Good morning. Paul then quotes some scriptures talking about
those who were hardened. God gave them eyes to see not and ears to hear not… I
say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by
their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.
Because they rejected God’s grace, we have the opportunity to become
Christians. It is the same today. People throughout the world have the
opportunity to receive Christ, but they choose to not do so. Now if their
transgression be riches for the world and their failure riches for the
Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! If the Jews had all accepted
Christ, the early church would never have turned to the Gentiles and preached
the word. I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an
apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy
my fellow countrymen and save some of them. The Jews could not stand the
thought of the Gentiles receiving anything from God. Paul was hoping that that
would at least make them curious about what he was preaching, so that they
would receive Christ. God did not accept the Jews simply because they were
children of the promise; they too had to believe. Father thank You that You
gave the Gentiles the opportunity to believe. Help this to be a very productive
day and week for the reader and his/her family.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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