3. What does “Christ is the end of the law” (Romans 10:4)
mean?
• “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us
to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
(Galatians 3:24)
Christ is the goal or the
purpose of the law.
• “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law
or the Prophets; I did not come to destroy but
to fulfil.”
(Matthew 5:17)
Christ is the fulfilment of
the law.
• “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for
you are not under law but under grace.”
(Romans 6:14)
Christ is the end of the
law as a means of
salvation.
4. The ceremonial law helps us understanding the ministry and sacrifice
of Christ.
We don’t need to keep the ceremonial law anymore, but we must
study it so we can learn more about Jesus.
The moral law shows us that we are sinners; it is our tutor that brings
us to Christ to be forgiven.
We must keep the moral law, because it shows us God’s will in our
lives.
5. Has God rejected his people, Israel (Romans 11:1-6)?
The Jewish nation exhausted their
time of grace; they rejected the
Gospel when they stoned Stephen
(Daniel 9:24-27).
Nevertheless, God –by his election of
grace– kept a remnant for himself, so
they could obtain salvation.
6. “What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect
have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Just as it is written:
‘God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see
and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.’” (Romans 11:7-8)
Israel didn’t obtain salvation
because they rejected Jesus as
the Messiah.
Those who are hardened
cannot see or hear because
they don’t want to.
But those who accepted Jesus
as the Messiah are part of the
remnant of the people of Israel
(“the elect”).
7. The Jews who had rejected
the Gospel could accept it
then, as they see how the
Gentiles were obtaining the
same salvation they once
rejected.
Does the Jewish people have a new
opportunity to obtain salvation
(Romans 11:11-15)?
“if by any means I may
provoke to jealousy those
who are my flesh and save
some of them.” (Romans 11:14)
8. What did Paul want to teach with the example of the olive tree
and its branches (Romans 11:16-24)?
The Gentiles shouldn’t be proud and
despise the Jews.
The Jews who rejected the Gospel can
accept it now.
We can lose salvation and obtain it again.
The root: Christ
The olive tree: The remnant
The broken off
branches: Israelites
who rejected the
Gospel
9. What do “the fullness of the Gentiles” and
“all Israel will be saved” mean (Romans 11:25-26)?
Here we find the conclusion of the
illustration of the olive tree and
its natural and grafted branches.
“Until the fullness of the Gentiles
has come in” means that the
Gospel will be preached all over
the world (“to every nation, tribe,
tongue, and people” Rev. 14:6)
Every Gentile (the grafted
branches) and Jew (the re-grafted
branches) who accepts the Gospel
becomes part of the spiritual
Israel (the olive tree). The
spiritual Israel is “all Israel” who
will be saved in the
End Time.
10. To spiritual Israel have been restored the privileges accorded the people
of God at the time of their deliverance from Babylon. In every part of the
earth, men and women are responding to the Heaven-sent message
which John the revelator prophesied would be proclaimed prior to the
second coming of Christ: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour
of his judgment is come.” Revelation 14:7
Never has the Lord been
without true representatives
on this earth who have made
his interests their own. These
witnesses for God are
numbered among the spiritual
Israel, and to them will be
fulfilled all the covenant
promises made by Jehovah to
his ancient people…
E.G.W. (Prophets and Kings, cp. 59, p. 713-714)
11. “For as you were once disobedient to
God, yet have now obtained mercy
through their disobedience, even so
these also have now been disobedient,
that through the mercy shown you
they also may obtain mercy. For God
has committed them all to
disobedience, that He might have
mercy on all.” (Romans 11:30-32)
God wants to pour His mercy, His love and His
grace on everyone.
Accepting His divine mercy and sharing it with
others depend on us. Many people can know
about it and accept it.
