What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
“ Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
I absolutely love verse 30....irony of ironies...That is just so God. The ones who did not pursue righteousness attained the righteousness of faith and the ones who pursued the law of righteousness did not get there. Why? They did not seek it by faith but by works...they tried to do it themselves. They stumbled at that stumbling stone (Jesus) and were offended instead of being thankful for the free gift of salvation we have in God's Son.
The Gentile understood that the way into God's kingdom was to realize their own inability to keep the law and their need for a Savior and enter His kingdom by faith. The Jews rejected grace righteousness and tried to please God through law righteousness spurning the gift of His Son. God's plan is not for us to try to obtain His favor by being good and doing good things. It is to obtain His favor by realizing that we can never be good enough and must depend on His Son for entrance into heaven. The Jews thought the Gentiles needed to climb to their level to be saved but in reality they needed to get down in the mud with the Gentiles to find salvation. “For there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” The gospel was taken to the Jew first and upon their rejection to the Gentiles. The nation of Israel rejected the Messiah but there were many Jews that accepted Him, In fact, the early church was made up of mostly Jewish believers. Are you seeing God's mercy here and feeling His love...the nation may have rejected Him but acceptance or rejection of Christ, is a personal decision that each one of us must make.
Okay...here comes more of God's grace and His unsearchable ways. The Jewish rejection of their Messiah meant the Gentiles salvation. Romans 11:11 says this: "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles." So today the saved Gentiles provoke Israel “to jealousy” because of the spiritual riches they have in Christ. Read Romans 10: 19-21 and see God's grace to the entire world.
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:
“ I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,
I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says:
“ I was found by those who did not seek Me;
I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But to Israel he says:
“ All day long I have stretched out My hands
To a disobedient and contrary people.”
I do not understand predestination and free will. It is a mystery. I do know, however, that the Bible teaches both. I also see God's love evidenced in these passages and if studied closely in every chapter in the Bible. I see His free offer of salvation to all of us. All He does, He does for our good and His glory. His ways are unfathomable. 2nd Peter 3:9 says "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." God says salvation is by grace through faith and not of works. God says whosoever will come. It has been said that divine sovereignty and human responsibility do not compete they cooperate. We are not asked to choose between them. We are asked to choose between life eternally with Christ by believing by faith in His Son or life eternally in a place of torment separated forever from God.
After going through this chapter verse by verse, I am now more convinced than ever that our God can be trusted...He is faithful to keep His word and to accomplish its purpose both in Israel and the whole world. In fact, in Israel's rejection, He kept His word to the Gentiles and will use the Gentiles to keep His word to Israel. Truly we serve an amazing God!!
Love
Mom who is really looking forward to studying Chapter 10 of Romans...
Showing posts with label Romans 9. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romans 9. Show all posts
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
If God is Sovereign, Can We Resist Him? Romans 9:19-29
You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor--Romans 9:19-21
The question here is if God is sovereign than how can we resist His will. If we do resist, what right does He have to judge. Who are we to question God. Does not God have power over us to form one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? God is holy, just and righteous. He cannot perform an unjust act or have an unjust purpose. Again though, looking through the human perspective it seems to us sometimes that He does. He had mercy on Moses but condemned Pharaoh. He elected Israel and rejected other nations. Is this just?
First, who are we to question God. Like clay in the hands of the potter we are the work of His hands. We are different from clay, however in that we have emotions, intelligence and free will. We can resist Him if we choose. God, however, chooses our parents, where and in what time frame we are born, our genetics...etc. The fact that He is sovereign does not excuse us from responsibility. As was said in the previous post, Pharaoh had the same opportunities as Moses but chose to harden his heart against the things of God.
Divine sovereignty does not rule out personal responsibility. I really cannot grasp the concept, but I see it all around me. People choosing to look to the things of God and people choosing to turn away from them. I also see it through the eyes of what I know about God's love for us. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. I read about the opportunities that Judas was given as well as the thief on the cross. I read about Peter's struggle and restoration. Through it all I see God reaching down in love...always always for our good and with our best in mind. I see Jesus' mercy, love and compassion in each and every interaction He had with the people around Him. Read the gospel accounts...see what He wept over. He wept over the city of Jerusalem. Why because they did not recognize their Messiah. He told the women on Calvary Road not to weep for Him but to weep for themselves because they did not understand what lay ahead for the city. Jesus wept for us...for our unbelief. Jesus is for us not against us...the One who created me...loves me and has my best interests at heart. I can trust Him to be my Potter and mold me however He desires. He loved me enough to die for me....I can trust Him with my life.
