Romans 10

Study Guide 127: Romans 9-11 RIGHTEOUS IN HISTORY? Overview These middle chapters of Romans have not been as popular as the rest. They shift from the meaning of Jesus’ death and endless life for us to other issues. And they introduce concepts over which Christians still debate. Many of Paul’ s readers in New Testament times were Jewish, and a Jew might well wonder if God was being righteous in justifying all by faith. After all, God had given Israel great covenant promises. And this Gospel of salvation by faith totally ignores the covenants. How could Paul dare to speak of as righteous the God who broke and ignored His ancient word? Romans 9-11 contains Paul’ s answer to this major objection to the validity of the Gospel of salvation by faith. Part of that argument rests on two difficult theological concepts. SOVEREIGNTY. The word is not found in Scripture. But the concept — that God is free to act as He chooses, without any limits set by the actions of another — is deeply rooted in the biblical concept of God. ELECTION. The New Testament often uses the term “ the elect” or “ God’ s elect” to identify believers (cf. 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1). The Greek words indicate a “ choice or selection.” Some Christians believe that election implies God’ s choice of who will believe, while others say it implies His choice of those who do believe. See Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 1:11.

Commentary “ But I want to draw like Paul now!” Every so often my youngest, Tim, was filled with an awful sense of urgency. He felt such a terrible need at 13 to be able to do every thing his 19-year-old brother did. And to do it just as well. I heard it on the basketball court when Tim missed. Now was such a burden for Tim. He knew so many things he would be able to do only in the future. I could understand my youngest son’ s feelings. You can too. Often you and I feel the same kind of urgency to see more evidence of Christ’ s presence in our lives. We want to be like Jesus now. The dimensions in which we still need to grow bother us deeply. We feel like the Apostle Paul when he placed himself under the Law and struggled to live up to the righteousness he saw expressed there. He tried. And when he failed, he felt condemned. But then God taught him those truths which he shares with us in Romans. God has taken us out from under the Law. Law did its work in making us aware of our sin and failure. The Law did its work in making us feel condemned. The Law did its work in forcing us to look away from ourselves to God — to find some other way. And God had that other way prepared. Righteousness is imputed to men by faith. The death of Christ provided a basis on which forgiveness could be extended, freely, to all. What’ s more, the faith through which forgiveness comes also is the secret to actually becoming righteous. Through faith, in a deepening personal relationship with God, the new in us grows, and the Spirit’ s power is released to shape Christ Himself in our personalities. The Law shouted out demands, telling us what we should be but are not. Grace invites us to accept ourselves as forgiven sinners — and to trust God to help us become new. But becoming takes time. And becoming sometimes disturbs us. We fail to see that God seeks progress rather than perfection. When we step out from under the Law and realize that we have been given time enough to grow, the pressure is removed. What joy! We can be ourselves — as immature and unskilled in God’ s ways as Tim was in his games — and yet we can rejoice in the fact that we still please God. We are growing, and it is growth He seeks. God does not condemn. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Tell briefly of Tim’ s frustration as he played with the author and his more mature brother. Have your group members list words: “ How does that kind of frustration feel?” Ask them to transfer these feelings to the personal and spiritual realms, and think of at least one area in which they now feel frustrated. Then, against this background, ask each to read Romans 8:18-39 and look for one message from God to them in their frustration. Let the group members share the message they find in this wonderful passage. Sum up by noting that we are assured of God’ s love as we keep on growing. Even in our times of frustration, we know that nothing “ will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul’ s words of praise in Romans 8:18-39 culminate in a joyful shout. And we shout for joy along with the great apostle. It’ s hard for us to grasp at first, but those words brought outraged objection from many Jews. Their thinking went something like this. “ If God is so steadfast in His love, why has He abandoned Israel? Why have the promises to God’ s Old Testament people been so summarily set aside, to the benefit of Gentiles? Can Paul’ s God of righteousness justify His behavior toward the Jews?” On the surface, the Israelites had a strong case. We cannot read the Old Testament without being struck by the fact that God outlined there a glorious future for the Jews. They, the descendants of Abraham, are promised the land of Palestine as a perpetual possession. They, the descendants of Abraham, are promised a special relationship with God in which He claims them as His own. They, the people of David, are promised that one day a Descendant of David will mount His throne and rule not only over Israel but over the entire earth. When this promised King, the Messiah, comes, then Israel is to enter her days of glory. Israel’ s God will be recognized by all. The Gentiles will come to the Jews to learn about God, and will recognize the Lord as Lord of all. In those days of glory, peace will cover the whole earth, and the Messiah-King will enforce righteousness. Thus, the blessing of all humanity depends on the Jews. The proud, despising Gentile will recognize that Israel has been God’ s own all along. This, the Jews firmly believed, was Israel’ s heritage. This was Israel’ s hope. And it was all rooted in what the Old Testament prophets proclaimed. But when Jesus came, everything seemed to change! This Person, whom Christians proclaimed as Messiah and Lord, rejected the throne and chose a cross instead. And now Paul was preaching Jesus and faith to the Gentiles — and the Gentiles were believing in Him! Becoming like Jesus, not ruling with the King, was the focal point of the great missionary’ s concern. And those promises of a kingdom for Israel seemed to be set aside while Paul went on and on about “ righteousness.” With all Israel’ s dreams of glory seemingly shattered, how could Paul speak of God as “ righteous” ? Hadn’ t God’ s Word and promises been broken? How dare Paul write with such confidence of God’ s enduring love? These are challenging questions. Yet Paul in Romans 9-11, went about answering them. He began with history. And ended with a look ahead, into the future. This same approach, looking back and looking ahead, is important for you and me in our own spiritual lives. When we — like Tim — sense the gap between what we are and what we yearn to be, we need to look back and see what God has done in our lives. And we need to look ahead, to see what God will do as He shapes Christ in us. We are in the process of moving toward that goal; we cannot truly know ourselves or God’ s grace until we see our lives from the perspective of the whole of God’ s great plan for us. It’ s this way too in God’ s dealings with Israel. The Jewish objectors failed to see God’ s actions as righteous. They lacked perspective. They failed to understand history — and they failed to look far enough ahead. Paul, looking back and looking ahead, shows us that God is righteous — and sovereign too.

