Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility -- Paul's lesson in Romans 9, 10 ("C" = "confess what?")
The gospel doesn't believe itself or preach itself.
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Romans 9:30-10:17
To fulfill his thesis about what the gospel is, Paul has to explain why the Jews ("God's chosen people") rejected it and what that means for the Gentiles. This leads to an incredibly important discussion about how God's sovereignty intersects with our responsibility (both to believe the gospel and to share the gospel) -- namely God's grace.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (10:13)
Back in 2020, Lifeway covered an adjacent passage. My notes my still be helpful to you:
Getting Started: Things to Think About
Your Biggest Disappointment
I've found that this kind of topic works better when the disappointment is pretty old, so take that into account when you decide how you want to use this idea.
We've all been passed over for an award, promotion, opportunity, etc. I still have a couple of such things from my distant past that I would still grumble about if you managed to get me talking about them. I'm still convinced I was the best candidate for the whatever-it-was. How about you? What's something you really believed you were extremely deserving of but got passed over, and what came of that?
In this week's passage, Paul confronts one of the most difficult realities of the coming of Jesus -- the Jews finding out that they weren't the only candidates for salvation, and their qualifications weren't as solid as they thought they were. And that leads to the flipside of this idea:
Your Biggest Surprise
On the other side of the Jews' disappointment is the Gentiles' surprise. They hadn't even been made aware that God wanted to save them, let alone that they were eligible.
We've also all gotten recognitions or awards that we didn't think we would. (Yes, some of these might have been small recognitions, but that counts. It's not like anything we can think of comes close to the "value" of salvation.) I still remember something from high school that absolutely shocked me (and made me unpleasantly pompous, but I digress).
Paul has to thread the needle for both groups:
The Jews needed to recalibrate their expectations.
The Gentiles needed to not get a big head about this.
We have two weeks to learn how Paul accomplished this.
How Do/Did You Handle "Allowance" for Your Kids?
(Make this about you growing up if your group doesn't have kids.) This could be a topic that spirals into strong social commentary, so watch the clock.
Every family is different about this. In some families, an allowance is "free money". In some, it's chore-based. And some families don't do allowances. What was the situation for you, how did it go, and what lessons did you learn?
I would be most interested to know if your group could connect their experience with an allowance to their initial understandings of salvation.
Here's one of Paul's observations (using this illustration):
The Jews are like kids who grew up in a home with a heavy emphasis on a list of chores. Everything they got, they associated with their ability to get the chores done. Until eventually, they decided that God loved them because they did their chores, and they could not separate the idea of God's blessing from their own work.
I'm not suggesting that this should have anything to do with how we handle allowances with kids, but I am wondering if our experiences as kids might influence how we understand God's free gift of salvation.
The Toughest Lesson You Learned/Taught in Your Family
Paul also wants to make it clear that it's not God's fault if the Israelites took the wrong lessons from their relationship with the law. That sparks another potentially difficult topic.
What's the hardest lesson you learned growing up? -or- What's the hardest lesson you tried to teach your own kids?
There are so many truly profound lessons that come to mind. "Just because I love you doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away with that." "Sometimes trying your best isn't enough." "Life isn't always fair." "My [earthly] parents aren't perfect."
Paul has been trying to help his fellow Jews finally learn the lessons God has been teaching them all these generations. They are not easy lessons. But (for Paul) the only thing worse than a difficult lesson is a difficult lesson you fail to learn.
Where We Are in Romans
Plus the Big Idea: Sovereignty vs. Responsibility
This is one of those sections in Paul's writings where readers tend to glaze over. The problem with that is we miss the point when we don't read carefully.
Here's how I've presented an outline of Romans:
Part 1: The Facts of the Gospel (chapters 1-8)
Part 2: An Aside about Israel (chapters 9-11)
Part 3: How to Live as Christians (chapters 12-15)
The problem with my outline is that it makes chapters 9-11 an "aside" (as in something you can skip and still get the gist of the lesson). In retrospect, that's the wrong word to use. I've heard these chapters described as "chapters 1-8 applied to Jews", and that's not bad. I think we're better off looking at these chapters as a closer look into Paul's thesis:
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.
Morris spells out the question that we should all be thinking by this point in Romans: "How can Paul establish a system of salvation for Gentiles on the basis of an Old Testament that gives a special place to Jews?" Or more to the point, how can salvation be "first" for Jews if many Jews have not been saved, and what does that mean for the Gentiles?
