Romans 1:8-17 To the Jew first and also to the Greek - Part 2

Introduction

As we study through Paul’s letter to the Roman believers, we will look at: the Good News (or Gospel), salvation, trust in God, the righteousness of God, and the dynamic of Jews and Gentiles living together as one new man in Messiah Yeshua. We will hopefully all get to know Yeshua better and learn more what it means to live by emunah (faith).

Last week we started talking about the topic of “To the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Today , we will read the same 2 verses from Romans 1:16-17 and continue to look into this foundational idea.

Romans 1:16–17 TLV

For I am not ashamed of the Good News, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who trusts—to the Jew first and also to the Greek. In it the righteousness of God is revealed, from trust to trust. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by emunah.”

To The Jew First

What does this mean? Why would Paul say that the Good News is firstly? David Stern translates this verse as: Rom. 1:16 (CJB)

Complete Jewish Bible Chapter 1

to the Jew especially, but equally to the Gentile.

There is no doubt that Paul understood that the Gospel was for the Gentiles. I mean, he was called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. So what does Paul mean that the Gospel is firstly for the Jewish people? Joseph Shulam writes it this way:

Paul states the main theme of his whole letter: God’s “wisdom” is His purpose to redeem the whole world through His own people, Israel, “to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the (Temple) service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Messiah (Rom. 9:4-5). The people of Israel are the bearers of God’s promise to Abraham (Rom. 4:13) that in him “all the nations of the world would be blessed” (Gen. 12:2, Gen. 18:18, Gen. 22:18) Yeshua is the fulfillment of God’s promise since he is “the righteousness of God” (Jer. 23:5-6, Rom. 3:21). He has broken down the wall of partition and hostility (Eph. 2:12), and thus provided the way for God to make the Gentiles part of the commonwealth of Israel. The nations will then turn all of Israel back to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by provoking them to jealousy through their service of Him, following Israel’s temporary rejection of God’s Messiah (Rom. 11:11)

For this reason, Paul would always make it a priority, whenever he would travel to a new city, that he would always first go to the Jewish community and Synagogue and share the Good News with them first.

What about Paul’s rejection of the Jews?

Now some might point to the scripture in Acts 18:6 where Paul, in frustration at their rejection of Yeshua, cried out in Corinth:

Acts 18:6 TLV

But when they resisted and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said, “Your blood be upon your own heads—I am clean! From now on, I will go to the Gentiles.”

However, just a few verses later, after leaving Corinth, Paul travels to Ephesus, and what do you think he does? Acts 18:19-21

Acts 18:19–21 TLV

When they arrived at Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila there. But he himself went into the synagogue and debated with the Jewish people. When they asked him to stay longer, he declined, instead taking leave of them while saying, “God willing, I’ll return to you again.” He set sail from Ephesus.

Doesn’t Paul mean Chronologically first?

Another response that arises with regards to Paul’s statement of the Jews being first, is around timing. Is it not true that Yeshua came first to the Jewish people, but they had their shot and now the Gospel is going to the Gentiles?

David Stern, in his Jewish New Testament Commentary, quoted from Mitch Glaser, the current leader of Chosen Peoples Ministries. He shows that Mitch presented three options in his 1984 Covenant Theological Seminary lecture titles “To the Jew First: The Starting Point for the Great Commission”.

[Mitch] concluded that it does not refer only to “historical priority,” to the historical fact that Yeshua brought the Gospel to the Jews before Gentiles knew about it, or to Sha’ul’s always proclaiming it to Jews prior to focusing on Gentiles - although both are historically true. Nor does it refer only to “covenant priority,” the idea that - as John Murray put it in his commentary on Romans “ Salvation through faith has primary relevance to the Jew … arising from the fact that [he] had been chosen by God to be the recipient of the promise of the Gospel and that to him were committed the oracles of God,” although this too is true. Rather, “to the Jew first” means that there is a “present priority” to proclaim the Gospel to Jews, and [believers] should acknowledge [this].

