Romans 9:30-10:4
1.
The Gentiles find righteousness without seeking it
2.
The Jews cannot find righteousness because they seek it the wrong way
3. Righteousness for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ
Introduction
Today’s biggest
question is How Do We Get Right in God’s Sight? It’s not new to our day and age. It was
already a big question back in the middle fifties AD, when the Apostle Paul
wrote this letter overseas to the people at Rome. In fact, it was an especially
big question back then: because there were two groups quarreling considerably
about which of their two ways of salvation was the right one.
The Writer of this
letter to the Romans was the Apostle Paul. Paul never even met Jesus while He
was here on the earth. Paul was very strict Jew. When the gospel of Christ
began to spread, Paul violently persecuted the believers. Then one day, as he
was on his way to the city of Damascus, Paul suddenly met the risen and living
Lord Jesus Christ, and became a believer himself. It was then that Jesus
appointed Paul to be an Apostle. Jesus sent Paul to preach the gospel primarily
among the Gentiles, that is, non-Jewish. But, same time he has burden for his
Jewish people also.
First of all,
there were the Jews of the time. Paul deals with them in the middle six verses
here. He begins: Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not
attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by
works.
The
Jews of Paul’s day aimed to get right in God’s sight by good deeds in
conformity with God’s standards. Immediately, Paul says, they didn’t make it;
they didn’t attain their goal of God’s righteousness. Why not? Their old sinful
nature, inherited from their parents, all the way back to Adam and Eve, their
old sinful nature made it impossible for them perfectly to love God and
perfectly to love others.
This entire
section emphasizes the difference between “Law righteousness” and “faith
righteousness.” The contrasts are seen in the following.
Law
of Righteousness Faith
Righteousness
Only for the
Jews For
“whosoever”
Based on works Comes by faith alone
Self-righteousness God’s righteousness
Cannot save Bring salvation
Obey
the Lord Call on the Lord
1.
The Gentiles find righteousness without seeking it
(Romans 9:30-31)
The Jews on one
side and the Gentiles on the other, two observable cultures. The Jews are
devoting themselves to God’s law and keeping their distance from Gentile
culture, which they see as unclean. The Gentiles have cooties. Not that every
Jew feels that way, but it’s a pattern – pursuing a law that leads to
righteousness. The Jews are serious about that. The Old Testament (the Bible)
is the rule-book, and they’re following the rules, to be righteous and ready
for the Messiah. But the Gentiles, over in their culture, aren’t pursuing
righteousness. They’re like many people today, focused on other things.
When Paul
preached to gentiles, they did not show any doubt on his words. But when he
tried to preach Jewish, they always argued with him, and they show many doubt
to him. But when gentiles heard the gospel, many of those Gentiles received, by
putting faith on God, and they accepted it, and had thus find righteousness.
However, it was
not
a righteousness based on their own goodness in the sight of God. It was God’s
righteousness, appropriated by God given faith. It was a righteousness
purchased by Christ’s redeeming blood.
The Gentiles have received right standing with God and
covenant membership in the family of God by faith, not through the Law of
Moses. Gentiles, who were not pursuing a right status with God and were not
pursuing covenant membership with God, have been offered this status and the
Gentiles have accepted this status by faith. They did not receive this status
through the Law of Moses. The Gentiles did not receive this status by keeping
the works of the Law (circumcision, Sabbath keeping, keeping clean and unclean
ordinances, etc). They received this status of justified and covenant
membership in God’s family through faith. This faith is not simply mental
agreement to God’s promises for Paul has never defined faith this way in the
letter to the Romans. Faith describes truly trusting in God and living
faithfully to him.
Application
Even today, people
find what they do not look. They read a book, listen to a song; somehow it sets
them on the path toward God. They go to a wedding, a funeral, a baptism, and
behold. God found them and they received righteousness by faith. Others have
the opposite experience. They seek, but do not find, because they pursue
righteousness the wrong way.
We need to
decide what kind of righteousness we are seeking, whether we are depending on
good works and character, or trusting Christ alone for salvation. God does not
save people on the basis of birth or behavior. He saves them “by grace, through
faith” (Eph. 2:8–9). It is not a question of whether or not we are among God’s
elect. That is a mystery known only to God. He offers us His salvation by
faith. After we have trusted Christ, then we have the witness and evidence that
we are among His elect (Eph. 1:4–14; 1 Thess. 1:1–10). But first we must trust
Him and receive by faith His righteousness which alone can guarantee heaven.
2.
The Jews cannot find righteousness because they seek it the wrong way
(Romans 9:32-33)
The Jews sought
for righteousness but did not find it, while the Gentiles, who were not
searching for it, found it. The
reason is that Jewish did not pursue right standing by faith, but by works. They
rejected “grace righteousness” and tried to please God with “Law
righteousness.” The Jews thought that the Gentiles had to come up to Israel’s level to be saved; when actually the Jews had
to go down to the level of the
Gentiles to be saved. “For there is no difference: for all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:22–23). Instead of permitting their
religious privileges (Rom. 9:1–5) to lead them to Christ, they used these
privileges as a substitute for Christ.
