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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