This does not mean that all believers should always seek out the Jewish people in their community and declare the message of Yeshua to them, although that is exactly what Paul did, as we just read. But what it means is that, as the LCJE clearly stated: “There is, therefore, a great responsibility laid upon [believers worldwide] to share [about Yeshua the Messiah] with the Jewish people.” Not that every evangelist, or every missionary must talk to Jewish people before they talk to Gentiles. But there is a calling on the Body of Messiah, “to restore ministry among this covenanted people of God to its Biblical place in the strategy of world evangelization.” [LCJE Occasional Papers #7]

Two Ways of Salvation?

There are some who try to say that there are two ways of Salvation, the Jewish people have their way, and the Christians have Jesus. This verse in Romans counters that view entirely. Firstly there is only 1 Good News, it is singular, and as we mentioned last week, the Good News is about a person, Yeshua. Secondly, Paul points out that this Good News is equally for the Jewish people as it is for the Gentiles. While there might be a priority to take the Gospel to the Jewish people first, we know that Paul was actively involved in taking the Good News to the Gentiles.

I have been told, “Well we Jewish people have Moses and the Torah, and you Christians have Jesus.” The problem with that statement is this, If Jesus is not the Jewish Messiah, then he isn’t anyone’s saviour. You see the Good News is that Adonai has kept His word and has provided a way of salvation, “according to the Scriptures.” But of course, “the Scriptures” that Yeshua was referring to, was not the New Covenant, because it had not been written yet. The Scriptures that are referred to by Yeshua and by Paul was the Tenach (the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings).

The other part, as C.S. Lewis pointed out in Mere Christianity:

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [speaking of Yeshua]: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse…. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

If Paul truly believed that there was more than one way to become righteous before Adonai, then he would not have been arrested, charged with blasphemy, and eventually killed. Paul does not give 2 options, one for the Jewish people and one for the Gentiles.

Righteous shall Live by Emunah

Instead, Paul continues and states that anyone who wants to be right with God, or to be considered righteous by God, can only attain that status through living by emunah.

Here Paul quotes from Hab. 2:4

Habakkuk 2:4 TLV

Behold, the puffed up one— his soul is not right within him, But the righteous will live by his trust.

Paul will spend the next 11 chapters expounding upon this concept of living by faith. Firstly we see that the word emunah in Hebrew or pistos in Greek can be translated as meaning: faithful, reliable, believing, or trust worthy. As seen in the verse in Habakkuk, the translator has used the world trust. This is an active verb, not just a passive state of being. We are called to live by faithfully trusting

The question then comes up, “Well because it is a verb, what or who is the object of that trust?” In other words, we trust in something or someone. We saw earlier in verses 3 to 4 that the trust must be placed in the Person of Yeshua, and the salvation and atonement that His death brings us.

In verse 16 we read that the power of God for salvation is available to the one who trusts. Paul will show in detail that trusting God is what brings salvation, forgiveness, holiness, and ultimately resurrection. Trusting God’s provision of Yeshua’s death to cover our sins, brings forgiveness.

Trusting God, the Great Equalizer

Trusting God is also the great equalizer. What do I mean? Well, if salvation is based upon our works, then those of us who have a stronger will, more self control, or a greater ability to deny ourselves obviously have a better chance. And for those of you who are relying on your being a good person, let me ask you, “How is that going?” You see, God does not only expect us to be a good person, he expects us to be perfect. This is how Yeshua put it in Matt. 5:48

Matthew 5:48 TLV

Therefore be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

But He is just paraphrasing the passage in Lev. 11:44a

Leviticus 11:44 (TLV)

“For I am Adonai your God. Therefore, sanctify yourselves, and be holy, for I am holy.

So, while you may think that you are good in comparison to others, do you think that you are perfect or as holy as God is?

So we break God’s commandments, even the small ones, and we realize that we are not right with God. So how are we made right with God? How are we made righteous?

Paul is showing that each one of us is made right by God, through us trusting Him, something that everyone of us can do. We may choose not to, but we can all choose to trust God.

