GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR MAN FROM START TO FINISH

Part V: God's Righteousness Vindicated In His Dealings With Israel And The Gentiles, Romans 9:1-11:36

B. God's Righteousness Vindicated By WHY Israel Has Not Obtained It

(Romans 10:1-21)

I. Introduction

A. As a Hebrew himself, the Apostle Paul was deeply concerned that his people gain God's salvation, that they obtain the righteousness of God that was freely available by faith in Christ, Romans 10:1.

B. Nevertheless, Israel as a nation has not as yet obtained that righteousness from God, and Romans 10:1-21 explains why so, with application for all unsaved men. We thus view the passage for our insight (as follows):

II. God's Righteousness Vindicated By WHY Israel Has Not Obtained It, Romans 10:1-21.

A. Paul explained in Romans 10:1-4 that Israel had failed to understand God's gift of righteousness in Christ:

1. In Romans 10:1, Paul alluded again to his Romans 9:1-3 desire and prayer for His Hebrew countrymen that they might be saved, people who had a zeal for God, however misguided as it was, Romans 10:2a.

2. Paul explained in Romans 10:2b NIV the reason why this zeal was misguided was due to the ignorance his countrymen had of the righteousness that comes from God.

3. The Hebrew people did not understand God's INFINITE righteousness, so they were busy vainly trying to establish their own FINITE righteousness before God, Rom. 10:3; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 479.

4. In particular, the Hebrew people did not realize that Christ was the end of the Law so that God can graciously give man His own righteousness if he but simply believes in Jesus Christ, Romans 10:4.

B. Paul then expanded on God's gracious offer, backing it with the Hebrew Scriptures, Romans 10:5-15:

1. On the one hand, Paul noted that Moses had taught that were a Hebrew to keep the Law, he would live (Romans 10:5, alluding to Leviticus 18:5), but that would require the Hebrew to keep all of it perfectly, what was impossible (James 2:10) due to man's sinful nature, Ibid., p. 480.

2. However, Deuteronomy 30:12-14 records Moses as suggesting that the people of Israel had the Word of God near them, in their mouth, and they could respond to it by faith in their heart so as to walk in obedience to the Lord, obtaining God's righteousness by faith, not by works, Romans 10:6-8a.

3. This availability of righteousness by faith that is near at hand (Rom. 10:6b-8a) is also what Paul held he preached (Rom. 10:8b), and explained that if people confessed with their mouth the Lord Jesus and believed in their heart that God had raised Him from the dead, they would be saved, Romans 10:9-10.

4. Paul backed up this route of receiving God's righteousness by faith from the Hebrew Scriptures, Rom. 10:11-13: he cited part of Isaiah 28:16 and alluded to Joel 2:32 that reveal all who believed on the Lord would not be ashamed, but rather be saved.

5. The Apostle Paul added Old Testament Scriptural support on the process involved in people coming to believe in the Lord, a process involving God's sending them heralds to present the Gospel to where the hearers might respond by believing the Gospel and thus be justified, Romans 10:14-15 with Isaiah 52:7.

C. Nevertheless, Israel had not accepted the Gospel as validated by Old Testament Scripture, Romans 10:16-21:

1. Paul noted that not all Israel had obeyed the Gospel, what itself was predicted in Isaiah 53:1, Rom. 10:16.

2. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, but though Israel had heard (Romans 10:17-18) not only God's general revelation in nature (Psalm 19:1-6) but also His special revelation in the Old Testament Scriptures (Psalm 19:7-11), she had not responded in faith.

3. Anticipating the objection that one might claim that though Israel had heard Christ's Gospel, she did not understand God's purposed to offer righteousness by faith to all mankind, Jew and Gentile (Ibid., p. 482), Paul responded that Moses in Deuteronomy 32:21 and Isaiah in Isaiah 65:1 predicted God would turn to minister to Gentiles, even provoking Israel to jealousy, while Israel to whom God had long reached out had refused to repent in "continuing rebellious and unbelieving disobedience," Ibid.; Romans 10:19-21.

Lesson: Israel's failure to obtain God's infinite righteousness by grace through faith is not a matter of injustice on God's part, but of rebellious unbelief on Israel's part who was still vainly trying to establish her own finite righteousness by works, a truth validated by the testimony of Israel's own Old Testament Scriptures!

Application: (1) May we not blame God if people long exposed to Scripture are still not saved, for their unbelief is the problem, not God or His written Word! (2) May we who believe in Christ also pay heed to Scripture to which we are exposed, for God will one day hold us accountable to have done so, 2 Timothy 4:1-2 and Mark 4:24-25.