Israel’ s Rejection: Romans 9:1-33The true Israel (Romans 9:1-6). Paul was proud of his Hebrew heritage, and was anguished over those of his race who had not responded with faith to Jesus, their Messiah. He fully acknowledged his Jewish critics’ claim of a special relationship between Israel and God: “ Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the Law, the temple worship and the promises” (Romans 9:4). Yet present events did not mean that God had gone back on His word (e.g., that “ God’ s word had failed” ). The failure was not God’ s but Israel’ s! The keystone of this first argument was Paul’ s statement, “ For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” Descendancy (Romans 9:7-13). Paul went back into sacred history and showed that, first of all, the promises never included all physical descendants of Abraham. Ishmael, though a child of Abraham, was not included in the covenant promises; only Isaac was (Genesis 21:12). Later Jacob and Esau were born as twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. But God’ s purpose included one, and excluded the other! Before the boys were even born (and thus before they could have done either good or bad, so that their actions were no basis for God’ s choice), God announced that one was chosen and the other rejected as a participant in the covenant line. Note here that “ hated” (Romans 9:13) is used in a legal rather than emotional sense. It reflects an ancient inheritance formula. God chose Jacob to be heir to the promise, and decisively rejected any claims of his brother, Esau. So far, then, Paul had established from history that the idea of “ Israel” has never meant simply the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Sovereignty of God (Romans 9:14-23). At this point Paul’ s readers might make another objection. Paul had said that God chose Isaac and Jacob. Was it fair for God to choose some and reject others? Here Paul took a definite stand. The God revealed in the Old Testament is a Sovereign God. He acted freely, without His actions being limited by what mere humans might do. And among His freedoms is the freedom to: Have mercy on whom I have mercy . . . and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. Romans 9:15Historically Pharaoh was given authority in Egypt by God — so that God might “ display My power in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So, Paul argued, God has mercy on those He chooses to, and He hardens those whom He wants to harden. Paul reemphasized his position. A potter forms the clay into vessels that suit his own purpose. Who are men, mere lumps of clay, to argue with the God who shaped humanity? This strong view of sovereignty has repelled some. Yet two things need to be considered. First, Paul in emphasizing sovereignty is not dealing with free will. If we go back into the Old Testament we find the Bible speaks both of God hardening Pharaoh’ s heart, and of Pharaoh hardening his own heart. God did not, in exercising His choice, violate the freedom of choice of His creatures. God did not force Pharaoh to do anything he would not have freely chosen to do. Second, all humanity lies lost in sin, willingly and willfully alienated from God. The divine choice was made in eternity past that some be saved, even though all deserve condemnation. God was not and is not obligated to see to it that all are saved, even though the death of Christ is sufficient payment for all. While some see Paul’ s reference to two groups — “ us,” the “ objects of His mercy,” and the “ objects of His wrath” — as evidence that God acted to choose each individual among “ us,” others see it only as evidence that God decided there would be two groups. In this second view, which group a person belongs to is strictly a matter of his or her own free choice. Yet however we interpret its implication, it is clear that Paul argued from his conviction that God is sovereign. God is free to act, and has acted in history as He chose to act. And God as God has that right! Gentile salvation (Romans 9:24-33). Returning to his theme, that never in history has “ Israel” included all the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Paul quoted the Old Testament to make two points. First, the Old Testament has always taught that Gentiles would be saved (Romans 9:24-26). And second, the Old Testament has always taught that only a remnant (a part and not the whole nation) of Israel will be saved (Romans 9:27-29). So Paul’ s Gospel of salvation by faith is actually in complete harmony with the Old Testament, and does not suggest that God is unfaithful! It is just that “ faith” has become the key to bringing in the Gentiles, and to separating the spiritual remnant from the merely physical descendants of Abraham.

