THE BOOK OF ROMANS CHAPTER 10:1-21
THE BELIEVING JEW AND GENTILE; THE CHURCH OF THE NEW MAN

The doctrinal Truths of both Jews and Gentiles being called to an imputed righteousness before God and then furthermore called as one to sonship based solely upon faith in Jesus Christ’s 2-part Atonement has reached its climax in spiritual understanding in Chapter 8. Now, in Chapters 9-11 we get to the motivation for which Paul wrote this, his most lengthiest letter. Let’s review briefly the historical setting. The Jews who had started the Church in Rome were lay proselytes that came back from Pentecost. (Acts 2:10) So the returning Jews to the Assembly at Rome were part of an assembly that was generally Jewish that began to receive Gentile believers in their Messiah into its group. After these developments, it happened that the Emperor Claudius banned Jews from Rome and so then the congregations became solely Gentile. Over those years, the Gentiles developed the idea of replacement theology in that the Jews’ persecution and expulsion was seen as sort of a confirmation of God that the Gentile Church was to replace Israel as God’s favored in the earth. Then, when Nero became Emperor, he wanted the Jews to return to Rome some 13 years later, for mostly financial reasons. Upon their return, they were not readily received back into their previous Assemblies, as there arose a theological split or divide between Gentile and Jewish believers in Christ. It was mainly to address this grave problem that Paul wrote this Letter to Roman believers, no doubt at the request of believing Jews who had been banned and now were returning to Rome. One such example being Aquila, and his wife Priscilla, tentmakers whom Paul had met and stayed with in Corinth. (Acts 18:1-3; Romans 16:3) 

Paul had not started the church of believers in Rome, and although he had wanted to travel there, he had never been. His connections there were limited.

He needed to establish himself to them in the ministry of the revealer of the mystery of the kingdom of heavens on which is the basis of the New Man. He is not going to preach the Gospel in this letter per se, for these Romans are saved, but lays down the groundwork of some of the necessary basics of the Gospel (not the entirety) so that he might, after having gained their confidence as competent and unbiased, that then in the 9^th through the 11^th Chapters he might fully expound on the critical error (to be discussed) and needs of the Roman believers. 

Thus, in the First Chapter of Romans, he writes of the natural and openly sinful nature of Gentiles when unaffected by God’s brooding Spirit. In Chapter 2, Paul begins to establish the common ground for Jews and Gentiles in that Jews also are as sinful as Gentiles, only they are more secretive about it. And so in Chapter 3, we see that on the basis of their both being equally judged and condemned sinners, naturally alien from God, that ALL are under the Wrath of God as un-righteous sinners. Thus, Paul proceeds to establish God’s willingness to extend His forgiveness to them both through the means of justifying faith alone in Him. Chapter 4 introduces the main character to the theme being developed; Abraham, whom Paul expounds upon as a Gentile without circumcision or the Law that extended God-liked kind of faith towards Him, resulting in an imputed righteousness, revealing that the Jew and the Gentile are on the same undeserved ground with God. Paul declares that they are ‘all sons of Abraham, not by being Abraham’s seed or by works of the Law, but by faith through grace. Therefore, in the eyes of God, there are not two groups, Jew and Gentile, but ONE by faith in Christ. In Chapter 5, he declares all men, both Jews and Gentiles, are sinners before God as all men are of the first Adam’s seed, and in a like manner, all men are justified in Christ the 2^nd Adam by faith. Both Jew and Gentile are again put on the same ground in the free gift of Christ’s Atonement, in that though sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ. And whereas faith was the theme of the first 4 chapters, here in this chapter, he introduces the power of the Holy Spirit in hope and love in answer to Christ’s Atonement. He’s still expounding on the idea of Gentiles and Jews standing before God as the same now in the grace of Christ. Chapter 6 introduces the idea of service to God after regeneration, and discusses the downside of backsliding. Where it is seen that Gentiles tend to fall back into licentiousness, Chapter 7 shows how Jews tend to fall back under the Law of Moses and legalism. Chapter 8 answers to faithful and loving service in the common calling of Jew and Gentile as the New Man into the further work of conforming into the image of Christ unto sonship-adoption in resurrection glory. Paul defines the battleground as the spirit versus the flesh that resides within the justified believer to overcome, with help from the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, in the inseparable love of the Father. These statements on God’s love and faithfulness to the New Man naturally flow into the question… ‘But what about the Israelites/Jews then?’ (referring to those Jews not believing in Christ)

Note: Text out of context is pretext. The context is the entire letter. There are no chapters and verses. Grave misunderstandings have been perpetrated by texts being used out of context. We need to take the fullness of the Word of God in context from Genesis to Revelation.

