ROMANS 11:27

“‘THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.’”

When I was young, I worked in my uncle’s and my cousin’s tobacco fields. That was hot, hard work. But it was also dirty work. I would come home at the end of a long day completely filthy. The tar from those tobacco leaves stains your hands and ruins your clothes. I found that green tomatoes could cut the grim from my hands. Getting clean from a day’s work was work in itself. I am so glad I am not responsible for getting myself clean spiritually. That’s God’s job.

Paul reflects on God’s covenant with His chosen nation today and seems to allude to Jeremiah31:33-34. What he writes in verse 27 of Romans 11 is more of a paraphrase than a direct quote. Those verses say, “33 ‘For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD: ‘I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 35 They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.’”

APPLICATION

What great words from the Lord to His people. Paul reminds us that God is a covenant-keeping God. He will never leave His children wanting. He still pursues the Jewish nation today. One day every knee will bow to Jesus, even those who are a part of the Jewish nation. He cleansed them once through the blood sacrifices and cleanses them today through the blood of His Lamb, Jesus Christ.

The same Greek word for “take away” is used in Hebrews 10:4 and is a reminder of the futility of those old blood sacrifices. “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” The word means to cut off take away. Isaiah 43:25 goes even further in this description of the removal of our sins. “‘I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.’” He removes them and remembers them no more. Wow!

Give the Lord praise today for this wonderful gift. You can probably remember your sins, can’t you? But God chooses to remember them no more. Once you come to Jesus, all He sees is His blood covering you. Can I encourage you to look at other’s sins the same way? Pray for them. Forgive them if they have harmed you. Place them in God’s hands. Only He can remove the stain of those sins, but we can move past them through His power.

O Lord, there are no words to express my gratitude for the forgiveness of my sins.

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