Lesson 142

Romans Chapter Eleven

The Faithfulness of God

Israel’s Future

The Doctrine of Grace (cont’d)

Final conclusions:

Question often raised? Isn’t teaching grace risky? Won’t this lead to the abuse of grace into license?

Yes, it is risky and some do abuse grace. If that were not true and a clear possibility, Paul would not have said what he did in Romans 6:1f and in Galatians 5:13, nor would Peter in 1 Peter. 2:16.

But this kind of response not only fails to stand in awe at what God has done, but fails to properly understand the true nature of fallen man in Adam and the nature and purpose of this grace.

Grace is God’s provision to liberate us from both the penalty and the power of sin.

Paul’s teaching in Romans 6:1f follows the statement, “…but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more” (Rom. 5:21). He knew and anticipated how the religious, works-oriented person might respond to such a concept of grace.

Thus, to meet that objection, Paul asks “What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?” The fact that Paul deals with this issue at this point in the development of Romans and asks this question is clear evidence that the New Testament presents a salvation free from any work by man.

Only a message of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone could lead to the possibility of such a charge brought against it. Preach a salvation that includes some form of works man needs to do and no one would raise the question posed in 6:1.

Jesus Christ is the preeminent manifestation of God’s grace. Since salvation is through Christ, salvation is by grace and every aspect of Christianity is governed by grace.

Take away grace or add some form of human works to merit God’s favor and not only do you negatively impact grace but more than that you no longer have biblical Christianity.

The reality is the moment anyone seeks to earn God’s favor or blessing, they nullify or reject God’s grace as a valid aspect of His plan (see Gal. 2:21; 5:4; Rom. 4:4; 11:5).

In Paul’s teaching, eternal life is not something we will one day obtain, but a new life with eternal ramifications given here in this life the moment you believe in Christ.

Thus, the reign of grace includes deliverance over the penalty of sin (justification before God), deliverance over the power of sin (transformation through fellowship with God as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ), and deliverance eventually from the presence of sin (translation into God’s eternal presence).

So indeed, rather than license, the proper response to grace, as it is developed in Romans 6-8, is emancipated living—lives that are transformed by God’s gracious enablement through intimate fellowship with Him by the Spirit of grace.

Romans 11:7-10 Israel's Failure Fulfills God's Sovereign Will [read]

But if in verses 2-6 Paul has said that Israel's failures cannot hinder God's purposes, verses 7-12 go even farther.

And that rather than hinder God's cause, Israel's failure back-handedly served to fulfill some aspects of God's will.

Israel's present condition, both at the time of Paul's writing and at this time almost 2,000 years later as well, is summarized in verse 7.

"What then?" Because of the principle of grace, (vs:6) what about Israel?

That which Israel is seeking for, it has not obtained,

but those who were chosen obtained it, everything here is singular,

- lit. the selection, the choice [evklogh,] has been obtained or attained to. [the sing. emphasizes prin.]

"And the rest were hardened;" a strong statement of judicial blindness which results from rejecting truth

In Scripture this word hardened is always used metaphorically, or figuratively of total insensitivity, dullness of thinking; a lack of perception & discernment.

- this is reinforced with the first line of vs:8 God gave them a spirit of stupor, kata,nuxij which speaks of a numbness that results from a sting!

- Must recognize that this hardness does not just happen, there is a cause;

That message is continually rejected and the individual is determined to go their own way!

Note: This can only occur where the word of God is being taught, where the issues are being made clear.

What’s Isaiah saying? Because of Israel's willful rebellion and disobedience of the truth which God had revealed to them, God warns that He will bring upon the Jews a blindness and dullness to the truth.

One means by which this dullness was brought on the Jews is the removal of the prophets (also called "seers," verse 10), who had the responsibility to explain God's Word and His will to the people, but they were no longer doing so. [same thing in Jeremiah's day 23:16,21]

In referring to Isaiah's words, Paul establishes several important points which under gird his argument in these verses:

(1) Israel [corporately] is presently blinded, unable to understand what God is doing and thus hear or heed God's Word.

They have "eyes to see not and ears to hear not."

(2) Israel's blindness and dullness is a divinely imposed judgment for her sin and disobedience. "God gave them a spirit of stupor." (a numbness and insensitivity)

(3) Israel's blindness is a long-standing condition, a pattern which has existed for a long time.

Isaiah spoke of Israel's dullness as "down to this very day." Even in Isaiah's day, Israel's dullness was a long-term condition. We know that this condition existed while the Israelites were slaves in Egypt:

"Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear" (Deut. 29:4).

Paul refers to verse 10 of Isaiah's prophecy as being fulfilled by Israel in his day. The hardness of their hearts, their rejection of Jesus as Messiah, their opposition to the gospel, and especially their blindness to the gospel (particularly as revealed in the Old Testament) are all a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy concerning Israel's judicial blindness.

God, through the prophet Isaiah, promised to chasten His people for their sin by making them dull toward the truth and blind toward the gospel. But in the same prophecy, God promised to restore Israel in the more distant future. [therefore the blindness is not permanent.]