Don’t you just hate it when something doesn’t work the way it is supposed to? Perhaps it is your computer. You expect to check your email, but you aren’t able to connect. You want to read someone’s blog but blogger isn’t working today. Perhaps it is your clothes dryer. One day it works fine and another day you put your clothes in for several cycles and they are still not dry. Perhaps it is your car. One day it starts and the next it doesn’t. Perhaps it is a person. You expect them to help you and they are no where to be found. Things that are untrustworthy are frustrating and we certainly learn very quickly not to put our hope in them.
Is God trustworthy? Does He do what He promises? Can we count on Him? Since September we have been examining the wonder of salvation and all that God has done for us in Christ. Two weeks ago we rejoiced to know that nothing can separate us from God’s love. But what if these are just words? What if God has failed to live up to His promises and shown Himself to be unfaithful? Can we trust Him?
Please join me as we examine Romans 9-11 where the underlying theme is the trustworthiness of God.
The words “Israel” and “Jew” appear 14 times in Romans 9-11. Already numerous times we have noted that Paul often makes reference to Jews and Gentiles in Romans. Clearly there is some kind of an issue in regards to these two national groups.
Rome was the capital of the empire and the center of power for the world into which Christ came. The Jews who had been scattered had also made their way to Rome and there were Jewish synagogues in that city. As the gospel spread to Rome, some of these Jews became Christians. Of course many Gentiles also became Christians. As Paul writes, he acknowledges that both of these kinds of people are in the church in Rome. In Romans 1:16 Paul writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” He has shocked the Jews by accusing in Romans 3:9 that “We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.” As he discusses the power of the gospel for salvation he has stated boldly, “Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.” Since the way to God is through faith, access to God is open not only to Jews, but also to Gentiles in the exact same way.
This thesis which has been mentioned repeatedly in Romans raises a question. What does this do to the special place the Jews have as the people of God? God had made a special covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 that he would bless him and his descendants. He had made a covenant with the people of Israel when he brought them out of Egypt and had promised them that He would go with them and that of all the people on the earth, they would be His special people. We even read that they should not associate with people who were not God’s people so that they would not become defiled. In Romans 9:4, 5 Paul lists all the special blessings that belong to the people of Israel. There we read, “Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.”
But now it seems that the gospel is not only for the Jews. Their special place as God’s people seems to have been diminished. Even though they have acted wickedly and been full of sin, the Gentiles are now identified as God’s people and also experience the blessings of God. The Gentiles seem to be receiving the promises made to the Jews!
What is even worse is that few Jews were actually embracing the gospel. Even though they had all the background and promises which should have made them receptive to the gospel, most of them reject it. Paul’s greatest opponents wherever he went were his own people. More than once, as he has tried to preach the gospel of Christ, it was the Jews who tried to kill him.
This raises some significant questions. Are the Jews rejected because they crucified Jesus? If they are, what has happened to God’s promises? Are they cut off because they do not respond to the gospel? If they are, is God not powerful enough to redeem them? Are God’s people now made up of the church alone?
This was a personal and passionate issue for Paul. In Romans 9:1-4 we see the great sorrow and anguish which he has because the Jews are rejecting the gospel. In Romans 10:1 we see his hearts desire for the salvation of the Jews. He was deeply, even emotionally concerned about their rejection of the gospel.
The relationship of God to Jews and Gentiles was also an important issue for the church in Rome. Why was Paul always speaking of Jews and Gentiles? The Jewish believers had a hard time recognizing that the gospel was available to the Gentiles by faith alone. In Romans 11:13-24, he warned the Gentile Christians that they should not become arrogant about their position. It seems likely that the Gentiles believed that the Jews were cut off and that the people of God were now the church. These differing perspectives were creating tensions in the church and needed a response.
