Romans 9:1-5
1 “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my countrymen, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and daughters, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple service, and the promises; 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”
Countrymen: Paul is heartbroken that his fellow Israelites are rejecting Christ. We see Paul’s intense love for his people shine through in his desire to be accursed in their place. It is important to recognize that Paul is concerned about Israel as a group, not as individuals. Corporate Israel had the Old Covenant and were his people in the Old Testament. However, something important is different in the New Covenant as Paul will develop in the rest of the chapter: The Gentiles, as a group, are now chosen by God alongside of Israel (Romans 9:30). In the New Covenant, God has formed one new body of believers called the church, comprised of both Jew and Gentile (see also Ephesians 2:14).
