Grace is the operative principle of God's divine dealing with gentiles during the apostolic era, which ended in AD 70, and is the principle of divine dealing with Jews and gentiles since then. Does this mean God had no grace for Israel and the Jews during OT times. No, it does not mean that because God is a gracious God at all times, but during the OT, after the Mosaic law was given to Israel through Moses, the operative principle of divine dealing with them was "Law." Jesus Christ brought the Law to an end as the operative principle of dealing with them by his death. Does that mean there is no law any longer. No, it does not mean that but it does mean the saints are motivated to keep the law for a different reason now. It is inward, not outward. It is by the power of the Spirit of Christ, not by the power of the flesh. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth Rom 10:4.
Now, Jesus Christ said he came to fulfill all that was written in the law and the psalms and the prophets concerning him. This means he is keeping his promises to Israel. Even the promise of gentile salvation was a promise to Abraham and not to gentiles. Salvation is of the Jews, Jesus said in John 4 to the Samaritan woman.
One should understand from all the scriptures I have quoted already in this thread that God is dealing with the Jews first. This Romans passage from chapter 7, verse one, through chapter 11 is an explanation to them and about them as it relates to the history that is unfolding in these very early days of the church age when they look around and see gentiles accepted as equal with Israel in the body of Christ in spite of the fact God has made all these promises in immutable covenants with them. Remember, this Roman epistle was written in 58 AD. All the NT history from Acts 1 through Acts 18 had passed when Paul wrote this letter. There had been 28 years of church history for Israel and 18 years of church history for gentiles when this epistle was written. The Jews had a need to understand what God was doing during this time of national blindness of Israel that resulted in the unpardonable sin of that generation because of their national rejection of Jesus Christ.
Matt 13:13 Therefore speak I to them (Israel) in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
John 10:24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
Now I have quoted a parable from Luke, a prophesy of Jesus Christ in a metaphor, that describes this whole age. Jesus Christ has prepared a supper and he has guests who have been previously invited. It was not a breakfast, nor was it a lunch, but it was a supper. A supper comes at the end of the day when the work is over (Jesus said on the cross, it is finished, meaning the work is done). Those who were bidden would not come. Prophetically, this was Jerusalem and Judaea. Afterwards he sent them out to Samaria and Galilee and compelled them to come because their was yet room. Still later he sent them farther out to suspect characters, gentiles. What was the objective according to the wording of the prophesy, the purpose. It was so his house (family) might be FULL.
So, in Romans, the chapters I have mentioned already, we are going to read about the offspring of Abraham, who was the father of the people of Israel through Isaac after the flesh. This put them into the family of Abraham but it did not put them into the family of God. We read the story and find that God is intent on building this family and so he received them who would hear the invitation and come, just a remnant, but because there was not enough of them for his family, He invited others who were not of the family of Abraham and he was going to receive them as long as they would come. When they will no longer come, because of unbelief, his house will be full. It would be after that that he will save Israel and keep all those covenants that were made with Abraham's family alone.
The scriptures makes sense to those who will believe the words and will understand that one must be born again through faith in Jesus Christ before he will give the light of his glorious person and his ways. One must be sure of this above all else. A man who will teach others that he cannot believe is not going to help anybody when that is exactly what men must do to be born again.
I will be back to show some interesting things about Ephesians and election later, not because I think it will help you, but it will help someone who has a thirst for truth.
