Reading through Romans-Israel and the remnant of grace

Romans 11:1, "I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not!"

Has God cast away His people? Paul's question makes sense as at this point in Romans. If Israel's rejection of the gospel was somehow both consistent with God's eternal plan (Romans 9:1-29) and Israel's own choosing (Romans 9:30-10:21), then does this mean that Israel's fate is settled, and there is no possibility of restoration?

Certainly not! Despite their present state, Israel is not permanently cast away. Now Paul will explain this answer.

Dear Holy God, thank you for always giving us another chance to accept your grace!

Reading through Romans-Gods' pursuit of us

Romans 10:19-21, "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. 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. But to Israel he says: "All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people."

“Again,” Paul asks in verse 19, “Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says [in Deut. 32:21], ‘I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.’” Yes, Israel understood, but they failed, and God told them in advance that he would work with other peoples. And this key verse revealed to Paul what God was doing in Paul’s ministry: He wanted the salvation of Gentiles to make Israel envious, so the Jews would then accept the gospel.

The testimony of these prophets help us to understand that we should not be so amazed that Israel, for the most part, has rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ; this too was foretold.

Isaiah is talking about wayward Israelites, but Paul applies it here to Gentiles. If God can reveal himself to disinherited Jews, then he can do it to anyone. So God turned away from the zealous, and blessed people who didn’t even know to ask.

God did not want the Jewish people to go astray, but they would not listen. Israel had an opportunity for salvation, but most were refusing it.

Dear God, thank you for pursuing me until I gave in to your love and forgiveness on my behalf! I pray that everyone I know will accept it too!

Reading through Romans-All Have heard!

Romans 10:18, "But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."

Their sound has gone out to all the earth: "This might seem an exaggeration: the gospel had not been carried throughout all the earth, not even to all the lands that were known to the inhabitants of the Graeco-Roman world. Paul was well aware of that; at this very time he was planning the evangelization of Spain, a province where the name of Christ was not yet known (c.f. 15:18-24). But by now the gospel had been carried to most parts of the Mediterranean area where Jews were to be found; and that is all the argument requires." (Bruce)

"There is not a part of the promised land in which these glad tidings have not been preached; and there is scarcely a place in the Roman empire in which the doctrine of Christ crucified has not been heard: if, therefore, the Jews have not believed, the fault is entirely their own; as God has amply furnished them with the means of faith of salvation." (Clarke)

Dear Holy God, thank you so much for sending your word into my realm and then for searing it into my heart!!

Reading through Romans-The prophets foretold this rejection of the gospel by Israel

Romans 10:16-17, "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

But they have not all obeyed the gospel: If salvation is so simple, available to all who trust in the person and work of Jesus, then why does Israel seem to be cast off from God? Because many among them had not believed his report - because they have not trusted in God's Word through Isaiah and other messengers of the gospel, they are not saved.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God: Saving faith comes through hearing by the word of God. Although Israel heard, they did not exercise saving faith in Christ - making them (and us) all the more responsible.

"Hearing is a reflection of first-century life. Paul does not raise the possibility of the message being read. While there were people who could read, the ordinary first-century citizen depended rather on being able to hear something." (Morris)

Dear God I BELIEVE!!!

Reading through Romans-The necessity of the preaching of the gospel

Romans 10:14-15, "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Paul rightly observes that it all goes back to the preaching of the gospel, and preachers must be sent - both by God and the Christian community at large.

How shall they hear without a preacher? Conceivably, God could have chosen any means for the message of salvation to come, such as angelic messengers or directly working without a human preacher. Nevertheless God's "normal" way of bringing people to Jesus Christ is through the preaching of the gospel.

No wonder those who preach the gospel of peace have beautiful feet - they partner with God for the salvation of men. The feet speak of activity, motion, and progress, and those who are active and moving in the work of preaching the gospel

Dear God, I didn't want to preach the gospel because I was afraid of rejection.  But I am so grateful that you have saved me from everlasting punishment into life eternal (Matthew 25) and now I humbly proclaim the good news of your gospel of grace to anyone!  Praise to you!

Reading through Romans-The necessity of the preaching of the gospel

Romans 10:14-15, "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Paul rightly observes that it all goes back to the preaching of the gospel, and preachers must be sent - both by God and the Christian community at large.

How shall they hear without a preacher? Conceivably, God could have chosen any means for the message of salvation to come, such as angelic messengers or directly working without a human preacher. Nevertheless God's "normal" way of bringing people to Jesus Christ is through the preaching of the gospel.

No wonder those who preach the gospel of peace have beautiful feet - they partner with God for the salvation of men. The feet speak of activity, motion, and progress, and those who are active and moving in the work of preaching the gospel

Dear God, I didn't want to preach the gospel because I was afraid of rejection.  But I am so grateful that you have saved me from everlasting punishment into life eternal (Matthew 25) and now I humbly proclaim the good news of your gospel of grace to anyone!  Praise to you!

Reading through Romans-God's righteousness is gained by faith

Romans 10:9-13, " That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved: God's righteousness is not gained by works (as Paul made plain in Romans 10:4-8). Instead, we gain it by confessing and believing in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Confess with your mouth: Confession has the idea of agreeing with. When we confess … the Lord Jesus, we agree with what God said about Jesus, and with what Jesus said about Himself. It means we recognize that Jesus is God, that He is the Messiah, and that His work on the cross is the only way of salvation for mankind.

We must also believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. Some wonder why Paul does not mention the cross or the crucifixion in this passage. But when Paul emphasizes the need to believe that God has raised him from the dead, it is not that we believe the resurrection as opposed to the cross, but as encompassing the work of Jesus on the cross.

"We believe everything which the Lord Jesus has taught, but we must go a step further, and trust him. It is not even enough to believe in him, as being the Son of God, and the anointed of the Lord; but we must believe on him … The faith that saves is not believing certain truths, nor even believing that Jesus is a Savior; but it is resting on him, depending on him, lying with all your weight on Christ as the foundation of your hope. Believe that he can save you; believe that he will save you; at any rate leave the whole matter of your salvation with him in unquestioning confidence. Depend upon him without fear as to your present and eternal salvation. This is the faith which saves the soul." (Spurgeon)

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation: These two together (belief and confession) result in righteousness and salvation. We should not ignore how scandalously simple this is (whoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved) and what an affront this is to every attempt of the flesh to be justified, or any attempt to find salvation based on national or ethnic foundation.

Both Jew and Greek were quick to give some credit to national or ethnic origin, as if being saved were a matter of being born into the right family. But Paul makes it clear: There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.

All who call upon Him: Again, note the emphasis on human responsibility. From Romans 9 alone we might think that salvation is God's doing alone, but from Romans 10 we might think that salvation is man's doing alone - together we see the matter from each perspective.

Dear Holy Lord, I trust in YOU alone!