Light Brings Salt

Volume 2, Issue 48 December 19, 2004

Iron Range Bible Church

Dedicated to the Systematic Exposition of the Word of God

Grace in the Book of Romans
Part 4
Roy L. Aldrich

God’s Dispensational Dealings with Israel Explained by Grace

Chapters 9–11 of Romans are parenthetical to the main argument of the book, but highly important if the epistle is to have any weight with the Jews. In these chapters the writer explains the relationship of the gospel to the promises and covenants belonging to Israel. As far as the Jew could see from his study of the Old Testament, the Messianic Kingdom should have been established following the coming of the Messiah. The Kingdom was not established, however, and Israel nationally was set aside, and the Gentiles were being blessed. Could Paul explain all of this, or was Paul what many of his brethren after the flesh believed him to be, that is, just a renegade Jew? It is to be noted how the explanation contains also a marvelous revelation of the grace of God.

The first three verses of chapter nine give us a picture of Paul’s concern for Israel. He was hated and persecuted by his brethren, yet he loved them and was willing to be cursed for their salvation. All this was grace, but grace that was reflected in Paul from the very heart of God. Christ was made a curse on the cross in order that His brethren and all men might be saved.

Paul does not rob Israel of any of her privileges but points out that the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the law, the service of God, the promises, the fathers, and the coming of Christ belong to her. It should be noted that these privileges are all of grace. Israel’s possession of them can be explained only as the psalmist explained how his people got possession of the land: “For You favored them.” (Ps 44:3). As a matter of fact, the very name of Israel should be a synonym of grace, for was it not the “worm Jacob” who was made Israel “a prince of God” through grace?

Paul indicates next that there is a difference between Israel after the flesh and spiritual Israel. The real seed of Abraham are constituted by an election of grace. This is illustrated in the case of Isaac and Jacob. Isaac was the child of promise while in the case of Jacob and Esau, the younger was chosen. Does this violate the righteousness of God? Not at all, for God is sovereign and free to bestow mercy upon whom He pleases. But Israel cannot complain about the way in which God has shown mercy and judgment in the past, for the mercy was shown to Israel, while Pharoah, the enemy of Israel, was hardened and judged. Later in her history Israel time and time again forfeited any moral or legal right to continue to exist, and if God had dealt with her according to her deserts she would have suffered the fate of Sodom and Gomorrha. Her very existence she owed to the grace of God. Surely she cannot complain if God uses this same principle of sovereign grace to bless the Gentiles; especially so when the prophets foretold this blessing to the Gentiles. The chapter closes by pointing out that, from the point of view of human responsibility, Israel was out of the place of blessing because she preferred law to grace. The Gentiles were in the place of blessing because they were willing to accept salvation by faith and therefore on the principle of grace.

The tenth chapter of Romans enlarges upon this contrast between a righteousness by faith and a righteousness by law. Israel was lost because she sought the latter. The real purpose of the law was not to save but to point to Christ. He is the real “end [or purpose] of the law.” All who sincerely believe in Him are saved. This introduces the principle that now “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek,” as far as obtaining salvation is concerned. It has already been shown in chapter three that there is no difference in their sin and guilt. This principle is of no difference between Jew and Greek must be based upon grace and not law, for the law was the peculiar possession of the Jew, and did make a difference between him and the Gentile. The individual Jew can be saved, but he must be saved just as the Gentile, that is, by grace. In the close of chapter ten it is pointed out again that the Scriptures foretold blessing to the Gentiles and Israel’s disobedience as a nation.

The answer to the question with which the eleventh chapter of Romans begins, “Hath God cast away his people?” is “God forbid.” As has already been pointed out, it is only grace that enables Paul to give such an answer. In the rest of this chapter the purposes of God concerning Israel are explained.

