Home
Bible Study ©
Established
November 2008
Rightly
Dividing the Word of Truth
(2
Timothy 2:15)
This
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to
be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4
Romans
by the Book Lesson 81
I thank you for
taking the time to be here with us today.
Just so you’re
aware I try to publish these lessons for you on a weekly basis.
My goal is to circulate
each Bible lesson on Friday. This gives
everyone a full week to look them over and study them before I issue the next
one in line.
That’s the only
announcement I have for the group this week, so if you’ll open your Bible to Romans
9 at verse 30, we’ll pick up where we left off last week.
Let’s read some
Scripture together.
Romans 9
30: What shall we
say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue
righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is
by faith;
31: but Israel,
pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.
32: Why? Because they
(the
Israelites) did not pursue it by faith,
but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling
stone,
33: just as it is
written, “BEHOLD I (the
LORD God of Israel) LAY IN ZION A STONE
OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM
WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” (Isaiah
28:16, 8:14)
Paul
starts this paragraph with a question, “What
shall we say then?”
Based
on what we’ve learned so far, it’s not about fatalism or the Doctrine
of Fate, i.e. the philosophical doctrine according to which all events are
fated to happen. The theory where God is
in control; people are not, so that human beings go about living their lives
believing there’s no reason to change because it doesn’t alter their future. The Israelites attempted to utilize this argument
while disagreeing with Paul. Many people
hold to this belief today. The reality
is it comes down to a choice; your choice and not God’s. As Paul has shown his kinsmen (and us) Righteousness is obtained by faith (plus nothing else) and not by
works of the law, not by conformity to rules and regulations, and aiming to walk
“that” straight line perfectly. Salvation
is not obtained by trying to “bank” enough good deeds, hoping God will notice
your efforts and then let you into His heaven.
It’s also saying that salvation is not based upon one’s heritage or
blood-line, but rather by believing in Jesus Christ crucified, whether
Jew or Gentile.
Romans
9:30 draws a conclusion from Paul’s preceding arguments and introduces a new
section, which we’ll get to in short order.
In reviewing Israel’s past, Paul brought God’s sovereignty into focus
for his kinsmen and proved that God remains faithful despite their thinking to
the contrary. In so doing, he reminded
them that it was never God’s intention to save all Israel, but rather only a
remnant of true Believers…and God always accomplishes His purposes through a
chosen remnant, “Yet I will leave 7,000
in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has
not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18; Matthew 7:13-14).
Digging Deeper
The
“true” descendants of Jacob have over the course of time shown their weakness,
but at the same time shown their desire for the LORD God’s blessing. We find this example throughout Jacob’s
life. And this is why the LORD said, “Jacob I loved.” Jacob wasn’t a perfect man, but he
believed the LORD and this makes all the difference.
Jacob’s
brother Esau and his descendants on the other hand over the course of time revealed
that they were not interested in the LORD God’s blessing. Scripture
gives us this brief commentary on Esau and it stands as a warning to all: See to
it that no one comes short of the grace of God (don’t choose
ignorance and don’t be stubborn; or proud);
that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be
defiled; that there be no immoral
or godless person like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.
(Hebrews 12:15-16) Unlike
Jacob, Esau and his descendants were devoid of faith. And
without faith it is impossible to please Him,
(Hebrews 11:6a).
…but Israel,
pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Because they
did not pursue it by faith,
but as though it were by works (v31-32).
Earlier
in Paul’s letter he stated the only way to be “justified” before God is through
faith in Jesus Christ: Now we know that whatever the Law says, it
speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and
all the world may be accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no
flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:19-20).
The
Law was a means of righteous living,
but it was never meant to provide salvation because man is unable to keep God’s
commandments – we’re not sinners because we sin; we sin because we’re sinners! It’s our nature to break the law, whether they
are God’s laws or man’s. Who hasn’t
added 10 miles an hour to the speed limit while driving their car, who hasn’t
“manipulated” a tax return, who hasn’t told a lie, who hasn’t taken a pen,
pencil, or notepad home from work that didn’t belong to them, who hasn’t lusted
after another person, place, or thing?
Get the idea.
The
nation of Israel failed in obtaining it’s righteousness before God because they
thought God would give His righteousness to them based on their keeping the Law. Israel put their devotion in the Law and
their religion.
But
Paul, who is the spokesperson for the risen Lord Jesus Christ says, But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested
(brought into the spotlight), being
witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who
believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God, (Romans 3:21-23).
Hello…there’s been a change! My
how some people resist “change.”
When
Jesus Christ came, the Israelites were offended by Him (v32). He revealed their attempts at keeping the Law
only served themselves by making them “feel” important. In other words, they were seeking to
establish their own righteousness within the religious system they had made. They couldn’t accept this truth or Jesus, and
He became A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A
ROCK OF OFFENSE (v33). Therefore, the nation of Israel missed
God’s “way” of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.
So,
make no mistake the emphasis is on human responsibility and sin. God is dependable. He is sovereign. He is trustworthy. His wisdom is shared with those who look to
Him, lean on Him, and rely on Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). However, a person cannot receive wisdom from
God apart from a relationship with Him.
