Romans 9:3 “For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,”
Many years ago I was in my freshman year at The Criswell Bible College in Dallas, Texas and one of the required classes for all new students was Evangelism with Dr. Paige Patterson, the President of the College. Dr. Patterson was a huge believer in the memorization of Scripture. We were to memorize 7 verses a week. Yes, 7 verses a week or 1 verse a day! The verses he assigned us to memorize were tied to evangelism and Romans 9:1-3 were one of the first of the assigned verses.
Romans 9:1-3 tells of the Apostle Paul’s heart for his fellow Israelites to be saved. He writes, “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,”
This is so very sobering. Here we find the Apostle Paul wanted to see other Jews saved so badly that he himself wished he could go to hell rather than them.
Dr. Patterson did not just give us verses to memorize but he taught the meaning of the verses. As he taught on Romans 9:1-3 I can still hear him asking us how much did we really want to see family and friends, neighbors and even strangers, come to know the Lord. There was silence in the room that day as we paused to consider how badly the Apostle Paul wanted to see fellow countrymen be saved as he said he wished he could be accursed so they could be saved.
Accursed. Paul wished he could be accursed. Accursed means to go to hell. It means to be cut off. The ESV says, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
Now we know that what Paul wished cannot happen but what a heart for the lost.
Are you brokenhearted over a lost family member, friend, neighbor, associate, and/or stranger that you would rather go to hell so they could go to heaven? Is your heart filled with sorrow and grief that the lost are lost and headed to an eternity in hell?
Two more questions. Are you weeping for a lost person to be saved? Are you witnessing to a lost person to be saved?
May our hearts be as broken for the lost as the Apostle Paul’s heart was.
Continue strong with a broken heart for the lost.
And remember to Date the Word