If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
Paul magnified his office as apostle to the Gentiles for the express purpose of provoking to emulation and jealousy those who were his flesh, the Jews, that he might save some of them. His hope was that salvation coming to the Gentiles would stir his fellow Israelites to seek the same faith and return. That aim carries the expectation that many Jews will accept the light of present truth, be converted, and proclaim God's truth with power.
The verse stands within Paul's unfolding of the wisdom and knowledge of God, which closes with praise of the depth of His riches and His unsearchable judgments and ways past finding out. That praise leads directly into the lessons of Romans 12 on religious duty, where it is the privilege to increase in faith and righteousness and grow up in Christ the living Head. There every church member does his fitted work blending into a complete whole to prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Israel stumbled and fell by rejecting Christ, yet did not fall beyond recovery or beyond hope, and God did not cast them away. Their stumbling was not final, leaving room for recovery and return.
Through their fall and diminishing, salvation and riches came to the Gentiles and to the world, and God's revealing of His grace among the Gentiles was meant to stir Israel to jealousy and return. The diminishing of the Jews became riches to the world and to the Gentiles for this very purpose.
Their fullness and receiving again will bring much greater riches, for if their fall was riches to the world, their fullness will be far more. If their casting away was the reconciling of the world, their receiving will be as life from the dead.
Jews who turn from unbelief can be reunited with the faithful remnant, the true stock of Israel, as natural branches grafted back into their own olive tree. That true stock is Christ Jesus, into whom many of the seed of Israel may be grafted. They were broken off only by unbelief, and will be grafted in again when they abide not in unbelief.
Gentile believers grafted in must not despise the Jews or boast against them, but must fear, stand by faith, and continue in God's goodness. Boasting against the natural branches is forbidden because the fall was by unbelief and the way of return remains open.
Among the Jews the Lord has mighty men who, when grafted in again by faith, will proclaim the truth with power. Many Jews will accept the light of present truth, be converted, and proclaim God's truth with power.
The verse calls for patient, noble labor for the Jewish people to lead them to accept Christ, a great work to be done to save some of them. By such patient labor many of the seed of Israel may be saved and grafted into Christ Jesus the true stock.
That work for the Jews must be treated with special wisdom and carried out in all wisdom and righteousness to clear the King's highway. It must not be neglected or ignored, and the Jews are to be given every opportunity of coming to the light.
Jews who accept Christ may be cut off from their people and need a place of refuge. Those converted should be gathered in a home where they learn to work for their own people.
Paul magnified his office as apostle to the Gentiles for the express purpose of provoking to emulation and jealousy those who were his flesh, the Jews, that he might save some of them. His hope was that salvation coming to the Gentiles would stir his fellow Israelites to seek the same faith and return. That aim carries the expectation that many Jews will accept the light of present truth, be converted, and proclaim God's truth with power.
The verse stands within Paul's unfolding of the wisdom and knowledge of God, which closes with praise of the depth of His riches and His unsearchable judgments and ways past finding out. That praise leads directly into the lessons of Romans 12 on religious duty, where it is the privilege to increase in faith and righteousness and grow up in Christ the living Head. There every church member does his fitted work blending into a complete whole to prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Israel stumbled and fell by rejecting Christ, yet did not fall beyond recovery or beyond hope, and God did not cast them away. Their stumbling was not final, leaving room for recovery and return.
Through their fall and diminishing, salvation and riches came to the Gentiles and to the world, and God's revealing of His grace among the Gentiles was meant to stir Israel to jealousy and return. The diminishing of the Jews became riches to the world and to the Gentiles for this very purpose.
Their fullness and receiving again will bring much greater riches, for if their fall was riches to the world, their fullness will be far more. If their casting away was the reconciling of the world, their receiving will be as life from the dead.
Jews who turn from unbelief can be reunited with the faithful remnant, the true stock of Israel, as natural branches grafted back into their own olive tree. That true stock is Christ Jesus, into whom many of the seed of Israel may be grafted. They were broken off only by unbelief, and will be grafted in again when they abide not in unbelief.
Gentile believers grafted in must not despise the Jews or boast against them, but must fear, stand by faith, and continue in God's goodness. Boasting against the natural branches is forbidden because the fall was by unbelief and the way of return remains open.
Among the Jews the Lord has mighty men who, when grafted in again by faith, will proclaim the truth with power. Many Jews will accept the light of present truth, be converted, and proclaim God's truth with power.
The verse calls for patient, noble labor for the Jewish people to lead them to accept Christ, a great work to be done to save some of them. By such patient labor many of the seed of Israel may be saved and grafted into Christ Jesus the true stock.
That work for the Jews must be treated with special wisdom and carried out in all wisdom and righteousness to clear the King's highway. It must not be neglected or ignored, and the Jews are to be given every opportunity of coming to the light.
Jews who accept Christ may be cut off from their people and need a place of refuge. Those converted should be gathered in a home where they learn to work for their own people.