What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?--Romans 9:22-24
Love (God) suffers long and is kind. 2nd Peter 3:9 says that God is not slack concerning His promises. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." Pharaoh had opportunities to be saved as did Judas as do all of us. Warren Wiersbe says the word prepared or fitted for destruction in verse 22 does not suggest that God made Pharaoh a vessel of destruction. "The verb is in what the Greek grammarians call the middle voice, making it a reflexive action verb. So, it should read: “fitted himself for destruction.” God prepares men for glory (Rom_9:23), but sinners prepare themselves for judgment. In Moses and Israel God revealed the riches of His mercy; in Pharaoh and Egypt He revealed His power and wrath. Since neither deserved any mercy, God cannot be charged with injustice." Let's look last at Romans 9:25-29.
As He says also in Hosea:
“ I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
26 “ And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
‘ You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:
“ Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
The remnant will be saved.
28 For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,
Because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth.”
29 And as Isaiah said before:
“ Unless the LORD of Sabaoth had left us a seed,
We would have become like Sodom,
And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”[
I love Warren Wiersbe's commentary on these verses and I will end with it. As I contemplate this I am amazed at the awesomeness of our God...indescribable...
"First Paul quoted Hos 2:23, a statement declaring that God would turn from the Jews and call the Gentiles. Then he cited Hos 1:10 to prove that this new people being called would be God’s people and “children of the living God.” He then quoted Isa 10:22-23 to show that only a remnant of Israel would be saved, while the greater part of the nation would suffer judgment. Rom 9:28 probably refers to God’s work of judgment during the Tribulation, when the nation of Israel will be persecuted and judged, and only a small remnant left to enter into the kingdom when Jesus Christ returns to earth. But the application for today is clear: only a remnant of Jews is believing; and they, together with the Gentiles, are the “called of God” (Rom_9:24). The final quotation from Isa 1:9 emphasized the grace of God in sparing the believing remnant.
Now, what does all of this prove? That God was not unjust in saving some and judging others, because He was only fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies given centuries ago. He would be unjust if He did not keep His own Word. But even more than that, these prophecies show that God’s election has made possible the salvation of the Gentiles. This is the grace of God. At the Exodus, God rejected the Gentiles and chose the Jews, so that, through the Jews, He might save the Gentiles. The nation of Israel rejected His will, but this did not defeat His purposes. A remnant of Jews does believe and God’s Word has been fulfilled."
SEE HOW OUR GOD WORKS...EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THAT WE COULD ASK OR THINK!
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
Isaiah 55:9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Israel’s rejection had not canceled God’s election; it had only proved that He was true to His character and His purposes.
Love
Mom
The question here is if God is sovereign than how can we resist His will. If we do resist, what right does He have to judge. Who are we to question God. Does not God have power over us to form one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? God is holy, just and righteous. He cannot perform an unjust act or have an unjust purpose. Again though, looking through the human perspective it seems to us sometimes that He does. He had mercy on Moses but condemned Pharaoh. He elected Israel and rejected other nations. Is this just?
First, who are we to question God. Like clay in the hands of the potter we are the work of His hands. We are different from clay, however in that we have emotions, intelligence and free will. We can resist Him if we choose. God, however, chooses our parents, where and in what time frame we are born, our genetics...etc. The fact that He is sovereign does not excuse us from responsibility. As was said in the previous post, Pharaoh had the same opportunities as Moses but chose to harden his heart against the things of God.
Divine sovereignty does not rule out personal responsibility. I really cannot grasp the concept, but I see it all around me. People choosing to look to the things of God and people choosing to turn away from them. I also see it through the eyes of what I know about God's love for us. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. I read about the opportunities that Judas was given as well as the thief on the cross. I read about Peter's struggle and restoration. Through it all I see God reaching down in love...always always for our good and with our best in mind. I see Jesus' mercy, love and compassion in each and every interaction He had with the people around Him. Read the gospel accounts...see what He wept over. He wept over the city of Jerusalem. Why because they did not recognize their Messiah. He told the women on Calvary Road not to weep for Him but to weep for themselves because they did not understand what lay ahead for the city. Jesus wept for us...for our unbelief. Jesus is for us not against us...the One who created me...loves me and has my best interests at heart. I can trust Him to be my Potter and mold me however He desires. He loved me enough to die for me....I can trust Him with my life.
What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?--Romans 9:22-24
Love (God) suffers long and is kind. 2nd Peter 3:9 says that God is not slack concerning His promises. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." Pharaoh had opportunities to be saved as did Judas as do all of us. Warren Wiersbe says the word prepared or fitted for destruction in verse 22 does not suggest that God made Pharaoh a vessel of destruction. "The verb is in what the Greek grammarians call the middle voice, making it a reflexive action verb. So, it should read: “fitted himself for destruction.” God prepares men for glory (Rom_9:23), but sinners prepare themselves for judgment. In Moses and Israel God revealed the riches of His mercy; in Pharaoh and Egypt He revealed His power and wrath. Since neither deserved any mercy, God cannot be charged with injustice." Let's look last at Romans 9:25-29.
