Has God rejected His people?
Aside from the interesting story about Elijah I read in an attempt to understand what Paul is saying here more, this was the one question that burned as soon as I began to read. Unsuprisingly, I suffer from an intense feeling of guilt when it comes to falling short of God's glory. I've mentioned it several times in past posts. One Bible verse that scares me the most is Ephesians 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God." The question that comes to mind is "will I ignore God's call for me to change so much that God gives up on me? Will God reject me?"
Salvation by grace is re-affirmed here. Paul states that "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace." I am amazed at how often I need to be reminded of the simplest truths of Christianity, but here it is: I have been saved, I am saved, and I will be saved not because of anything I did, but because God had reserved for himself a portion (Paul talks about Israel here, but a portion of humanity is also applicable) through grace.
But what about those who try so hard to please God? People like Israel, who earnestly sought God but did not obtain a relationship with him? Isn't that unfair? It's a danger for Christians (read: me) too. Jesus doesn't want Marthas (though I'm sure Jesus still ate her food). Rather, Jesus truly delights in Marys.
So I think the lesson here is to trust in God. Trust that God has truly saved me by his grace, and not strive to cheapen the salvation by thinking I could get a relationship with God by buying him candy.
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