Monday, 25 May 2026

Romans part 171 - One in Messiah 60

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Romans 11:32 For God has shut up all in disobedience, so that He might show mercy to all.

Sadly, we live in a fallen world. Gladly, we live in it, but are not "of" it. Yeshua said as much when He called us the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). In the same passage, He called us the light of the world. Thus, Paul writes in Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

There is an ongoing battle in the world today between the children of light and the children of darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, so that the Day might overtake you like a thief. For you all are sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night or of darkness - so then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain on the alert and sober-minded.

So there is good and evil, light and dark, seed and weed. The parable of the sower of seed comes to mind. You remember Yeshua's teaching from Matthew 13 ... The good landowner plants good seed, but his enemy secretly plants weeds among them. The good landowner says ... Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time, I will tell the reapers, 'First, gather up the weeds and tie them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

This is where we are today. The world is growing in unrighteousness. We must be growing in righteousness. Our subject verse is in two parts. First unrighteousness ... Romans 11:32a For God has shut up all in disobedience. For all have sinned. (Romans 2:23a) This is our evidence that Satan's administration is an administration of death, sickness, pain and suffering.

Not so with God's administration. We, who are saved, are the first fruit people of it. Jacob 1:18 By His will, He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created. And this speaks to the second part of our subject verse ... Romans 11:32b ... so that He might show mercy to all. By His mercy/grace, He saved us, "to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

It is the contrast between Romans 2:9 and Romans 2:10 ... Romans 2:9-10 There will be trouble and hardship for every human soul that does evil - to the Jew first and also to the Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and shalom to everyone who does good - to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The question left to be answered is, "How will you choose?" Choose wisely! Shalom shalom.