As He says also in Hosea:
“ I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
26 “ And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
‘ You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:
“ Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,
The remnant will be saved.
28 For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,
Because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth.”
29 And as Isaiah said before:
“ Unless the LORD of Sabaoth had left us a seed,
We would have become like Sodom,
And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”[
I love Warren Wiersbe's commentary on these verses and I will end with it. As I contemplate this I am amazed at the awesomeness of our God...indescribable...
"First Paul quoted Hos 2:23, a statement declaring that God would turn from the Jews and call the Gentiles. Then he cited Hos 1:10 to prove that this new people being called would be God’s people and “children of the living God.” He then quoted Isa 10:22-23 to show that only a remnant of Israel would be saved, while the greater part of the nation would suffer judgment. Rom 9:28 probably refers to God’s work of judgment during the Tribulation, when the nation of Israel will be persecuted and judged, and only a small remnant left to enter into the kingdom when Jesus Christ returns to earth. But the application for today is clear: only a remnant of Jews is believing; and they, together with the Gentiles, are the “called of God” (Rom_9:24). The final quotation from Isa 1:9 emphasized the grace of God in sparing the believing remnant.
Now, what does all of this prove? That God was not unjust in saving some and judging others, because He was only fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies given centuries ago. He would be unjust if He did not keep His own Word. But even more than that, these prophecies show that God’s election has made possible the salvation of the Gentiles. This is the grace of God. At the Exodus, God rejected the Gentiles and chose the Jews, so that, through the Jews, He might save the Gentiles. The nation of Israel rejected His will, but this did not defeat His purposes. A remnant of Jews does believe and God’s Word has been fulfilled."
SEE HOW OUR GOD WORKS...EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL THAT WE COULD ASK OR THINK!
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
Isaiah 55:9 “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Israel’s rejection had not canceled God’s election; it had only proved that He was true to His character and His purposes.
Love
Mom
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Is Their Unrighteousness with God? - Romans 9:14-18
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”[18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens--Romans 9:14-18
So in the previous study entitled "Is God Reliable" we discussed God's sovereignty and His faithfulness to the Jewish nation. In this study we are going to discuss God's sovereignty in relation to His righteousness. God chose Israel and not Edom. God chose Jacob and not Esau. God chose Isaac and not Ishmael. God chose Israel and not another nation. Choosing one over another seems unfair to us. Lots of us accuse God of unfairness...if He chose Israel then He condemned Edom. If He chose Jacob then He condemned Esau. Paul starts off verse 14 with "Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!" God because He is holy cannot commit an unrighteous act.
Romans 1:16-17 says this: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
God's righteousness is revealed in the gospel. The death of Christ, revealed God's righteousness by punishing sin. The resurrection of Jesus revealed His righteousness by making salvation available to the believing sinner. God can forgive sins and still be holy because He became the just and the justifier through the death of Jesus, His Son, on the cross. The righteousness from the gospel is one from faith.
In the Old Testament righteousness was by works of the law but it was soon apparent that no one could keep the law or meet the demands of a holy God. Salvation cannot come by obedience to the law. The law brings a curse...it demands obedience to all. If you break one, you're done. The law shows us our need for a Savior and our guilt before God. The gospels says "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." This verse is mentioned in Habukuk and in three New Testament books. Romans explains “the just” and tells how the sinner can be justified before God. Galatians explains how the just “shall live”; and Hebrews discusses “by faith” (see Heb10:38).Warren Wiersbe says this: The Law says, "Do and live!" but grace says, "Believe and live!"
Really, God would be justified in wiping us all out. We all deserve condemnation. When you really begin to draw close to God, you begin to wonder how God can love any of us! I have heard it said that if God acted only on His righteousness nobody would ever be saved. Truly, it is only by God's mercy that we are all not consumed.
Look at verse 15and 16:
For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Who are we to say that He cannot show mercy or compassion to whomever He pleases. No one can condemn God for the way He extends His mercy...why...because He is righteous. We are all sinners...if left to ourselves, we would perish. The reference to Exodus 33 in verse 15 deals with Israel's idolatry (the golden calf incident) while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the law. All deserved condemnation and death but God killed only 3000. Justice is getting what we deserved...mercy is not getting what we deserve and grace is unmerited favor...getting what we absolutely do not deserve. Our destiny rests upon the mercies of God. We can't reach up to Him...He needs to reach down to us.