So, you can see why Paul had to explain this:
what does it mean to be the "chosen" people of God?
how could the Jews have rejected their Messiah?
is Gentile salvation different from Jewish salvation?
Morris was very emphatic that we acknowledge that God has not "rejected Israel". God has rejected anyone who does not come to Him in faith. One of the more important lessons of this section is how we are to understand the relationship between God's sovereignty and human responsibility. And the most important concept in these chapters is "mercy".
Here's Morris's detailed outline of this section (with minor changes):
The Place of Israel in God's Plan (9:1-11:36)
The Tragedy of Israel (9:1-5)
God's Sovereign Freedom (9:6-29)
God works by election (9:6-13)
God's purpose is mercy (9:14-18)
God's wrath and God's mercy (9:19-29)
Human Responsibility to Believe (9:30-10:21)
The "stumbling stone" of faith (9:30-33)
Two ways of righteousness: faith or works (10:1-13)
Worldwide proclamation of salvation by faith (10:14-21)
God's Promises Will Be Fulfilled (11:1-36)
The remnant of Israel (11:1-10)
The restoration of Israel (11:11-24)
The conversion of Israel (11:25-32)
The mercy of God (11:33-36)
Now, here are the lesson passages Lifeway has chosen:
"Believe" 9:30-10:3, 9-17
"Kindness" 11:11-24
[Note: last week I said that we had three lessons on this section, and clearly I misread the outline. I guess we get the point in just two lessons!]
Note that we skip both of the first two parts of the outline: "The tragedy of Israel" and "God's sovereign freedom". You'll need to give some context for that!
Most importantly, we need to understand how sorrowful Paul was that Israel had chosen to reject this idea of salvation by grace through faith. And it's really important for us to realize that Paul is now speaking in terms of groups -- he's not talking about individual Jews; he's talking about the "people of Israel" as a whole. Obviously, individual Jews have been saved. Paul is one of them! But Paul sees the "collective" Jewish people as "siding with the Pharisees" over against the apostles. That's how Paul can still identify himself as a faithful Jew but mourn the Jewish people.
Then Paul takes on the elephant in the room: if God once chose the people of Israel from among all the people of the world (through no merit of their own), was God now changing His mind by saving Gentiles, and was He being unfair to the Jewish people?
We've talked about this before -- one of the most important doctrines of God is His unchangeability. If God could change His mind, could He not then change His mind about salvation through faith in Jesus? Let that keep you up at night!
Paul understands that many Jews and Gentiles will hear this message about Jesus and believe that God changed His mind about "salvation through works of the law by Jews" to pivot to "salvation through faith in Jesus". And I hope you see why it would be extremely important for Paul to correct that wrong thinking!
Yes, God chose Israel from all the people of the world. Yes, God gave them the law. But God's plan has always been salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and God's people were to take that message to the entire world. It's not God's doing that Israel chose to mislearn that lesson.
This is one of the most difficult concepts in the entire Bible. God is absolutely sovereign over everything. God can do whatever He wants. And yet in God's mercy, God chose to give humans the freedom to live as "free agents" with real responsibility. God chose to give humans responsibility.
So, this week, when we jump straight to Paul's section about human responsibility, let's make it very clear that Paul first covered God's sovereignty.
And the connection between God's sovereignty and our responsibility is God's grace. We do not have the "right" to free choice. We've certainly not earned it. But in grace, God gives us the freedom to choose -- even knowing that we will often make the terrible choices to sin.
Part 1: Righteousness through Faith
Romans 9:30-33 -- the "stumbling stone"
30 What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith. 31 But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not achieved the righteousness of the law. 32 Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written, Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and the one who believes on him will not be put to shame.
I'm sure you realize by now why it was so important to Paul to make it clear that salvation by faith has always been God's plan. And God's people had consistently failed to understand that.
We've talked about this before, and it's always a valuable topic -- why is that? Why would the Jews (or any number of modern religious practitioners) reject the idea of salvation by faith for salvation as something they can work for?
We're mostly skipping the "two ways of righteousness" section, so I'll just ask this here: what did the Jews fail to understand about the possibility of earning salvation through works of the law?
[Aside: This will depend on your group, but you could then open up a discussion of what other religions seem to think about salvation by works. In the case of Judaism and Christianity, we both worship a God revealed by the same book. But other religions worship gods from other books. What does all of that say about their gods and their understandings of salvation and/or forgiveness? I think it's pretty clear that Christianity alone truly has a sovereign and perfect God with a coherent understanding of salvation.]
