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RomansSurvey of the New Testament:
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Previous: Part IV - Glorification by Faith
If justification is found through faith and not obedience to the Law, and if Gentiles can now find reconciliation with God as easily as the Jew, what advantage is there to being a Jew? Has God given up on the Jews? (Romans 9:1-11:36)
Paul has just explained how nothing can separate us from the love of God. God's plan for our future glorification can not be thwarted.
However, for the Jews reading Paul's assurances, the question arises: how can we trust God to fulfill his guaranty of my future glorification when it appears that God has revoked his promise to glorify the Jewish nation? Did not God promise Israel a future kingdom of glory? If God did not fulfill this promise of future glory, why should I trust that he will fulfill any other promise of future glory?
Now that salvation is available freely to Gentile as well as Jew, indeed, it seems that God is through with Israel. Has God, indeed, given up on the Jews?
Paul affirms in the strongest terms (9:1) his grief over the fact that his own people, the Jews, have rejected the gospel of Christ (9:2). He longs so much for them to accept Jesus as their Messiah that he would willingly give up his own salvation if that would result in the salvation of Israel (9:3).
The Israelites had every opportunity to receive the promises of God. The adoption as God's children belonged first to the Jews (9:14a). The future glorification now available to the Gentiles was promised first to the Jews (9:14). The Jews had every advantage when it came to partaking in God's salvation:
But the fact that the Jews rejected the Word of God does not mean the Word failed (9:6). For being an Israelite does mean being a physical descendent of the Jewish people. The Jews may be Abraham's descendents (9:7), but that doesn't make them children of God (9:8). God can cause anyone to become the spiritual children of Abraham (9:8).
Paul then answers an unspoken objection. Why would God allow anyone to become children of Abraham? It is unfair that God should choose people outside of the nation of Israel to inherit the promises given to Israel.
Paul answers this objection by asking why this is unfair. For Israel himself (i.e. Jacob) was chosen by God before he was born not because he deserved God's election (9:11). Jacob was chosen, though he was the younger son (9:12-13), and it was an election made arbitrarily by God. If God can arbitrarily choose Jacob over Esau, and thus arbitrarily choose the nation of Israel as His chosen people, then why can't God also arbitrarily decide that the Gentiles can participate in the promises of Israel.
God's arbitrary selection of people to his saving work is called the doctrine of election.
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Election
Election means that from eternity past God has elected (or chosen) some to salvation while allowing remaining members of humanity to go their own way. Although they deserved nothing and had no merit in themselves, God chose some to salvation; God also passed over some, condemning them to eternal punishment for their sins. Calvin called this a “horrible” doctrine but insisted that the Scripture clearly teaches it and that the doctrine could not be avoided. Source: Paul Enns. The Moody Handbook of Theology. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989), 481. |
Paul now takes an aside, for whenever the doctrine of election is taught, there are objections to that doctrine. The first objection states that if God can arbitrarily choose who His children will be, that also means that God has arbitrarily chosen some to not be His children. Therefore, does this not make God unjust (9:14)?
Paul answers, “May it never be!” Of course God is just. God is free to give his mercy and compassion on whomever He desires (9:15). God is free to harden the hearts of whomever He desires (9:17). In either case, He is just.
Salvation is dependent not on our free will, but on the mercy of God (9:16). In Romans 3:10-12, we saw that there is none who seeks after God. Left to our free will, no of us would seek after God. Therefore God must choose to extend mercy on some in order that they might be saved. But God remains just, for those He does not impart with His grace are receiving exactly what they justly deserve, for they have not sought after God.
When we presume that the doctrine of election makes God unjust, we presume that there are people standing outside of the gates of heaven feeling slighted for not having been chosen. Those who have not been chosen aren't seeking salvation, and are therefore receiving what they justly deserve.
Paul restates the objection a second way. If God chooses who will and who will not follow Him, how can he find fault with anyone? How can God punish the unbeliever if he made them not to believe?
Paul gives a harsh but true answer. Who are you to question God? (9:20) Does the clay say to the potter, “why do you make me like this?” The potter has the right to make a lump of clay into a chamber pot or into a piece of fine china (9:21). So what if God decides to make his power known by destroying a pot (9:22)? So what if God decides to make His glory known by sharing his glory with “vessels of mercy” (9:23)?
Paul then brings the topic back to the election of the Gentiles to share in the promise. God has called both Jews and Gentiles (9:24-33). God has indeed called both Jew and Gentile to share in His glory (9:24). He announced that He would do exactly through the Old Testament prophets of Hosea (9:25-26) and Isaiah (9:27-28, 28).
The Gentiles did not pursue righteousness, but attained it through God's grace (9:30). The Jews pursued righteousness, but did not attain it through the Law (9:31) because the righteousness was not pursued by faith, but through the works of the law. As a result their own pursuit of righteousness became a stumbling block that kept them from faith in God's mercy (9:32-33).
Paul reiterates his strong desire for the Jews to be saved (10:1), and he does not deny that the Jews have great zeal for God (10:2). But their zeal was not based on God's righteousness. Instead they substituted their own brand of righteousness for God's (10:3). They did not realize that Christ is the end of the Law (10:4), meaning He was the focal point and fulfillment of the Law [1]. However even Moses said that if you are going to use the Law as a means to righteousness, then you have to fulfill all of the Law (10:5).
