Having just emphasised that the Gentiles who hadn't known God previously were now coming to know Him, Paul now contrasts Jew and Gentile in answer to a question that might arise in the minds of his readers.

We might put it today, "It's a bit funny isn't it that Gentiles who didn't go looking for righteousness found it, while Jews who actively pursued it, didn't find it?" Not really, replies Paul, because righteousness in God's eyes only comes by faith, by receiving it from Him, and the Jews didn't have faith. Instead they had a self-centred religion whereby they endeavoured by self effort to keep God's rules.

There is a very real challenge here to the church today not to be legalistic, focusing on rules and ignoring real relationship. It is very easy to set up a religion made up of do's and don't and in fact experience and know nothing of God. Even "believing in Jesus" can become an intellectual matter of assent to mere information. Instead it is to be a dynamic key to a life of faith whereby we live daily in the knowledge of His presence, communing with Him, sharing with Him in a living, loving, real, daily relationship.

D. Application?

1. Is our religion rules or relationship? Where is daily faith?

2. Come to God today and simply receive the wonder of, His grace to live

today, and allow the love and joy of His presence to fill you.

Chapter: Rom 10

Passage: Rom 10:5-13

A. Find Out:

1. Who was justified by the law? v.5

2. What 2 things does unbelief query? v.6,7

3. Where is God's word? v.8

4. What 2 elements are necessary for salvation? v.9,10

5. What do we have to do? v.13

B. Think :

1. Read Leviticus 18:5 How is v.5 the explanation of v.4?

2. Read Deuteronomy 30:9-14 Moses was speaking about God's word that

had come to them. What point was he making?

3. What point was Paul thus making?

C. Comment :

Paul, quoting Moses, indicates that Christ is the end or fulfilment of the law, because he and he alone has done what the law required for all men. He died as a curse (see Galatians 3:10-13) for all sin. Therefore he lived, he rose from the dead as a proof of that.

Right, says Paul, now thinking back to the Old Testament, don't say where is God's word about salvation (like Moses said to the Israelites about it), you don't have to go saying who can get up into heaven to get such a word about salvation, otherwise you'll be saying that Christ didn't bring it and he's not ascended as the living resurrected Son of God. Similarly, don't go saying who can go to the depths of the earth to find a word about salvation because that again denies that Christ has achieved it, by saying he didn't die in your place and descend into hell temporarily on your behalf.

Then finishing where Moses finished he says, No, look, the word of faith is very close to you, you know it's in your heart. When you believe in Jesus that's it, you are justified. When you speak it out it brings the daily salvation you experience.

This is a passage about simply believing what has happened, and living it out.

D. Application?

1. The truth is in my heart!

2. Can I just accept that truth?

Chapter: Rom 10

Passage: Rom 10:14-21

A. Find Out:

1. What is the order of events that culminates in belief? v.14,15

2. How did Israel respond to the good news? v.16

3. How does faith come? v.17

4. What question does Paul next ask and deal with? v.18

5. What question followed? v.19

6. But what happened nevertheless? v.21

B. Think :

1. How in the first half of today's reading does Paul show what are essential

prerequisites for salvation?

2. How does he then show that those came but to no avail in the case of

Israel?

C. Comment :

Paul has just concluded (v.13) that "everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved". Now he takes a hypothetical question to follow the argument through: How can you call on God if you don't believe, and how can you believe if you've never heard, and how can you hear unless someone tells you and how can someone tell you unless they have been sent by God? But, he says, God HAS sent His messengers.

Yes the message was preached. Faith comes from hearing, he says, so hearing about Christ ought to have released faith.

However, he continues, in the case of Israel that didn't work out. Hold on! he says, did Israel actually hear? Oh yes, very clearly. Well did they understand what they had heard? Oh yes, very clearly.

In Israel's case their disobedience and their obstinacy stopped them responding. Thus the majority of Israel have not been saved.