This was Israel’s problem then and it’s Israel’s problem today. Jesus said, “THIS
PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM
ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY
WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’” (Matthew 15:8-9; Romans 11:25)
Jesus
made it very clear it’s the condition of one’s heart that matters and not their
rote religious practices: after Jesus called the crowd to Him, He
said to them, “Hear
and understand. It is not what
enters into the mouth that defiles
the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”(Proverbs
21:2; Matthew 15:10-11; Luke 16:15)
Jesus
Christ’s own people rejected Him because they were proud, obstinate, and
disobedient (Romans 10:21). This fits
the description of anyone who attempts to please God on their terms. These people are blind to their sinfulness
and they are destitute of faith (Genesis 4:3-7). Jesus used the parable about the
Pharisee and the Publican to teach people it's wrong to trust in self
righteousness.
Luke 18
9: And He also told
this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous,
and viewed others with contempt:
10: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11: "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to
himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust,
adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12: 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.'
13: "But the tax collector, standing some distance
away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his
breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'
14: "I tell you, this man went to his house justified
rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he
who humbles himself will be exalted."
It’s
hard to miss the “prideful” comments coming from this Pharisee. In case you’re unaware, the sin of pride is
the “sin of sins.” This is the sin that
transformed Lucifer, an archangel, into Satan, the devil, the father of lies, from
whom arose the origin of sin, and the one for whom the Lake of Fire was
created. It was the sin of pride that
led the woman in the Garden of Eden to disobey God’s command not to eat from
the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil for she believed the devil’s lie that
she would be, like god.
The
sin of pride = preoccupation with self.
It’s fitting then that the middle letter in SIN is the letter “I.” Read the Pharisee’s comments how many times
did he say, “I?”
God
detests pride because He loves people and pride prevents them from receiving
His Word and His free gift of grace: “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate. (Proverbs 8:13)
But
God loves the humble “heart,” Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD,
BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” (James
4:6b)
Jesus
Christ is a “stumbling block”
for the proud and a Rock of offense
in Zion (v33).
He
came silently and simply, born of a virgin, in Bethlehem Ephrathah (Micah
5:2).
He
lived the life of a poor, Jewish carpenter, in Nazareth, an area despised by
the local Jews. That was a stumbling
block for them….”Can any good thing come
out of Nazareth?” His message
(gospel) was one that humiliated the religious elite. This became their stumbling block and one of the
reasons Jesus was crucified. His gospel
was that of salvation apart from works (religion) and that was a stumbling
block to the self-reliant Jews who believed themselves good enough to be saved based
on their merit system. But this same
gospel was then offered to gentiles, who
did not pursue righteousness, (but) attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith, (in Jesus
Christ), which again was a stumbling block for the Israelites who, because of
their national pride, were prejudiced against non-Jews.
When
people hear the gospel today, God’s message of love and grace, they stumble because their pride blocks His
message: Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be
disobedient (Apeitheo in the
Greek, meaning: not to allow one’s self to be persuaded, to refuse or withhold
belief; proud), the stone which the
builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of
stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the
word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. (1 Peter 2:7-8; 1 Corinthians 18-28)
I
want to look at one passage in particular.
Please turn to Psalms 118.22 - The
stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.
There
is much debate as to who the author of this Psalm is and when it was written.
However,
quite a few people give King David the credit.
Who wrote the Psalm is not the issue at hand. It’s the message it conveys that matters.
This
Psalms falls into two halves: from
verses 1-18, the psalmist and the worshippers are on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
for one of the seven feast days. From
verses 19-29, the worshippers have arrived at the Temple, where their worship
continues. And so Psalm 118 was a song which
was included in their festive corporate worship.
For
example, when the Jews returned to the land, the singers in Ezra’s day sang a
variation of Psalm 118:1 when the builders laid the foundation of the second
Temple (Ezra 3:11), “They sang, praising
and giving thanks to the LORD saying, ‘For He is good, for His lovingkindness
is upon Israel forever.’ “
When
Matthew records that Jesus Christ and His apostles sung a hymn and went to the
Mount of Olives, they were following the prescribed Passover tradition
instructions for performing “Hallel” (Matthew 26:30). The Hallel (pronounced: hah-leyl) consists of
Psalms 113 through 118 and is a central prayer in Judaism.
Psalm
118:14: “The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation,” is
taken from the song of Moses, sung after the Exodus (Exodus 15:2). This is the last song after the Passover, so this
would have been the last song that Jesus sang with His disciples before going
out to the Garden of Gethsemane.
The
gospel accounts of Palm Sunday and the Passion Week cite from Psalm 118 in
reference to Jesus Christ. When He
entered Jerusalem, the crowds cried out the words of verses 25-26 with regard
to Jesus. “Do save” in Hebrew is hosanna. (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9-10; Luke 19:39;
John 12:13)
Later
that week, as Jesus debated with the Jewish religious leaders, He referred to
Himself as the “stone” which the
builders rejected, which becomes the chief corner stone (Genesis 49:24; Job 38:4-6; Isaiah 28:16; Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45; Matthew
21:42; Ephesians 2:20).
Here’s
what Jesus meant by this statement: the
nation of Israel would reject their Messiah, but He becomes and remains the
Stone which holds the whole structure of God’s plan of salvation together.
To
approach God through our works will cause us to stumble over Christ and be
lost; to approach God through faith in Jesus Christ results in justification, righteousness,
and salvation.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment