Romans 9-11 | RCD Podcast

A lot of times we think if I understand this, then it will finally be then the the sort of like riddle of God's predestination will be emotionally resolved for me, or the implications of it will be emotionally resolved for me.

And they aren't emotionally resolved for Paul.

Yeah.

The belief in what he is laying out here uh uh means that when when you are putting your faith in Jesus, there is this implication that you look out into the world and you recognize that all of those who don't are destined for eternal damnation.

And this is a this is a terrifying implication that is married to the wonder of this blessed news that we're saved by grace alone.

Hello, my name is James Rathman.

And I'm Gibson Gellerman.

And this is the RCD Podcast.

We are covering chapters 9 through 11 of Romans for support for your Romans Bible studies.

Are you excited to do that, Gibson?

I'm stoked.

This is Gibson's first time joining us on the podcast.

You might have seen Gibson of uh he's made famous by the announcements at Redemption Church Denver.

Big stuff.

And he is our administrator here, and so he keeps the ad he keeps the administration happening.

He also has a second job.

I do.

I do.

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Yeah.

Okay, let's do this.

Romans 9 through 11.

Very few controversies.

Yeah, yeah.

Really nothing's really happening here.

It's kind of like reading for like First Kings, you know, it's just narrative and just a no man's land.

Yeah, yeah.

What's going on here?

Yeah, that's right.

It's basically just lists of names and a uh uh uh so much ink has been spilled over these chapters.

And uh I've heard uh even from folks that have done the studies already that there are uh it's like, man, there is confusion here, and we got hot cut caught up in some of these things and not understanding exactly what's going on.

Our hope for this is that you get a high flyover of these chapters, get a sense of what the main uh questions that Paul is dealing with and how he resolves those.

And also uh my my hope is that by the end of this podcast, when we get to that doxology at the end of this section, that uh we might be able to celebrate along with Paul the wonders that we're seeing of God's intentions to uh save his people from sin and the grace that he gives us in Jesus Christ, and that we might shout this doxology um along with Paul.

Yeah, yeah.

So that's our goal.

That if we do this right, we'll be worshiping at the end.

Yeah.

Let's kick it off with Romans chapter nine.

What's the what's the I think when people think of Romans 9, they think this is the predestination chapter.

Yeah.

And there's truth to that, you know, it is a a topic that is central to his argument, but it's a subset of the main argument.

It's an implication of the argument.

He's not uh setting out to write the chapter on predestination.

Yeah.

So what is he talking about?

Well, I mean, in uh in Romans 8, he's just he's just um gotten done talking about the greatness of of the gospel, and he turns now to the question of of Israel, of of what's what's going on with them.

Yeah.

Uh you know, to them, they received the covenants, the promises, they had they had the fullness of the revelation of God, and yet they're lost.

Yeah.

And so what's going on with that?

And I mean, that's verses is one through five of Romans 9.

Um and we see here uh Paul's heart for for the Israelites, for his own people, for his family, um, which I'm sure most people can relate to.

I mean, we all got family members who are lost.

Yeah, for sure.

And uh, you know, it's noteworthy that Paul's explanation through election and predestination doesn't, you know, at the end of it, he's not like, oh, I feel better.

Right.

He's still in anguish.

I mean, he wishes himself accursed.

Yes.

So so the question is is what about the promises of God to them?

Yeah.

I think that's it's so important to recognize, Gibson, that there's the a lot of times we think if I understand this, then it will finally be then the the sort of like riddle of God's predestination will be emotionally resolved for me, or the implications of it will be emotionally resolved for me.

And they aren't emotionally resolved for Paul.

Yeah.

The belief in what he is laying out here uh uh means that when when you are putting your faith in Jesus, there is this implication that you look out into the world and you recognize that all of those who don't are destined for eternal damnation.

Yeah.

And this is a this is a terrifying implication that is married to the wonder of this blessed news that we're saved by grace alone.

Yeah.

And I I think, yeah, he's thinking of his family, his kinsman.

Yeah.

And we are two, you know, and you this is this is the uh the the weight of that uh I think is is not something that you should expect to be resolved in greater understanding of it.

Um it it is really there, it is really present, but that doesn't mean we can't understand what he's saying.

Right, exactly.

Yeah, for sure.

So what is the question?

Why why is this a problem for him that he's seeing in particular the Israelites reject Christ?

Yeah, I mean, uh at verse six kind of draws it out when it says uh it's not as though the word of God has failed.

Um so he's kind of asking that question of if the fullness of the revelation was given to them and they're lost, did the word of God fail?

Did it did it, you know, did it prove nothing for for them?

Uh because the majority of them are walking in darkness now.

Yeah.

And they've rejected the Messiah who's come.

Yep.

Um and so that launches him into the the famous argument of how the hidden mystery of election is is over and above um a ethnic choosing, if you will.

Yeah, yeah.

That I think that's a great way of saying it.

The mystery of election is above the ethnic choice of Israel.

And we can we can see that pattern throughout the whole scriptures.

It's one of those things that's almost like glaring from the beginning.

Uh even with the mixed multitude that comes out of Egypt, we see that there's this inclusion of people who are not ethnic Israel into the promises of God by their faith in the promises of God.

And yet the promises are to ethnic Israel.

They are they are their promises in a unique way.

So if they're rejecting it and the promises are to them, this is the question that Paul is being forced into.

Yeah.

Does that mean God's promises to them have failed?

I what this reminds me of is the Jews in exile.

It's a similar question that the Jews that once they were sent into exile experienced.

And this is what the major prophets are mostly wrestling with is okay, so we had this promise of a land and a people with a king, and the king's throne was supposed to be, let me check my notes, eternal.

Yeah, yeah, an eternal throne.

Now here we are in Babylon, and we're not in the place, which God promised to us.

We have no identity as a people, which God promised to us, and that throne back there in Jerusalem is empty.

So did God's promises to us fail?

Were they meaningless?

Did they not actually amount to anything?

And though the resolution of that terror terrifying question has God abandoned us and his promises were not legitimate.

The resolution that the major prophets push them into is the new covenant.

Yeah.

They they start to glimpse over the horizon.

They're like, wait, there's it was a greater throne than we imagined.

It was a greater place than we had imagined, it was a greater people than we had imagined.

And that's something similar like that is happening here, I think.

Yeah.

They're pushed into that same sort of a corner.

But the question that he's going to, he's thinking at these very human levels, very personal kinsmen uh levels, of even like down to like individual election uh levels.

So how does he how does he bring us through that?

I guess, yeah, show us how he brings us through that with Esau and Jacob.

What is his what is he what does he show about God's election and its work throughout the history of Israel?

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, in uh the second half of verse six, uh the reason he gives for the word of God not failing is that all who are descended from Israel are not Israel.

And so he brings uh a category in, the a kind of an inner circle within this broader group of Israel.

Right.

That there's there's a truer, more true Israel, uh the elect of God, uh in in that ethnic ethnic Israel.

And who that is is who he explains, it's the children of promise.

Yeah.

He contrasts the children of of Abraham with the children with the children of promise.

Or I guess the children of Abraham are the children of promise, not the children of the flesh.

Right.

And so there's that distinction going on here.

And he shows through history it's the Lord's always operated in this promissory way.

Yep.

That uh with Sarah and then with Rebecca, he shows just with those two, the first the first two famous, famous ones really, that the Lord has always been choosing whom he wills.

Yes.

He he has that sovereign right because he's the Lord.

And what he he then shows is that it's not based on works.

Uh or or election is not based on works.

It's not based, I mean, you and Alan talked about last week how it's not based on a foreseeing of of faith.

Yeah.

And moreover, it's not based upon anything we do or or think or anything like that, because he removes any sort of category like that when he says that though they had not been born yet and had done nothing, either good or bad.

And then to clarify, as if like he needs some more clarification, he says, in order that the God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works, but because of him who cause, uh, she was told the older shall will shall serve the younger.

And so he's he's making this promissory argument that the reason the word of God has not failed is because the children of Abraham are the children promise, right?

Not the children of the flesh.

Right.

And so he's he's giving us categories to understand why these promises haven't failed.

Yeah.

So you look at uh Esau and Jacob before they're born, while they're in the womb, they couldn't have done anything.

They he chooses between them.

Yeah.

And he chooses Jacob and he rejects Esau.

Jacob I loved, Esau I hated.

And Paul interprets that for us and he says, This is the way God always does it.

Yep.

This is the way he's always done it.

So we as as Christians, the implication here is we would say, Why is it that I am in Christ and others are not in Christ?

The only answer we can finally give is because God chose me.

Yeah.

God made it so.

Yeah.

Before before you were born or had done anything, good or bad.

Yep.

It it you are held by the decision of God.

By and that's this is this is the like the uttermost depths of when we say grace alone.

Yeah.

Grace alone means our salvation is completely in the hands of God.

Oh, yeah.

And who can we give glory and credit and praise to for our salvation?

We can't take any of that for ourselves.

It all goes to God and his choice.

Yeah.

And there that's uh um there's a there's a wonder and uh terror in that.

Yeah.

There's a kindness and severity in in that.

And uh so does that mean uh uh if if the choice is just merely his, does that mean that there's some injustice on God's part in his rejection?

By no means.

One might say.

One might say that.

You could definitely say that.

Um yeah, I mean that's the logical question that uh occurs um to Paul's readers.

Uh he's anticipating that.

It's the same question that we ask when we read something like that.

He's like, well, how c how is there not injustice?

He's he's being kind to one and not to the other.

And uh Paul's argument then the rest of you know these next few verses essentially that you must remember that you are man, not the Lord.

Yeah.

That he he made you.

You are the clay.

Right.

And he is the maker.

You know, uh it's just the perfect moment in scripture for Paul, Paul has teed up, teed himself up precisely to say, remember the priority of individu uh of an individual's free will.

Remember the priority of an individual's choice that the Lord is seeking to preserve.

And he does not say that.

It's the perfect moment for him to make that argument.

It's like he's teeing himself up for that argument, and that's not what he says.

I mean, he says the exact opposite in verse 16.

So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God.

Yes.

So this is the principle that we must understand.

This is the absoluteness of God's sovereignty in our salvation that the scriptures plainly teach.

It does not depend on you, it depends upon God alone.

Yeah, that is what we rest on for our salvation.

And so he, yeah, he he goes right into well, then why does he still find fault?

How can he find fault in those who reject him if they if he didn't choose them?

And then he his answer to that, like you were saying, is this is what what is the clay talking?

Sorry, was that some clay talking back to the potter?

Those are very different levels of agency.

Uh, a clay and a potter.

And you're the clay in the story.

And he makes some for honorable use, some for dishonorable use.

That is the right of the potter to do.

And so his his answer to this problem is not to center the distinction on human free will, but to make sure that the distinction is centered in the mind of God and the sovereign right of God to make that distinction.

Now one way because this may just be like I can't swallow that.

You know, that's a jagged little pill.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I need uh so one one way that might help you see this is okay, the distinction is going to rest somewhere.

The in what distinction are we talking about?

The eternal experience of glory with God or of damnation in hell.

Yeah.

That is the distinction.

Where do you want the responsibility of that distinction to rest?

Do you want it to rest within man to make a judgment like that, to make a distinction like that, or do you want it to rest in God?

And I I think if you think about that for 30 seconds, you you will conclude that that the only place that that could possibly rest is in God.

Yeah.

And the only way for us to have it have any comfort in that decision, finally, of it being made, is if it is if it finally rests in God, the creator of all things.

Yeah.

It it must be his.

Yeah.

And so it's almost like the answer to Job's question.

And uh where the answer is uh, you know, where were you when I was making the world?

Yeah, I mean Job's a great uh contrast here because he's in anguish.

Right.

You know, he's lost his family as well.

Right.

Uh to death.

Yes.

And he has all these questions, and the answer is essentially the same is, you know, where were you when I made Leviathan?

Right.

Were you there?

Yeah.

And the answer is no.

And at the end of Job, he's still he's still in anguish.

Yes.

And you know, it just it it clearly says that all his friends came and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord has sent upon him.

Right.

Um so it's the same thing with Paul here.

It is.

Yeah.

It is.

So that that's what it's like out here.

Yeah.

This is the the absoluteness of the sovereignty of God in our salvation.

Um and it is uh the this is w what we we have to name.

You know, you can't if you the there's there's double-edged swords everywhere.

If you embrace this, then you see the severity.

Yeah.

The the real severity of what we're talking about.

It's the um you but you also receive the absolute comfort that was shown to us in Romans 8, which is why can I have such faith that I will never be separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus?

Well, it's because He has done the work.

Yeah.

And there is nothing that I'm referencing within myself in order to garner the the faith that I have in the Lord's rescue of me.

Yeah.

It is all in the Lord.

The faith is totally directed to the Lord.

Yeah.

So that's an it's an unthinkable security.

Yep.

It's the most maximal security, maximum security in a positive way.

Doesn't typically have public controversy.

Yeah.

In a good prison.

In a good prison, exactly.

It's the most maximum security in a good way that you could ever imagine.

Um and then if you were to do so, then if you uh if you ignore this and you try and make it something to have to do with you in order to perhaps get God off the hook for all the terrors that you see taking place in the world and in your own life.

If you try and get God off the hook for that, you sacrifice the security that he's given to you.

Yeah.

You can't have it.

Yep, can't do both.

No.

No.

So it is it is well worth receiving and knowing.

Yeah.

And it is it is worth looking at plainly.

Yep.

So then what's the what's his conclusion then of this?

He just sort of at the end of Romans 9, he states the facts of this.

Yeah.

Yeah, I mean he's he's talking about how the Gentiles who were walking in darkness, had a veil over their eyes, weren't even seeking to to hit a target, managed to hit it.

Yep.

Uh and and the reason is is because it was the righteousness which is by faith.

Yep.

And contrasting with Israel, who was aiming for the target and then completely misses.

Yes.

Because they were pursuing the law by works and did not achieve it.

Right.

Um, and thus he he concludes Romans 9 with the stumbling stone.

They stumbled over the stumbling stone.

Right.

And what is the stumbling stone?

It's the gospel, it's Christ.

It's it's you know, Psalm 118 makes, you know, he's he's the rock of offense.

He's the stumbling stone that appeared, was sent to the people of Israel, and they stumbled over him.

Yeah.

They they did not grasp um or come to believe in him.

Yes.

And thus stumbled.

That's why partially the rejection of you can see the symmetry between the dirt the rejection of the sovereignty of God in election.

What you're doing there is you're trying to make the distinctive part of your salvation, like the effective part of your salvation, something in you.

Yeah.

That's the desire.

And there's a way that what that shows is it's like a it's a desire to remain God of your own life in doing that.

Because you want to at least be God of your salvation in your own life.

And the Jews were seek they stumbled because they were seeking to do that same thing by the law.

Yeah.

That they were seeking to remain sovereign over their own salvation and over their own rescue.

Both are both are the same.

Uh it's the same stumbling stone.

Yeah.

That's why it is so dangerous to write off the sovereignty of God and our salvation.

Because it's so subtle.

But what it but what you're subtly doing is saying, I will be responsible for my salvation.

It is by the means of me that I will be saved.

Right, yeah.

And the the truth of the matter is it is by the means of Christ that you are saved.

Yeah.

He's the stumbling stone.

Yeah.

Or or the cornerstone.

Yeah.

And I mean he's and he demonstrates that to us in this in the foolishness of it.

Yeah.

First Corinthians talks about it's fools seeked.

They weren't seeking, and they obtained the promise.

