Romans 9 – Page 3 – Ministry of Grace Church

Category: Romans 9

Romans 9:12 – God’s Choice, God’s Reason

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Will

it was said to her, "The greater shall serve the lesser."

Truth to Learn

God’s choice is not dictated by human characteristics.

Behind the Words

The word translated “older” is meidzōn, which is the comparative form of megas, meaning “great” or “large.” Meidzōn appears in forty-four different passages in the New Testament and in none of them does it carry the meaning “older.” It means “greater in stature, power, quality, or importance.”

“Younger” is from the Greek word elassōn, which is the comparative of mikros, meaning “inferior in worth, quality, size, or age.”

The word “serve” is translated from the verb form of doulos, indicating one who is a slave to another.

Meaning Explained

Paul now continues with his example of election. His reference here is to a passage in Genesis 25:21-23:

Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is right, why am I like this?" And she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her: "two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger."

In today’s verse, as well as the Old Testament passage that is quoted, the language that is used indicates that the greater of the two (Esau) will be a slave to the lesser (Jacob). Age does not appear to be the distinguishing characteristic as much as power and importance (from a human perspective).

While they were still inside Rebekah, God declared that Esau would serve Jacob. This reference is not specifically to the persons of Esau and Jacob, but to their descendants, for Esau never was a slave to Jacob; rather, it is a reference to their posterity. While the descendants of Esau (the Edomites) were a larger and stronger people than the descendants of Jacob (the Israelites), they were defeated and finally subjugated by Israel.

If we read the Old Testament accounts in Genesis 25, 27, 29, and 30, we see that Jacob tricked Esau out of his birthright and out of his parental blessing from their father Isaac. We also see that Jacob conspired against his father-in-law Laban to gain the stronger and better of Laban’s sheep. Jacob was constantly scheming to get the better of others. But all along, his success was not because of his cleverness; rather, it was because God chose to bless him. And it clearly was not because Jacob deserved God’s blessing; it was strictly because God chose to bless Him.

Application

The really incomprehensible part of God’s election is His reason for choosing some unto blessing and not others. It is reasonable to believe that God has some basis for his choosing, but we are never told what it is. What we do know about this election is that it is based on God’s choice, not ours. That’s Paul’s point throughout this entire passage in the book of Romans.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:11 – God Says Election

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Will

(for they not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),

Truth to Learn

The important thing is God’s choice, not our works.

Behind the Words

“Not yet” is from the Greek word mēpō. It is made up of mē, the qualified negative and pō, which means “even” or “yet.” It specifically refers to action that has not yet happened.

The word translated “election” is eklogē. This word is made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and a form of legō, meaning “to choose or select.” Thus we see that eklogē means “to choose out” or “to select from.” The Complete Word Study Dictionary defines eklogē this way:

Election, the benevolent purpose of God by which any are chosen unto salvation so that they [the chosen ones] are led to embrace and persevere in Christ's bestowed grace and the enjoyment of its privileges and blessings here and hereafter.

Meaning Explained

Paul has been talking about who the real “children of God” are, that is, who the ones are that are chosen for righteousness. This choosing is based on God’s decision and actions, not on ours. In the previous few verses Paul talked about Isaac being the son of the promise, not Ishmael. Even though Ishmael was the first son born to Abraham, he was not the one to receive God’s blessing because he was not the son of promise.

Paul is now talking about Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac. In this and the following verses Paul will make it clear that God chose Jacob and not Esau (Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated). But, so that the argument can’t be made that the choice was due to Jacob’s obedience and Esau’s disobedience (which certainly is not the case since Jacob was clearly the more deceptive of the two), Paul declares here that the choice was made before either of them was born. Not only does Paul point out that God’s choice occurred before they were born, but he makes a special point of the fact that neither one of them had done any good or evil. The major point in this verse is that God’s choosing of Jacob over Esau was according to God’s election, and it was not based on obedience or any other thing that either of them did.