Sadly the truth is that people can hear, can understand what the Gospel is saying, but still refuse to respond to it. Such is the foolishness of sin.

D. Application?

1. Jesus, and later James, said we should be doers as well as hearers

(Matthew 7:26/James 2:26) May that be true of us!

2. Faith is active!

Chapter: Rom 11

Passage: Rom 11:1-10

A. Find Out:

1. How does Paul first counter the rejection-of-Israel theory? v.1

2. What Old Testament person does he use? v.2

3. What had that man felt? v.3

4. What had been the truth then? v.4

5. How does Paul apply that to the present? v.5

6. How are they chosen? v.5b,6

B. Think :

1. What 2 responses does Paul give here to the rejection-of-Israel claim?

2. What two groups are there always, therefore, in Israel?

3. For "hardening" see the studies on Exodus in this Series, called

"Pharaoh's Fall"

C. Comment :

Having just commented that Israel were stubborn and disobedient, Paul asks if the Lord had rejected His people, Israel. His first response is to point out that he is an Israelite and God hadn't rejected him! Not only that, he goes on to say, I'm not the only one. Remember, he says, how Elijah thought he was the only one in his day who followed the Lord and God told him there were a lot more, well it's the same today. Although the majority may have rejected God's way there is, and always will be, a minority, a remnant who have responded, who are, as we saw in Chapter 8, chosen from before the foundation of the world.

The majority, as we've already seen, were disobedient and obstinate with hard, self-centred hearts, wanting to work for their salvation (if at all) by religious works, not by faith in God. Because God gave them a "religious environment", that blinded them so that they couldn't see that it was heart love for God that counted, not their religious works that were man-centred.

D. Application?

1. Again we need to see that God accepts people who come by faith, not

because they come from "the right Christian family"

2. "Religious activity" can blind us to the truth!

Chapter: Rom 11

Passage: Rom 11:11-21

A. Find Out:

1. What effect does our salvation have on Jews? v.11

2. What does Paul hope to do? v.14

3. What 2 illustrations does Paul next use? v.16

4. How does Paul view the Roman Gentiles? v.17

5. What reason does he first give for them not boasting? v.18

6. What warning/reason does he next give? v.20,21

B. Think :

1. How have Israel been a blessing to the Gentile world majority?

2. How, from past studies, were Israel "rejected"?

3. How does Paul use the picture of an olive tree to convey truth

about all "believers by faith"?

C. Comment :

Previously Paul had asked (v.1) "Did God reject His people?" and answered that in the first ten verses. Now he asks the same question from a slightly different viewpoint, basically saying, "Is there any hope for them?" His answer in verses 2-10 was to talk about a remnant but now he talks about how Israel have been a blessing to the world by their history and by bringing Jesus. Now, in turn, the Gentiles are to be a means of provoking the Jews in envy, to produce that remnant of believers, Jewish believers.

Paul considers their origins, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob etc. speaking of dough and a tree. They were its roots and, as believers by faith, they were holy. All who were part of the "believers tree" were also holy, the remnant he spoke of earlier. Don't feel proud, he warns these Roman Gentiles, don't look down on the Jewish believers, they are the original plant, you are just additions! You are added to the root plant, the original men of faith. Unbelievers were cut off from the root because of unbelief and the same could happen to you, so be careful! NB. "fullness" and "their acceptance" (v.15) refers to Jews who do believe, i.e. the remnant of Israel that is the real Israel.

D. Application?

1. The tree is a tree of faith, are we really in it?

2. Are others envious of our lives?

Chapter: Rom 11

Passage: Rom 11:22-27

A. Find Out:

1. What are we to continue in? v.22

2. How could the Jews be grafted in again? v.23

3. What has Israel experienced? v.25

4. How long will it continue? v.25

5. What has God planned? v.26a

6. What will Jesus do? v.26b

B. Think :

1. What warning does Paul bring in this passage?

2. What possible hope does he bring?

3. How is that hope largely dashed?

C. Comment :

In trying to understand this passage we need to remember various things that Paul has already said. First in this passage comes Paul's warning to the Romans to realise the realities of their position: if they abuse it they can be cut out of the tree. Then he tantalisingly suggests that many in Israel could be grafted in again but that would require a move of faith out of their unbelief, but it IS possible.

