Lesson 142
Romans Chapter Eleven
The Faithfulness of God
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
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.
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.
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
But
if in verses 2-6 Paul has said that
And
that rather than hinder God's cause,
"What
then?" Because of the principle of grace, (vs:6)
what about
That which
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
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
In
referring to Isaiah's words, Paul establishes several important points which
under gird his argument in these verses:
(1)
They
have "eyes to see not and ears to hear not."
(2)
(3)
Isaiah
spoke of
"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
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