Paul says that it was God’s purpose to choose Jacob, not based on his works. There are Christians who believe that God “foreknew” who would accept Christ as Lord and Savior and, based on this, chose them to be saved. (See our study on Romans 8:29 to understand the problem with this false thinking.) But, according to Paul in this verse, this cannot be the case because it says that the purpose of God in His election is not based on a person’s works but on God’s calling. He says that it was God’s choice not Jacob’s actions that resulted in his being chosen.

That’s God’s sovereign election! He chooses us. We do not choose Him. As hard as this is to accept by many of us, it is exactly what the Bible teaches!

Application

Believe what you may about man’s free will versus God’s election, Paul very clearly teaches it is God’s choice that matters. Since the book of Romans is part of God’s inspired word, it is God’s teaching. As for me, regarding election:

God said it. I believe it. That settles it!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:10 – Sovereign Above All

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Will

And not only so, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, Isaac our father

Truth to Learn

God is absolutely sovereign. His choices are His alone.

Behind the Words

The expression “by one man” is translated from ek enos koitēn. Ek means “out of,” and enos is the number “one.” The word koitēn is derived from the verb keimai, meaning “to lie down.” Koitēn refers to “a bed” and metaphorically refers to “the marriage bed.” By extension, it refers to “the man or his seed responsible for conception of a child.”

“Conceived” is translated from the Greek word echō, meaning “to have or to hold,” implying possession. Hence, a literal translation of the phrase “Rebecca also had conceived by one man” would be, “Rebecca also took possession from one bed.” However, in English this does carry the meaning intended. This is an example where a literal word-for-word translation is less appropriate than a paraphrase which carries a more accurate expression of the idea in English.

Meaning Explained

Paul has just told us that Isaac was the son of the promise whereas Ishmael was not. Ishmael, the first born of Abraham, should have received the blessing and should have been the heir of Abram’s lineage, but he was not because God does not honor the fleshly lineage but the spiritual lineage, which only He can determine. God chose Isaac; He did not choose Ishmael.

It could be argued, however, that Ishmael was not the son of Abram’s wife but of her maid servant. Since he wasn’t the first son by Abraham’s wife, God choose to reject him. That is, his rejection was based on lineage after all. It could also be argued that perhaps God chose Isaac because Ishmael displayed jealousy and mocked Isaac when he was circumcised. We read about this in Genesis chapter twenty-one:

And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had born unto Abraham, mocking. (Genesis 21:8, 9)

So we see that some could argue that God saw what kind of a person Ishmael was going to be and therefore did not choose him.

To counter these two potential arguments, Paul now highlights another situation among the patriarchs in which not only did God choose contrary to natural lineage, but He chose while the two were still unborn and had not demonstrated their character yet. This example will be of Jacob and Esau who were twins. Esau was the firstborn and, therefore, the rightful inheritor of the line of Isaac, but, as we will see in the next two verses, God chose Jacob.

Application

God is sovereign and He answers to no one; that is, He has supreme power and authority. He doesn’t have to answer to us and He doesn’t have to play by our rules because He makes all the rules Himself. He always does that which is right and which will bring praise and glory to Himself no matter what we think is right. If He chooses to bless one person over another, there’s nothing we can say or do about it. God is sovereign above all!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:9 – The Promise Keeper

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Will

For this is the word of promise: "According to this time I will come and Sarah will have a son."

Truth to Learn

God always keeps His promises to us.

Behind the Words

“According to this time” is translated from kata ton kairon touton. The word kata means “down” but metaphorically it is used to express the relationship one thing has toward another. In this use it is often translated “according to.” The word kairon expresses “a period of opportunity.” It really has no English equivalent but can loosely be translated here as “an opportune time” or “a season.” Hence, a literal translation of this phrase could be, “according to this opportune time” or “according to this season.” We can interpret this to mean “at about this time next year.”

Meaning Explained

Paul is explaining that even though the Jews had all the special privileges as the children of Israel (Jacob), they were not all righteous. This is because that righteousness does not come from lineage but from the imputation of righteousness by God’s own choosing. The children of the flesh are not the children of God, the children of the promise are the children of God.

