Wednesday, November 1, 2023
“If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them” (Romans 11:14 KJV).
What is “emulation?”
Read today’s Scripture in context: “[11] I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. [12] Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? [13] For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [14] If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.”
At present, the nation Israel is fallen before God. In other words, the God of the Bible is currently reaching the world without converted Israel. He is not forming the nation Israel today, but rather developing the Church the Body of Christ. This is the Apostle Paul’s ministry and message. Salvation and blessing are being extended to the Gentiles or nations without Israel’s kingdom, without Israel’s covenants, without the prophetic program. Understandably, this was extremely offensive to the Jewish people in Paul’s day and it is still unpopular now—even among “Christian” church members. It is most inconvenient for a Jew to accept the fact that he is no different from a Gentile in God’s eyes. Nonetheless, the Holy Bible is true.
“Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:11-13). By proclaiming this truth, Paul was “provoking to emulation” a certain group of people, to the intent he would “save some of them.”
Let us search the Scriptures for more insight into this principle….
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