And the wise didn't.

They become foolish.

Yeah.

And it's this complete flip.

Yeah, it is.

It is such a turn.

Yeah.

It's just the Lord, the Lord's always like, I will make you weak.

Yes.

So that I may be glorified.

Yes.

It's it's so wild.

It's always these flips.

Yeah.

Uh there's yeah, it's all just flips.

Yeah.

Uh okay.

So they pursued it.

Then he goes into chapter 10 and he describes the the zeal with which the Jews were pursuing their faith, pursuing the righteousness that they sought to acquire by faith.

Yeah.

I'm sorry, that they sought to acquire.

Um talk a little bit about the zeal.

Yeah.

Um Paul just he's pointing out just this fact that uh in our modern world we don't like, we don't like, people don't like, which is that zeal or passions without knowledge or not according to knowledge, are are mute.

They're they don't count for anything.

They lead to death.

Right.

It's it's a culture of death that loves passion without knowledge.

Yeah.

I took um a couple of classes on Gandhi at Sea Boulder.

Oh yeah.

Obviously.

Uh well while you're there, they're probably I think they're picked those up.

I think they're not even electives.

It's like you have to, their core curriculum is.

Oh, I bet.

But they're um uh and he he he famously flattened all religions.

Yeah.

You know, all roads lead to the same mountaintop is is his summary of religions.

And he gr he lived in um um Christian spaces, Muslim spaces, Hindu spaces, and just sought to reconcile them all in South Africa and in his time in India.

And uh that that is our modern intuition.

Oh, yeah.

That if we because how could somebody with the zeal of Gandhi uh which was it really remarkable?

Yeah, you know, starving himself, the salt march to the sea, there's uh an incredible zeal.

Uh how could that be ineffective?

Like how could that not amount to salvation?

Uh wouldn't wouldn't somebody else, wouldn't a Muslim who had such passion and zeal for their means of salvation, for the works of the law, uh be saved because of the height of their zeal?

And the picture of the Jews is no.

Yeah.

They were extremely zealous.

And because it was zeal without knowledge towards the wrong thing, yeah, they uh they fell.

Yeah.

So you cannot make up for passion.

Uh you cannot make up for lack of knowledge with passion.

It's it's it doesn't work.

The uh an old Keller sermon I listened to ages ago, he gives the example of um if you're falling off of a cliff and you uh reach up with extreme passion and confidence uh to grab a vine, but uh to to keep you from plummeting off the cliff, but the vine doesn't have roots and plunges, it doesn't matter the strength of the confidence and zeal with which you grab onto it.

Yeah um and entrust yourself to it because it's the wrong object.

Right.

It doesn't matter how much faith you put into it, it you will plummet.

Yep.

But if you reach up and even weakly uh grab a strong vine that has deep roots and that can more than hold you, uh and you think, well, this is maybe even a waste to try and reach up and grab anything because I'm plummeting, but you grab it, it doesn't matter.

The the the distinction of you falling or not is not in the strength or weakness of your faith, it is in the object of your faith.

Yep, exactly.

And that is the that is the truth of the world that it is the object of our faith saves us, Jesus Christ.

Yep.

And if you grab onto him, you will be saved.

Yeah.

If you do not grab onto him, you will plummet.

Yeah, you can imagine uh in going through Exodus and the uh the blood over the doorpost.

Yeah, you can imagine some families were probably very confident.

And there's others who had like zero confidence whatsoever.

Yeah, that's gonna work in.

But they yeah, exactly.

They did it for whatever reason.

Yeah.

But what mattered that didn't matter.

That's right, the blood was there.

The object is what mattered.

Yes.

And and they were saved and brought through it.

Yes.

God wa yeah, God was not passing over.

Yeah.

And he was just looking for the blood.

Yeah.

That they were under.

And that is the true knowledge that we were under in Jesus Christ.

So then what what is this message of salvation then?

I mean, we're we're getting to it already.

You can we're we're we're getting to it already where where chapter 10 goes next.

And this is such a wonderful part.

Um uh, because he's describing the the simplicity of our faith.

Yeah, and all it's so simple you'll miss it.

Yep.

Uh, and so yeah, break down how he describes that.

Because it's it's also a part that I think people are like, going up to the heavens, coming down to the heavy what are we talking about?

Yeah, yeah.

That's uh verse six.

Uh he's giving us a definition pretty much of he's asking the question, what is the righteousness that is based on faith?

And he says, Well, don't say in your heart, who will ascend to heaven, that is to bring Christ down, or who will ascend who will descend into the abyss, that is to bring Christ up.

But what does it, aka the righteousness based on faith, say?

It says, The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.

And he's drawing back to Deuteronomy where where Moses is speaking, maybe you have that pulled up.

Yeah, I do.

Uh if you want to Yeah, I'll read it.

So Deuteronomy thirty.

Uh I'll start in verse eleven.

Moses has just laid out a bunch of commandments.

He says, For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.

It is not in heaven that you should say, Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?

Neither is it beyond the sea that you should say, Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?

But the word is very near you.

It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

Yeah.

Yeah, what a comforting word.

Yeah.

And uh so yeah, essentially the righteousness based on faith, which is what Paul has been explaining for nine chapters now.

Yeah.

Is it's there.

Open your eyes and see it.

