It was a revelation for me, and may come as a surprise to you that Paul's letter which we call the Book of Romans was not directed at Gentiles but Jews in the region.
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Romans 1:6
And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
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Romans 4:1
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter?
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Yes, Paul was sent out to speak the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles, and he did so. But there are clear differences between both ministries as Paul's message to the Jews is from the foundation they had under the Law set forth by the Lord through Moses.
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Romans 7:1
Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?
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Jews are not of the Spirit. Because of the Law, Jews are slaves to the flesh and to death. In their unholiness, it was God alone who could justify them. This is why through the Jews, atrocious acts were compensated with earthly favor. These were not acts of faith, they were acts of flesh, and against what was commanded. Confused? God wanted the Jews to recognize that He was who justifies the unholy, as He is righteous alone.
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Romans 3:28
For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
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The Law increases transgression. As transgression increases, grace increases. This does not mean that Jews are called to sin, no. But it does mean that Jews were guided to a point in time where the ministry of Christ Jesus identified to them that faith is separate from works. In Christ Jesus, a Jew is dead to the Law because their faith in life they now carry has fulfilled the requirements of Law. This is what has always been considered as righteousness. Faith is itself a recognition of the unseen qualities of God.
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Romans 8:4,5
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in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
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Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
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It is the Jews and the nation of Islam who remain contained by the words of the Law. They are themselves unable to observe righteousness, because they continue to consider their works as righteous.
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Romans 9:30-33
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What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
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but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal.
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Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.
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As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
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So what hope is there for Jews and Islam? They will know either mercy or compassion. This is foretold in the very scripture they blind themselves with. This too, will honor the Father because it will show Him as the justification of the unholy, and that which is righteous alone.
Paul wrote this letter we call the Book of Romans to the Jews scattered in the region. This letter was not meant for Gentiles, as Gentiles were not raised in the Law. Paul's Gentile ministry is fully based on faith. And ultimately, Paul's gospel of Christ to the Jews in Rome also is founded on bringing those under Law into an understanding of faith.
As Gentiles, we pray for the children of Israel, and Israel is not just Jews. We are to pray for all those who remain bound by the flesh and in blind observation of the Law of sin and death. They are all the synagogue of Satan, their only salvation is through Christ. But we can say too that God is just, and he judges the heart. He will show mercy on who He shows mercy, and He will show compassion on who He shows compassion.
As Gentiles who believe in Christ, we were bought a great cost. It is ours to deny ourselves, and live according to the Spirit. But what has occured in misinterpretation of much of what we consider the New Testament. We are not Jews, we did not grow up in the Law, we developed in our own transgressions. But in Christ, there is no difference between us and Jews, because we walk solely in faith.
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