has truly received God’s mercy cannot help but communicate that same mercy from God to others. Just as you yourselves were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Isra’el’s disobedience; so also, Isra’el has been disobedient now, so that by [you Gentiles] showing [Isra’el, the Jews] the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive God’s mercy (11:30-31). God used Jewish disobedience for His own purposes. But, in contrast with that, Gentiles now have the opportunity to be the conscious and intentional means of blessing to Isra’el. ADONAI has blessed the Gentiles by choosing them as His instrument for willingly blessing Isra’el and the Jews.

If anyone is saved at all, it is only because of God’s mercy. For God has shut up all mankind, Jew and Gentile together in disobedience, in order that He might show mercy to all (11:32). All have sinned and come short of earning the glory of God’s praise (3:23). The Jewish “good person” (see Ao – The “Good Person”) and pagan Gentiles alike (see Ak – The Pagan Gentile), are controlled by sin (3:9), so that there is no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile (3:22b). When the Gentiles rejected God and disobeyed Him (see Al – The Evidence Against the Pagan Gentile), God selected Abraham and his descendants as His chosen people. Now the disobedience of the Jews enables God to show mercy to the Gentiles. Then, when that purpose is achieved, He will again show mercy to the nation of Isra’el by her redemption, and the circle will be complete.³⁰⁹

The greatness of God’s sovereignty, mercy, faithfulness and ordering of history, so that not one of His promises will go unfulfilled, causes Paul to burst into song. He – and we – have caught a glimpse of the working of God’s mind and are overwhelmed. Only a hymn of praise to YHVH can escape our lips. It is a fitting climax to Chapters 9-11 in particular and to the first eleven chapters in general. O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments! How unsearchable are His ways! For, “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who has been His counselor?” Or, “Who has given Him anything and made Him pay it back?” For from Him (creation) and through Him (revelation) and to Him (redemption) are all things. To Him be the glory forever! After the congregation in Rome heard this letter read aloud, they would say Amen, in response and agreement with Paul’s praise of God (11:33-36). Because God’s promises to Isra’el have and will been kept, we can have confidence that nothing can separate us from the love of God (8:38-39).