These next three chapters (Chapters 9-11) seem to be parenthetical; in that Paul in the first 3 verses of Chapter 9 moves from mostly an objective view of Christian doctrine, to a very subjective, personal and emotionally charged subject dealing with Israel’s then and present condition. Certainly Paul’s sorrow as well, that for which he saw himself so mercifully called, was a part of his angst. In the next 3 chapters, Paul lays out Israel’s/the Israelites past (selection/appointment) seen generally in the 9^th Chapter, present (stubborn although knowing the Gospel) introduced in the 9^th and filling Chapter 10, and future (restoration) of his kinsmen according to the flesh (Israelites) in Chapter 11.  But in context, it is not really parenthetical, which would mean it was a sort of afterthought explanation, but it is actually set before us as the point and center of Paul’s purpose for the Epistle. That purpose being of now addressing the growing schism between Jew and Gentile in the New Man. Here we find the origin of Replacement Theology to be in early Rome; that Gentiles had replaced the Jews and were God’s ‘new Israel’ in the earth. The main thrust of these verses is addressed to the Gentile believers in Rome’s Assemblies who were now forming an un-Christian personal arrogance against the Jewish Believers and Jews in general.

In answer to this thinking, Paul begins by presenting the history of how God selected the Nation of Israelites over the Nations of Edomites and Ishmaelites, although they were all of Abraham’s seed. The Israelites were the seed accounted the inheritance of the promises to Abraham, and so to them God gave preference. This preference of an individual began with Isaac over Ishmael and was perpetuated by Jacob over Esau. And then Jacob as Israel; a Nation of slaves over the leading glorious Gentile Nation of Egypt with the merciful softening of their hearts and the hardening of Pharaoh’s. Paul traces the history of Israel the individual and Israel the Nation whereby is seen and established the truth of the Divine Sovereignty behind the affairs of men in blessing and cursing and mercy and wrath.

Verses 14 & 15  “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 

Injustice is measured two ways: 

1. by withholding good to one to whom it is deserved 
2. by inflicting judgment on the undeserving 

In the case of the first, we can conclude since all mankind is justly under judgment, what good must the just Judge extend to him? None. What undeserved judgment does the Judge inflict upon him? None. There is no unrighteousness in the Judge to maintain the conviction of the justly condemned. Nor is there any unrighteousness in the Judge to extend grace to save some of the condemned. And if He does it through such a means that covers all the condemned; that is to say that He would bring the condemned heart face to face with his guilt and insufficiency, and some then would respond contritely in willing faith, then his eternal saving was not arbitrary but it was God’s mercy. God was no respecter of condemned persons, as seen in Matthew 5:45… “…for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” We might ask the question: Is there a time that God is justly a respecter of persons? Yes. This is in His judgment for faithful service. This comes in after being saved, after having been brought in to the family of God. Redemption is a gift and is without any merit or works of man’s own, and is based solely on Christ’s righteousness. It is in the judgment of an individual’s service that God will most certainly be a respecter of persons. Here warrants the statement, “…well done thou good and faithful servant”, which speaks to God justly being a respecter of persons when after this life we all will stand before the Judge, and are judged on our faithful and loving service. This is the 2^nd part of the Atonement of Christ, a future declared righteousness of some of the saved, based upon their works in loving and faithful service. God is not only a righteous Judge dealing with everyone’s eternal life, but the Father of His own children (as it was to Moses He “saith” these words after His children grievously sinned in the worship of the calf), Who gives benefits and withholds them in proportion to His own wise will and purposes. Those benefits being something that man himself claims as his right. Many entitled Christians profess that by faith God won’t withhold any good thing from His children thinking that God can be manipulated but their words instead of Him basing His preference on the righteous works/fruit of His children. Yet even in the earthly example, a father has the right to give to his children as they deserve. Scripturally, God’s preference of one child over another is in correlation to their loving service. He loves all His children but only rewards His sons who have been ‘good and faithful servants’.

VERSE 16 “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor him that runneth, but to God that sheweth mercy.” And so, we have had several examples of heirs who would claim the birthright, that lead to this statement: In the one “he that willeth” was certainly Isaac who willed (made happen as an act of his will despite God telling him that the older would serve the younger) that Esau would have the birthright blessing of Abraham, and in spite of his profane behavior, it was Esau who “runneth”. Looking at the players on the other side of this momentous occasion, we have Rebecca who willed and Jacob who runneth. Neither parties willeth or runneth righteously, nevertheless, it was to Jacob that God chose to extend His mercy to as He had set His love upon him from before birth according to His purposes.

