“because, 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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” -Romans 10:9–10 Continuing to draw from Moses as recorded in […]
The Word is Near You
“But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in […]
Righteousness Based on the Law
“For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.” -Romans 10:5 Here Paul begins to explain his assertion in verse 4, that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes by contrasting two approaches to attaining […]
The End of the Law is Christ
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” -Romans 10:4 What Paul means by “Christ is the end of the law” (Χριστὸς τέλος νὀμος) is strikingly profound but simple. He is the telos, the goal, the target at which the law points all men. This is so that righteousness […]
The High Value of Righteousness of God
“For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” -Romans 10:3 As has been shown, zeal without knowledge had lead the Jews to miss the mark of God’s righteousness. Instead of submitting to God’s revelation of himself in Christ Jesus, the Jews tried […]
Zeal Without Knowledge
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” -Romans 10:1–2 Paul further testifies that while the Jews failed to believe on Christ and did not attain the righteousness of God, […]
That Israel May Be Saved
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” -Romans 10:1 Paul concludes this part of his argument—that the Jews failed to obtain the righteousness of God at no fault of the Covenant but at the fault of their unbelief—with an inclusio. An inclusio is a literary device […]
Believers Will Not Be Put To Shame
“Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”” -Romans […]
Faith Not Works
“What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it […]
What the Gentiles Have Attained
“What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith;” -Romans 9:30 Paul uses a Jewish idiom, pursue righteousness, in contrasting the standing of the Gentiles with the standing of the Jews. This means we should not understand Paul to be saying […]
Her Who Was Not Beloved God Has Called Beloved
“As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ” “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ” And Isaiah […]
Even Us Whom He Has Called
“What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the […]
Vessels of Mercy
“What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—” -Romans 9:22–23 In contrast to God’s having endured with […]
Vessels of Wrath
“What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,” -Romans 9:22 In an attempt to shed further light on his argument that the potter [has the] right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel […]
The Molder and the Molded
“You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out […]
Whomever He Wills
“For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” -Romans 9:17–18 Just as God told […]
The Owner of Mercy
“For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” -Romans 9:15–16 Perhaps Paul’s initial argument against the charges of injustice from God seem cold […]
God Is Not Unjust
“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!” -Romans 9:14 The charging of God with injustice is evidence of our fallen nature. How could it be that the Creator and judge of the entire universe could be unjust. Hypothetically speaking, what could motivate injustice on God’s part? There is […]
Because of Him Who Calls
“And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will […]
Children of Promise
“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who […]
Not All Israel Belongs to Israel
“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,” -Romans 9:6 Moving from his glorious praise for the blessings Israel has received and for the special distinction they possess among nations as the sons of God, the children of promise, Paul […]
To The Jews Belong the Ancestry of Christ
“To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” -Romans 9:5 Not only to the Israelites, belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises,” but also the lineage and revelation of […]
To the Israelites Belong…
“They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.” -Romans 9:4 In verses 4 and 5, Paul expounds his reasons for being willing to sacrifice himself for his kinsmen, if it were possible and if it meant they would be saved. […]
For the Sake of My Brothers
“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the […]
I’m Not Lying!
“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—” -Romans 9:1 What seems to be so much of an abrupt change in subject matter as to raise doubts in the minds of some scholars about the place of chapters 9-11 is not so dubious if […]
We Are Sure!
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38–39 Paul’s argument ends in a […]
More Than Conquerors
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” -Romans 8:37 The answer to his question in vs. 35 is an emphatic, No! To recall his line of reasoning, in anticipation of questions as to why those who are in Christ will still face tribulation and be possessed of […]
As It Is Written
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”” -Romans 8:35–36 To demonstrate his assurance to believers that […]
Who Shall Separate Us from the Love of Christ
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” -Romans 8:35 Here Paul addresses another area of concern for the believer, one’s well-being. The afflictions we face in this life are not only unsettling, stressful, and sometimes painful, but they also […]
More Than That
“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” -Romans 8:34 Commenting eloquently on this passage, the Reformer, John Calvin, says, “As no one by accusing can prevail, when the judge absolves; so there remains […]
It is God Who Justifies
“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” -Romans 8:33 There is above all others only one court in which we must all stand, the high tribunal of the creator, God. And what more consolation could we receive in this life than knowing that God is favorable toward us already. […]
Did Not Spare His Own Son
“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” -Romans 8:32 What greater demonstration of paternal love could God have made for his adopted sons than to have offered up his own Son for us all. And […]
If God Is For Us
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” -Romans 8:31 It is a good time to recall that Paul’s line of reasoning is meant to encourage believers who are in the space of having been justified by God but still living in the infirmities of […]
The Golden Chain of Adoption
“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” -Romans 8:29 Here we have arrived at what many theologians have called “the golden chain” because here Paul lays out an order of events related to our […]
All Things Work Together For Good
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” -Romans 8:28 This verse has been a particular source of comfort to Christians for two millennia. Unfortunately, it has also been frequently been misapplied and taken out of context. The context […]
The Spirit Intercedes for the Saints
“And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” -Romans 8:27 Paul continues explaining how we are helped in our weakness and offers a powerful word of encouragement to this end. The Spirit who makes intercession for us […]
Inseparable Redemption
“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” -Romans 8:30 Every part our redemption in Christ is to be understood as inseparable. Just as those whom God foreknew to be his adopted sons, he also predetermined them to be […]
The Spirit Helps Us
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” -Romans 8:26 Though we believers must rely on the Spirit of God for the fullness of adoption as sons—that is, the full […]
We Wait in Hope
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. -Romans 8:23–25 The expression “we were saved” is in the aorist mood which indicates it is a […]
We Wait Eagerly
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. -Romans 8:23 The first clause distinguishes our human redemption from the redemption of the non-human creation which also shares in our groaning. This does not […]
Groaning Together
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. -Romans 8:22 (ESV) Colin Kruse, commenting on this verse, rightly notes that, “humanity and the subhuman creation share together in this groaning and suffering as they await liberation.” The next verse (v. 23) indicates that Paul has […]
Set Free From It’s Bondage to Corruption
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the […]
Waiting Together for the Fullness of Glory
“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” -Romans 8:19 It is not only us who must wait with patience for the day of resurrection, but the whole creation waits with us eagerly. The Greek expression Paul uses here is ἀπεκδέχομαι ἀποκαραδοκία (awaits eagerly with eager expectation). The […]
We’ve Been Schooled: A Short Film on American Education
The education system we are all most familiar with—a system that employs compulsory, age-graded, full-time instruction in a government institution—is actually a fairly recent approach to education, and in many ways, is no education at all. It’s social conditioning for the modern industrialized state. If you are surprised by the recent events surrounding the American […]
An Eternal Weight of Glory
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing […]
Fellow Heirs in the Promise
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” -Romans 8:16–17 That the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, means that internally, […]
Sons, Not Slaves!
Romans 8:15 (ESV): 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Having received the indwelling of the Spirit of God, believers not only take on his communicable attributes—God likeness (godliness) as sons—believers are […]
Led to Be Sons
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. -Romans 8:14 Previously, Paul stated that being indwelled by the Spirit was the essential key to the Christian life. Here he establishes that those being led by the Spirit are the children of God. Kruse suggests this is an allusion to […]
We Are Debtors
“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” -Romans 8:12–13 By use of an antithetical enthymeme (one part of […]
The Spirit of Him Who Raised Jesus From the Dead
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” -Romans 8:11 Paul concludes his point about the power of the Spirit in the life of the believer […]