Paul now reminds his countrymen of the promise that was made to Abraham. A more literal translation of the open phrase of this verse is “this word is one of promise.” In other words, this is not THE promise made to Abraham, but it is one example of a promise that God made to him and it certainly ties into the earlier promise:

Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Leave your country, your family and your father's house, and go to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1-2)

In keeping with the promise to make the name of Abraham great and to make him a blessing, God later promised Abraham a son. That son, however, was not to come for nearly twenty-five years. After twenty-four years, God again told Abraham that he would have a son (in addition to Ishmael) and Paul quotes this promise from Genesis 18:10 which says;

And He said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."

It was about a year later that Sarah gave birth to Isaac. A living son brought forth from a dead womb. As a result we see that the child of Sarah (conceived through faith), not the child of Hagar (conceived through works), was the one God promised Abraham he would have. Abraham was about one hundred years old when this promise was made and Sarah about ninety. She was believed to be past the age of childbearing and he was believed to be too old to produce offspring himself. God is able to fulfill his promises to us even when it seems physically impossible. He can do the impossible, like saving condemned sinners like you and me.

Application

God has made many promises to us in the New Testament such as: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”(Romans 10:9) and “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b). Like Abraham, we can trust His word because God keeps His promises. Always!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:8 – Believe the Promise

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Will

That is, those who are the children of the flesh, are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

Truth to Learn

Works of the flesh are ineffective in God’s record book.

Behind the Words

The word translated “promise” is epangelia, which is made up of epi, used as an intensifier, and angelō, meaning “to tell” or “to declare.” Hence, epangelia refers to “a very strong message, a summons, or a promise.”

“Counted” is from the Greek word logidzomai, which we have looked at before. It is an accounting term which means “to credit something to someone’s account.” It is sometimes translated as “impute” or “reckon.” It is an action of God in which He legally declares some characteristic to be applied to someone’s account.

Meaning Explained

Now Paul gets back to imputation. Remember that concept? A few chapters back Paul told us that our righteousness is not earned; rather it is imputed, or credited to us, by a stroke of God’s pen in his personal record book of our lives. He does not do it because we deserve it or because of anything we have done, but because it was His choice. Because Abraham believed God’s promise, righteousness was imputed to him:

For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." (Romans 4:3)

In the same way Paul is telling his Jewish brothers that they are not considered God’s children simply because they are the descendants of Abraham, since that privilege should have gone to his first born son, Ishmael. Instead, Paul tells them, and us, that the children of promise are imputed, or reckoned, as the inheriting children.

The point is that God chose Isaac to be a “child of Abraham,” not Ishmael. Ishmael was the child by natural process. He was the result of Abraham’s (and Sarah’s) own efforts. Their works of the flesh produced the first child, but Isaac was the result of faith. Long after Abraham and Sarah were past the age of producing a child by their own actions, God brought forth Isaac because Abraham believed the promise that God had given him. Isaac was the child of promise and he came as a result of faith.

But that’s not fair, is it? Ishmael was the first born, so he should have received the inheritance. He should have been Abraham’s heir. But it wasn’t up to Abraham, Isaac, or Ishmael to choose, it was up to God. He chose Isaac just as he chooses those who are to be His spiritual children today.

So you see, in the final analysis it is God’s choice that matters, not ours. That’s election! And it’s not the only example of it given to us in the Bible or even here in the book of Romans. Paul will give us more examples as we move on.

Application

Unfortunately, there are many who call themselves Christians today who have achieved that status through works of their flesh. In God’s book, however, only those who have believed His promise that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses them of their sin are declared to be His children. These are the children of the promise and they are saved through faith and faith alone.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:7 – Isaac, God’s Choice

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Will

nor because they are the Abraham’s seed are they all children; but, "in Isaac your seed shall be called."

Truth to Learn

God chose Isaac as the promised seed of Abraham.

