Difference in expectations

One struggle we find when trying to understand scripture is that the writings were initially for other people in another setting, a foreign culture, and those people probably had a different life goal than you understand for your life. Beyond this, the writers were led by the Holy Spirit and viewed their audience from God’s viewpoint, as a group of people, not individuals. Today, most readers have an individual focus. This can create a large difficulty as we study scripture, understanding the dividing line between group and individual focuses. Bluntly, God is concerned with both the group and the individual, but scripture speaks widely about groups, not individuals. In the Old Testament, groups of people were known by the family name of one ancestor.
When Jesus came to earth, He fulfilled the plans God had made through out history when He established God’s kingdom. This was also a designation for another group of people, but God allowed only the people who believed in Jesus to be admitted into this group, or kingdom. This means these people also believed God exists and provides for His individual servants, who inhabit this kingdom. Another designation of this new group was Christians, or those of the family of Christ. Another designation for this is the called out into a kingdom, church. In these names and descriptions, we observe an intersection of two different groups who trust in God, Israelites, who trusted in God and those who trusted in Christ, or Christians.
In the letter to the Romans, Paul uses history of God’s people to reveal this intersection. This is an appeal to the Jews asking them accept Jesus as Messiah, providing all that God had been promised throughout history. When Paul speaks of the Remnant of Israel, he means a remnant of those who believe in God and follow His guidance, and accept Jesus as the Messiah. Paul argued the reason Gentiles are being accepted into this prized kingdom was not a general rejection of all those who believed in God previously. Rom. 11:1 set this context, “ I ask, then, has God rejected his people?” Israel was a group of people who came to be known as Jews of the tribe Hebrews. In their struggles to survive and serve God, their challengers are groups of people, not individuals. Even the individual, Goliath was representing a group of people, Philistines.
Those first believers asked the fundamental question, and we observe a shift from group action to individual action, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”- Acts 2:36-39 (ESV). This question was about how to resolve their sin toward God, and everyone of us, nowadays must also address this same question. After baptism, we are then left in the wake of this action: I am now indwelt by the Holy Spirit; I am a servant of Jesus, “what does He want me, personally, individually, uniquely, to do in order to please Him? I have tried to read the Bible and I see many statements about what He will do, but He doesn’t seem to be doing this for me.” You might think further, “I accept that I am on a unique individual spiritual journey and I would like the Holy Spirit to help me understand, but I just don’t seem to receive what I think I need.” Even with the Holy Spirit guiding you toward sanctification and the end goal, you must understand, He will guide you at the pace you need; we must not become anxious. You may find the stories about how He guided other people were in another setting, a foreign culture, and had a different goal than you have for your life. Perhaps you arrive at a point at which you conclude, “there is no specific guidance about what I, personally, individually, should do. And I don’t want to make anymore mistakes!” This can be a frightening conclusion. The first thing one needs to realize is there is no mistake that will separate you from the indwelling Holy Spirit. Although His guidance may seem unclear at times, He can use whatever you choose to do that is consistent with those actions Jesus demonstrated as He lived life here on earth. He is our example.
{Israel?) Throughout Romans, Paul tries to explain how God’s chosen people, Israel, are not all of God’s people. Israel was not only a man’s name, but also a descriptor given to Israel's decedents, the people chosen by Jehovah God to do His will, never just a land mass. For centuries Israel had been told that God had only one group of people He cared for. The Israelites the only people who had descended from the patriarch Abraham and continued to follow God’s laws, despite a time most were completely away from them. These Israelites had staunchly defended their title as God’s people. When Jesus came, He initially focused on the Jews or Israelites. This is shown by comments such as to the Gentile woman asking for help, “He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs” - Matt 15:24-26 (ESV). But at another time, He would also say, “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd”- Jn. 10:16 (ESV). This indicates, the title “Israel” (God’s people), was expanded to mean all those who accepted Jesus as God’s son, the Messiah, and Savior. Jesus also described recompense for the kingdom of heaven compared to some workers in a vineyard. When those who worked longer complained, he said, “But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last” – Matt. 20:13-16 (ESV). This is one part of the issue Paul is addressing. While Paul points out that “All Israel (now those who believe in Jesus) will be saved, however unbelievers in this new manner of following God, or those who have turned away from God, will be rejected and removed, leaving a remnant of true believers in Jesus - Rom. 11:1-6 (ESV). After Jesus' resurrection, God’s chosen people, “Israel,” became anyone who accepted Jesus. Paul would describe this as, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” – Gal. 3:28 (ESV). Both Jesus and Paul have in mind a group of people, not specific individuals. So, when he tells the Romans, “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob” – Rom. 11:26 (ESV), he is telling them that Jesus is the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel (Jacob).