Chosen by Grace
The Torah-observing group, the “weak” Christians in Rome, put a lot of stock in the idea that they were God’s chosen people. They likely perceived things like circumcision, dietary restrictions, and observance of holy days as indicators that a person was part of the chosen people. However, Paul wrote that not all Torah-observing Jews were actually children of Abraham. The true children of Abraham are those who receive God’s gracious gift of covenant membership the way Abraham received it, as a promise received by faith. This seemed incredibly unfair to those who could not believe God would give covenant membership to Gentiles over their unbelieving Jewish relatives. It’s easy to scoff at this ethnocentrism, but do we often show preference to those who share our culture, over those who share our faith? (Scripture: Romans 11:1-5)
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