Paul mentions that he is an Israelite and his salvation is proof that God has not cast away His people. His salvation was also a marvelous exhibition of the grace of God, for he had been the great persecutor of the church. Then he shows that, as in the days of Elijah, there is a “remnant according to the election of grace.” He also makes clear that grace means grace and has nothing to do with works. The next section of this chapter (vv. 7–12) shows that national Israel has not obtained righteousness but is judicially blinded. God has used this temporary stumbling of Israel that salvation might come to the Gentiles, verse 11. Judgment is exercised only to open wider the doors of grace. But the blindness of national Israel is only temporary, until God’s purposes with the Gentiles are completed, and then all Israel is to be saved, verses 25–27. It is further explained by the inspired writer that Israel’s unbelief is used as the avenue of blessing to the Gentiles, and that Gentile mercy will yet result in mercy to Israel, verses 28–31. In other words, God’s sovereign dispensational-dealings with both Israel and the Gentiles have been to the end that grace might be exercised to both. Such truth leads to the doxology with which this division of Romans closes: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom 11:33–36).

The three questions with their self-evident answers lead to a grand climax: “Who hath first given to him?” The scope of this question reaches beyond man to all creation. Is there an angel or archangel or any created being who can say, “I first gave to God?” There is not one, for all things are of God and those who give to Him only return that which they have received. This means that grace is the universal principle upon which God has dealt with all His creatures. This is not to overlook the special character of God’s grace to sinful man, but only to recognize the truth that God’s grace is as infinite and broad as creation. Such amazing truth the Spirit of God has fittingly recorded in this glorious doxology.

Christian Service and Grace

It has already been pointed out that the order of doctrine in Romans is the order of grace. The first general division of Romans unfolds the divine blessing while the last general division (chapters 12–16) manifests the human obligation. It might be supposed that little need be said about grace in this last division of Romans, but such is not the case. It is discovered upon examination that these last chapters of Romans dealing with the human obligation or Christian service are shot through and through with grace. Grace is the incentive, grace is the source, and grace is the result of all real Christian service. The language with which Romans chapter twelve opens is the language of grace: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” This is not a stern command but a gracious entreaty based upon the fact that unlimited grace has already been received by the brethren. Grace is seen here as the incentive to Christian service.

It is a strange commentary upon what we are by nature, that this portion of Scripture dealing with Christian service begins with a warning against pride: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Rom 12:3). In Romans 3:27 Paul has pointed out that there is no room for pride in the manner of our justification, for it is by faith apart from works. Here it is made clear that there is no room for pride even in our good works as Christians, for these good works have their source in grace. Paul’s call to be an apostle was all of grace, as he reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:9, 10: “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” It is evident here, as also in Romans, that Paul looks not only upon his call to apostleship and service as all of grace, but he looks upon his very gifts and capacity for service as all of grace. “The measure of faith” that God deals to every man is evidently the inlet for the graces to be used in His service. Our gifts for service, then, are gifts of grace: “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us” (Rom 12:6). It is evident that the Christian has nothing to use in the service of God that has not been received from God through grace, and therefore there is no room for pride.

If Christian service has its source and incentive in the grace of God, then the final result, whether it be prophecy, or ministry, or teaching, or giving, is just the grace of God. This was Paul’s confession: “I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” In this connection it is interesting to note that in 2 Corinthians 8:1 the Holy Spirit speaks of the ability and willingness of the Macedonians to give as “the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia.” Likewise the proposed gift of the Corinthians is spoken of in verse nineteen as “this grace.” Surely it is suggestive that in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, the two greatest chapters on Christian stewardship in the Bible, the word “money” is never used, but the word “grace” takes its place.

Finally it should be noted that the closing verses of Romans chapter 12 exhort the Christian to manifest grace, even towards his enemies. This is not an unreasonable demand, for God so dealt with the Christians (Rom 5:8, 10). After all, the Christian life is just furnishing a willing channel for the shedding abroad of the grace of God, and God has ordained it so that “we have this treasure (doctrine) in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Cor 4:7).