Unceasing Anguish

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” (Romans 9:1-8 ESV)

So, what was Paul saying here? He was concerned for the salvation of his fellow Jews, his kinsmen according to the flesh, of his own race, by physical birth, not by the Spirit, who had not yet believed in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. They were God’s chosen people of the Old Covenant, and from their physical race was born Jesus Christ. But not all who are physical descendants of Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham just because they are his physical offspring. 

So, what is this saying? This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as his offspring. And what is the promise? It was that the Messiah (the Christ) would come through them, and it was a promise of an eternal inheritance with God for all who believed in God/Christ and for all who obeyed him. And if we belong to Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Galatians 3:16,26-29). 

So, the physical nation of Israel is not of God. They are not God’s chosen people. They are not the children of the promise. For it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but those who belong to Christ by genuine God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ. And by faith we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. But if we live by the flesh, we have no inheritance with God.

[Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-21; Luke 9:23-26]

So, whether we are Jew or Gentile by physical birth, we are only the children of Israel and of Abraham and of God if we have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, if we have died with him to sin, and if we are now living for him in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living. Not our physical race nor our parents religion nor our verbal professions of faith in Christ alone will make any of us to be children of God and thus heirs according to the promise. We must repent of our sins and obey our Lord.

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 9:4-8; Romans 11:1-36; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; 1 John 2:22; John 8:18-19,38-47; Jude 1:5; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16]

And this should concern us greatly, as it did Paul, that so many are falsely professing to be the children of God and heirs to the promise God made to Abraham and to his seed (Jesus Christ), whether Jew or Gentile by physical birth. And it should concern us greatly, too, that so many “Christians” are supporting and rallying behind an ungodly nation in their ungodly deeds when the Scriptures make it quite clear that all who deny that Jesus is the Christ are the antichrist – denying the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22).

Who we are to be rallying behind, and to be supporting, are our fellow Christians who by genuine faith in Jesus Christ have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, who are daily dying to sin, and who are walking in obedience to his commands, and who are serving the Lord Jesus with their lives in the areas of ministry to which God has called and equipped them for his service. And we should be supporting and encouraging all who are bringing to us the truth of God’s word and who are exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness.

But we are to be loving all people, and we are to be praying for all who do not know Jesus to come to genuine faith in Jesus Christ, whether Jew or Gentile by physical birth. For we are all going to stand before the Lord, and we will all have to give an account for what we did with Jesus, and with his gospel, and with our lives in response to what he did for us on that cross. For if sin is what we obey, in practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to our Lord, we will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Living Water 

An Original Work / November 21, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

My people have forsaken Me,

Their Savior, who died on a tree;

Made idols, and they worshipped them;

So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.

Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.

Those who turn away from You will be shamed;

The Spring of Living Water left behind.

Living Water satisfies.

The thirsty, let them come and drink;

Believe in Jesus as their King;

The gift of Jesus given them,

So they will never thirst again.

Indeed, the Living Water flows within.

It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.

Eternal life in heaven promised them.

Living Water glorifies.

Oh people, won’t you come to Him?

Obey Him and repent of sin.

Let Jesus come and live within.

Surrender all your life to Him.

My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?

Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.

Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?

Living Water sanctifies.

https://vimeo.com/379511565