all that Paul has said up until this point—about the impartiality of God, about the people of God being Jew and Gentile united in Christ, about the inadequacy and obsoleteness of the Law, about all coming to God on the basis of grace and faith in Jesus the Messiah—has begged the question of Israel. Why has Israel, by and large, rejected its Messiah? What is God doing with Israel? Has he forsaken his first chosen people (Israel) for a new chosen people (Gentiles)? If so, hasn’t God been unfaithful to his promises to Israel?
