I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, 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. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.” 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. For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone. Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
Romans 11:25-36 NLT
Our actions cannot thwart God’s plan. We have free will; we can choose or reject God’s love. But our choice does not change the big picture of God’s plan. In Paul’s day, a remnant core of Jewish people accepted the Good News and spread it around the world. But many Jewish people rejected the message and the Messiah. At the same time, many Gentiles accepted God’s forgiveness. And so, Jews and Gentiles worshiped the Lord together. For the first time in history, people of different nationalities and in different countries were united together and worshiping the Lord. This is God’s plan—because He loves everyone.
A lack of faith is tragic, but it does not stop the Lord’s plan. In the past, Israel had repeatedly disobeyed God: in the desert under Moses, during the time of the judges, and repeatedly in the years of the kings while the Lord sent prophets. This disobedience led to the destruction of the northern and southern kingdoms of God’s people. This was not the breaking of God’s promise to David (2 Samuel 7) but the mercifully delayed fulfillment of the covenant oath of destruction for disobedience (Deut 28). Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises, giving a new heart and His Spirit to live inside of those who trust in Him, and allowing the whole world to be blessed (Gen 12:3). Jews and Gentiles can be united in the Son of God.
Sometimes we can get discouraged by rejection, immortality, or the lack of faith in the world. But we can remember that the Creator is working on every person’s heart, and our job is to be witnesses to God’s goodness and love. That witness is our testimony of salvation, our lives showing the daily promises of God, and our churches overcoming barriers that separate humans—including race, age, economics, culture, or class. Our discouragement can be turned into a decision to make a difference.
What can you do to work for unity in the church? What can you do today to live out the promises of God?