Israel’ s Rejection Explained: Romans 10:1-21Paul’ s desire (Romans 10:1-4). Paul had dealt theologically with the issue the Jews had raised. Then he moved to an emotional level to express his deep passion for his own people. Paul again shared his deep desire that the Jewish people come to know Christ. And he pinpointed Israel’ s problem: they have disregarded the “ righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own,” refusing to “ submit to God’ s righteousness” (Romans 10:3). It is this spiritual orientation, not God’ s unfaithfulness, which had led to the current rejection by the nation. Hope (Romans 10:5-13). Yet there is hope for the individual Jew, just as there is now hope for the individual Gentile. Christ has come down from heaven, died, and risen again. All that is left for a person to do is to believe. It is not a matter of “ doing” the Law, but of confessing that Jesus is Lord, and believing in Him in one’ s heart. Everyone, each individual, who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Thus God is faithful still, and this Gospel message (as Paul’ s Old Testament quotes in this section prove) is in full harmony with the Word God spoke in the Old Testament to the Jews. History (Romans 10:14-21). One issue remained. Faith is stimulated by a hearing of the Good News, the Word of God. Had Israel had that opportunity? Of course! History demonstrates, in the prophets who cried out to Israel over the centuries as well as by the written Word Israel received, that God had spoken the Word to Israel that was to be received by faith. But those same prophets testified that Israel, though hearing, had not as a nation ever understood! In the words of Isaiah: All day long I have held out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people. Romans 10:21We can sum up Paul’ s argument to this point quite simply. History indicated that “ Israel” had never meant every physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It has meant some. On the one hand the fact that only some are involved reflects a clear choice by a Sovereign God. On the other hand, the fact that only some are involved reflects a clear choice by individuals. For Israel had heard the Word. Yet historically the nation had not heard or understood, but remained obstinate. It has always been some who have responded with faith to the message of God, but not all. Thus the charge of the Jews that the God of the Gospel is unrighteous (for the principle of faith would mean that God had abandoned His Old Testament people), is shown to be totally wrong. There has always been a Gospel, a message from God that must be received by faith. And in history past as today, only some believe and are saved.

Israel’ s Rejection Incomplete: Romans 11:1-36A remnant (Romans 11:1-10). Paul then picked up the Old Testament concept of the remnant, and showed that Israel’ s present situation could hardly be described as “ rejection by God.” After all, Paul himself was a Jew, and he was a believer. For its first decade the church was a Hebrew church. Thousands of Jewish men and women in Paul’ s day were Christians — and thousands of Jewish men and women today are Christians as well! “ So too,” Paul argued, “ at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5). And even this has historical precedent: in Elijah’ s time God told His prophet that in all Israel there were some 7,000 God “ reserved for Myself who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Gentiles (Romans 11:11-24). Here Paul introduced an aside to his Gentile readers, who might have been feeling superior to the Jews. The company of believers is like an olive tree, Paul suggested. Its roots are Jewish, sunk deeply in Old Testament history and God’ s ancient commitment to His chosen people. Gentiles are like branches that have been grafted into this tree. Recognizing this, the Gentile has no cause for pride. Rather we should consider how easy it will be for God to graft back the “ natural branches” when the time for regathering comes at last. All Israel saved (Romans 11:25-36). With this said, Paul looked far into the future. He did not want his Gentile brothers and sisters to be conceited, or think that they had won Israel’ s promised place. The hardening of Israel is temporary, to last only until “ the full number” of Gentiles has come into the church (Romans 11:25). When the time comes, “ all Israel will be saved” just as the Old Testament prophets promised (Romans 11:26). This was a new theme! Paul had explained that God’ s present actions were in full harmony with the way God had acted in sacred history, so that the Jewish accusations of, “ Unfair!” were groundless. But then Paul said that one day all the Old Testament promises to Israel will in fact be kept! Today it is “ everyone” who calls on the name of the Lord. In the future it will be “ all Israel” (the nation) that experiences God’ s grace. Why is this? It is because God has made Israel covenant promises and, Paul said, “ God’ s gifts and His call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). In the future, history will demonstrate it. God’ s plans and purposes are far more complex and involved that we have supposed. Israel’ s vision of the future was not wrong, just incomplete. Our own vision of a heaven to be won and a hell avoided is also incomplete. God’ s glory will yet be displayed on earth as well as in eternity, as Jesus returns to take the throne as Israel’ s promised King. No wonder Paul concluded with a powerful doxology of praise: Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