You don't have to go up to the heavens to the heavens to get it, or or to the the trenches.

Right.

It's it's right there.

Yeah in front of you.

Yep.

Um you can just reach out and take it.

Yeah.

You can just grab it from here.

You can say it.

You can it's it's right in front of you.

Yeah.

And that's it, it's so simple.

Like our salvation is so simple you might miss it.

And he goes and he just names it clearly.

He says, because because why is it so close?

How's it so close?

Because think of it like this if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Yeah.

Just just do it.

Just do that.

That's literally it.

Yeah.

If you grab onto Christ, if Christ is Lord and you confess him, you believe in Christ, you put your faith in Christ, you will be saved.

Yeah.

And it's like, really?

Yeah.

That's it?

That's the whole thing?

That's all it comes down to?

Yes.

Yeah.

It's a simple.

It's right.

It is that simple.

Yeah, it's humiliatingly simple.

It's like incomprehensibly simple.

It's foolish.

It's foolish.

Yeah.

It is.

Yeah, it is.

If you just believe in Jesus, you'll be saved.

Yeah.

You don't gotta write a book on it to be saved.

You just it's you confessed Lord to Christ.

And yeah.

He'll save you.

This is the blood that saves you.

Yeah.

Um it's uh uh and it it you know when we reflect back on what we just looked at in Romans 9, it's like you can hear the like heartbreak of Paul because he's like, You guys, this is right here.

It's it's so simple, it's right in front of you.

The uh the scriptures point to him.

It's it's all been about him this whole time.

Yeah.

And it all you must do is say, He's the one who saves me, not me.

Yeah.

That it's him who brings this salvation, and you're saved.

Yeah.

It's that rock that's so simple that it's it's neglected.

Yeah.

That's why they stumble over it.

You know, you're not likely to stumble over a boulder that you can verily clearly see.

It's gonna be the the one that you're like, ah I can pick that up.

I can throw it across the room.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.

No distinction between Jew and Greek.

For the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing riches on all who call on him.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

It's that simple.

Yeah.

It's that simple.

There's nothing special about you.

There's nothing special about you to be saved.

Yeah.

You just like, are you foolish enough?

Yep.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's the test.

It's like an anti-IQ test.

Trying to I'm trying to be dumber.

Exactly.

Me too.

Me too.

Be more foolish.

Can I see the simplicity?

Yeah.

It's as plain as it says.

It's not far from me.

It's just Jesus Christ.

Yeah, I want to know that more.

So if it's news and it's an object, a clear, a clear object, then be then to be saved, you gotta hear it.

Yeah.

You gotta know the right news.

Yeah.

So that's why Paul goes in here and he says, Well, how will they call on him in whom they have not believed?

Good question.

How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?

How are they to hear without someone preaching?

How are they to preach unless they are unless they are sent?

As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good new who preach the good news.

So there's this uh plainness of you have to tell people.

Yeah they have to know this information.

There's content to our faith to be known.

Yeah.

And the content is Jesus Christ crucified is the means of our salvation.

By faith in him, you'll be saved.

So be safe, put your trust in him, and you'll be saved by the Lord.

That's the content.

If you don't know that content, you can't be saved.

And the way that you know that is by hearing it.

And the way that you hear it is by people telling it to you.

Yep.

So there's this responsibility for preachers in the church to preach this news of Jesus Christ.

There's this responsibility of those who are in Christ to tell this good news to the people who do not know this good news.

Yeah.

Because how else could they know it?

That you can't learn content from actions.

You have to be told it in words.

And you have to identify with Christ.

You have to say Christ is the one that I'm putting all of my faith in.

There's one man who lived on the earth a long time ago, and he died, but he came back to life because it turns out he wasn't just a man.

You have to tell you you have to you have to tell the story of Jesus to explain the content of him.

Yeah.

So that he could be heard and understood.

Yeah, I think the most uh helpful part of Keller's reading was this part when he said that faith isn't mystically brought forth like like a magical spell on someone.

It's as simple as you explain the gospel to them and they proclaim Christ.

Right.

And that's this like the whole thing is simple.

It's like the message is simple, the belief in Christ is simple, the it's he's trying the commandments are not far from us.

Right.

They're very near.

And I think one of the the comforting things is is when we read something like that, it's like, well, that still sounds scary.

Like when I'm in the moment, you know, it's like, what's gonna happen?

But Paul clearly says um everyone who believes on Christ will not be put to shame.

Right.

You c you won't be put to shame.

Yeah.

And most likely you're gonna feel a rush, it's gonna be great.

Yep.

Yeah, yeah, that's true.

Like in sharing your faith, making with Christ, and just agreeing to be looked at as a fool.

Yeah.

That's actually freedom.

It is.

That's the same thing as freedom.

Yeah.

Being okay with being looked at as a fool is the same thing as freedom.

Yeah.

I um Prince uh Mishkin in uh Dostoevsky's uh the idiot.

Yeah.

He's the holy fool.

Yeah.

Everyone is calling him foolish.

Yep.

He's the most free character in that book.

Totally.

Can do he's so free.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We've gotta like that's so worth remembering.

Yeah.

Like like you're it you're probably it's probably not that you're not clever enough.

It's probably that you're not foolish enough for your embrace of Christ.

Yeah.

And for the freedom that Christ is desiring to give you.