Behind the Words

The word “children” is translated from the Greek word teknon, which is the noun form of the verb tiktō, meaning “to give birth to offspring.” Hence, teknon refers to a child. This word does not imply gender as does the word huios (son).

“Seed” is from sperma, meaning “something sown, that is a seed.” Metaphorically, it refers to the offspring that is produced by the seed.

The word “called” is kaleō, which properly means “to call aloud to someone,” but it is also used in the sense of naming someone or something.

Meaning Explained

Paul now continues his explanation of why ancestry is no guarantee of righteousness. He just said that not all the people of Israel are spiritual descendants of their father Israel. He started with Israel because he is the one from whom the nation got its name. Now he will cover the other two of the three main patriarchs.

Since the calling and the promises for the nation started with the calling of Abraham, Paul now addresses this part of their lineage. Just because they are descendants of their father Abraham doesn’t mean that they are considered children of the promise. Remember that the first child of Abraham was Ishmael, not Isaac. By the laws of primogeniture (oldest son inheriting the prime blessing and a double portion or all of the estate of the father), Ishmael should be the one through whom the lineage of Abram is recognized. However, God chose Isaac, the son of promise, to be the blessed one. Note also that Ishmael is the father of the Arabs. The Arabs to this day dislike the Jews partially because of this transferring of the blessing from Ishmael to Isaac.

Isaac is the son that God promised to Abraham and for whom Abraham had to wait 25 years. When Isaac was born, Ishmael was a teenager, and the jealousy of Ishmael and his mother Hagar (the personal maid servant of Abraham’s wife Sarah) caused them to be cast out from the clan. As Abraham wrestled with sending his first son away, God told him;

Do not let it be wrong in your eyes because of the boy or because of your handmaid. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. (Genesis 21:12)

It was not Abraham’s choice to place Isaac above Ishmael, it was God’s choice. Isaac was the promised son, not Ishmael. Isaac was God’s chosen one and Ishmael was not! As a result, the seed of Isaac (through Jacob) became God’s chosen people. It may not seem fair to us that God chose Isaac above Ishmael, but He did! God chose Isaac; Isaac did not choose God.

Application

We all have a hard time accepting the fact that God chooses some to be saved and not others. That’s why Paul is going through this thorough discourse on God’s choosing.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:6 – No Family Ties

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Will

But it is not as though God’s word has failed. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,

Truth to Learn

Lineage or church membership cannot save you!

Behind the Words

The word translated “has failed” is the Greek word ekpiptō, which is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out of or from” and the verb pipto, meaning “to fall.” Hence it means “to fall from.” Metaphorically it means to fail or to become of no effect. Paul is saying that the Word of God has not failed to be effective.

Meaning Explained

Now Paul must show God’s rejection of the Jews and do so in a way that will persuade his countrymen that everything they have believed about the Messiah is part of God’s plan. The difficulty is to reconcile the rejection of the unbelieving Jews with God's promise and the external tokens of the divine favor which had been conferred upon them. He will accomplish this with four main points:

The true meaning and intention of the promise will be explained (Romans 9:6-13).
Jehovah God is absolutely sovereign in his choosing of the elect ones (Romans 9:14-24).
The rejection of the Jews and the reconciliation of Gentiles are clearly shown in the Old Testament (Romans 9:25-29).
The reason for the rejection of the Jews is not for lack of keeping the Law but their lack of faith (Romans 9:30-33).

It may have appeared to his Jewish Christian readers in Rome that what he has said in the previous chapters implies that Paul does not believe the promises made to the Jews and that the Word of God is not true. So he starts off this section with a statement affirming that the Word of God is sound and can be believed completely. It is effective in securing righteousness.

Since the Jews believed that the promises were made to Israel and his descendants, Paul is pointing out that it is not the descendants by the flesh that are inheritors of the promises but the descendants who believe God’s promises (the chosen ones). That’s what he means by “they are not all Israel who are of Israel.” Just because one has the right lineage doesn’t mean one is a child of the promises.

