“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” -Romans 10:1
Paul concludes this part of his argument—that the Jews failed to obtain the righteousness of God at no fault of the Covenant but at the fault of their unbelief—with an inclusio. An inclusio is a literary device whereby the author restates his initial assertion, bringing his argument full-circle. Back in Chapter 9:1-4, Paul started this line of reasoning by saying,
“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.”
Now he repeats that his heart’s desire and his prayers consist of wanting to see Israel saved. In other words, as the minister to the Gentiles, he has not turned on Israel. He longs to see them reconciled to God by faith in Christ Jesus. Might this be the longing and prayer of everyone of us, that unbelievers will be reconciled to God by faith in Christ.
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