Conclusions The Jews who accused God of unfaithfulness to His Word erred in underestimating the Lord. They had only a superficial grasp of God’ s plan and purposes. And, rather than submit to God, and seek out the whole, these men dared to condemn the Lord! Tragically, you and I are sometimes found doing the same thing. We come to teachings that we do not understand, and rather than acknowledge our own limitations, we begin to lay charges against God. For instance, we bridle at Paul’ s blunt statements about God’ s sovereignty and wonder that God should choose some to receive mercy (Romans 9:1-33). We can’ t understand how this fits in with the revelation in Jesus of a God of love who is unwilling that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). Instead of trusting in God’ s wisdom, righteousness, and love, we, like the unbelieving Jews of Paul’ s day, cry out, “ Unfair!” So what if we cannot understand? Is God accountable to us? Or can we, like Paul, see such things that are beyond our comprehension as fresh evidence of the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God? We cannot fathom the wisdom and knowledge, but we can surrender in trust. There are other things too. We complain and grumble about the slowness of our growth. Why the ups and downs? Why do some of our problems persist so long? “ Am I really profiting from these years of bouts with depression? Why has God put off healing the hurts which divide my home?” Yet Scripture demands that we see everything happening in our lives as an aspect of God’ s good plan for our growth and glorification. “ In all things God works for the good of those who love Him,” Paul affirmed (Romans 8:28). We have been called “ according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28), and our lives are designed so that His purpose, of forming Christ within might proceed at God’ s carefully planned pace. Looking at the pattern of my life, I must be willing to surrender my perspective to Him. He is Lord. I am not His adviser. His wisdom is beyond my own, and I surrender, praising, to that wisdom. How tragic when we underestimate God. How tragic when we, like the ancient Jews, fail to read the lesson of history past and of history yet to come. God’ s wisdom is far beyond anything we can understand or grasp. But what God says is true! With complete confidence in the wisdom of God, I can bow before Him and surrender my wisdom to His. From this day forward, I can live. By faith. And, in Jesus, I will experience the greatest adventure of all. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:36 Teaching Guide Prepare Pray for those who may be troubled by the concepts of sovereignty and election, that God will help them trust His love and wisdom even if they cannot understand.

Explore

1. Begin with a brief study of Romans 8:18-39, guided by the “ link-to-life” idea above. This study links the normal frustration most of us feel about our growth with assurance that God loves us, and is at work in our lives. This study leads naturally into Romans 9-11, by setting the Jewish reaction to the Gospel in stark contrast to Paul’ s expression of confidence and praise.
2. Or raise the troublesome concepts of election and sovereignty. Write the words on the board, and ask your group members to say what they believe these words mean, and how they feel about them.

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1. It is not possible to deal positively with difficult concepts like election or sovereignty until we understand the biblical context in which they appear. So take the bulk of your group time for lecture coverage of Paul’ s argument in Romans 9-11. Explain the objection that the Jews raised against the Gospel of salvation by faith (that God had not been faithful to His commitments to Israel). Then, using the material in the commentary, talk your group members through the text, paragraph by paragraph.
2. Following the lecture, point out the fallacy in Israel’ s reaction. When the Jews had come to truth they could not understand, these opponents of Paul assumed that their knowledge was complete — and they charged God with being unfair! Mention the two situations the author mentioned under “ Conclusions” in which Christians are likely to do this same thing. Have your group members pair off to discuss one of the two, to suggest how we should respond when either troubled by a truth we do not understand, or when troubled by things God brings into our lives. After the pairs have had three to five minutes, discuss these questions in the whole group.

Apply Sum up the major thrust of these chapters: we need to trust God when we meet truths or experiences that seem unfair or which we do not understand. Conclude then by reading together, slowly and with personal commitment, Paul’ s great doxology in Romans 11:33-36.