Skip to content

Podcast: The Wonderful News That We’re Condemned Already

tep-podcastcover-1024x1024Jesus said that the world is "condemned already" (John 3:18). But He said it in the midst of declaring the good news that "God so loved the world..." (John 3:16). How does being "born in sin" turn out to be good news? Listen in...

SUBSCRIBE

DOWNLOAD

 

4 thoughts on “Podcast: The Wonderful News That We’re Condemned Already

  1. Brian Midmore

    Sorry to be the theological thought police. I looked up Rom 11.32. Paul of course is talking about Israel when he says that God has committed them all to disobedience. This happened through the Torah. The next part 'that he might have mercy on all' is extended to all humanity. This is shown by v30. In this verse Paul does talk of the gentiles being disobedient but I don't think the gentiles were committed to disobedience in the same way that Israel was by the Torah. By Israel being locked into sin by the Torah the blessing of Abraham was able to flow to the gentiles by the obedience of the Messiah. I'm not sure if I agree with your picture of Messiah joining us in exile. Like Moses he joins us in exile for a while but then leads us out of exile through his obedience into the promised land. So perhaps he leads out of Australia back to blighty!

  2. Brian Midmore

    Maybe its not so clear cut! In my NKJV it says 'committed them all' implying Israel. In my NRSV it says committed all implying the whole world. I don't know what the discrepancy is. Is Paul saying 'all are locked into sin so that mercy is the only solution' (a very reformed idea), or is he saying 'Israel was locked into sin so that the mercy of God could flow out to the rest of the world'. From his previous argument you might plump for the second version. But maybe he is bringing in a fresh idea.

  3. Glen

    I think the two levels of meaning run throughout chapters 9-11. The Israel of God is not according to the flesh (9:6). It has always been a Spiritual, faith-based thing (ch9; cf ch2). In 11:25f we see the intention for "all Israel" to be saved as the desire for an international community of ethnic Jews and ethnic Gentiles united in Christ.

    Chapters 9-11 are explaining how the promises to Israel have not failed but been fulfilled in the gospel. Israel's fall and restoration in Christ is a microcosm of Adam's fall and restoration (from ch5). Both are effected through Christ and - if you ask me - effected in the same way, at the same time and with the same gospel. For me "all Israel" in v26 is the Spiritual (not simply ethnic) Israel (cf ch9:6 and ch2). Therefore the alls at the end of ch11 have a more global concern. So yes, the history of ethnic Israel has been in view but its theological implications have always been global.

    Another way of saying it is, at the very least 11:32 can be *applied* to the Adam-Christ story even if the immediate context is the Israel-Christ story. Because even in the immediate context the Israel-Christ story has been a microcosm of the Adam-Christ story.

  4. the Old Adam

    Everything and everyone (apart from Christ) is consigned to sin.

    Don't kid yourself.

    We are in bondage to sin and cannot (will not) free ourselves.

    That's the ugly truth of it.

    But that Good News is that He loves and forgives the ungodly!

    People like you…and me!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Twitter widget by Rimon Habib - BuddyPress Expert Developer