And a lot of times the way that we talk about evangelism, or like when there's like, how do I say this, or how do I answer this, or how do I explain this?

A lot of times the subtle undertone of that conversation is how can I convey the gospel without coming across as absolutely foolish?

Yeah.

And the answer is you can't.

Don't try.

Don't try to do that.

Yeah.

Uh just recognize, yeah, this is this is foolish.

Yeah.

This does look foolish um to those who are perishing.

Yep.

Um and yeah, I'm I'm the type of guy that thinks uh some other guy a long time ago died and was raised, and that's why I'll have eternal life with the Lord.

Yep.

That's the type of thing I think.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's a foolish thing.

Yeah.

Uh, but that's it's the fact of the matter.

It's the right in front of us.

Uh it's part of the humiliation that leads to exaltation.

Yep.

So uh Paul continues on from then and he's remaining with this question of Israel.

And as he remains with this question of Israel, his his question is, uh, but I ask, have they not heard?

He says, So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

That's good to know.

Faith comes from hearing.

So you've you've heard it.

And you're hearing through the word of Christ.

It's the word of Christ that you hear.

Yep.

But I ask, have they not heard him thinking of his kinsmen, Israelites?

Indeed they have.

For he says, their voice has gone out to all the earth and their words to the end of the wor to the end of the world.

But I asked, did Israel not understand?

Well, Moses says, I will make you jealous for those who are not a nation.

With a foolish nation, I will make you angry.

See, the foolish Gentiles, they just received it.

Yep.

And the Jews rejected this gospel.

And by that he is creating this jealousy of the Jews for the salvation that the Gentiles has.

Gentiles have.

Gentile then Isaiah is so bold as to say, Paul quotes, I have been found by those who did not seek me.

I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.

But of Israel, he says, All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.

So those that did not seek found.

And those who sought by the wrong knowledge didn't find it.

Yep, exactly.

So what does this mean then of God's intentions for Israel?

And how does this dynamic that he's now introduced of the jealousy of the Jews as they witness the salvation of the Gentiles?

How does that dynamic play out in false ministry?

Yeah, yeah.

I mean that's what he goes into in uh chapter eleven.

Uh he asks, you know, he starts it, usually starts his arguments with a question.

Yep.

And uh has God rejected his people?

Um and he's he's asking essentially, has Israel been completely and totally cut off right from relationship with the Lord?

Right.

Is there no one among this ethnic group who will be saved?

Yeah, yes, it's the same, you know, Elijah.

He brings up the the question of Elijah, who's you know, with the Lord asking, there's none.

I'm the only one.

I'm the only one.

And Paul's argument is the same as God uses, which is that there's always been a remnant chosen by the Lord.

Yep.

That has remained.

Yep.

And thus he can say, when asked, has God rejected his people?

By no means.

Right.

He hasn't.

Yeah.

And so Paul can say, but obviously he hasn't, because I'm his people.

Yeah, exactly.

And I'm in Christ.

Yeah.

And your question's like Elijah, who thought there was none, and the Lord said, I've saved for myself.

Yeah.

The how many is it?

300?

Yeah.

Who can 3,000?

Yeah, I think 3,000.

3,000.

That was like 300 is too little.

Yeah, yeah.

Gideon.

That was an And Leonidas.

Yeah.

Gideon is made famous by shout out.

Sparta.

And uh that that's uh uh I got distracted thinking about that movie.

Movies Why I started doing CrossFit.

I know.

So you can kick people in the holes?

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, that's that's a valid.

And just so I can always live with chronic pain.

Yeah, well, of course.

So two reasons.

Two bona two benefits.

I should get into that.

Man.

I want to hurt more.

Yeah, that's good.

Oh, this is perfect for you.

But you won't know until you hit your 30s.

And then it'll be like, maybe I'm doing this wrong.

But it'll be too late then.

Yeah.

And then all the time has passed.

So he says uh so he uses the Elijah example himself as an example, that the Lord has always preserved a remnant.

It's actually 7,000.

There we go.

We're just way overcut it.

He glad that's written down.

I know.

That he's always preserved a remnant.

So this is not a total casting off of the Jewish people.

Instead, there's there's something else going on in the Gentiles being grafted in.

Yeah.

So what's what's gone on?

There's the second question.

So I asked, did they stumble in order that they might fall?

Yeah, I mean his answer is is again no.

Uh because their fall meant the salvation for the Gentiles.

And through that salvation, the Jews are made jealous and thus will also be included into that people of God.

Yeah.

So how does their fall mean salvation for the Gentiles?

Yeah, I he gets into it in uh in the olive tree example.

Yeah.

It's like there's a vacant spot that the Lord wants to fill.

Yeah.

And he fills it with the foolish.

Yeah.

Who depend on him, you know, uh, we rely then on him.

Yep.

Um and so he's he's having this people of God formed, this fullness of the people of God through the Jews stumbling and inclusion of the Gentiles into it.

So there's I I think I think that there's a um you know, my my reading of that is the the the particular rejection is the rejection of Christ when he came.

The people who rejected him were the people he came to, his people, the Jews.

Yep.

And they they were the ones who uh uh orchestrated his crucifixion in collaboration with the Gentiles.

Yep.

But it's this but like the collaboration with the Gentiles is like, of course, you know, they're fools.

