Misplaced Zeal
10:1-4
Having established that Israel rejected Christ and stumbled over his claims because they did not pursue salvation by faith, Paul expressed his desire for the Jews to be saved. He prayed for that to happen. (1) It is quite remarkable when you think of all of the trouble they had given him.
Paul knew that the Jews had a zeal for God. He knew this because he had been one of them. They tried to keep the law, they sacrificed where required, and they learned the Old Testament scriptures. But, they were ignorant in their zeal. (2-3) The Greek word translated “ignorant” (In the English Standard Version) means a lack of knowledge due to rejecting or ignoring the information.
Paul’s short autobiography in Galatians 1 shows us this zealousness. He advanced in Judaism beyond those his age, he was zealous for the Jewish traditions. He persecuted the church, believing that Jews who followed Christ were guilty of heresy and failure to obey the law. According to Acts 7, he was present at the stoning of Stephen and approved it. He was unbelieving and ignorant.
But, then, Jesus revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:1-19)
Likewise, his fellow Jews had zeal but without knowledge of the righteousness of God. (3) We see this in many of Jesus’ encounters with the scribes and Pharisees. They complained that he violated the Sabbath. He spoke to them about the purpose of the Sabbath and his being the lord of the Sabbath. They complained that he ate with sinners. He said his purpose was to save sinners.
The Pharisees were concerned about rules and works. Jesus was concerned about people and salvation.
God declares us righteous when we believe in Jesus. This is the righteousness of, or from, God. (3) It is a righteousness manifested apart from the law, as he said in 3:21.
Instead, theJews sought to obtain righteousness on their own through their works. (3) They did not submit to God’s righteousness. They wanted to be considered righteous because of their own works.
People do that today. They want to be saved because of the good things they have supposedly done. They do not want to submit to God and find salvation through his Son.
But, the law will not save us or them. Christ is the end of the law. (4) By “the end”, Paul means the completion of its purpose. Jesus, through his perfect life and sacrificial death, fulfilled the purpose of the law, making it unnecessary. Indeed, Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”. (Matthew 5:17)
By fulfilling the law, Christ was able to provide righteousness for those who believe in him. The law cannot do that.
The Message of Salvation
10:5-13
Mose wrote about righteousness based on the law, saying the person who keeps the commandments shall live, citing Leviticus 18:5. Moses may have been referring to the covenant blessings and curses found in Leviticus 26.
But we know that no one does that perfectly. Paul has already written that no one is righteous. (Romans 3:10)
Paul quoted from Deuteronomy 30:11-14 saying no one needs to get into heaven to bring Christ down to us or go to the abyss to bring him up because we already have his word. (6)This is the word about salvation through faith. Jesus taught it. His disciples taught it. And now Paul teaches it.
That word is this: if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (9) This verse is used in many gospel presentations. God justifies us, saves us, when we believe and confess that Jesus is Lord and is raised from the dead. (10) Again Paul cited Isaiah 28:16 for proof.
This applies to everyone, both Jew and Gentile. Everyone who comes to faith in Jesus will be saved. (13) Paul uses the word “call”. This is a quote of Joel 3:32.
Jesus said: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37) The New Living Translation puts it this way: “those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.”
Someone Must Tell Them
10:14-15
Paul sets out a chain of events that leads to salvation. People will not call on Jesus unless they have believed he can save them. (14) They cannot believe in him unless they have heard the message. They cannot hear the message unless someone preaches it.
The preacher, or missionary, cannot preach unless he or she is sent. (15) Paul himself was sent by the church in Antioch. (Acts 13:1-3) It is the foundation of the missionary movement. We send, they preach.
Those who go and preach are beautiful in the sight of the Lord.
Israel Heard
10:16-21
Israel’s problem was not that they did not hear the gospel. They had the Old Testament that pointed to Christ. They rejected Isaiah, for example. (16) That was even part of his calling to be a prophet. (Isaiah 6)
They had Jesus himself preaching to them as well as the disciples. They heard the gospel, but they rejected it. It was not for lack of understanding, but hardness of heart.
So, God sent the gospel to the Gentiles. Part of the reason for this was to arouse the Jews’ jealousy that Gentiles had become part of God’s people rather than the majority of the Jews. Paul showed that Moses predicted it and Isaiah preached about it. (19-20)
But the Jews rejected the gospel because they were disobedient and contrary. (21) This is a quote from Isaiah 65:2. The Gentiles coming to Christ fulfilled Isaiah 65:1. The rejection of the Jews fulfilled Isaiah 65:2.
This sets the stage for chapter 10, where Paul discusses the fate of Israel.
Rejoice this week that salvation is by grace through faith and not by works that we would never accomplish.
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