5 - Romans 9–11: Paul defends his mission to the Gentiles for the sake of the Jews

Summary

Introduction

Romans 9–11 offers strong support for the thesis that Paul is concerned to present his gospel and ministry and even himself as not inimical to the interests of Jewish Christians. The promises to the forefathers, the Law and most of all the potency and fairness of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are central convictions of Jewish Christians. In Romans 9–11, Paul will challenge head-on the implicit objections to his gospel and ministry as constituting a rejection of God's promise to Abraham and covenant with Israel. Several exegetes have suggested that Romans 9–11 is Paul's further response to the objection raised in 3.1–9. Romans 9–11 returns to the primarily negative aspect of Protreptic, countering alternative proposals.

It may be that many Jewish Christians called into question the very premise of Paul's ministry, namely that there should be a Christian mission to the Gentiles at that time. Even a Jewish Christian who had no objection to the Gentile mission in principle, might sensibly ask: since there are still so many Jews who have not received the gospel, should Christian missionaries (and such an effective one as Paul) ignore the unredeemed Jews and turn their attention to Gentiles? Above all, might not the same Jewish Christians object and assert that it is Paul's reputed disdain for Jewish tradition that has made the conversion of Jews virtually impossible! It seems to me that a close reading of Romans and in particular Romans 9–11 suggests Paul is seeking to convince his readers that his gospel neither impugns the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob nor denies the elect status of Israel.