Do we appreciate to the full why the Jewish believers of the early church «were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on Gentiles»? Why they were amazed that «God had granted repentance» to Gentiles for eternal life? Sacred history is to be seen through enlightened Jewish eyes, revealing that Israel was initially the sole beneficiary of God's revelation before Christ. For the most part the Gentiles were «allowed . . . to walk in their own ways.» Such was according to divine predestination and the prerogative that God has the freedom to be merciful on whom he desires to be merciful. At the coming of Christ–to the surprise of Jewish believers–Gentiles in numbers became subjects of God's electing love as well. Jesus died for «the world» in the sense that he died for Jew and Gentile. And God's freedom in predestination continues to be manifested in the election of both Jew and Gentile, with Christ dying specifically for all those elected of God, as a wide survey of New Testament texts verify.
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Edmond Smith. The Scandal of God’s Forgiveness
The Scandal of God’s Forgiveness
Table of Contents
Introduction
Forgiveness through the Eyes of Israel (1)
Forgiveness through the Eyes of Israel (2)
Redemption in Matthew
Redemption in Mark
Redemption in Luke
Redemption in John
Redemption in Acts
Redemption in Romans
Redemption in 2 Corinthians
Redemption in Ephesians
Redemption in Timothy
Redemption in Titus
Redemption in Hebrews
Redemption in 1 Peter
Redemption in 2 Peter
Redemption in 1 John
Redemption in Revelation
Conclusion
Bibliography
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Edmond Smith
Such a Joy, as none can move:
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A remnant of Israel was forgiven and released, but surprisingly some Gentiles became the object of God’s mercy and were also released and forgiven—the Old Testament makes this plain. We say “surprisingly some Gentiles” . . . because (to reiterate) the majority of those released and pardoned at the time were of Israel. Many in ancient Israel did not have saving faith, but that some Gentiles did at the time does not obscure the fact that God chose Israel to reveal himself comprehensively to the exclusion of passing over most in the rest of the world.
If such exclusion is evident, then it suggests unsurprisingly that once Christ came, God would continue to offer pardon and forgiveness according to his prerogative and pleasure. Although this thought may seem to be countered by claiming God merely revealed himself to Israel so as to have a nation from which Christ would come—a nation that came into existence merely to serve as a preparation for Christ—it overlooks the fact that the world outside of Israel was passed over by God and was not the object of his saving grace before Christ. Even in Israel herself there was a considerable number who hardened their hearts towards God and became the objects of his anger. In Hebrews the writer says that those of ancient Israel had the gospel preached to them (Hebrews 4:2), which means that outside of Israel in ancient times by and large most of the Gentiles did not have the gospel preached to them. Paul in writing the letter to the Romans tells us that apart from the gospel the heathen have no excuse for not believing in God, in the same letter telling us that God, according to his prerogative, hardens whom he wills and has mercy on whom he wills (Romans 9), even with the coming of Christ.