We also have an interest in these issues because we want to know what has happened to the Jews and what has happened to the promises God made to them? We are curious about what is happening in Israel/Palestine today and wonder if it has anything to do with God’s promises to the Jewish people. The issue before us raises questions we are curious about. But the question is much more important to us than that. If God has rejected Israel and offered the gospel to the Gentiles, is God faithful? If God failed to live up to the covenants He made with Israel, will He live up to the covenant of Christ’s blood which we have put our hope in? If the Jews are no longer God’s people because of their disobedience, what does that say about God’s ability to create a people for himself? Will He be able to make us into His people? In other words, it raises the question of the faithfulness of God.
Let us listen to Paul’s answer to this problem as supported by God’s Word. As we do, I believe that we will be encouraged that God is faithful.
God Chooses Whom He Will
Paul dives right in when in Romans 9:6 he asks, “Has God’s Word failed?” If the gospel is for the Gentiles who were not the promised people of God and if the Jews, who were the promised people of God have rejected their Messiah, does that mean that God’s Word has not been fulfilled?
The first answer to this question is that it has never been the people of a certain race or culture or genealogy who are God’s people, but rather those whom God has chosen to receive the promise. Paul then reminds his readers of two Old Testament stories which demonstrate that this is a scriptural principle revealing how God works.
The first story is that of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham had a number of children, including Ishmael, Isaac and actually also others. But it was only through one of those children, Isaac, that the promises of God were carried. Only Isaac was the son of promise. Paul clearly says in regards to this, “It is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise.” The Biblical principle is that God chooses those who are His people. As this is applied to the question of the place of the Gentiles among the people of God, it demonstrates that if God chooses them to be His people, it is not the first time He has made such a choice. Including the Gentiles is consistent with the way that even the Jews were chosen as God’s people in the first place.
In the next story, which is the story of Jacob and Esau, Paul goes one step further in making his argument. Not only does God choose the children of promise, He chooses them not on the basis of the good deeds they have done, but simply by His sovereign choice. Jacob and Esau were both children of Isaac, who was the promised heir of Abraham. Before they were born, before they had given any indication of obedience, God had already chosen Jacob and rejected Esau. In other words, God’s choice is sovereign.
One of the things we have to be very careful about in interpreting this passage is that it does not talk about God’s choice or rejection of individual believers, but rather his choice of a people. If we misinterpret this, as many have done, to speak of individual election, we get into all kinds of theological trouble which can lead us to teach double predestination – that God predestines some to hell - and also that human choice means nothing. That is not what is being taught here, rather, it speaks about why the Gentiles have been chosen to be included in the people of God. The answer in this section is that God has chosen them, even though they have done nothing to deserve that choice.
The next obvious question is, “Is it fair for God to do this?” Paul’s answer is “God is not unfair!” But we want to know, by what scheme of justice can God justify choosing some and rejecting others? The answer to that question is to look at the character of God. Of course God can do what He wants because He is sovereign, but how is His sovereignty exercised? Is He arbitrary in His judgments? Is he capricious and unstable? Paul quotes Exodus 33:19 in Romans 9:15 to show us the character of God. In that passage, Moses wanted to see the face of God. Although God did not show him His face, He did show him His character. The character of God is that He is merciful and compassionate. Therefore we understand that God’s election is carried out in mercy.
Paul goes on to explain in Romans 9:16-18, that God chose Pharaoh for a special purpose – in order that he could show His mercy to Israel and bring them out of Egypt. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart in order that He could show His glory and deliver Israel in an amazing and miraculous way. He demonstrated His mercy to them even though they did not deserve it and He made them His people so He could show mercy to them.
We still have trouble understanding this and in Romans 9:19 Paul asks, “Then why does God still blame us?” Romans 9:22 answers when it points out that God has chosen to bear “with great patience the objects of His wrath – prepared for destruction.” We have already seen this truth in Romans 3 where we learned that “there are none who are righteous.” All are deserving of destruction, but in His great mercy He has taken some of the objects of His wrath and has chosen to show His mercy to some of them so that some of those who are not His people can become His people.