Once again let me point out that there is a direct analogy to this in today’s Christianity. Just because you are a member of a Bible believing church and perform all the ordinances of the church doesn’t mean you are a Christian. Just because you have Christian parents and were brought up under Christian teachings in a Christian country doesn’t mean that you are a Christian. You are only a Christian if you believe the gospel message and you have submitted to God accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

For by grace you are saved through faith, (Ephesians 2:8a)

Application

You cannot secure a place in heaven through obedience or family influence. You can only do so by God’s declaration of your righteousness, and that only happens through faith in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins. The Bible is truth, and it says you will be saved if you submit your will to God and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:5 – God Over All

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Will

Whose are the fathers and from whom is the Christ, according to the flesh, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Truth to Learn

Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, Creator of heaven and earth.

Behind the Words

The word translated “fathers” is pater, which is a primary word meaning “father” but it is often used as a reference to any ancestor. It is the word from which we get our English word patriarch (father-ruler).

“Eternally” is from the expression eis tous aiōnas, which literally means “unto the ages.” The Greek word aiōn refers to an indefinitely long period of time (an age). Hence, eis tous aiōnas is a reference to eternity.

Meaning Explained

In this verse Paul continues listing the special privileges that the Jews had in Jehovah God:

“Whose are the fathers” – This is a reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who each had a special relationship with God. Paul will refer to these three as well as others in this chapter as examples of those whom God chose for special blessing.

“From whom is the Christ, according to the flesh” – This is the greatest privilege and promise that was given to the Israelites: that the promised Messiah, the Christ, would (and did) descend directly from the same lineage as theirs. Before Jesus came to earth to take on human form, He was promised as the Savior of the Jews. They believed that he would rescue them from all foreign rulers. To no other people did God promise the Savior of the world to be of their lineage. The Jews took great pride in this and believed that it meant He would come only for the Jews.

In the Greek the expression “according to the flesh” comes after “Christ.” Paul’s point is that Christ is a descendant of the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob) but only in regard to his flesh. This is a clear statement against the Catholic theology stating that Mary is the mother of God. Paul says that she is the mother of Jesus only with regard to the flesh.

“Who is over all, the eternally blessed God.” – He then clearly states that Christ is over all things. That is, His position is above all creatures of all creation. But Paul does not stop there. He now declares that Jesus Christ is God. It would be nearly as appropriate to translate this as “who is God over all.” The apostle is making a statement of the deity of Jesus Christ (He is God), but he is not simply saying that He is a god but the God who is above all things.

The words translated “eternally blessed” appear after the word for God (theos) in the Greek text. It was commonplace for Jewish writers to include this doxology immediately after mentioning the title of God when in reference to Jehovah God.

Application

This verse shows that the Jewish people had bragging rights as to the lineage of the Messiah. But He is not just a Jewish man. He is Almighty God, Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:4 – New Old Truths

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Will

who are Israelites, to whom is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;

Truth to Learn

We can learn a lot about our faith from the Old Testament.

Behind the Words

The word translated “adoption” is huiothesia, which is composed of huios, meaning “a son” and a form of tithēmi, meaning “to place.” Thus we see that it is a reference to the placing of a person as a child, or “adoption.”

“Covenants” is translated from diathēkēs, which refers to “the disposition which a person makes of his property in the prospect of death.” The English word “dispensation” expresses the idea fairly closely. It is a reference here to the dispensations or covenants that God made with the patriarchs and the Jews.

Meaning Explained

Paul now continues on from the previous verse. He said that he almost wished that he was accursed for the sake of his kinsmen, the Jews. He is making a comparison between the things he has been teaching about the church (chosen by God, adopted by God, given promises by God, etc.) and the Jewish people. In doing so he will demonstrate to his Jewish brothers that God’s dealings with the church are very much the same as His past dealings with the Jews (until the time they rejected the Messiah). In the current verse Paul begins to detail some of the special privileges that the Jews had. Let’s look at each of them.

