Irrevocable Gifts and Calling!

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Angelina

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For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable

I have quoted this scripture many times in the past and had come to believe [without checking the bible properly] that Paul was talking about ministerial "gifts" like teaching, preaching, evangelism, apostleship healing etc and with this -his calling on our lives being irrevocable.


The dictionary describes irrevocable as: not being able to change, reversed or recovered. Final

When placed within the context of the chapter you can see he was talking about something entirely different.

Romans 11
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable

30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,

31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

What do you believe Paul is saying here? :)
 
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Angelina

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Romans 11
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable

30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,

31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!


Okay, I think that enough time has passed for me to give insight to what believe this verse is saying.
The gifts represent how we came to be saved by faith.[Gentiles] The calling are those who were beloved for the sake of the Fathers. [Israel]
 
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Hidden In Him

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Romans 11
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable

30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,

31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!


Okay, I think that enough time has passed for me to give insight to what believe this verse is saying.
The gifts represent how we came to be saved by faith.[Gentiles] The calling are those who were beloved for the sake of the Fathers. [Israel]


Hey, sister! I might have responded but I didn't see this until now.

I personally think the gifts here are prophets, apostles and teachers. In Ephesians Paul stated:

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:8-12).

Now the apostles and prophets of the Lord were first sent to the Israelites, as the Lord Himself said when He told them:

34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Matthew 23:34-39).

When the apostles and prophets were rejected by Israel, God sent them to the Gentiles instead. Thus Paul says earlier in Romans Chapter 11, "I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, in the hope that I may provoke my own people to jealousy and save some of them." (Romans 11:13-14). The word apostle means literally "sent one," i.e. one sent of God. So he was saying God has sent me to the Gentiles (as a gift), to provoke the Jews to jealousy because He sent me to them and not Israel.

In a way it does indeed relate to salvation, because how can they believe unless they hear and how can they hear unless one is sent. But I think the "gifts" here relate more specifically to those who are sent, and in great power to confirm the word with signs and wonders following, since the Greek word used is "charisma," which everywhere else in the New Testament is used of the spiritual gifts in particular.

Just my thoughts. Interesting question.
 

DPMartin

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For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable

I have quoted this scripture many times in the past and had come to believe [without checking the bible properly] that Paul was talking about ministerial "gifts" like teaching, preaching, evangelism, apostleship healing etc and with this -his calling on our lives being irrevocable.

The dictionary describes irrevocable as: not being able to change, reversed or recovered. Final
When placed within the context of the chapter you can see he was talking about something entirely different.


Romans 11
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable

30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,

31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

What do you believe Paul is saying here? :)


for one, what version are you quoting? it reads way different the KJV plus you left out the subject at hand:


Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 
Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 
Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 
Rom 11:28  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 
Rom 11:29  For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 
Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 
Rom 11:33  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! 
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 
Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 
Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 


also calling isn't chosen, "many are called few are chosen", gifts don't really have to mean spiritual here either. God's favor to nations that promoted and sustained the gospel in the world and treated the Jews His People well is historical proof of what Paul speaks of here.

and the calling will not be withdrawn even if there's no one hearing it. in Noah's day God waited until every imagination of men was evil:

Gen 6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 
Gen 6:6  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 

hence now the calling doesn't stop, even if every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil continually. and man will destroy himself because he doesn't hear the call. which comes to another subject of the return of Christ.
 
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