This is how Israel was chosen as the people of God. God is sovereign and has the right, because He is compassionate to do the same thing for the Gentiles so that they also, who have not been the people of God, can become the people of God.
It is the mercy of God which has allowed Israel to be His chosen people. Apart from His mercy, all Israel would have long ago become like Sodom and Gomorrah as it says in Romans 9:29, but they are still God’s people. In the same way, God, in mercy, has invited the Gentiles to become the people of God as well.
The question was, “has God’s word failed?” The answer is clear and strong. God’s Word has not failed. Calling the Gentiles to be His people is completely consistent with the way God has always done things. It is consistent with all the principles by which Israel was chosen. God is merciful and in mercy chooses some of those who are destined for destruction in order that He can make them His people.
God is trustworthy!
Everyone Who Trusts In Christ Will Be Saved 9:30-10:21
The arguments in Romans 9 demonstrate that God is faithful to His promises in choosing to redeem the Gentiles. But that only answers half of the question. The other half of the question is, why have the Jews missed it? The truth about Jesus permeates the Old Testament. The Jews had access to all the information about God. They had been diligently seeking God. Especially after the exile to Babylon they had been extremely diligent in seeking God. The question is, “now that God has fulfilled His promises in Jesus, why have they rejected Him?” This is a very intense question, especially when we realize that the Gentiles, who did not even want to look for God, have found Him!? This is the question raised in Romans 9:30-31 and answered in Romans 9:32-10:21.
The problem is that Israel missed the point. They were looking for God and were zealous for God, but they sought to reach Him on their own. They missed God, in Christ, because they were not looking for help, they were looking at what they were accomplishing for God. They were very proud of being Jewish and thought they had done so much and were so exceptional. They relied on their Jewishness and their self righteousness.
All along and especially in Jesus, God was calling them to a righteousness that was by faith. They were seeking the heavens in order to discover all the things that needed to be done in order to become part of the family of God. In Romans 10:6, Paul warns that such a pursuit diminishes the power of Christ’s death. They were looking into the deepest parts of the earth in order to find the way to please God, but in Romans 10:7, Paul warns that such a pursuit does not take seriously the power of God in raising Jesus from the dead.
Paul goes on to explain that the way to God is not nearly so complicated. It is near! It is in your mouth and in your heart. People become children of God and receive the blessings promised to His children simply by faith.
In Romans 10:9,10, we have one of those verses which is well known by many of you. We don’t often recognize that the context of these verses is in explaining why the Jews have missed Jesus. Paul explains that the way to God is simple. It is simply faith in our heart and confession with our mouth that brings us into the family of God. We don’t need to become Jewish, be circumcised or follow all the laws in order to be among those whom God has chosen. We simply need to trust God and declare that trust to those around us.
Throughout Israel’s history, this word of faith had been proclaimed. God had sent the preachers. The preachers had gone out and Israel had heard the message from God. As they heard, they came to understand what God was saying and they had the opportunity to believe. But, as Isaiah says, they were a “disobedient and obstinate people.” They rejected what was right before their eyes. On the other hand, those who previously were not the people of God, the Gentiles, when they heard the preaching did respond.
God is faithful! His Word has faithfully gone out into all the world. The Jews were the first to hear it and had every opportunity to receive it. Because they missed it due to their disobedience and unbelief, God’s faithfulness remains.
What Happens To Israel? 11:1-32
As we turn over to chapter 11, we come to the next question, “Is this rejection permanent?” Is there any hope for the Jews at all? Paul answers this question with three points in Romans 11.
The first answer is that not all have rejected the gospel. Paul himself is a Jew and a Christian, so in part, the answer is that not all Israel has missed it. The disciples, the many who believed on the day of Pentecost, Paul and a number in the synagogues he visited, including the one in Rome had believed and accepted God’s word about Jesus.
