Romans 1:16-17 (2)

What does it mean that the gospel is the power of God for salvation.. to the Jew first and also to the Greek?

There are 3 typical views on what the word "first" means:
1) Historical - the Jewish people received the gospel preached to them first, and then eventually it went to the gentiles
2) Evangelistic Order - the Jewish people should have the gospel preached to them first in any mission field or specific area, then the gentiles
3) Priority - the gospel is primarily a Jewish message and makes the most sense in the Jewish model of thinking, it is their Messiah and is closest to their own religious system

My opinion tends to lean most towards #3. There are grammatical reasons to see "first" being used as a continual priority. Also, when it says that "it IS the power of God"... IS is used in a sense in the Greek of a continual future, in other words, it is and continually will be... now we know that this IS modifies "the power of God for salvation".. but does it also modify "to the Jew first and also to the Greek?"

I and most would agree that it must based on the grammar. If this is the case, then we could reword it as.. " the gospel is now and will continue to always be the power of God for salvation... and is now and will continue to always be to the Jew first."

To get a better grasp of the sense of the word "first" we should turn to Romans 2:9-10: "There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek." (that verse sounds a little harsh, and I will comment on it when I get to that portion later)

In Greek, the word for "first" is "Proton". Proton is used both in 1:16 and 2:9-10. A common interpretative strategy is to try and see how the author will use the same word in the same book. Clearly, in 2:9-10, "first" does not carry with it the sense of a historical progression.. rather it is an issue of emphasis and priority.

First could also be translated in the sense of "especially" or "even more so"

The point here is this. The Scripture, both old and new testament, the promises of Messiah, our whole religious and faith system, comes from the Jewish people, and it is rooted in their system of thought and beliefs. Jesus himself was Jewish, grew up in a Jewish home with a Jewish mother. Read the Torah, went to synagogue, celebrated all the holidays. The Jewish people, and Judaism (broadly stated), represent the closest faith entity to what we find in New Testament teachings. Just think about it, 1/3 of the New Testament are quotations from the Tanak (old testament). Tanak is short for Torah (1st 5 books of Moses) Nevi'im (prophets) and Ketuvim (the writings).

This is the sense of to the Jew first. They are the closest to it, and although most Jewish people don't see it this way, I believe that Jesus and the New testament complete the Tanak and it's promises for the Messiah, and salvation. Indeed, God said that through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Sometimes Jewish people are quick to mention that Jesus has not fulfilled the Messianic Kingdom promised to David. This is true. Of course, Christians see it as the same Messiah coming two times, once to deal with sin, another to restore the kingdom (and at that point fulfilling the promises to David).

In spite of the fact that most Jewish people don't believe Jesus is their Messiah (although that has always been a small minority that has) there is still a special and unique place in the heart of God for the Jewish people, they share special covenants of love and promise with God through Abraham and David that are unilateral and irrevocable (though the Mosaic covenant was conditional based on their obedience, and in my opinion is now broken in God's eyes as evident in the lack of the priestly duties, sacrifice, and temple for almost 2,000 years). There is also a specific role they have played in history in bringing about the Scriptures and the Messiah Jesus, and there is also a future role they will play in bringing back the Messiah Jesus to reign as king at the end of the age. They will continue to remain a people, and God will continue to have a plan for them, until the end of the age.

More of this will be fleshed out in future posts in Romans, especially when we get in chapters 9-11. So, I cannot go into more detail now.

All that said.. when you see a Jewish person, remember, they are beloved of God (as are all people God has created). Also, like all other forms of racism, hate, and discrimination, there is NO room for Anti-semitism in the Christian faith.

In my opinion, being Jewish and believing in Jesus does not mean to leave your Jewishness behind and become a gentile Christian person. If anything.. Christians are grafted into Israel, not the other way around (see Romans 11:11-32). Most Christians have no clue about the Jewish roots of their faith, which is very rich and meaning and sheds much light on the New Testament, which is why Christians should try to re-educate themselves in these areas.