But see the grace of
God: Israel’s rejection means the Gentiles’ salvation. Paul’s final quotation
was from Isaiah 28:16. (The words quoted by Paul here in verse 33 are a
combination of two biblical passages: Isa. 28:16 and 8:14:“Behold, I lay in Zion a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a
solid foundation. The one who trusts will never be dismayed” (Isa. 28:16). “For
both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes people to stumble, and a
rock that makes them fall” (Isa. 8:14).) It referred to Jesus Christ; God’s
Stone of salvation (see Ps. 118:22). In Zion was placed a stone that made
people stumble and a rock that would trip them up. God gave Christ to be a
Foundation Stone, but Israel rejected Him and He became a stumbling stone.
Instead of “rising” on this Stone, Israel fell (Rom. 11:11); but, as we shall see,
their fall made possible the salvation of the Gentiles by the grace of God.
Israel,
on the other hand, pursued a law of righteousness (v. 31), but didn’t obtain
it? Because they did not have faith; rather, they tried to get righteousness by
works (v. 32). They trusted in their own efforts. They said: “Because we are
descendants of Abraham by birth, surely we must children of God.” but in
thinking this, they had made a big mistake. They thought that because they were circumcised on the
eighth day that they were in God’s family. They thought because they possessed
the Law of Moses that they were the people of God. But Paul has shown that no
one is justified by the works of the Law (Romans 3:20).
Even though they were indeed God’s chosen people on the basis of their natural
descent from Abraham, in the end they lost the privilege of being God’s people,
God’s children, because of their refusal to believe in Christ. Our election,
our righteousness, our salvation are all by faith, not by works. Most of Jews
tried to obtain righteousness and salvation by their own religious works, and
they failed. The Gentiles, who in the Jews’ eyes didn’t even pursue righteousness,
ended up getting it through faith.
When
the Jewish rejected Christ, they lost their salvation – that is, they stumbled
(Isaiah 8:14, 28:16). The Jews could not believe that their savior – who the
Old Testament Promised would come – would turn out to be the son of an ordinary
carpenter and then, worse than that, end up dying on a cross like a poor criminal.
Instead of worshiping such a savior, they despised Him. Therefore, Christ
became for the Jews “stumbling stone” over which they stumble and fell.
They did not live faithfully to God.
They did not put their trust in God, but opposed God. Instead, the Jews thought
they had right standing before God and covenant membership in God’s family by
the works of the Law.
Application
Israelites
come upon Jesus, look him over carefully and reject him. Why? Because Jesus
himself is not bowed toward law and the righteousness people try to earn. He
didn't care about their rules. He didn't promote righteousness as they
understood it, so they rejected him. Of course, jealousy of Jesus’ popularity
made them more angry. But they were right about this: Jesus did not tell
people to pursue legal righteousness by their work. He offered
righteousness by grace (9:33).
Sometimes
we show ourselves that we are very righteous and spiritual. And we are tried to
judge others by our lives. But, actually we ourselves not worthy to judge
others, because our own lives itself not worthy for that, so how we can judge
others.
Christ
was stumbling block for Jewish same way he become stumbling block for today’s
people. Sometimes, we are also finding something but we are not looking God’s will.
We are tried to find according to our will, our desire. But, we become fail to
find that things, because that is not God’s will. But, we should try to find
according to God’s desire, so we can get it.
Because
Jesus is the foundation stone, so that those who reject him must stumble
and fall (Matt 21:44). Indeed, Jesus told those who rejected him, “The kingdom
of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its
fruit” (21:43). And everyone who follows Jesus, Jew or Gentile, will receive
that fruit.
3. Righteousness for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ (Romans.10:1-4)
Jewish
pursued righteousness but failed to achieve it because they seeking it by
personal value rather than by faith. But, the Gentiles find it without seeking
it. The deep longing of Paul’s heart was that his countrymen experience
salvation. The reality of his love is seen in the fact that he prayed for them.
He, like they, belonged to that special race through whom God had revealed
himself in history. Reflecting on his pre-conversion days, he told the
Galatians of his extreme zeal for the traditions of the fathers (Gal 1:14; cf.
Acts 22:3). But God met him on the Damascus road, and his eyes were opened to
God’s way of righteousness. The experience did not turn him bitter against his
former associates but rather kindled within his heart a burning desire that
they too might experience the forgiving grace of God through Jesus Christ.
There was a time
when Paul would have agreed with his people, for he himself opposed the Gospel
and considered Jesus Christ a fraud. Paul himself had been zealous for the Law
and the traditions (Acts 26:1–11; Gal. 1:13–14). Israel considered the Gentiles
in need of salvation, but certainly not the Jews. In several of His parables,
Jesus pointed out this wrong attitude: the elder brother (Luke 15:11–32) and
the Pharisee (Luke 18:9–14) are two examples. Israel would have been happy for
political salvation from Rome, but it did not feel it needed spiritual
salvation from its own sin.