What does it mean that the Gentiles "did not pursue righteousness"?
You can answer it from your own experience (you're likely a Gentile). Did you "pursue righteousness" before you were saved? If you think you did, what did you think that meant at the time?
Paul says that there are "two ways of righteousness":
Righteousness that comes through faith in Christ.
Righteousness that comes through works of the law.
Paul calls the way of "righteousness by law" a "stumbling stone". What do you think that means?
A lot of readers seem to think of a "stumbling stone" as an obstacle that you trip over, and then you get back up and keep on going.
That's ... not the image Paul is making.
Paul is taking "stumbling stone" from Isaiah 8:14, where it is paired with "a rock to trip over". That translation reinforces the image above, but the literal translation is a "rock of offense" -- "a scandal". It's not a obstacle that we trip over, it's an obstacle that pushes us off the path completely.
There's no "getting back up from it" -- there's only dealing with it head-on.
God did this intentionally in the form of Jesus Christ -- salvation by grace through faith, not salvation by works of the law -- and the Jews could not reconcile themselves to this obstacle.
God has not changed the plan of salvation. Some Jews (namely those who listened to Jesus) have simply realized that God's people had misunderstood God's plan of salvation all this time.
There are two common ways of understanding what Paul is saying here:
In the one on the left, "Spiritual Israel" is often called "The Remnant", and the idea is that Paul is talking about "Saved Jews". In the one on the right, "Spiritual Israel" is often called "The Church", and the idea is that Paul is talking about all Christians, some of which are Jews.
There are good arguments on both sides, and both "the remnant" and "the church" are talked about in the Bible, so you're pretty safe whichever way you go.
In either case, the main point Paul is making is that some Jews have not come to God for salvation in Christ, and Paul mourns for those Jews. But he also insists that it is their decision and their responsibility. They chose to stumble (be scandalized) at salvation.
Yes, it's true of Gentiles, but Paul is making it clear that this is also true of Jews.
Part 2: Not Righteousness by Works
Romans 10:1-3 -- zeal is not enough.
Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation. 2 I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness.
This is where you can start stepping on toes. There are some good phrases that hammer down what Paul is saying:
It's not enough to be a "good person".
Acting like a Christian doesn't make you a Christian.
"Sincerity" is no substitute for truth.
A lot of religious people are going to hell.
Yes, those phrases offend non-Christians. In my experience, they can also offend "good church-going folk". Why?
The answer might tie back to my silly "allowance" topic suggested above. Some people might think that you really have to work for what you have, and some people might think that you should get everything for free. Be that as it may, why might those people find God's definition of salvation to be "scandalous"?
Paul's love for his people is absolute and admirable, and I hope we have the same kind of love for the people in our families and communities. Paul "understands where they were coming from" because he was once just like them.
If you have time, I think this is always a great discussion to have: Think about the kind of person you were before you became a Christian -- what kind of sympathy or empathy does that create in you, and for whom?
I am very sympathetic to people who have grown up around Christianity but don't like the idea that there's only one truth or one way to be saved. That was my life experience before I became a Christian! It doesn't necessarily make me better at "reaching" that group (because everyone's experience is unique), but it hopefully makes me more sympathetic in how I talk to someone in that group.
My guess is that everyone in your group has unique "heartstrings" that are tugged by different demos. The collective identity of your group might help you see "targets" in your community that you should invite to Sunday School and church.
It is still very controversial today to say something along the lines of "a sincere Muslim / Mormon / Hindu / etc. will not be saved even though they are sincere". But that's exactly what Paul is saying about his fellow Jews. The same argument that applied to Jews in Paul's day applies to all non-Christians today in the same way. What is that argument, and how does it connect to "righteousness"? (Hint: do you obtain righteousness through sincerity?)
Part 3: Salvation by Faith
Romans 10:9-13 -- verses to memorize.
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Lifeway skips Paul's "Old Testament proofs", and I understand why -- they want to keep going through verse 17. Paul's argument that we skip is simple and critically important:
Paul has established that no one can perfectly keep the law. And yet God has ordered His people to keep the law. And the Jews interpreted that to mean that salvation was only possible by perfectly keeping the law. Does this mean that salvation is impossible?
By man's definition, yes. But Paul wants his Jewish readers to realize that salvation had never been intended to be through perfect works of the law. Instead, salvation (and in this passage, "righteousness" meaning "in right relationship with God") has always been intended to be by faith.
