Tag: Chrestomathy

“Now this means that it is not possible to be in sync with the purposes of God in this world without loving the Jewish people. Christians who fall prey to antisemitism are trying to disrupt the grace of God for the whole world. It is counterproductive; it is anti-gospel. Gentiles who start boasting over against Jews are ignoring the plain warnings that Paul left for us. Boast not against the branches. At the same time, as other portions of this book make plain, loving the Jews as God does, for the sake of their fathers, is not the same thing as approving of whatever the Jews might do, or agreeing with Zionism, or agreeing with the present position of the current administration of the Israeli government, whatever it might happen to be. That is not the point. The point is that a peculiar animus against the Jews is out, and to give way to it is to rebel against God’s gospel strategy.”

American Milk and Honey, pp. 144-145

“Father and God, why are You so distant?
Why are You so far from delivering us?
Why does the Church continue to languish,
Lulled in our apathy, dead in our sleep?
Are You asleep too? Why hold back Your quickening?
Is it really Your will we continue to languish,
Enfeebled by all of our compromised thinking?” ().

21 Prayers, p. 52

“Retrieve us all now from the dank and low dungeons
Of our dark desires, of our leprous wants
And usher us into the great marble palaces
Of Your high desires, that thirst that You give us.
In the Word we have read that at Your right hand
Is a river, a torrent, of infinite pleasure;
Help us to want and in wanting want that.
Help us to hunger and thirst for true righteousness.”

21 Prayers, pp. 49-50

“The unbelief of Israel brought the Gentiles in, and the belief of the Gentiles is going to bring the Jews back in. Now Paul says that all of this is a prophetic mystery, now revealed, and revealed in order that that Gentiles would not become conceited. Salvation is from the Jews (Jn. 4:22), and always will be.”

American Milk and Honey, pp. 142-143

Paul “did all of this because he was heading off a primitive seed form of antisemitism—believing Gentiles vaunting themselves over against unbelieving Jews. But his command is explicit: ‘Boast not against the branches’ (v. 18). ‘Be not high-minded but fear’ (v. 20). Antisemitism is therefore nothing less than disobedience to an express apostolic command.”

American Milk and Honey, p. 142

“Father, we want to be more than correct
We want more than ‘tiny, proper, and small.’
Enlarge us, I pray, so that we might begin
To see by faith’s eyes all You have promised.”

21 Prayers, p. 47

“We also request a full and glad readiness
To forgive any others for sins they’ve committed
Against us—our names, reputations, or lives.”

21 Prayers, p. 47

“Boast not against the Jews. Boast not against the unbelieving Jews. Boast not against the Jews who were plotting against Paul. Any why? Because they still have a role to play. There is a reason why Paul says the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (Rom. 11:29).”

American Milk and Honey, p. 136

“So how do you explain the Jews then? They were the elect nation (Is. 45:4), and they were expending more than a little energy trying to kill the apostle Paul, as they had in fact killed the Elect One of God (Isa. 42:1), their own Messiah. It sure seems like something had separated them from the love God.”

American Milk and Honey, p. 135

“The Jews had stumbled because of a covenantal and ethnic presumption, and Paul cautions the Gentile Romans against committing the very same sin. What happened to the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem could certainly happen to the See of Rome. And why? Rome did not support the root, but rather the root Rome, and faith alone kept the sap flowing.”

American Milk and Honey, p. 135