Everything about
the Jewish religion pointed to the coming Messiah (their sacrifices,
priesthood, temple services, religious festivals, and covenants). Their Law
told them they were sinners in need of a Savior. But instead of hire the Law
bring them to Christ (Gal. 3:24), they worshiped their Law and rejected their
Savior. The Law was a signboard, pointing the way. But it could never take them
to their destination. The Law cannot give righteousness; it only leads the
sinner to the Savior who can give righteousness.
Paul’s
comment in last verse of passage is mysterious: Christ is the end of the law so
that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes (10:4). “Law” means
the Law of Moses. But in what sense is Christ the end of the law? The word
“end” in English and the Greek word for “end” - TELOS - can have three meanings
that make sense here:
it can mean “fulfillment” or “purpose” (as in “the chief end of man is to
glorify God”), it can mean “termination” (“come to an end”), or it can mean
“goal” (“means and ends”). It is hard to decide what Paul means here, because
all three applications of the word make sense in context and are consistent
with other biblical teaching. Christ “fulfills” the righteousness which the Law
can only describe; he “terminates” the Law as a means of salvation; and he is
the “goal” toward which the whole Mosaic legislation pointed--the Law is our
“schoolmaster” to bring us to Christ.
Christ is “the
end of the Law” in the sense that through His death and resurrection, He has
terminated the ministry of the Law for those who believe. The Law is ended as
far as Christians are concerned. The righteousness of the Law is being
fulfilled in the life of the believer through the power of the Spirit (Rom.
8:4); but the reign of the Law has ended ( Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14). Jesus himself
said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have
not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matt 5:17). “Therefore we are
not under the Law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). (John
1:17 says, “the law was given through Moses; but, grace and truth came through
Jesus Christ.”)
Paul further testifies that Israel did not understand how
God was keeping his promised covenant. They did not understand God’s plan
through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s righteousness was not just for Israel,
but was through them. God was not just giving right standing to Israel. Israel
was the vehicle through which the Messiah would come so that the whole world
could receive right standing before God. The promises were not exclusive to
Israel.
Since the Jews
did not know the righteousness that comes from God - that is, the righteousness
that comes through faith in Christ, they did not submit to it. They didn’t
understand that Christ himself was the embodiment of God’s righteousness.
When Paul says
that Christ is the end of the Law – that is, the Jewish law. The law has now
been replaced by Christ Himself. No longer is the law necessary as a means of
obtaining righteousness or salvation. Now Christ stands in place of the law. He
is the new way for men and women to obtain righteousness; He is the new way to
the heavenly Father for everyone who believes in Him (John 14:6). Christ is not
only the end of the law; He is also fulfillment of the law.
Application
It is sad to say,
many religious people today are making the same mistake. They think that their
good works and religious deeds will save them, when actually these practices
are keeping them from being saved. Certainly many of us are sincere and
religious, but sincerity and devotion will never save the soul. “Therefore by
the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight” (Rom.
3:20).
Today, many churches want the status of right standing with
God to be based on belief without obedience or external works and not on faith.
But Paul has taught that those who are children of God are those who walk in
the footsteps of faith of Abraham, who put sin to death by being united to
Christ through baptism, conforming themselves to the image of his Son. Zeal
alone does not put one in God’s body of saved people.
Finally I want to reminds two things
First, the Law of Moses was not the ultimate goal. Christ
was the ultimate goal. The law itself was not God’s end purpose. Christ was
the goal and the completion of the Law of Moses. Righteousness comes through
Jesus, not through the Law. Second, right standing before God and covenant
membership in God’s family is to everyone who believes. It is not to
Jews who believe. Righteousness is to every person who believes.
Conclusion
So now we can have a better understanding that we are not
under the Law as a way of salvation. Christ has freed us from the curse of the
Law (Gal. 3:10, 13). He has freed us from the penalty of the Law (Rom.6:23,
8:1-2). He has freed us from the requirements of the ceremonial law--the
sacrifices, circumcision, ritual cleanness--for they only existed to point
forward to him and are no longer needed. But he has not freed us from the Law
itself, which still continues to perform its original function of driving us to
him.
Brothers and
sisters, we need to confess our sin; then take Christ as our foundation stone.
Turn to God and say: “Father, I’ve stumbled into sin as I’ve tried to obey you.
I can’t claim any righteousness of my own. But Jesus, my Savior, did not sin.
Invited by you, prompted by you, I claim his righteousness as my own.”
Paul gave us the
spiritual understanding of this warning. He told us that God’s way of salvation
was not difficult and complicated. We do not have to go to heaven to find Christ,
or into the world of the dead. He is near to us. In other words, the Gospel of
Christ—the Word of faith—is available and accessible. The sinner need not
perform difficult works in order to be saved. All he has to do is trust Christ.
If you hold to my teaching, you are
my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
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