But then he almost appears to squash that thought when he adds that Israel has "experienced a hardening in part", i.e. as he said earlier in the chapter, a large percentage of natural Israel have believed in a form of religion by rules that needs neither faith nor God.

Then comes the difficult bit, "all Israel will be saved". Here we need to remember what he said before: a) of natural Israel only a remnant will be saved (11:5) and b) natural Israelites are not necessarily real Israelites (9:6,8). Israel here in v.26 therefore more probably means the remnant who are really "Israel", God's faith people. The only real alternative is that the nation will know salvation after Jesus returns, for this is when the full number of the Gentiles will have come in (v.25). Time and only the Lord really know!

D. Application?

1. "Religion" hardens hearts and allows people to focus on self rather than

on God.

2. Watch for a move of God in Israel.

Chapter: Rom 11

Passage: Rom 11:28-36

A. Find Out:

1. What is the hope for Israel? v.28

2. What has happened to us? v.30

3. How have they become just like us? v.31

4. What happened to ALL men? v.32

5. What does Paul go on to extol? v.33

B. Think :

1. How has God made Jews the same as Gentiles?

2. What hope does that release for the Jews?

C. Comment :

In concluding these 3 chapters about Israel's position we must try to be very clear on what Paul is saying. As a nation, Paul says, Israel have rejected the Gospel (just like England, say) but they are still special because of their origins. In a sense God has still got a soft spot for them, for He doesn't go back on His original desires for them.

However, says Paul, if you consider what has happened to them you see they came to the same starting point as the Gentile majority of the world. Originally they had a highly privileged position of knowing God as a nation. That was their calling, but they rejected it as they many times rejected God. That left them in exactly the same position as the rest of the world. That, of course, also means they are in exactly the same position to receive God's mercy in the form of salvation through knowing Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

Although many, as in the Gentile part of the world, reject Him, there will still be many, as in the Gentile part of the world, who will respond to His mercy and grace and will come to Him. It is only part of natural Israel who will remain hardened, blind and unbelieving, for the rest, the true "Israel of God", will respond and be saved. Such is the wonder of God's love. They are NOT all written off, still there will be salvation for many. There WILL be a real Israel in the midst of natural Israel.

D. Application?

1. God loves Jew AND Gentile and wants ALL to come to Him to receive of

His mercy.

2. Salvation for all comes through faith in Jesus.

RECAP: "The Position of Israel" - Rom 10 & 11

SUMMARY :

In these 7 studies we have seen:

- Israel who sought their own righteousness

- Salvation is through believing in Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile

- Jews heard the message but most of them rejected it

- This didn't mean God rejected the Jews all together

- A Jew can still be saved by believing & many Jews will be saved

COMMENT :

Paul distinguishes between national salvation and individual salvation. Nationally they lost their relationship with God through unbelief. Individually they may believe and be saved, just as Gentiles are, through faith in Jesus.

Israel, as a nation, should be an example for us not to follow. They should act as a warning to us, a reminder that we should not be complacent about our own salvation.

LESSONS :

1. Our faith is a relationship not rules

2. Christ is the beginning and end of our salvation

3. We need to be doers as well as hearers of the word

4. Religious activity can blind us to the truth

5. We belong to a tree of faith.

6. God loves Jew and Gentile

PRAY :

Ask the Lord to help your faith be real and vibrant, not a religious formality.

PART 4 : Practical Living

In this next Part we will see Paul move from doctrine to practice. The Christian life is to be very practical and all should flow out of a total giving of oneself to God. God gifts us to enable us to love others in a practical way. Our love for others is to bless the household of God and overcome the evil in non-believers. That love should include authorities and should include accepting. Those weaker in faith. Wow!