I suggest that anyone reading your conclusion here, go ahead and also read beginning with Romans 8:28 and all the way through Romans 9 and Romans 10 and all the way through to Romans 11:32. Then, also, a really thorough and diligent student might do well to read (for the sake of understanding Paul’s analogy in Romans 11 about the olive tree, with which readers of the Book of Mormon who have studied it diligently are completely familiar through writings that came from a prophet of the Old World from among the Jews, now given to the world through Jacob chapter 5) Jacob 5 to understand the olive tree analogy thoroughly.
Parker,
I did as you suggested. I reread Romans 8 to 11, so I could better understand your interpretation. It’s always a pleasure to read Paul’s writings because he has such a deep understanding of the teachings of Jesus, because of his knowledge of the OT Scriptures, as well as Jewish Law and its history, and how they both relate to what Jesus taught. Being a very highly educated and faithful Jew, he had a wonderful insight into Jewish understanding and traditions.
Then, I also read the 5th chapter of Jacob in the BoM, per your request, just to see what you were referring to about the parable of the olive tree. No offense, but that chapter was very difficult for me to read, in more ways than one, but it certainly did make the LDS interpretation of that parable (a la Joseph Smith) much more clear to me. I wish I could say that I was happy to learn about it, but as you can probably imagine, I was not. Was I really surprised by what I read? Nope, not at all. That whole chapter could have probably been shortened by at least half, and the intended meaning would still be just as clear (although some of it still made no sense to me, whatsoever… particularly the part where the vineyard owner said he burned up all the ‘withered branches’, but a few paragraphs later said he replanted them in ‘hidden spots’
). Joseph certainly could have left out all of the unnecessary repetitions, that just made it more tedious to read.
Romans 8:28 talks of being “called according to his purposes”. Verse 29 talks about Christ being the “firstborn among many brethren.” This is not talking about Christ’s immediate family who were children of Mary. It is talking about “many brethren” as a very large multitude of people.
Verse 28 refers to all those that are called to love and follow Jesus, and do whatever God inspires them to do, to fulfill their obligations as Christians. However, “Many are called, but few are chosen” to be true Saints. Most of us will barely make it by the skin of our teeth, and unfortunately, many others will fall by the wayside and give up before reaching the goal.
Verse 29 is a reference to Jesus being the Head of the Church, the “firstborn” of all Christians that will be saved by His death and resurrection. We all become His “brethren”, and the adopted children of God, when we’re Baptized into His Church.
One should read and study Romans 11:16-17 and 31-32 in order to understand the entire doctrine that Paul was referring to in these chapters. The descendants of Esau would be counted among the “Gentiles”, and the descendants of Jacob are of course counted among the house of Israel–and Paul says they all obtain mercy, and that the righteous of the house of Israel whose hearts were not hardened and therefore who believed in Christ and stumbled not (see Romans 9:32-33) are among the “called”, and these “called” share the gospel and bring about the meaning through the atoning grace of Jesus Christ, of
“he might have mercy upon all”.
He “might” have mercy upon all, is not necessarily a guarantee that He will. We still have to do our own part, in order to receive His gift of Mercy. Our own actions are a huge factor in our salvation. If we live our entire life full of sin, without having any true sorrow or repentance for them, then we will throw away our only chance at salvation that God freely offers to us. It really doesn’t matter whether we’re Jews or Gentiles.
So if a person has studied all the above, then it comes as no surprise that God could have plans for the descendants of Esau and plans for the descendants of Jacob, and they all fit within His plan of salvation. The scattering and gathering of the house of Israel then makes complete sense as part of the fulfillment of Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation, not for the Jews only or for the Gentiles only, but for all.
I have studied the above, but I’m not so sure about your concept of the “gathering of the House of Israel”. If you’re referring to the establishment of the
nation of Israel, as its own country, having something to do with the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation, then I think you’re a little off base, there. I think when God uses the term “gathering”, He’s referring to the Jews being converted, and accepting Jesus as the true Messiah, in the end. He will gather them all into His Holy Church, where they will finally find their salvation.
Paul did not “deny” pre-existence in those chapters. The words “among many brethren” and “firstborn” indeed point directly toward the pre-existence of “many brethren”. The Jacob and Esau comparison make it clear that God had a plan, in the pre-existence, that encompassed Jacob and his descendants as well as Esau and his descendants, and that is all for the good, because “mercy” will come “upon all”.
No, I think you’re reading something into it that isn’t there. Those phrases taken out of context might be interpreted that way, but in the proper context of Paul’s teaching, they clearly refer to Jesus and His faithful followers, that remain true to His Church and His teachings, until the end.
It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.