Israel Relying on Title Acts
Romans 76
Israel by action
Romans 9:30-33
Introduction: Paul's central emphasis in Romans is on the argument that God's salvation is not unique to Israel, and Israel is not God's people alone. God's true Israel is not in the physical descendants of Abraham, but it reveals that the spiritual Israel, the seed of the promise God promised to Abraham, is the true Israel. If this problem is not resolved, the gospel will be in vain, and the sufferings of Christ on the cross will be meaningless. Here, Paul's anguish reaches its climax because of his people. It is because the Jews, Paul's people, are the natural descendants of Abraham, and fall from salvation by the law, which is the standard of righteousness that God has given them.
1. The Righteousness of the Gentiles
Paul writes in verse 30, “What shall we say then?” Paul is testifying to the fact that there is no discrimination between Gentiles and Jews in obtaining the righteousness of God, and since this saving work of God is by the sovereign power of God, it is difficult to dare to criticize God for doing such a thing. I'm concluding that I can't. Paul here links the conclusion of God's sovereignty over salvation to faith and works.
(1) It is said that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained righteousness. To say that you did not pursue righteousness means that you did not lead a legal life. The Gentiles had no law. The law was a law that God gave to Israel through Moses. This law has nothing to do with Gentiles. The Gentiles did not know the righteousness of the law at all, and had no intention of obtaining righteousness through the law. But was the righteousness of the law really given to Israel, who was living by the law? If you do, it's not like that. “Everyone who sins without the law will also perish without the law, and everyone who has the law and sins will be judged by the law” (Romans 2:12). According to this verse, the Gentiles are destined to perish without the law, and Israel is destined to perish because of the law. Because it says, “There is no flesh to be justified before him by the works of the law” (Romans 3:20).
(2) It is said that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained righteousness through faith. In the first place, God never gave us humans a way to obtain righteousness through the law, conscience, or anything else. The word of God is, “Whoever does the righteousness which is by the law shall live by that righteousness.” This does not mean that righteousness can be obtained through the law or that one should obtain righteousness through the law (Romans 10:5). The righteousness of this law should be viewed as a shadow that symbolizes Christ. Because Christ has perfected the righteousness of that law. When we believe in Christ, we become united with Christ, so we receive the righteousness of the law that Christ fulfilled, and the more perfect righteousness of Christ as a gift, and we obtain righteousness. The Gentiles were able to easily obtain this righteousness of God by receiving the gospel.
(3) God also gave Abraham righteousness through this faith. Abraham is mentioned in the Bible as the first man to be justified. Then what did his righteousness come from? At that time, there was still no law. It tells us that Abraham could not obtain righteousness by works. “If Abraham was justified by works, he would have something to boast about, but not before God. What does the Bible say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Romans 4). :2,3). This means that Abraham's seed is not a lineage or an act of the law, but an heir of faith, the seed of the covenant. In this regard, Paul says: “It was written, which was credited to him as righteousness, not only for Abraham, but also for us, who will be credited to him, who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Romans 4:23,24). Therefore, it is God's will and biblical that even though they are Gentiles without law, they obtained righteousness through faith in Christ.
2. Why Israel Didn't Get Righteousness
Paul said of the Gentiles gaining righteousness, and Israel not getting it, saying, “What is it? For they do not rely on faith, but on works.”
(I) The first cause of their stumble was that they did not rely on faith. Believing that the only source of righteousness was the law, Israel rejected the faith. The law is God's holy law, followed by works. But faith consists only in this one thing of believing in Christ. This is never an act. However, Israel, who had been immersed in the customs of the law in this way, could not consent to obtaining righteousness through faith without works. This could not but be a 'very wrong heresy' in their judgment. Therefore, the group of Jews who sued Paul referred to Paul in front of Pelex and said that he was “the chief of the Nazarene heresy” (Acts 24:5). Although they were descendants of Abraham, they did not have the faith of Abraham. Abraham's heirs are not according to the flesh, but according to faith. “If you belong to Christ, you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). Israel had their faces covered by the law, so they did not know what the righteousness of God was.
(2) The Jews said that they depended on works, not faith. The righteousness of the law must be the righteousness shown by works, so they depended on their works to obtain righteousness. What, then, is the result of their reliance on their actions? Their actions did not reach the righteousness of God. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in the same way death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Gentiles and Jews alike are sinners who inherited sin through one man, Adam. Sinners can never attain righteousness by keeping God's law. Nevertheless, they tried to gain righteousness by their own works, and they fell from righteousness because they rejected the gospel to the end.
(3) They said that they eventually bumped into the stone they were going to hit. Christ has two sides. He is the rock of salvation for those who believe in him. He gives you eternal life. This eternal life is guaranteed forever. It will not be stolen by anyone. Because he possesses the eternal righteousness of God. But to those who do not believe, he is a rock of stumbling. They have only judgment. And that law, on which they depended and modeled for righteousness, becomes the fair standard of their judgment. Sadly, because Israel forsook the righteousness of faith that God wanted and tried to obtain righteousness by relying on their own works, they would only hit the stone they would stumble upon.
Conclusion: The law never guaranteed righteousness to Israel. Because God's righteousness did not come from the law. God made his Son the standard of righteousness and provided for him from the beginning to grant him righteousness through faith in him. Israel was rejected by God because they had forsaken this knowledge of God. We must hold fast to this faith, make sure our righteousness, and have the evidence of salvation.