And before you think that this is simply a New Testament idea that Paul came up with, let me quote the Rabbis in Makkot 24a

Rabbi Simlai continued: King David came and established the 613 mitzvot upon eleven mitzvot, as it is written: “A Psalm of David. Lord, who shall sojourn in Your Tabernacle? Who shall dwell upon Your sacred mountain? He who walks wholeheartedly, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart. Who has no slander upon his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up reproach against his relative. In whose eyes a vile person is despised, and he honors those who fear the Lord; he takes an oath to his own detriment, and changes not. He neither gives his money with interest, nor takes a bribe against the innocent. He who performs these shall never be moved” (Psalms 15). Eleven attributes that facilitate one’s entry into the World-to-Come appear on this list.

Rabbi Simlai’s exposition continues: Isaiah came and established the 613 mitzvot upon six, as it is written: “He who walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; he who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands from holding of bribes, who stops his ears from hearing blood, and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil” (Isaiah 33:15).

Micah came and established the 613 mitzvot upon three, as it is written: “It has been told to you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord does require of you; only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Isaiah then established the 613 mitzvot upon two, as it is stated: “So says the Lord: Observe justice and perform righteous-ness” (Isaiah 56:1).

Amos came and established the 613 mitzvot upon one, as it is stated: “So says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek Me and live” (Amos 5:4).

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak objects to this: There is no proof that the verse in Amos is establishing all the mitzvot upon one; say that Amos is saying: Seek Me throughout the entire Torah, as the verse does not specify the manner in which one should seek the Lord.

Rather, say: Habakkuk came and established the 613 mitzvot upon one, as it is stated: “But the righteous person shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).

What does this mean? This one passage in Hab. 2:4, which is expounded upon in 3 New Covenant letters (Romans, Gal 3:6 & James 2:23), is also recognized by the Rabbis as being the very foundation of how we are made right before God. Gen. 15:6

Genesis 15:6 (TLV)

Then [Abraham] believed in Adonai and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Application

Let’s sumarise and look at the application for our lives.

Firstly, with regards to the Good News being for the Jewish people, Mitch Glaser writes in an article on Chosenpeople.com:

As the leader of a traditional mission to the Jewish people, I believe that all Jewish people need to accept Jesus in order to have a place in the age to come (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). I do not believe that a Jewish person is capable of keeping the Law to the extent that their human efforts would in some way satisfy God’s demands for righteousness, enabling the individual Jewish person to enter heaven on their own merit (Gal. 2:15-16, 3:23-25, Romans 10:2-4 ff.). This is true of non-Jews as well, who are judged on a different basis than the Jewish people according to the argument of the Apostle Paul in the early chapters of Romans (Romans 2:12-16, 3:9-20), but non-Jews are also made acceptable before God by the same act of conscious faith in the Son of God who died and rose for our sins (Romans 10:9-12).

I also believe it is a biblical mandate for Gentiles in the Body of Messiah to reach Jewish people with the Gospel message. In fact, according to Paul’s statement in Romans 11:11, the Gentiles are to make the Jewish people jealous. The Great Commission has application to both Jewish and Gentile believers; however, the Scriptures do not present Jewish evangelism as simply one aspect of the Great Commission among many. It is a unique venture that is specifically addressed in Scripture and once again, Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, is the biblical spokesperson who argues for this position.

Secondly, we see that the foundation of being made right with God is based upon choosing to trust Him. Abraham trusted Adonai, David trusted Adonai, Micah, Isaiah and Habakkuk trusted Adonai, and of course, Paul trusted Adonai. We must also, just as those who have gone before us, choose to trust in the provision that Adonai has made, namely the death of Yeshua the Messiah as the payment for our sins.

Only by by choosing to trust in what God has done will we be righteous enough to enter into God’s presence and therefore into heaven.

So, let us all priorities reaching our Jewish friends and family with the Good News about Yeshua, while also reaching the rest of the world, and let us put our trust in God, and the provision that He has made through Yeshua HaMashiach.