The Old Testament also points out the concept of a remnant, the idea of a few who have followed God. This was not the first time that the people of Israel had refused to follow God. There was a time when Elijah, the prophet, thought he was all alone in being faithful to God. But God revealed to him, in I Kings 19:18, that he was not alone, that there were 7000 others who had not fallen away.
So the covenant promises to the people of Israel are carried on among the remnant who have recognized that Christ is the fulfillment of the law and the fulfillment of the promises.
In Romans 11:11ff, we see that even for those who have rejected Jesus, God has a plan. What has happened is not outside of God’s knowledge or purposes.
God’s purpose is that the rejection of the gospel by the Jews will become the means by which the gospel is offered to the Gentiles. This is quite clearly demonstrated in Acts. Whenever Paul preached, he always went to the Jews first. When they rejected the message, as they inevitably did, Paul went to the Gentiles and there found a reception. Paul summarizes the point in Romans 11:11, “…because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles…”
But that is only part one of the answer. Part two is the hope and prayer of Paul that as the Gentiles embrace the gospel, Jews will become jealous and take another look at it and also accept Jesus. This is what he says in Romans 11:13,14, “Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.”
This is God’s plan, but we as Gentiles need to be careful that we don’t become arrogant. Israel became arrogant and excluded everyone who was not of their nation. If we now think that Israel is rejected and cut off and the promises have all fallen to us, we are wrong. That means that there is no support at all for anti-Semitism in Scripture. God is using the rejection of the Jews to bring the Gentiles to faith and that is happening all over the world. The hope is that as the Gentiles come to faith, the Jews will see this and also recognize that Jesus is Messiah.
But even that is not the end of the story. The final part of the story is given in Romans 11:25,26. Paul is looking forward to the day when “all Israel will be saved.” He is hopeful that when “the full number of the Gentiles has come in” Israel will also return to the Lord. This is amazing, especially from our point of view, because of all the things we have read about in this passage, this is the only one which has not yet happened. This is prophecy.
How will it happen? Of one thing I am sure. Although God may use the gathering to the present land of Israel to accomplish this, it is not yet the fulfillment of this prophecy. What has happened since 1948 has been a political and military event. The return that God is talking about here is a spiritual one. When masses of Jewish people begin to turn to Jesus, then we will know that this prophecy is being fulfilled. Therefore, the mission to the Jews is one that must continue until they accept Christ.
These three chapters are filled with profound thought after profound thought. I would encourage you to read the Scripture carefully and re-read the message. This morning we have just barely scratched the surface of what is taught in these chapters about what God is up to. We have seen that the fact that the Gentiles have now become God’s people is consistent with God’s Word and thus reveals God’s faithfulness. We have been saddened that the Jews, who have always been and still are God’s people, have missed recognizing that Jesus is their Messiah because of their disobedience. But we have also been encouraged that God is not finished with them yet. In all of this, we seen a little glimpse of what God is up to and what God is up to is amazing. It is nothing less than the fulfillment of the promise He made long ago to create a people for Himself. It is nothing less than the salvation of all those who put their trust in Him. It is nothing less than the fulfillment of the law by Christ in whom we live in righteousness. It is nothing less than the gathering of a universal people of God who trust in Christ from among all nations and also from among the Jews. It reveals from beginning to end the compassion, mercy and faithfulness of God.
How do you conclude such a display of God’s amazing work? Paul’s conclusion to this amazing revelation of God’s faithfulness is a doxology. I have been using it for a while now to conclude our service. It is a wonderful and fitting word of praise in response to the amazing things we have seen of God’s work in all the preceding chapters.
In Romans 11:33-36 we read, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
I like John E. Toews’ comments, “Worship is the only appropriate response to the grandeur of God’s work of salvation.” “The God who is righteous, who elects a people and remains faithful to that people despite their disobedience, who effects salvation in Messiah Jesus for all people and for the creation, is worthy of praise.”
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