Exposition by Max A Forsythe
Christ Covenant Reformed (PCA)
As a child I can just barely remember the ethnic nature of the first families in our local Presbyterian churches. Scot's names filled the rolls and ministers in the old United Presbyterian Church in North America proudly recited the "proper pedigree" of sons and fathers back to the old country. In the quasi-revival of the fifties very many new people began to flood into all of the major denominations. And as like minded smaller denominations came together across ethnic lines, the old distinctions began to be lost. About 1957, three denominations united bringing German reformers and two northern groups of Presbyterians together. In those late fifties, a Rev Clinton Marsh was elected Moderator of the new denomination. He was from one of our black congregations, and when he addressed the assembly he jokingly recited his Scot's pedigree as had one been common until that day. In those years, the truly American "Heinz Fifty-seven" Churches were being newly born. You see only in the thirties and forties did people begin to marry outside of their denominations as a regular habit. Even as a youngster in the fifties, my Sunday School classes were segregated by sex. Even two or three young boys or girls would be grouped separately so as to encourage enough distance so that the children of the church did not become like brothers and sisters. This was traditionally done on purpose so that at the proper age the young people would want to get to know those from whom they were gently kept apart. As that structure broke down in the name of equality and in imitation of the public schools, serious dating and marriage moved away from congregation and community to those near enough by buggy or car to be called neighbors.
I was fortunate that in the consolidation of the schools Sherry and I went to different High Schools even though we attended the same Church. We were close, but separated by age and school. Being older, I began dating before she did. My Father was an expert on giving social advice about the extended families in the area. Whenever I would mention a certain young lady, he would give me her family history and note what church they went too. Like all young teens I didn't always follow my father's advice. Some of the young ladies that he did not know sounded exotic in a harmless fifties and very early sixties sense! But those that I did go out with were strange enough from those in our extended church family that I did not make dating outside of the faith a habit. And so as you know, I ended up marrying the wonderful daughter of another elder who lived a mile away from my home. That was almost three decades ago, and that rural world of my youth is now long gone, the Presbyterian congregations that have remained faithful to the word have been submerged with a flood newer congregations and ingrafted ethnic peoples with names representing almost every tribe and nation. The first families of my youth no longer remember either their ethnic or spiritual roots and have in many cases remained in churches that are not faithful to our Lord and our Christ.
I tell you all of this today and in week's past, so that you can begin to comprehend the ethnic and family love which so fills the mind of the Apostle in these chapters. Certainly in his time, there were two Covenantal institutions. The old "First" Church of the Old Covenant and the emerging "Second" Church of the New Covenant. I have no doubts that the aged Anna and Simeon who lived and perhaps even died before Christ was raised up on the cross knew the Messiah whom they were promised and expected. But after that transitional generation where all who were truly Israel of the Old came over to the New Covenant of Grace, then I firmly believe that the Jewish faith as we know it became just another worldly religion. So worldly, that in this country many Jewish leaders are publicly worried that their institutions may not survive very far into the next century. The Americanization process which changed the protestant denominations has also affected very many other groups as well.
This building up of The Kingdom of the Spirit as I would like to call the New Covenant Community has challenged every institution that would like to call itself a Church. From the Jewish religious church of Paul's youth to the New Covenant community in existence at the end of the first century, from the Roman catholic religion of the high Middle Ages the the assorted protestant denominations of the Reformation, from the major religious denominations of the fifties to the evangelical Churches of our day, the Spirit has been leading True Israel into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. Just as there were committed believers in the Old Covenant fold, so are there true believers in the liberal social clubs and marginal cults today. At some point however, all of those institutions have or will become religions apart from the true faith, outside of the Kingdom of the Spirit.
I have no doubts that Isaiah and Jeremiah's prophecies quoted in verses twenty-six and twenty- seven have and are being fulfilled. Every time an ethnic Jew becomes a Messianic Jew, every time a liberal or a conservative repents, every time the eyes of marginal Christians are opened that day was seen. Now this understanding and interpretation will not be very popular in many places today. You see there are two views of how we should take this Scripture portion. Charles Hodge defines them for us carefully:
Hodge goes on to admit that the first view with which I am most comfortable is the one most dominant at the time of the Reformation. The second view he says was and is the dominant view at every other time in history. And Hodge and Murray both suggest that the second view is what was on Paul's mind. Murray even interprets Calvin's observation with this comment: "Although Calvin regards 'all Israel' as referring to all the people of God including Jews and Gentiles, yet he does not exclude the restoration of Israel as a people to the obedience of faith". Since we do not know precisely how the Lord intends to order His future providence, let us be careful with our predictions and expectations. At the very least, F.F. Bruce would caution us that "in all that Paul says about the restoration of Israel to God, he says nothing about the restoration of an earthly Davidic kingdom, nothing about national reinstatement in the land of Israel. What he envisaged for his people was something infinitely better" And to that end which we find in verse thirty-two, let us focus the calling of all hearts: "For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all". What we can truly say about the success of the Old Testament Church we can also say about the New Covenant Churches as well, it is by God's mercy alone that we are to be saved!
None of our earthly institutions have been or will remain effective for the long term, because they are instituted, organized and administered by fallible human beings. In every age, the Lord our God has spoken to the true Israel of His Kingdom of the Spirit even Christ's own Church. It may be that Paul has been granted a vision of a miracle that we have so far never experienced, the complete turning around of a human administered religious organization?
In the face of historical fact, and the comfortable view of the Reformers and their like experience to that of Paul and the Apostles who witnessed to the dominant Church of their day, I believe that we are to focus men's hearts primarily on God's mercy alone. Is this not what we gather to praise God for weekly? Is this mercy not the focus of the wonderful doxology with which Paul closes this intricate and extremely difficult chapter? Did you hear those question marks? Please do, I am not going to encourage you to hold to my view on this whole section.
But I do insist that we all understand that the only salvation for both Hew and Gentile is given graciously to us through the incredible mercy of our Father in heaven. "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever!"
Resources Used: The Holy Bible, New International Version
Places Preached:Bruce, F.F. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Romans. Hodge, Charles. Romans. Mackenzie, R. Calvin's New Testament Commentaries: Romans. Murray, John. New International Commentary: Epistle to Romans.
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Rom11d.htm 14 January 96
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