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THE FAILURE OF ISRAEL
ROMANS 9:30-10:21
In this section of his letter to the Romans, Paul continues to answer the second major objection to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ that salvation through faith annuls the promises of God about Israel. (In chapters 6 through 8, Paul answers the first major objection to salvation through faith; that is, that salvation through faith promotes sin.) In the previous section ( 9:1-29), Paul begins to answer this second major objection that salvation through faith in Jesus Christ annuls the promise of God about Israel: God never promised to save all of Israel and God is under no obligation to save all Israel. In this section (9:30–10:21) continues that answer by pointing out that all Israel will not be saved because they have failed to accept salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and therefore they are not saved. God has offered and is offering them salvation through faith in Jesus Christ but they have rejected it and are seeking to be saved through meritorious works.
In this section, Paul deals with the following subjects:
1. Israel’s Pursuit of False Righteousness (9:30-33),
2. Israel’s Rejection of God’s Righteousness (10:1-4),
3. The Righteousness of Faith (10:5-11),
4. The Universal Extent of Salvation (10:12-13),
5. The Steps to Faith in Christ (10:14-18),
6. The Disobedience of Israel (10:19-21).
ROMANS 9:30-33
30. What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31. but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stone of stumbling, 33. as it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. And he who believes in Him will not be put to shame.”
9:30-31.
30. What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31. but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.
In verse 30, Paul begins to point out the failure of Israel. In contrast to the Gentiles who have accepted the righteousness through faith when God offered it to them, when they were not seeking it, Israel has rejected it, seeking righteousness through the law. They have failed to obtain righteousness by the law. The phrase in verse 31, “law of righteousness,” means the Mosaic law viewed as a means of earning righteousness or merit. Israel not only failed to obtain the righteousness of faith but missed the true nature of the law as the God’s covenant with Israel defining their personal relationship to Him and to one another:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your might and your neighbor as yourself” (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; Mark 12:30-31).
9:32-33.
32. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stone of stumbling, 33. as it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. And he who believes in Him will not be put to shame.”
In verse 32, Paul tell us why Israel has failed to obtain the righteousness through law. Israel, having sought righteousness through the law, have failed because they have pursued the law for righteousness by works, and not by faith. This faith is faith in Jesus Christ and having rejected Him they rejected faith for works. Jesus Christ is the stumbling stone. In verse 33, quoting Isa. 28:16, Paul shows that the stone of stumbling and the rock offense is to those who do not have faith. But those who believe in Him shall not be put shame, not stumbling and being offended by Him.
ROMANS 10:1-4
1. Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for salvation. 2. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 3. For not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God. 4. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to all who believes.
10:1. Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for salvation.
In this verse, Paul expresses his heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel’s salvation. He address his readers as brethren, Christian brethren, not Jewish brethren.
10:2. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
In this verse, Paul explains why he desires Israel’s salvation: they have a zeal for God. But their zeal is misdirected and wrongly based. It is not in accordance with knowledge; that is, their zeal is based on ignorance.
10:3. For not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God.
In this verse, Paul explains Israel’s ignorance; that is what they do not know. They are ignorant about the righteousness of God. And consequently they set about to establish their own righteousness. This means that “they did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God“. Israel’s ignorance and misdirected zeal in establishing their own righteousness means that they are disobeying God by not submitting to the righteousness of God.
10:4. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to all who believes.
In this verse, Paul explains the nature of the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God is God acting to put man into right relationship with Himself. God did this in the death and resurrection of Christ. This act of God, the righteousness of God, in Christ makes Christ the end of the law for righteousness. This does not mean that before Christ the law was the means of righteousness. The law never was the means of righteousness by meritorious works. The only righteousness that there ever has been is the righteousness of faith. Faith submits to the righteousness of God by accepting what God acting in Christ has done. For those who believe Christ is the end of legalistic misunderstanding of righteousness as meritorious works according to the law. The law cannot be used as a means of obtaining righteousness as meritorious works.
ROMANS 10:5-11
In this section (10:5-11), Paul sets forth the nature of the righteousness of faith that Paul began in verse four. Paul first contrasts the righteousness from the law (verse 5) with the righteousness from faith (verses 6 through 8). Then he states the nature of the righteousness from faith (verses 9 through 10).