And now in VERSE 17, God’s Sovereign will is shown in the like case of Pharaoh whose heart He hardened (we should realize that God did not send some evil into his heart, for it was the simple removal of His restraining mercy;  which serves as a fair warning to all stiff-necked and careless resisters of His will…Romans 9:13). The purposes found in the hardening were to reveal His power in the Earth through Pharaoh that the entire world of nations might hear and know of the God above all the gods of illustrious Egypt… and to reveal His preference for Israel as His chosen people to show His glory to all the Nations. (Let us keep in mind that God intended this as a type of that future and even greater display of His sovereignty and power against the anti-Christ and the gods of this World who form and fill the vials of His Wrath, when He in greater display of His glory in the future extends again His Right Hand in the further deliverance of His people Israel at the greater/second Exodus.)  

Paul is building his case of the pride of man who has vainly resisted the will of Almighty God, with the intent of answering to the Roman Gentile believers’ misunderstandings of the One New Man in Christ, in their prideful arrogance of replacing ‘Israel’ as God’s representative in the earth. An idea nowhere represented in Scripture. 

Verses 19-21 “Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?” To this Paul responds, “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath Not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonour?” Has God the Creator not the right to be merciful or unmerciful to those whom He created? God has spoken, but man is not satisfied with the answer. Shall the thing molded (formed) reproach the Creator? (Genesis 2:7) (And although Paul speaks on this matter in a very direct and matter of fact level, when a child of God drills down deeper, he may see that God is not arbitrary with Pharaoh in that it was only after Pharaoh had hardened his own heart the first 7 times that God then furthered Pharaoh’s already determined and purposed heart. Men should take heed that if they continue to harden their hearts, they may not be given an 8th chance to allow it to be softened as in the example of Pharaoh. His patience and mercy can only be tried for so long. As also when we look at Jeremiah 18:1-12, from where the type proceeds from, and follow Jeremiah to the potter’s house we realize, as he did, that it was the marred clay discovered by the potter’s hands that determined the vessel’s fitness.) 

Verses 22-23 “What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that He might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory…” A key statement for understanding behind God’s sovereignty in exercising His will and power is that He “…endured with much longsuffering”. His grace and patience are wonderful and so will His wrath be. He patiently dealt and worked with those who were found determined to resist His will before He helped them on in their decisions to be fully fit vessels for destruction as His enemies. 

God had predetermined in the future government of this and the new World (New heaven and New Earth) that He would make known His power and glory through both those who choose to be His enemies and the vessels of His mercy.  While the vessels of destruction work out their destruction, God is working and shaping the vessels of mercy to be fit to be filled with His glory. (Romans 8:28) The work on the regenerated requires continued patience and longsuffering in the hands of the Maker for the tendency of the flesh is ever weighting the vessel downward to be marred. The water applied to the clay is grace, drawn upon by loving faith in His merciful hands. The clay chooses what shape the Potter forms them into. Only by yielding, can each vessel be the vessel that God intended them to be when He placed them on the wheel. The warning is that God can withdraw His hand from the stubborn un-moldable vessel. Yet both vessels will forever display His glory…finally to be measured in His judgment according to their works. For even a vessel of destruction can demonstrate God’s glory as we see in the fact that the Lake of Fire serves an example to all in eternity. Our final form will be revealed at either the Judgement Seat or at the Great White Throne.

Verses 24-26 Even us (Paul defines himself with us not as a Jew nor a Gentile, he being of the one new man Ephesians 2) whom he hath called not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles?  As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the sons children of the God living” (the Greek says “sons” as opposed to children).

Israel was first called in His Sovereignty to be a people of God and God in His Sovereignty is now treating Israelites as He sees righteous. That is, His people, as not now His people, and Gentiles, not His people, as being His people. It was the outworking result of His stubborn people, whom he had chosen to govern as a royal priesthood in the earth, failing to achieve to the standard of the calling. Furthermore, Israel refusing Jesus as their Messiah and the Word of the additional heavenly kingdom calling, God thereby further hardened their hearts and then turned primarily to the Gentiles to bring a people out for His Name. It is a different loftier calling (note the old calling of a preeminence in the earth is not rescinded, and God is not looking for another people to answer that calling. God will, as irrevocably promised to Israel, circumcise their hearts to love Him and to bring them into the promised land of the Israel of Abraham.) But the promise to be seated in the heavenlies is to the New Man/a different body gathered out of all the nations in resurrection power to be set before His heavenly throne, in the more loftier and royal position than the earthly calling of Israel, as sons of God, celebrating the salvation of mercy and grace of God and the Lamb (that is outside the Law of Moses Revelation 7:9-10). The promise of Christ’s inheritance is future wherein He shall validate the differences in callings.  “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” (Revelation 3:9)

In any case, there is neither arbitrariness nor predestination of evil character in a human that will be assigned to God’s Sovereignty. God has a Sovereign will, but it is at the same time moral, and all that He does is moral. But Paul addresses the attitude of impudence in his statements; God has a right to dispense His mercy on whom He will. We are all undeserving fallen humans with no right-standing with Him. It reminds me of the Parable of Christ wherein He spoke of the man who hired men at different times of the day for a certain wage and when the day was complete, he paid the men who had come early and worked the entire day the wage agreed upon. And to those who were hired late in the day, he gave them the same wage. The ones hired early grumbled at what they thought unfair or unjust…but the employer asked; Have I not the right to do with my money as I desire? Is it just that my generosity causes your animosity?