Why would they why would they accept this you know random savior sent to the Jews?

Yep.

But the Jews' rejection is this this like maximal rejection that becomes his crucifixion, and then what does his crucifixion mean?

The inclusion of the Gentiles.

Yeah.

Because he died for the sins of the world.

Yeah.

And so that's uh uh it's this crazy Yeah, it's crazy.

It's the I mean it's the parable of the the vineyard, uh, I forget what it's called, but uh when you know God sends all of his servants and then he sends his son, they reject him, kill him, he says, I will give the kingdom then to a different people.

Yep.

Take it away from you, give it to the Gentiles.

Yep.

Essentially.

What would it yeah, he even asks, he turns it over.

Yeah, what do you think the owner of the vineyard should do?

And they're like, find new tenants.

Yeah, yeah.

He should find new tenants.

They condemn themselves.

Yeah, they condemn themselves.

And yeah, Jesus is like, yeah, yeah.

That's a good idea.

Yeah.

Plan B?

No.

Yeah, exactly.

So uh then he so he explains that the they were cut out at their rejection of Jesus Christ.

But they're cut out in such a way where the incre where the riches of this grace increase for the Gentiles.

Yeah.

And then the Jewish people who are cut out look in at the riches that the Gentiles receive, and they're meant to be made jealous by that.

Yeah.

Jealous in a good way, where they say, That's the salvation that we've been longing for.

And they see it given to the fools and the Gentiles.

Yeah.

And then that is meant to draw them into Christ.

Right.

So that's why Paul says that he magnifies his ministry among the Gentiles.

He makes it big and glorious and public and loud, so that the Jews would look in and say, That's the salvation we want.

Yep.

And then they're brought in.

But they're brought in in the same way that the Gentiles are brought in.

Exactly.

They're brought in by Christ.

There is no other way of salvation for Jew or Greek.

Exactly.

It's all in submission to Christ.

Yeah.

Yep.

And then there's this warning that he gives to us because us Gentiles, we might be like, we're the ones who saw it.

You know?

And he gives us this warning of holding this station arrogantly.

Yeah.

He says, if some branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, I've been called worse, were grafted in among the others, and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, don't be arrogant toward the branches.

If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.

Because salvation is from the Jews.

That's the root.

Yeah.

Salvation is from the Jews.

Then you will say branches were broken you'd say it like this.

Then you will say, Branches were broken off, so that I might be grafted in.

That's the way you could say it.

That is true.

They were broken off because of their unbril because of their unbelief.

But you stand fast through faith.

So do not become proud, but fear.

We are meant to hold our station with fear because he did not spare the natural branches.

So do not think he would spare you from that being cut off.

And it and this fear is meant to hold us in faith in the Lord.

Right.

Uh that we would hold fast to him by fear of being cut off.

Yep.

That is a real aspect of our faith being preserved.

Right.

Exactly.

It's fresh in my mind having just preached on it, but it makes me think of uh the consecration of the firstborn as a pattern of remembrance of the Exodus.

Yeah.

And part of that is a cultivation of fear because they're they're remembering that it was the firstborn of Egypt that were cut off, that were killed, so that we could be freed from this exodus.

We should not think and so therefore we remember the consecration of our firstborn.

Yeah.

And there's this there's this sense of fear of the judgment of God, which holds you in his grace.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I think it's just the crazy pattern of one people's rejection of God, meaning salvation for another.

Yep.

Is everywhere.

It's everywhere.

It's everywhere.

And it's it's for our edification.

Um for for our fearing that he would do the same unto us, you know.

Um, which is what Paul tells us to note.

He's like, make a note in your mind, and you know, maybe write it down.

Yeah.

Note the kindness and severity of God.

Yeah.

Um that's that's the lesson being taught here.

Yep.

Is is who is the Lord in all this?

Well, he's kind and he's severe.

Yes.

He holds both extremes.

Yes.

Perfectly in unity.

Yes.

Yes.

Note the kindness and severity of God that is required for our faith.

Yeah.

To say that I stand in God by his grace alone is noting his kindness.

And to recognize that those who don't stand in God only don't stand there because they have not received his grace is a noting of his severity.

And you cannot note one without the other.

Exactly.

So you must note the kindness and severity of God.

So he goes on to this final uh where he he brings it, he brings this whole discussion of the relationship of Israel and the relationship of the Gentiles to just like the sharpest point, I think, uh here at the end of Romans 11, and it's such a sharp point where you start to see the shape of the way that God uh worked salvation in this asymmetrical way between these two peoples for the salvation of all peoples.

So he says, lest you be wise in your own sight.

So he's telling you something to make you foolish.

Yes.

I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery.

A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

And in this way all Israel will be saved.

Okay, so let's break this down.

So a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

So this partial hardening that has come upon Israel means that they're all the people that all his kinsmen that Paul is looking at that don't believe in Christ in the way that he does, he sees that they have been hardened by the Lord in the way that Pharaoh was hardened by the Lord.

But in the same way that Pharaoh was hardened for the purposes of God, they were hardened for the purposes of God until the fullness of the Gentiles are has come in.

Yeah.

And the fullness of the Gentiles coming in, that's the culmination of all things.

Right.

So yeah.

Explain to us that until.

Tell us about that until you have good things to say about that.

