Verse 3 For I could wish myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. The interpretations of this verse have been both various and diverse. Some have given views that only weaken the true sense of Paul’s words, such as: (1) a thing “accursed” is only a thing devoted to death, so the apostle merely means he could wish to die for the sake of his brethren. (2) Others say that Paul only intended to state that he could be willing to be excommunicated from the Church. (3) Some even say that Paul “did wish,” meaning the words refer to the time before his conversion, when his history shows his madness, hatred and bitterness against the Lord Jesus and His Church. But none of these are honestly dealing with and true exegesis of the text, but rather objections to the real meaning of the apostle’s statement. He is saying, if the alternative were given that my brethren according to the flesh be save, or myself, and I was permitted to choose between their salvation and my own, could I affect their salvation by my being accursed, I could, indeed, wish to be accursed from Christ in their behalf. Paul felt as if he could take the place of his brethren, if, by doing so, he could save them from the fearful doom they brought on themselves from the rejection of the Messiah. The unbelieving Jews were doomed to destruction by Christ. Such was the ardor of Paul’s affection for his brethren, that, if the thing had been possible and proper, he could have wished, by sacrificing his own happiness, to have secured theirs. This is a clear display of the transforming power of true Christianity in Paul’s life and shows how passionately he felt as his whole being was swallowed up in the salvation of his people. This is similar to the expression of Moses (Exod. 32:32). The truth of God’s absolute sovereignty in election and reprobation, subjects that Paul is starting to write upon, does not swell the true elect with pride, but humbles them deeply before Him. Christianity does not unhinge the relations we have by nature with our families, friends, and countrymen; it draws them closer. Paul’s great desire for the salvation of his countrymen was due to (1) the greatness of the misery they had been doomed to — they were accursed by Christ, anathematized by the Messiah; (2) the closeness of his relation to them — they were his “brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh;” (3) the high privileges they had been invested with. True believers cannot speak of the subject of God’s sovereign rejection of the reprobates, who in our lives are our kinsmen according to the flesh, without feeling the same heaviness, the same continual sorrow for them which the apostle declares to feel in his heart. Any professor who rightfully speaks of God’s sovereign dealings with the children of men and rejoices in the damnation of his fellow man is no child of grace. God’s predestinating purposes divides the race of man, separating between persons of the same flesh and blood, causes the true saints to yearn over the souls of our acquaintances, as we see here in the example of the apostle Paul. The Christian parent experiences tremendous grief upon seeing a child walk the way of destruction. Spouses mourn over their mate, brothers and sisters groan over their siblings; Pastors over their flock, Christian children over their unsaved parents, and all the Saints over their friends, acquaintances and their country. In the words, of Mr. Robert Haldane, “In this way we may discern a characteristic of a Christian. He, who has no sorrow for the perishing state of sinners, and especially of his kindred, is not a Christian. No man can be a Christian who is unconcerned for the salvation of others.” — Lynn V. Connell, from Romans 9:3 of our commentary.BBS
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 04:20:18 +0000
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