It is the same attitude being dealt with by Paul about God’s mercy and hardening. What right have you the creation to speak to the Creator about the way He runs His affairs? But having said this, when we drill down to truth we see that God did not arbitrarily show mercy, but to those who have desire to have mercy. Nor did he arbitrarily harden anyone. It is those who have persisted in the hardening of their own hearts that God has finally hardened. The Word of Truth ministered causes the reaction; that of softening or hardening. It is not God who predestined those who fail.

Verses 27-29 Isaiah’s ministry of hardening remains on Israel. Paul’s example of Isaiah is to the persistence of Israel to walk in their evil hearts and devices. God has therefore put them under the judgment of their own wills. The climax of Judgment comes in that great and terrible Day of the Lord. The majority of the nation of Israel will fall into the hands of the anti-Christ and be cut off as enemies of God. It is but after His long patience that His blows of Wrath shall strike. It is only because of the forefather’s faithfulness and God’s promises to them (the Jews of that future great judgement day of the Lord) that a remnant will receive mercy. (Matthew 24:22) If God were to entirely remove His hand of mercy and were to leave the Jews to themselves, in their current just state, they would all follow the carnal highway to destruction as Sodom and Gomorrah. Not that grace is irresistible unto that remnant, but God’s appointed Word of persuasion of that Day is effective on those Jews who then will yet have an open heart unto Him. 

Verses 30-33 ‘righteousness’ is the standard by which God receives and promotes a man. Israel knew that God required righteousness and set about to obtain it by their own efforts, that is to keep the Law of Moses. It is clear from Scripture that God did not intend for any man save one to ‘keep’ the Law of Moses unto righteousness. Israel was called out of the World (Egypt), born again (by the blood of the lamb), commanded by the Law, fell short of obedient righteousness in victory over the flesh and failed to attain again what Adam had lost before God. That test and trial is over, it was deemed over with their rejection of Christ and their crucifixion of Him. (Romans 8:6-8 fully confirmed) 

The circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit answers to the heavenly calling in Christ’s Atonement. That in which the promise of God, to Abraham’s seed, could not be obtained by them under the Law of Moses. Only that which was reserved for the Seed of Abraham could effectively perpetuate the work upon the heart after regeneration, unto good works. It is the great difference between Covenants. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in answer to Christ’s merit separates Christians from Israel in heart and calling. To Abraham’s seed were the promises made, and the trial of Moses’ Law showed them and man incompetent to win the blessing through obedience to the Law. Jesus was the only Jew who was circumcised and indebted to the Law of Moses Who fulfilled it completely. In His Hand alone was the ‘price’ for atonement found and accepted by God; which answers to the means to the heavenly call. It had been long established that no man would become righteous by keeping the Law but by faith, before and after Christ. In this ‘justifying faith’ in Christ, Gentiles readily received and were saved by the millions whereas only thousands of Jews were saved. Why? Because the Jews stubbornly sought their righteousness with God through the Law of Moses; they refused to be weaned from the Law of Moses through their Messiah (as unfortunately, many Christians today attempt to be righteous through the Law of Moses, not realizing it is an offense to God). These were like Esau, they were willing to sell their birthright. They were like Ishmael who scorned at the heir and was cast out. They prefer the observance of the Sabbath over the rest in Christ; the waters of Shiloh to open their blind eyes refused; the festivals and shadows over the reality, etc… “…they stumbled at that stumbling stone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” [Romans 9:32] What was the stumbling stone and rock of offense? That foundational truth from Peter’s lips, ‘…you are the Son of God’. And Christ’s validating response was… “And I also say to thee, that thou art Peter (a Stone), and upon this Rock (= Christ Himself the Son of God resurrected from among the dead) I will build My Church (Assembly, both on earth and in the heavens), and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” [Matthew 16:16,18] He was a stumbling stone while alive and an offense when resurrected. “Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee.” (Jesus being the first begotten from the dead. ) …“Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth (this speaks to the heavenly realm) for thy possession.” [Psalm 2:7-8]