"For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh who are Israelites…." Rom 9:3-4a

Would you give up your own salvation that another might be saved? This is a penetrating and deep question that cannot be answered honestly without some serious thought. Paul says in this verse that he wished that he could be condemned to the destruction of Hell if it would mean that his Jewish brothers would come to know Christ. What kind of selfless love would actually be able to say this with integrity?

Paul said in the preceding verses that he has "great sorrow and continual grief in his heart." This sorrow is borne out of his fellow Jews denying that Jesus was the Christ. He mourned their rejection of the one and only Savior. He was deeply saddened and wished they would repent and believe. Back in chapter 5, Paul made the statement that "scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die." This verse challenges one to ask the question whether or not you would be willing to give your life for an undeserving sinner? This would be a great sacrifice indeed. To lose one's life is the highest tangible sacrifice to give for another. But even in dying, you would depart to be with Christ. It is a great sacrifice, but there is great gain to follow. But Paul raises the stakes to their highest level in this verse. He would be willing to give up eternity with Christ, that one of His countrymen would be saved.

Of course Paul knows that this is impossible. He has just stated in the preceding chapter that "nothing can separate us from the love of God which in is Christ Jesus our Lord." He knows that once you are a child of God you cannot be divorced from the family. God does not adopt His children, and then abandon them once again to the orphanage of sin. So, this is a theoretical statement. Nevertheless, we get a glimpse into Paul's heart, and see the depth of the mourning he feels in his soul for his fellow Jews.

Do we have that kind of zeal for our lost brothers and sisters? Is there a burning desire within us to do give up nearly anything that they might know Christ? We often have trouble giving up time and comfort for that we might invest the gospel in the soul of one who does not know Him. We consider it an inconvenience to speak a kind word, to pray for our lost brethren, to invest in a relationship with the intention of testifying to the Lord's grace. If these small sacrifices are difficult for us, we certainly cannot imagine giving up our life or something even greater. What are we willing to do for our brethren? Will our love for Christ overflow to them as well? Can we imitate the intensity of Paul's love for the souls of his countrymen?