Salvation is not about attempting to reach up to heaven, for Jesus has already descended to earth from heaven as God taking on human form (10:6). Nor is salvation about descending into hell to atone for our sins, for Jesus' death and resurrection ahs already atoned for our sins (10:7). Salvation is not as far off as heaven or hell. Salvation is as close as your own heart and your own mouth (10:8).
All that is necessary to find salvation is to call upon the name of the Lord (10:13). One must only confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead (10:9). Confessing Jesus as Lord acknowledges that He has come down from heaven and was God-incarnate on the earth (10:6). Believing that God has raised Him from the death acknowledges that His death and resurrection has atoned for our sins (10:7).
Those who call upon the Lord for salvation will not be disappointed (10:11). This salvation is available to both the Jew and the Gentile (10:17).
But one can not call upon the name of the Lord if they haven't heard the message. And you can't hear the message if no one has preached it to you (10:14-15). This is an affirmation of Paul's ministry to the Gentiles. The Jews have heard the message and rejected it (10:18-19). Therefore Paul's mission is to those who have not yet heard.
Often the argument is made that if the doctrine of election is true, there is no need for Christians to evangelize. But Paul makes it clear that evangelism is crucial. People can not be saved if they haven't heard, and they can not hear if no one preaches the gospel. Yes, God has chosen those who will believe, but God will still use His church to bring the message of salvation to the world. Romans 10:14-15 reiterate that the doctrine of election is not an excuse to not preach the gospel.
However, just because the gospel is preached doesn't mean that all who hear the message will believe (10:16). For example, the Jews have heard the message and they rejected it (10:18-19). Now God is making Israel jealous by offering salvation to the Gentiles (10:19b-20), so that Israel might return to Him. For God has not given up on His stubborn people (10:21).
Paul then raises the obvious objection: has God rejected Israel as His chosen people? If so, how can we trust any of the promises of God. Paul responds, “May it never be.” Of course God has not rejected Israel as his chosen people, for there are many Jews who have indeed accepted salvation by grace. Remember, Paul is an Israelite, and He has, of course, accepted God's salvation through Christ (11:1). In fact, there are many Jews who believe that Jesus is the Lord (11:2).
Paul tells the story of the prophet Elijah who, in the days of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, saw idolatry spread throughout Israel. He was sure that he must be the only follower of Yahweh left in the whole nation (11:3). But God respond that “I have kept 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal” (11:4). The same is true in Paul's day, and even today. There is a remnant of Jews who have been chosen by God and who believe that Jesus is Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead (11:5). But these have been accepted on the basis of God's grace, not their obedience to the Law (11:6).
However, not all have been chosen by God. Some Jews have received a hardened heart. This was prophesied by all the Old Testament prophets (11:8-10).
This leads to the second question: Does the hardening of most of the Jews mean that the Jews are lost forever? Again, Paul answers, “May it never be.” The Jews rejection has had two results as intended by God:
The Gentiles have been grafted into the tree of God's salvation. But Paul warns the Gentile believer to not become arrogant about this. They were grafted in by God's grace (11:17-18). Yes, the Jews were broken off branches, but they were broken off because of unbelief (11:19-20a). If God didn't spare the Jews due to their unbelief, God will have not issues with cutting off the Gentiles due to their unbelief (11:21). Therefore, Gentiles believers should not be arrogant, but fearful (11:20), and need to “continue in His kindness,” or the Gentiles may also be cut-off. Furthermore, if the Jews return to belief, they will be grafted back into the tree (11:23).
The “cutting off” does not mean that individuals can loose their salvation. This would contradict the lesson of Romans 8. Instead is talking of the Jewish and Gentile nations as a whole. Even individual Jews who believe continue to be saved even though the Jewish nation as a whole has been cut-off due to unbelief. Paul is warning the church that if God is willing to cut-off the Jewish nation, he will be willing to cut-off the church if ceases to believe. Indeed, there is much of the “church” today which no longer believe Jesus is Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead. God will not be afraid to cut-off His church as His primary agent in the world if this unbelief comes to dominate the church. Nonetheless, even if that happens, there will always be a remnant left inside the church which will not be “cut-off” from salvation, just as there is a remnant of Israel which has not been cut-off due to their belief.
God has allowed for a partial hardening of Israel for two reasons (11:25):
The Old Testament is filled with prophecies which tell of the salvation of all the Jews, and Paul quotes a couple of them here (11:26-27). Yet the Gentiles are benefiting from Israel's temporary unbelief. (11:28).
But God's promise to Israel ahs not been revoked. They are still God's chosen people and all that has been promised to Israel will be accomplished as some point in the future (11:29). But God has laid out His salvation program in this way, so that all might have an opportunity to believe. God desires to show mercy to all (11:32), and the temporary rejection by the Jews allows for the gospel to go to all the world and still bring about the salvation of all the Jews. (11:32)
Paul concludes this weighty section, where he has dealt with God's sovereignty, the doctrine of election, and the future of Israel with praise to God. Why would God choose to layout His salvation program in this way? We don't' really know for sure, for God's wisdom and knowledge are deep and rich. His program is unsearchable and unknowable (11:33). Who can really understand the mind of God? Who are we to give Him advise on these issues (11:34)? Who has given God anything (11:35)?
The answer is, of course, no one. Therefore we accept these weighty doctrines on faith as we continue to explore, ponder and seek to understand their nuances. And ultimately we give our praise to God.
"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36, NASB95)
Next: Part VI - Practical Ethics
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