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Romans chapters 9-11

 THE JEWS IN THE BOOK OF romans.

3. THE SYNAGOGUE OF ISRAEL.  
GOD’S WISDOM. Explanation and Vindication.

         R OMANS CHAPTER TEN. 

These words are vital to our grasp of Grace and Law:

WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS?

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (10:4).

When Hong Kong was given back to the Chinese that was the end of the rule of England over that area, and the beginning of a new rule. The old laws went out, and the new laws came in. So it is when we go into the Age of Grace, through the shed Blood of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We are now not under the old Law of the Old Testament, we are under GRACE. Have a good look at these verses, compare them with each other, and drink in God’s opinion on the subject!

                 11 Cor. 3:6-11; Heb. 7:11-19; Gal. 3:24; Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14). 

HOW IS THAT RIGHTEOUSNESS IS MADE AVAILABLE? Read 10:1-3.

Righteousness is made available to us in Christ Jesus!

Verses one to three of chapter ten 

Show that although Israel had a zeal for God but it was without true knowledge. They are ignorant of the way GOD gives righteousness, and have tried to establish their own good works. Many religious people do that, they will not accept that they are sinners, undone, never able to be righteous, and will not submit to GOD’S way of giving, by grace through faith, the holiness that is found only in Christ Jesus. 

Read 10:6,7.

Then in verses six and seven a magnificent discussion takes place.
It is well for us to delve into this and get the full intent of the passage,for in it lies wonderful assurance for our souls:

a)      We no longer have to be worried about who will go to heaven – verse six;
Christ has already made the way for us. He was incarnate God come in the flesh;
He is already in Heaven for us;

b)      We no longer have to worry about the resurrection – verse seven;
 Christ has been resurrected and we shall also be raised from the dead. 

Paul shows us that salvation is not difficult and remote; it is near and easy, see verses 5-10.

He quotes from Deut. 30:11-14, and places an interpretation on the passage to bring out a reference to CHRIST JESUS!  

Christ is always available to FAITH, and the GOSPEL is available for every man:

“For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?  Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” (Deut. 30:11-14). 

Salvation is of personal trust in a living Saviour, and the mouth makes confession when we are saved. See verse nine. Some have made confession an imperative, if one does not confess he is not saved! But this is not true to Scripture in many, many verses. Paul was stressing what James 2:20 also teaches – that if we really believe deep in our hearts we will surely confess Him before men. We cannot help ourselves; we know we have passed from death to life. The fruit of our lips proves the root of the reality of our salvation experience. What is the method of salvation then? It is by faith in Christ Jesus. How can we have righteousness? It is by faith in Christ. 

WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF SALVATION? 

The wonderful WHOSOEVER appears in verse 13. Paul has shown us beforehand that all men were lost, now he shows us that ALL can be saved, if they have faith. There are false teachers who insist that the scope of the atonement is limited, that GOD has limited the atonement. But verses like these prove the lie to be an error. Compare this verse with John 3:16 and Revelation 20:15. Verse 12 reveals that all men, Jew or Greek [Gentile], are lost, if they seek to please God by their works. If the Jews do not call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, then they alone are responsible for their horrible fate. Many of these things about Christ are revealed in the O.T. as well as in the N.T., so the Jews are truly without excuse. See Joel 2:32:

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” 

A BEAUTIFUL DISCOURSE.

Verses 14,15 show how vital it is that the Gospel is preached to ALL. It is intended for ALL, so ALL must hear it. It is, in a nutshell, a program for world evangelism.

There are FIVE STEPS given:

1. If any sinner is to get saved, that one must call upon the name of the Lord;
2. But, if he is to call on the Lord he must first believe in Him and salvation;
3. If he is to believe, he must hear about Jesus Christ and the way of being saved;
4. To do that there must be a preacher. Now, if someone is saved by a tract, or hearing a radio program, or watching a video, there is still a preacher (someone has given them the Gospel message or written it) in the background;
5. The preacher must be sent – that is by God Himself.

Paul then quotes from Isaiah 52:7. Note how much the New Testament quotes from the Old Testament.  They are not separated; they make up a complete book. But, the New Testament brings a higher message than the Old. (See Matthew 5:20 to the end of the chapter). Christ burst forth the O.T. teachings in the Age of Grace, with “I say unto you.” 

It was as though NEW LIFE came gushing forth the old rock of Law – 
 a river of Life that smashed the rock forever. 

The Greek word in verse 15 for “beautiful” means, “full bloom, developed, mature.” What this means really is that when we witness for Christ we are changed into full-blooded, developed and mature Christians. 

THE JEWS HAD REJECTED RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES FROM CHRIST ALONE.

Israel has “zeal” without “knowledge.” See 10:1-3. The contrast in the two words is interesting. “Zeal” can lead to hot fanaticism; “knowledge” without the fullness of the Spirit can lead to cold formalism.

See Galatians 1:14; Acts 22:30. 

romans 10: 16-21.

Paul wants the Jews to be enlightened by the Lord. He sees they are utterly lost if they do not accept Christ as Saviour. There is a horrible change in attitude towards Israel in many Christian’s minds today. The International Christian Embassy (a modern-day outreach to the Jews by Christians) will not allow members to preach the Gospel of Grace to the Jews; they say that the name Christ Jesus makes many Jews shudder! This organization is merely a reconciliation outreach, rather like the reconciliation attempts between aboriginals and the whites here in Australia.

Reinhold Niebuhr, a modernist theologian, said:

“Do not try to convert the Jews…
Jews may find God more readily in their own faith than in Christianity.” 

Billy Graham has publicly declared that Jews find God in a different way than Christians do! 

But Paul sees the TRUTH, Israel’s need of the Saviour,
and the imperative of preaching Christ as Saviour to ALL. 

Verse 18 is an indictment indeed! Paul applies David’s words about creation to that of salvation:

“Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. 
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,” ( Psalm 19:4).

What is he saying here? It is NOT that Israel has never heard,
why the opportunity they have had is as great and wide as the very star-studded heavens above us all! 

Paul appeals to the O.T. yet again.

He points out that both Moses (Deut. 32:21) and Isaiah (53:1; 65:1) had predicted that God would reject Israel because of their unbelief, and take the Gentiles. (Romans 10:16,19,20). 

“They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.” (Deut. 32:21).
“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”  
 (Isaiah 53:1).

“I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not:
 I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.” ( Isaiah 65:1). 

Romans 10:20,21 show that Israel is both: 

a)      Disobedient to the Word of God;

b)      And disgruntled, displeased and put out (gainsaying) by the Word of God.

If we look at Isaiah 65:2 we will get the full picture:

“I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;” 

God had “spread out his hands all the day” or over FIFTEEN CENTURIES to the Jews, the entire age of the Law! But Israel had been a disobedient and gainsaying people!

Compare Matthew 23:37-39.

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