About
Christian
Location:
Location: Gettysburg, PA.
Zipcode:
Country: US
Zipcode:
Country: US
Stats
Blogs: 43
Romans 10:1-4
Romans 10:1-4 by Joe La Bianca
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
God laid in Zion the stumbling stone of Jesus. God did not say that He put the rock of offense in another place, only in Israel. The stumbling stone is said to be lying in the Jewish homeland because Israel tries to attain salvation by works of the law, and not by faith in Jesus alone. Israel finds it hard to let God save; instead, Israel tries to save itself. The legalistic church also tries to save itself, and so Jesus has now become a stumbling stone for much of the so-called church. The legalistic church has abandoned the gospel for fellowship with Israel, and has thereby made Jesus Christ its enemy.
Those who are unsaved are outside of God’s blessing and fellowship. The unsaved are in this miserable state because they do not believe in Jesus. Paul prayed that Israel would be saved. He prayed this because Israel was unsaved.
Since Romans 10:1 clearly says that Israel is unsaved, how can anyone call Israel “the chosen people”? How can God’s people be unsaved and under His curse? Obviously, they cannot. The chosen people of God is now the church. This truth is revealed in many places in Paul’s letters. If Israel is still God’s people, then why does Paul petition God for the salvation of Israel if Israel was saved? Israel needs salvation today. They need to be delivered by the blood of Jesus just as the Gentiles are. Salvation is the same for everyone. We must all come to God by faith in Jesus apart from works. This gospel, preached by Paul, was the reason why Israel sought to kill Paul. When you hear the phrase, “Pray for the peace of Israel,” it doesn’t mean to ask God for a cessation of earthly war. It means to pray for the salvation of Israel, for the peace with God that can only come from simple faith in Jesus’ cross.
Israel has a zeal for God. Their fervent enthusiasm for God is not based on knowledge, however. Israel has no recognition of the truth, and so despite their sincerity, they are yet unsaved. This shows us that no amount of sincerity can make us right with God. Even though people think they are correct, this doesn’t make them correct. This is what it means to be deceived. If someone’s genuine feelings can save them, then Jesus is not necessary. But we know that Jesus is the only Savior, and so feelings, however sincere, can never save from hell. If Israel cannot be saved because of its sincerity, then no heathen nation can be saved without the gospel, even though they truly believe in their false ideas of God. Sincerity does not save, Jesus does. A person can be sincerely wrong.
Goodness can only come from God, for only God is good. Israel tries to set up human goodness out of ignorance. Legalists of any ilk are also guilty of this error. People cannot be good. To obtain one’s own goodness, separate and alone, is impossible. In order to be saved, people must submit themselves to God’s goodness, and let themselves be made good by faith without works. This is the gospel. This is the truth. If someone does not know of God-given goodness, acquired by simple faith in the cross, they will try to establish their own righteousness through ignorance. But there is no such thing as private righteousness. All goodness comes from God, and is freely credited to the believer.
Seeing that goodness is not private, meaning that it does not belong to any particular person, we must seek goodness from outside of ourselves. The gospel is God’s way of imparting goodness to people. Hearing and believing produces goodness. Not just hearing anything, or believing anything. We must hear the one thing needful. We must believe the one thing needful for salvation. Jesus and Him crucified is the one thing needful. Hearing of Christ and trusting in that story produces salvation. Following the law of Moses does not produce salvation. Christ is the end of the law, in order that there may be righteousness by faith. If the law was not concluded, then real Christianity could not exist. Hearing and believing, and the very existence of such a wonderful salvation mechanism, necessitates the end of the law.
Christ set out to fulfill the law for us, and after living the only sinless life, He laid down that perfect life in our place, as payment for sin. This satisfies God and clears the believer of all guilt. To try to appease God with human effort is a denial of all Jesus has done. Jesus terminated the law after He accomplished it. The perfection has come; we need not try to improve upon Jesus. So rest in Jesus, and let Him save you from everything that defiles body, soul, and spirit.
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
God laid in Zion the stumbling stone of Jesus. God did not say that He put the rock of offense in another place, only in Israel. The stumbling stone is said to be lying in the Jewish homeland because Israel tries to attain salvation by works of the law, and not by faith in Jesus alone. Israel finds it hard to let God save; instead, Israel tries to save itself. The legalistic church also tries to save itself, and so Jesus has now become a stumbling stone for much of the so-called church. The legalistic church has abandoned the gospel for fellowship with Israel, and has thereby made Jesus Christ its enemy.
Those who are unsaved are outside of God’s blessing and fellowship. The unsaved are in this miserable state because they do not believe in Jesus. Paul prayed that Israel would be saved. He prayed this because Israel was unsaved.
Since Romans 10:1 clearly says that Israel is unsaved, how can anyone call Israel “the chosen people”? How can God’s people be unsaved and under His curse? Obviously, they cannot. The chosen people of God is now the church. This truth is revealed in many places in Paul’s letters. If Israel is still God’s people, then why does Paul petition God for the salvation of Israel if Israel was saved? Israel needs salvation today. They need to be delivered by the blood of Jesus just as the Gentiles are. Salvation is the same for everyone. We must all come to God by faith in Jesus apart from works. This gospel, preached by Paul, was the reason why Israel sought to kill Paul. When you hear the phrase, “Pray for the peace of Israel,” it doesn’t mean to ask God for a cessation of earthly war. It means to pray for the salvation of Israel, for the peace with God that can only come from simple faith in Jesus’ cross.
Israel has a zeal for God. Their fervent enthusiasm for God is not based on knowledge, however. Israel has no recognition of the truth, and so despite their sincerity, they are yet unsaved. This shows us that no amount of sincerity can make us right with God. Even though people think they are correct, this doesn’t make them correct. This is what it means to be deceived. If someone’s genuine feelings can save them, then Jesus is not necessary. But we know that Jesus is the only Savior, and so feelings, however sincere, can never save from hell. If Israel cannot be saved because of its sincerity, then no heathen nation can be saved without the gospel, even though they truly believe in their false ideas of God. Sincerity does not save, Jesus does. A person can be sincerely wrong.
Goodness can only come from God, for only God is good. Israel tries to set up human goodness out of ignorance. Legalists of any ilk are also guilty of this error. People cannot be good. To obtain one’s own goodness, separate and alone, is impossible. In order to be saved, people must submit themselves to God’s goodness, and let themselves be made good by faith without works. This is the gospel. This is the truth. If someone does not know of God-given goodness, acquired by simple faith in the cross, they will try to establish their own righteousness through ignorance. But there is no such thing as private righteousness. All goodness comes from God, and is freely credited to the believer.
Seeing that goodness is not private, meaning that it does not belong to any particular person, we must seek goodness from outside of ourselves. The gospel is God’s way of imparting goodness to people. Hearing and believing produces goodness. Not just hearing anything, or believing anything. We must hear the one thing needful. We must believe the one thing needful for salvation. Jesus and Him crucified is the one thing needful. Hearing of Christ and trusting in that story produces salvation. Following the law of Moses does not produce salvation. Christ is the end of the law, in order that there may be righteousness by faith. If the law was not concluded, then real Christianity could not exist. Hearing and believing, and the very existence of such a wonderful salvation mechanism, necessitates the end of the law.
Christ set out to fulfill the law for us, and after living the only sinless life, He laid down that perfect life in our place, as payment for sin. This satisfies God and clears the believer of all guilt. To try to appease God with human effort is a denial of all Jesus has done. Jesus terminated the law after He accomplished it. The perfection has come; we need not try to improve upon Jesus. So rest in Jesus, and let Him save you from everything that defiles body, soul, and spirit.
