Not Special the Way We Think

Scripture: So what difference does it make who’s a Jew and who isn’t, who has been trained in God’s ways and who hasn’t? As it turns out, it makes a lot of difference—but not the difference so many have assumed. Romans 3:1-2

Observation: Paul spends a fair amount of time discussing the topic of Jewish Christians, and specifically about behaviors and rituals that are now up for new interpretations due to the ides of salvation by faith. It is a newly complex topic, as Jews previously understood their compliance with Mosaic law to define their relationship with Yahweh. However, they now have a relationship with the Messiah, Jesus, knowing they are saved by faith, and that their gentile peers in this faith have explicitly been told that compliance with Jewish practices is not required. It gets confusing at best.

One extreme view is that all Christians can ignore 'sin' as faith brings forgiveness and salvation (even to the point that sinning yet being forgiven somehow demonstrates God's love even greater), however that concept is easily dismissed. Some Jews think they should be just like other Christians and no longer care about compliance of their ancestorial practices. Some believe they are Jewish and thus need to comply with Jewish practices, and that gives them a higher 'status' in the Christian faith.

So Paul is asking ... does being Jewish matter? And his answer is ... yes, but not for the reason y'all believe it does. And this is actually a fact of the Jewish people going back a thousand years ... it very, VERY much matters that they were (and still are) the chosen people of God, but not in the way they understood it. They were not a nation that had exclusive access to - and love from - the Lord. They were rather a nation of priests, set apart as an example of God, and blessed in order to take that blessing to the rest of the world. The Lord is the Lord of everyone, not just Israel, and the Jews were to inform the world - by word, deed, and example - how wonderful it is to trust in the Lord.

Applications: Just like the Jews, Christians today are special, but NOT special the way we think we're special. We aren't special because we're forgiven, or blessed, or loved. We aren't special because we can find joy in hardship, can hear guidance from the Holy Spirit during tough issues, or experience miracles around us. Every single person can receive all that ... in fact it is the will of the Lord that every single person would receive all that, and so much more.

We are special because we are supposed to bless others. We are supposed to help and encourage and love the rest of the world, in Jesus' name. For those who do not know Jesus, we are supposed to be the source of joy and hope, and then upon seeing us as that source - and transitively that Jesus is our source - they discover Jesus.

I am not special because Jesus loves me. I am special because Jesus has decided to allow me to participate in the process by which he loves the entire world.

Prayer: Lord, may I fulfill my purpose today, showing others your joy, hope, and love. Amen.