Lesson 138
Romans Chapter Eleven
The Faithfulness of God
Review:
- Elijah was a prophet, but he was
not infallible. He was wrong about
The
B.L. is that the principles by which God has dealt with
The principle is this: God will finish what He starts, on
the basis of His sovereign grace, achieved through a remnant of those whom He
chooses, prepares and preserves.
- This remnant was and is the
assurance that God's purposes for this people would be fulfilled sometime in
the future.
- This remnant was a remnant
"according to God's gracious choice," that is, a remnant in accordance with [kata
the standard] the principle of His sovereign grace, literally His gracious choice.
- Since it was a remnant according
to grace,
While
In Romans 11:5-6
Paul summarizes this important principle that governed God's dealing with
and he also makes the application to
the present time, the now time, the Church age.
"there
has also come to be at the present time"
- the verb here is gi,nomai used with the sense of events
arising or happening, taking place, coming to pass; here its a remnant
according to the gracious choice of God.
Many people fix their eyes upon what is taking place in
the world today and they get all frustrated and flustered and even frightened
because they fail to understand God's purpose and program for this present age.
Observations
on WHAT IS GOD DOING IN THE WORLD TODAY?
Central issues in
His Plan. Big Picture!
1) Acts
- What is God doing in the world
today?
He is visiting the Gentiles (the nations) to take out of
them a people "for His Name" that is to show the greatness of
His person, and in particular, to show the greatness of His grace through this
people.
2) Matthew 16:18
What is God doing in the world today? He is building His
church. The Greek word for church is evkklhsi,a
and it refers to God's CALLED OUT
assembly.
3) 1 Corinthians 12:13
- this verse explains
the how, the mechanics of people becoming members of the church, which is the
body of Christ.
He is identifying believers with Christ, a positional
placing into union with Christ; this is what being baptized by the Spirit
refers to, the result is making the believer members of God's unique and
special organism the body of Christ, the Church [Eph. 1:22-23].
4) Acts
Notice that God is saving individuals,
He is not saving the world. The world
system headed by Satan is condemned and is appointed to destruction.
- God graciously saves individuals
out of this world system
(John
God's purpose is not to Christianize the world so that the
governments, businesses, schools, and homes of the world operate according to
Biblical principles.
5) Romans 11:25
He is doing a special work among the Gentiles until the
full number has come in. God is daily adding more and more persons to His church
(Acts
11:6 Principle that governs all of God's dealings with man,
always!
- We never receive from God what
we actually deserve.
But if it is by
grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
- It says very strongly that grace
and works do not mix; grace and human merit do not mix.
- Here grace mixed with works or
any merit of man is no longer grace!
The
Doctrine of Grace
* Observation
on Grace by Dr.
Ryrie: "God's grace is unique among
religions. It is not found in any of the
world's cults or religions,
nor in much of what poses for Christianity. From the Pharisees stress on deeds to the mystics focus
on meditation, all religions emphasize human achievement.
They are all bilateral agreements: God does part, we do part...But the God of
Christianity is a God of unilateral action...God acted on His own, making a
unilateral declaration of grace.
[pg. 132 So Great Salvation]
1.
Definition:
a. In
its most general meaning refers to everything that God is free to do for
mankind on the basis of the cross.
b.
Grace then is God's freedom and consistency to express His love towards mankind
with out compromising in any way, any part of His essence.
- God cannot and will not
change His character to accommodate mankind in any way.
c.
Therefore Grace is a plan, a policy, a function of the divine modus operendi in
His relationship with mankind.
2. Concept of Grace:
a.
Grace is always totally dependent upon the essence or character of God.
Therefore on who and what God is never on who and what we are.
b.
Grace then is what God can do for us and be consistent with His own character.
c.
Grace really is a manifestation of the genius of God.
3. The
Characteristics of Grace
a. Grace
stresses God’s character and man’s sinfulness while mercy stresses God’s
strength and man’s helplessness.
Grace finds its necessity in
(1) the fact of God’s holiness and in the sinfulness of man, and (2) in the
nature of God as the Creator and man as the creature.
b. Grace is opposed to and excludes any idea of
works for merit, works done as a means of blessing or as payment for what is done.
Grace means you never deserve it
nor can you earn it even by the old fashion method of working for it. Paul’s
statement in Romans 4:1-5 is crucial:
Romans 11:6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of
works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.