5. For Moses writes of the righteousness which from the law: “The man who does it shall live by it.” 6. But the righteousness from faith speaks thus, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7. or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8. But what does it say? “The word is near you, and in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are preaching, 9. that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord,
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved, 10. for with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses unto salvation. 11. For the Scripture says, “All who believe in Him will not be put to shame.”
10:5. For Moses writes of the righteousness which from the law: “The man who does it shall live by it.”
Quoting Lev. 18:5, Paul here in this verse states the position of the Jewish legalist: righteousness is from the law by doing it. In quoting Lev. 18:5, Paul is not saying that the Scriptures teaches righteousness from the law but that is what the Jewish legalist interprets Moses as saying. Lev. 18 says nothing about righteousness or the earning righteousness by doing the law. The Jewish legalist is taking this verse out of context and quoting it to support his position that righteousness is from doing the law. In his letter to the Galatians (3:12), Paul quotes this verse (Lev. 18:5) to show that the law is different from faith; it is doing, not believing. There he makes it clear that righteousness is by faith, not by doing.
10:6-8.
6. But the righteousness from faith speaks thus, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7. or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8. But what does it say? “The word is near you, and in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are preaching,
In these verses, Paul paraphrases a passage from Deuteronomy (30: 11-14) about doing the law and applies it to Christ and faith in Christ. Faith does not ascend into heaven to bring Christ down from heaven, neither does it descend into abyss to bring Christ up from the dead, but the word about what God has done in Christ is near them, in their mouth, in their heart.
10:9. that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved,
In this verse and the next, Paul sets forth the nature of salvation; it has both an inner as well as outer aspect. Faith is the inner aspect and to believe in one’s heart that God raised Jesus from the dead is to be saved. Confession is the outer aspect of salvation and to confess Jesus as Lord is to be saved. The outer aspect depends upon the inner aspect. For one to confess with one’s mouth Jesus as Lord one must believe in one’s heart that God has raised him from the dead. Jesus cannot be Lord unless he is alive; and one cannot acknowledge him as Lord unless one believes him to be alive, raised from the dead.
10:10. for with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses unto salvation.
In this verse, Paul explains how these two aspects of salvation are related. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation. The righteousness by faith is the inner aspect of the personal relationship to God and the confession with mouth is the outer aspect and external expression of that relationship. One is saved by confession of Jesus as Lord because that one also believes in his heart that God has raised him from the dead. This faith relates one rightly with God and this right relationship with God by faith is reckoned as righteousness (Rom. 4:5). This faith believes that God raised Jesus from the dead and acknowledges this living Jesus as Lord. That is, the mouth confesses what is believed in the heart and thus this confession is unto salvation.
10:11. For the Scripture says, “All who believe in Him will not be put to shame.”
In this verse, Paul quotes again Isa. 28:16 which he quoted in Rom. 9:33. For one to be in right relationship to God by faith is not to be ashamed, because wrong relationship to God brings shame and eternal rejection by God. Faith is not ashamed of God and His Son, so God will not put to shame those who believe and trust in Him and His Son (Compare Matt. 10:32-33).
ROMANS 10:12-13
12. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; 13. for “All whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
In these verses, Paul states the universal extent of salvation. Salvation is for all and consequently there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The Jews do not have any special status and will not be saved because they are Jews. None have any special status because of race or ethnicity. The reason for this is not in man but in God Himself. God has sovereignly in His love bestowed salvation on all who call upon Him. Note that Paul does not say that God chooses to save some, rejecting all others. Paul nowhere teaches that God will save all apart from faith, neither that God chooses only a few to be saved. Both these positions ignore faith that must call upon God for salvation. In verse 13, Paul quotes Joel 2:32 to explain why all those who call upon God will be saved. To call on the name of the Lord is to acknowledge God as Lord. This takes faith in God and this faith relates them rightly to God; therefore all those who believe and thus call on the Lord will be saved.
