Romans
11:23 And
if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to
graft them in again.
The passage before us is one of hope. Hope that the
Jews of our day will not persist in their unbelief towards Jesus Christ as God’s
Son, the Messiah of Old Testament prophecy. Paul looks forward to the day when
they would change their minds and embrace Christ.
Although unbelief separates people from God, it is
equally true that faith is the bond that unites people to Him. God is slow to
respond to unbelief. Slow because He wants all people to have the opportunity
to hear of Jesus Christ. He is slow so that others may be aroused to envy our
life as it reflects the true faith and trust in God’s Son. People who do not
believe in Christ choose to not believe. They find the story, the promises and
the “coincidences” surrounding his life, death and resurrection too much to
believe. They cannot fathom in their minds the reality of what the Bible
teaches. Unbelief is their only response. Their minds are fixed on the
scientific nature of what can be and what cannot be. They need proof.
Faith is not scientifically based. It cannot be
proven by measuring or assessing the facts. Faith is defined as “the substance
of things hoped for and the certainty of things not seen”. To expect the truths
of Scripture to be scientifically or even rationally proven is to expect what
can never be. Faith is, by its nature, something not seen but is hoped for.
So the question we are left with is how anyone can believe
the Gospel? This is the stumbling point for anyone who does not believe in
Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Savior of mankind. The Jews of long ago
tripped on this. The unbelieving world today trips at this point. So who can
believe? How does someone believe?
Because Jesus lives forever, he is able to save
completely those who come to God through him. He always lives to intercede for you.
All things are possible with God, because He is able.