“Who are Israelites” – They are the descendants of Jacob (renamed Israel by God when Jacob wrestled with God at Penuel – See Genesis 32:28.) Jacob means “trickster” and Israel means “a prince of God.”

“To whom is the adoption” – This is probably a reference to Deuteronomy 7:6 where God chose them (the Israelites) as a special people to Him above all people that are on the face of the earth. Is it fair that God chose the descendants of Jacob (Israel) and excluded all others? This is an example of God’s election (choosing) just like His election of Christians.

“The glory” – probably a reference to the glory of God which led the Israelites through the wilderness.

“The covenants” – The various compacts or promises which had been made from time to time with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and with the nation of Israel.

“The giving of the Law” – On Mount Sinai – see Exodus 20.

“The service of God” – A reference to the temple service which was a point of pride for Israel, indicating that only they worshipped at the true temple of the true God.

“And the promises” – Most notably the promise of the coming Messiah from the seed of David.

In showing to his brothers in the flesh that theirs was a special relationship with God, soon Paul will also show them that this relationship does not guarantee righteousness. Righteousness only comes from believing the promise of the Messiah and accepting the Messiah when he comes, which they didn’t do.

Application

There is much for the church to learn from studying God’s dealings with the Old Testament saints. We serve the same God, and He deals with us much the same as He did with them. For us, as well as them, it is a relationship built on faith.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:3 – Faith, not Flesh

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Will

For I almost wish that I was accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kindred according to the flesh,

Truth to Learn

We need to pray for the unsaved and witness to them for God’s sake, not our own.

Behind the Words

Some translations have the opening phrase of this verse as “For I was wishing” whereas others have translated it as, “For I could wish.” The reason for the difference is in the form of the verb euchomai, which means “to express a wish, a vow, or a prayer.” It is expressed here in the imperfect tense which normally implies continuous past action (I was wishing) or the commencement of past action (I began to wish). However, this is seen by most Greek scholars as an “idiomatic imperfect,” which would be roughly translated as “I was at the point of wishing.” This is one of those examples where a literal translation that makes complete sense in English is probably not possible. I think the closest to it would be our idiomatic expression “I almost wish that …” It expresses a situation that can’t happen, but if it could then I might wish it to be so.

“Accursed” is translated from the Greek word anathema. It is made up of ana, meaning “up” or “again” but is used here as an intensifier, and a form of tithēmi, meaning “to place.” It refers to an offering that has been wholly given over to God even to the point that it is no longer any possible use to man. An example is a drink offering which is poured out in dedication to God and is no longer useful as a drink for man. Hence, anathema is often used to express something that is given over to destruction.

The word “kindred” is from the Greek word sungenēs, which is made up of sun, meaning “with” or “together” and a form of genos, meaning “offspring, family, or nation.” Hence, this word refers to a family relative.

Meaning Explained

There is some disagreement among theologians regarding this verse, but by carefully looking at the Greek, I think we can get a better sense of what Paul was trying to say. You see, he did not actually wish himself to be accursed (given over to destruction); rather, he was implying that he was at a point where he was almost willing to endure being accursed for the sake of his lost brothers. However, he has just spent the last few chapters of this letter explaining that only the elect are saved, and knowing that he was one of the elect he knew he could not unsave himself even if he wanted to.

Paul is making some very strong statements in the opening of this chapter to indicate to his fellow Israelites that not only has he not turned against them, but he has a very strong desire to see them saved. Since he grew up as a very devout Jew (he even studied under Gamaliel, one of the most respected teachers of his time), he knows how trapped they are in trying to keep the law as a means of salvation. Since his conversion, however, Paul has learned that salvation cannot be attained through obedience. It can only be attained through faith.

He will show later in this chapter that neither the Law nor the Jewish lineage have any effect when it comes to righteousness.

Application

Let’s all quit trying to earn God’s favor through obedience and simply trust Him and obey Him because we love Him.

In God's service, for His glory,