For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”[ Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens--Romans 9:14-18
Now Paul quotes Exodus 9:16 using Pharaoh as an illustration. God shows compassion and mercy to Moses and Israel and condemnation to Pharaoh and Egypt. Moses was a Jew and Pharaoh was an Egyptian. Both men were sinners...murderers even! Both experienced or saw the same plagues and felt the power of God. Yet Moses was saved and Pharaoh was lost. Why? Because God is sovereign and acts according to His own will and purposes. He raised up Moses to show mercy on His people and deliver Israel, and He raised up Pharaoh to show His glory and power.
Think about it though...God gave Pharaoh all kinds of opportunities to repent...Moses heart was soft toward the things of God...Pharaoh resisted and hardened his heart until the Lord cemented him in his decision. The fault did not lay with God but with Pharaoh. People all face trials. Sometimes those trials will lead them straight into the arms of Christ and in His grace He saves them. Others react to adversity by cataloging and holding onto offenses and griefs and allowing their hearts to be filled with bitterness. They harden their own hearts toward the things of God by the decisions they make on a moment by moment basis. The bottom line is if we are saved it is because of His grace...if we die in our sins we have no one to blame but ourselves.
OUCH!
Love
Mom
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”[18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens--Romans 9:14-18
So in the previous study entitled "Is God Reliable" we discussed God's sovereignty and His faithfulness to the Jewish nation. In this study we are going to discuss God's sovereignty in relation to His righteousness. God chose Israel and not Edom. God chose Jacob and not Esau. God chose Isaac and not Ishmael. God chose Israel and not another nation. Choosing one over another seems unfair to us. Lots of us accuse God of unfairness...if He chose Israel then He condemned Edom. If He chose Jacob then He condemned Esau. Paul starts off verse 14 with "Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!" God because He is holy cannot commit an unrighteous act.
Romans 1:16-17 says this: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
God's righteousness is revealed in the gospel. The death of Christ, revealed God's righteousness by punishing sin. The resurrection of Jesus revealed His righteousness by making salvation available to the believing sinner. God can forgive sins and still be holy because He became the just and the justifier through the death of Jesus, His Son, on the cross. The righteousness from the gospel is one from faith.
In the Old Testament righteousness was by works of the law but it was soon apparent that no one could keep the law or meet the demands of a holy God. Salvation cannot come by obedience to the law. The law brings a curse...it demands obedience to all. If you break one, you're done. The law shows us our need for a Savior and our guilt before God. The gospels says "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." This verse is mentioned in Habukuk and in three New Testament books. Romans explains “the just” and tells how the sinner can be justified before God. Galatians explains how the just “shall live”; and Hebrews discusses “by faith” (see Heb10:38).Warren Wiersbe says this: The Law says, "Do and live!" but grace says, "Believe and live!"
Really, God would be justified in wiping us all out. We all deserve condemnation. When you really begin to draw close to God, you begin to wonder how God can love any of us! I have heard it said that if God acted only on His righteousness nobody would ever be saved. Truly, it is only by God's mercy that we are all not consumed.
Look at verse 15and 16:
For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Who are we to say that He cannot show mercy or compassion to whomever He pleases. No one can condemn God for the way He extends His mercy...why...because He is righteous. We are all sinners...if left to ourselves, we would perish. The reference to Exodus 33 in verse 15 deals with Israel's idolatry (the golden calf incident) while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the law. All deserved condemnation and death but God killed only 3000. Justice is getting what we deserved...mercy is not getting what we deserve and grace is unmerited favor...getting what we absolutely do not deserve. Our destiny rests upon the mercies of God. We can't reach up to Him...He needs to reach down to us.
For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”[ Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens--Romans 9:14-18
Now Paul quotes Exodus 9:16 using Pharaoh as an illustration. God shows compassion and mercy to Moses and Israel and condemnation to Pharaoh and Egypt. Moses was a Jew and Pharaoh was an Egyptian. Both men were sinners...murderers even! Both experienced or saw the same plagues and felt the power of God. Yet Moses was saved and Pharaoh was lost. Why? Because God is sovereign and acts according to His own will and purposes. He raised up Moses to show mercy on His people and deliver Israel, and He raised up Pharaoh to show His glory and power.
Think about it though...God gave Pharaoh all kinds of opportunities to repent...Moses heart was soft toward the things of God...Pharaoh resisted and hardened his heart until the Lord cemented him in his decision. The fault did not lay with God but with Pharaoh. People all face trials. Sometimes those trials will lead them straight into the arms of Christ and in His grace He saves them. Others react to adversity by cataloging and holding onto offenses and griefs and allowing their hearts to be filled with bitterness. They harden their own hearts toward the things of God by the decisions they make on a moment by moment basis. The bottom line is if we are saved it is because of His grace...if we die in our sins we have no one to blame but ourselves.
OUCH!
Love
Mom
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