When Paul declares in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek,” he establishes a principle that runs throughout Scripture. This order—“to the Jew first”—wasn’t merely a historical accident or cultural convenience. Rather, it reflects God’s deliberate redemptive plan unfolding across salvation history. But why did Jesus and the apostles maintain this priority, and what does it mean for us today?

 

BIBLICAL FOUNDATION: SCRIPTURE AFFIRMING JEWISH PRIORITY

The New Testament consistently demonstrates this “Jewish priority” principle. Jesus Himself declared, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24), focusing His earthly ministry primarily among the Jewish people. Though He occasionally ministered to Gentiles, these were exceptions highlighting the future expansion of God’s kingdom.

This pattern continued in the early church. In Acts, we see the apostles consistently beginning their ministry in Jewish synagogues before turning to Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas explicitly stated, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you [Jews]” (Acts 13:46). This wasn’t merely strategic—it was theological.

 

THEOLOGICAL REASONS FOR JEWISH PRIORITY

Why this priority?

1. It demonstrates God’s covenant faithfulness. The gospel came to Jews first because God made specific promises to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:7). As Herman Bavinck, the Dutch Reformed theologian, wrote: “The particular line of revelation that runs through Israel is not in conflict with God’s universal intention but is precisely the way in which that universal intention is realized.”
2. Israel was uniquely prepared as God’s covenant people. They possessed the Law, the prophets, and the promises (Romans 9:4-5). Jesus Himself affirmed, “Salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22), recognising the Jewish context of God’s redemptive work.
3. Romans 9-11 reveals God’s ongoing purposes for ethnic Israel. Even Israel’s temporary hardening serves God’s greater purpose of bringing salvation to the Gentiles, with the promise that “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26).

 

MISUNDERSTANDINGS TO AVOID

This priority doesn’t imply Jewish superiority or exclusive salvation. Rather, it demonstrates God’s covenant faithfulness in fulfilling promises in their proper order. As John Calvin noted, “The Jews are in some degree superior to others, but this is not owing to their own worthiness, but because the Lord has honoured them with peculiar favour.”

The principle has nothing to do with ethnicity itself but with God’s redemptive-historical purposes. The universal scope of the gospel remains absolute—“everyone who believes” receives salvation. The Jewish priority is about the order of proclamation, not limitation of recipients.

 

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

This principle shaped apostolic ministry and should inform our understanding of missions. While the gospel has now gone to all nations, we recognise God’s covenant with Israel hasn’t been revoked. As Paul writes, “As regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:28-29).

Reformed theology has historically emphasised God maintains special purposes for the Jewish people within His redemptive plan. This should inspire both respect for God’s covenant faithfulness and hope for future restoration, as suggested in Romans 11.

 

CONCLUSION: TO THE JEW FIRST

The principle “to the Jew first” reminds us God is faithful to His promises across generations. He works through specific historical contexts and covenants to accomplish His universal saving purposes. This pattern reveals both the particularity and universality of God’s redemptive work—beginning with Israel but extending to all nations.

As believers today, we can trust the God who faithfully fulfilled His promises to Israel will likewise prove faithful to all His covenant promises to us in Christ. For “if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches” (Romans 11:17-18). Rather, we should marvel at God’s wisdom and the perfect unfolding of His redemptive plan.

 

TO THE JEW FIRST: RELATED FAQs

How do contemporary Reformed scholars interpret “to the Jew first” today? Contemporary Reformed scholars like Michael Horton and Richard Mouw emphasise this principle as demonstrating God’s covenant faithfulness rather than establishing permanent priority in evangelism. Mouw particularly argues in his work on Christian-Jewish dialogue that this principle should foster respect and special concern for Jewish people today without mandating prioritised evangelism. Most Reformed thinkers today see this as a theological principle about God’s covenant faithfulness rather than a missions strategy.

• Does “to the Jew first” imply support for modern Israel as a nation-state? The biblical principle of “to the Jew first” addresses God’s covenant relationship with ethnic Israel in salvation history, not modern geopolitics. Reformed theology distinguishes between theological promises to Israel and political claims of the modern nation-state. While some Reformed thinkers see prophetic significance in Israel’s restoration as a nation, most carefully separate covenant theology from political endorsements.
• How does “to the Jew first” relate to the “already/not yet” framework in Reformed eschatology? The “to the Jew first” principle fits within the “already/not yet” tension of Reformed eschatology because it acknowledges both fulfilled promises and future hopes regarding Israel. As GK Beale argues, the promises to Israel have been inaugurated in Christ but await consummation that includes ethnic Israel’s restoration. This places Jewish priority within the broader Reformed understanding that God’s kingdom is both present and future.
• Are there distinctives between Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed views on “to the Jew first”? Dutch Reformed tradition (following Kuyper and Bavinck) has often emphasised the ongoing election of Israel as a people more strongly than some Presbyterian traditions. Presbyterian thinkers sometimes lean more toward seeing the church as the complete fulfilment of promises to Israel. However, both traditions ultimately affirm God’s covenant faithfulness and the theological significance of Jewish priority in salvation history.
• How does the “to the Jew first” principle inform Reformed views on supersessionism? Reformed theology has historically struggled with supersessionist tendencies (the view that the church simply replaces Israel), but contemporary Reformed thinkers increasingly reject hard supersessionism. Scholars like Richard Mouw and Craig Blaising advocate “progressive covenantalism” that sees God maintaining distinct promises to ethnic Israel while including Gentiles in salvation. The “to the Jew first” principle reminds us that God’s covenant with Israel remains intact even as it extends to include Gentiles.
• What would Paul’s missionary strategy look like today in light of “to the Jew first”? If Paul were ministering today, he would likely maintain theological awareness of Israel’s priority while adapting his methodological approach to modern contexts. He might develop ministries that honour the Jewish roots of Christian faith while proclaiming Christ as the fulfilment of Jewish hopes. Reformed missiology suggests contextualising the gospel for Jewish audiences without creating separate paths of salvation.

How does Romans 11:25-26 (“all Israel will be saved”) relate to the “to the Jew first” principle? Romans 11:25-26 suggests a future large-scale turning of ethnic Jews to Christ, which connects directly to the “to the Jew first” principle. Reformed scholars like O Palmer Robertson and Richard Pratt see this passage as indicating that God’s redemptive priority for Israel bookends salvation history—beginning with Israel and culminating in a significant ingathering of Jewish people. This future hope reinforces the continuing theological significance of Jewish priority throughout redemptive history.

 

TO THE JEW FIRST: OUR RELATED POSTS

• A Prophet Like Moses: How Jesus Fulfilled the Deuteronomy 18 Test
• Who Is Isaiah 53’s Suffering Servant: The Messiah or Israel?
• How the Torah Points to Christ: Prophecies, Patterns, Promises…
• The Tabernacle: How Does It Point to Christ’s Incarnation?
• Types of Christ and His Cross in the Old Testament
• Jesus in the Old Testament: Glimpses of the Coming Saviour
• Jesus in the Jewish Festivals: From Shadow to Substance