Yeah, yeah.

Um so this until in verse 25, parson harding has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles come in.

That word until is the same word that Paul uses otherwise otherware in First Corinthians 15, when he says that uh Christ must reign until all his enemies are made as a footstool.

Which essentially doesn't it doesn't it doesn't have to do with Christ stops reigning after his enemies he continues to reign forever.

Right.

But what it's mentioning there is an eschatological fulfillment.

Yeah.

A fullness completion.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And it it's the same thing happening in Hebrews 4, when it says the word of God is is a two as a uh two-edged sword.

Two-edged sword, uh as piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit.

That word until there is until the division of soul and spirit.

And so it's an up to.

It's a fullness of the completion of the word of God working in one's life to divide them.

And so what I think he's using it here for is a completion aspect of this hardening will be completed at the fullness of the Gentiles coming in.

And and this way, all Israel will be saved.

And all Israel there refers to the true Israel.

The true Israel.

The whole church.

The whole church, which is is the same language he uses in Galatians 6, when he at the very end of his letter, he's, you know, grace be upon those who walk according to this law, and peace upon the Israel of God.

Yep.

He's using that for those who walk in accord with the rule of this law, which is which is the true Israel.

Yep.

Um, the true people of God.

And it makes sense also the following uh the deliverer will come out from Zion, and he will banish ungodliness from Jacob, and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.

And as as covenant of grace people, yeah, you know, who delight in that.

Yeah, there's one covenant people.

Yep.

And so it's speaking of this covenant people that Christ who comes from Zion takes away their sins, and thus the true Israel is saved.

And that's the fullness of the Gentiles combined with the fullness of the Jews, their full inclusion of the world.

So I want to just follow the the last I just want to read these last ones because I want to just get to the sharp point that he brings us to.

So as regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake.

What a what that's what does that phrase even mean?

Yeah.

So they, the Jews, as regards the gospel, the Jews are enemies for your sake.

Yeah.

Bazaar.

But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.

Right.

Because there is a remnant that he's preserved.

Exactly.

Yeah.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

The promise that was made to Abraham will not be revoked.

Yeah.

For just as you were at one time disobedient to God, but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too, so so there's the pattern.

You were disobedient, but showed mercy by their disobedience.

That's the they crucified Jesus, we get saved by Jesus.

Exactly.

So they too now have been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you, they also may now receive mercy.

Their disobedience, they see our mercy.

By the mercy shown to us, they will be brought in and receive mercy.

For God has consigned all to disobedience that he may have mercy on all.

Unbelievable.

How did he how is it that God can work the salvation of the world by the sovereign choice of one people and bring all the nations into his glory on equal footing with one another in Jesus Christ?

Exactly.

How did he do that?

He chose one nation, but then by their disobedience, they are, in a sense, rejected.

And the only way that they're able to come in is by the way that all the other nations come in, which is just to confess Jesus Christ.

Yeah, exactly.

They're so are they unique and special?

In one sense I can say un unimaginably so.

Right.

Because they were the chosen of God.

And then in another sense I can say not at all.

Yep.

Because they are brought in by the same means of salvation that all other peoples will be brought in.

Yep.

So that all of it is summed up in Jesus Christ.

Every knee will bow in the same way to the Lord Jesus Christ.

There's only one way of salvation.

Yeah.

So he is particular and universal.

Like it is it is uh i it's unbelievable it's unbelievable.

It is.

That's why he ends the chapter the way he does.

Is what other ending could he have have given?

Don't you see what he's done?

Yeah.

How he's chosen this one people, but then he is he has uh flipped the world so that the chosen people will be brought in by the not chosen people?

This doesn't what he is bound up so so then what has he done?

He's bound up everyone in disobedience so that he might have mercy on all peoples.

Yeah.

And that so what is the final fact of the gospel of what God has done?

He has demonstrated his mercy to the uttermost.

There is nothing that there there's no aspect of this that does not celebrate and and sing to the praise of the glory of the mercy of God.

Right.

It's all so yeah, let's read it.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments, and how inscrutable his ways.

For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?

For from him and through him and to him are all things, to him be glory forever.

You know, like from what when you first set out, it's like this is about the righteousness of God, and singing praises to the righteousness of God.

And when you see this story and bringing it to its sharpest point and see all are bound up in disobedience, he is the one who shows mercy, then all we can sing out is look at the righteousness of God.

Yeah.

Our eyes can only be fixed on him.

Yep.

This is about him, yeah, and about his glory.

That's what the whole story's been about the whole time.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

From him through him to him.

He's summing up all things in Christ.

Yes.

Yeah.

He's the culmination of creation, and it's just unsearchable is the term he uses after the lengthy argument.

Yeah, exactly.

It's a lot of searching.

And he says unsearchable.

Yeah, unsearchable.

Yeah, it's amazing.

We're just pressed up against this incomprehensible glory.

Right.

When we get the depths of the gospel.

Yeah.

So that's Romans 9 through 11.

Gibson, this was really fun.

Yeah, it was.

Let's do this again.

We will, yeah.

Thanks so much.

Yeah, thank you.

And I hope this is encouraging for everyone.

And uh next we figure out so how do we live?

So how should we then live?

Yeah.

That's chapter twelve.

We'll see you for that later.

Bye.

Goodbye.