ROMANS 10:14-18
In the these verses (10:14-18), Paul sets forth the steps leading to faith in Christ. This sets up the grounds for Paul to show Israel’s failure. In verses 14 and 15, by a series of four rhetorical questions, he sets forth the steps that leads to faith in Christ. Then in verse 16, he makes the observation that not all obey the good news and in verse 17 he summarizes this sequence and in verse 18 he applies it to Israel.
14. How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are feet of those who bring good news of good things!” 16. However, they did not all obey the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?” 17. So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 18. But I say: Have they not heard? Indeed they have; “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
10:14-15.
14. How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are feet of those who bring good news of good things!”
In these two verses, Paul sets forth by a series of four rhetorical questions the steps that leads to faith in Christ. The first question sets forth the connection between faith and calling on the Lord; faith makes it possible to call on the Lord and thus to be saved. The second question sets forth the connection between faith and what is heard; hearing makes possible faith, that is, “faith comes from hearing” (verse 17). The third question sets forth the connection between hearing and what is proclaimed; the proclamation makes possible hearing; that is, “hearing through the word of Christ” that is proclaimed (verse 17). The proclamation requires a proclaimer, a herald; preaching needs a preacher. The Greek word, kerusso, translated “to preach,” means “to proclaim as a herald, to be a herald.” The fourth question sets forth the connection between the proclaimer and his commission; the sending of a proclaimer. Paul quotes Isa. 52:7 to show the importance of the proclaimer, the one who brings good news, the gospel of good things, the gospel of salvation.
10:16. However, they did not all obey the good news; for Isaiah says,
“Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?”
In this verse, Paul makes an observation about the sequence set forth in the previous two verses. He observes that “not all obeyed the good news“. The Greek word, hupakouo, translated “obeyed,” means literally “to hear under,” that is, “to attend to, to submit, to obey.” He quotes Isa. 53:1 to support this conclusion: “Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?” To believe what was heard is to obey that good news, because it is the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ who was resurrected from the dead and is alive. To believe that good new is to acknowledge and to obey Jesus Christ as Lord (Acts 2:38).
10:17. So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
In this verse, Paul summarizes the sequence, set forth in verses 14 and 15, that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ“. Hearing does not cause faith, but is the condition for faith. Hearing the word of Christ makes possible faith; faith must have something or someone to believe in. Faith is not an attribute but a relationship; the relationship between the one believing and that which is believed. Faith is nothing without its object. Without hearing the message about Christ they can not believe in Him, but not everyone who hear will believe the message they have heard.
10:18. But I say: Have they not heard? Indeed they have; “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
In this verse, Paul applies the sequence summarized in the previous verse to Israel; the “they” in Paul’s question, “Have they not heard?”, is Israel. Paul answers that they have heard because the word has gone out to the ends of the world, just as it was said by the Psalmist in Psalm 19:4.
ROMANS 10:19-21
In these three verses, Paul shows that Israel failed, not because they did not understand, but because they obstinately refused to obey by not believing the message even when others did believe it. This section concludes Paul’s exposition of Israel’s failure.
19. But I say: Did Israel not understand? First Moses says: “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, by a nation without discernment I anger you.” 20. And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who sought Me not, I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” 21. But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretch out My hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
10:19-20.
19. But I say: Did Israel not understand? First Moses says: “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, by a nation without discernment I anger you.” 20. And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who sought Me not, I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
In these verses, Paul shows that Israel did understand the message they had heard. The message was believed by the nations (Gentiles) about them. In the last part of verse 19, Paul quotes Moses in Deut. 32:21 that Israel was made jealous and angry by the nations who accepted the message that Israel had rejected. In verse 20, Paul quotes Isa. 65:1 that it was the nations’ response to God’s revelation of Himself to them that made Israel jealous and angry. This showed that Israel did understand.
10:21. But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretch out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
In this verse, Paul shows that Israel failed to obey by not believing God’s message in spite of His persistent reaching out to them. Quoting again from Isaiah 65 verse 2, the next verse after the one quoted above, Paul shows that Israel obstinately refused to obey by not believing the message they had heard and understood. Paul does not here explain why Israel refused to obey; he only discusses the fact that they failed to trust and obey. This was sufficient to show that the promises of God to Israel have not been annulled by the message of salvation in Christ but by Israel failure to believe that message.