Romans 11:28

Romans 11:28 says, As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.  I believe that Paul was still attempting to tell the Gentiles that they had no reason to feel superior to the Jews or anyone else because they were saved by Christ.  The fact that the Jews had rejected Christ brought the gospel to the Gentiles.  Had the Jews not rejected the gospel, they would have been the ones bringing the gospel to the Gentiles.  The Jews were and are still loved by God. I believe this special relationship has nothing to do with anything that the Jews, or Israel ever did, but simply has to do with the fact that God chose them to work through to reveal Himself to the world.  The same can be said of anyone.  We as followers of Christ do not have a special relationship with God because of anything we did of our own merit.  Verse twenty-nine adds, For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  I believe that Paul is saying that the call of God to all people goes out even before we repent.  I do not believe that this means repentance is not necessary when we accept God's call, but that He calls and equips us even before we acknowledge Him.  Verse thirty continues, For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: The Gentiles in the past had not believed God, and there are certainly many, many today who still do not.  Still, through the gospel of Christ, we are called to be God's people in the world today by accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We have obtained the mercy of God, even though His chosen people do not accept Christ.  Verse thirty-one, states, Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.  We, as followers of Christ, now have the responsibility of reaching out to the Jews, wherever they may be, with the gospel.  They failed to follow God's leadership, but He still reaches out to them.  Verse thirty-two adds, For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.  I believe that Paul was saying that that the failure of the Jews to follow God's leadership showed the need for the mercy of God, not the law or heritage, to bring salvation to everyone, including those who were called His people. Verse thirty-three continues, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! This tells us where we stand in relationship to God's knowledge.  His knowledge and wisdom are so deep that we cannot understand them even if we try.  I believe this is why the gospel is so simple even a child can understand it.  We do not have to have all the answers about why everything happens.  We only have to put our faith in one thing that did happen, the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Verse thirty-four states, For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller?  When we continually ask God why something did or did not occur that we wanted, we are attempting to God counsel God.  We cannot always know the why of everything, but we can know God is with us if we are His followers.  That should be enough no matter what happens in life.  Verse thirty-five adds, Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?  I believe that Paul is asking what can we give God that wasn't already His.  We can offer nothing but obedience to Him through faith in Christ. Everything we have already belongs to God.  Verse thirty-six continues, For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.  Once more, we must acknowledge first and foremost that everything is God's today and forevermore.