[Aside: again, yes, Paul is saying that if you perfectly kept God's law, you could be saved that way. There are two ways to be saved: perfectly keeping the entire law every second of your life, and faith in Christ. One of those ways is impossible for everyone except Jesus.]
Then in verse 9, Paul explains what that "word of faith" is. [Important: "word of faith" literally means "the message that calls for faith". It does not mean anything like "your words have power" as some groups try to claim.]
That response is both outward and inward. The words you say are meaningless unless they are combined with actual heart change / repentance. But the evaluation of your heart change is "measured" by your outward obedience.
[Note: this is why Baptists are insistent about believers' baptism by immersion. If you're a Christian, you should want to obey Jesus, and the Great Commission specifically tells us to baptize believers are a part of their discipleship and walk with Christ.]
I've said before that "Jesus is Lord" would have triggered the public phrase "Caesar is Lord". To be considered a good citizen, you would have been expected to say "Caesar is Lord"; Christians, by instead saying "Jesus is Lord", put a target on their backs. So, Paul isn't just talking about words -- he's talking about words with real-world consequences.
Another great discussion is this:
what does it mean to call Jesus "Savior"?
what does it mean to call Jesus "Lord"?
I'll admit that I've always found the next few verses a bit confusing. Why does "belief" do one thing but "confession" do something else?
Turns out that's a "me problem". Paul never intended them to be treated separately. It starts with belief ("faith") and results in salvation ("heart change" = "confession" "out of the overflow of the heart does one speak"). It's never either/or but always both/and.
In salvation, it's always both inward and outward.
Paul then calls back to what he quoted in 9:33, but this time with the emphasis on the "everyone" -- meaning Jew and Gentile. There is one salvation, and it is offered in the same way to all people. Paul has said this before, but now we see how it works in the context of "first for the Jew, then for the Gentile".
The challenge for the Jew was (and always will be) unlearning the wrong notion of salvation they had been taught. Realize that the same is true today of professing Christians who grew up in a "legalist" church or a "universalist" church (i.e., any church that didn't preach the true gospel) -- they have to unlearn a lifetime of teaching.
To Paul, this is hopeful -- because every other (read: false) gospel is a ticket to hell, and God has made the way to heaven open. But he understands that "hopeful" does not equal "easy".
These verses are critical-to-memorize. You should know them as part of the "Romans Road" we've talked about, especially in
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
Romans 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Some questions to make sure your group understands:
what does it mean to "call on the name of the Lord"?
how do you "call on the name of the Lord"?
who is "the Lord"?
Joel chapter 2 (where Paul gets this verse) is a fascinating look at the "end times" (which we learn at Pentecost means now) and a worthwhile read.
Part 4: Proclaimed to All
Romans 10:14-17 -- Jesus has sent His followers with His message.
14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. 16 But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.
If you've been to a missionary commissioning service, chances are you heard these verses. These (plus the Great Commission) are a veritable Missionary Manifesto. They certainly explain Paul's own commitment to his "job" as a missionary.
The simple way to say this is "The gospel is the best news in history, but the gospel doesn't preach itself".
This is why we find these verses in the "human responsibility" section of Romans. Paul drops the truth bomb that our responsibility is two-fold:
Humans have the responsibility to believe the gospel message
Humans have the responsibility to share the gospel message
Paul's logic is not difficult to follow. But it belongs here in the section about the Jews because Paul is applying this logic in reverse:
the Jews had the responsibility to share the message about God with the rest of the world, and they failed to do so;
now that the light has reached that Gentile world, the Gentiles inherit the responsibility to share this message with the entire world -- including Jews.
Yes, the Jews should have gotten the message the first time around, but that doesn't mean that the Gentile world can "wash their hands of the Jews".
Note that Paul warns us that not everybody will listen to this good news, but that shouldn't stop us from sharing it.
Have your group come up with a list of people that they want to share the gospel with, and pray for opportunities to do so.
The Digital Missionary
I want to clarify one thing before I sign off. "Heard" was the correct word for Paul's day. Communication was almost entirely verbal. A small percentage of the population could read, and a smaller still percentage could afford to write and send letters. And they didn't have computers or telepathy.
We don't have telepathy, but we do have computers, and a large percentage of people know how to read. That opens up additional avenues for obeying Paul's instructions.
More and more, I think we're all realizing the critical value of the personal, face-to-face conversation, but I want to make it clear that we can share the message of Christ online and be fully in line with what Paul is saying here.
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