Lesson 7
The Key to God’s Sovereign Choice: Universal Opportunity (Romans 10)
And The Responsibility to Remain in God’s Righteousness (Romans 11)
PART I – Unlocking the trap of God’s Sovereign Choice
Read Romans 10:1-7
Reminder of the 3 areas of Sovereignty and the 5 issues at odds with Sovereignty from above
Three areas of God’s Sovereignty
I. Creation
II. Human History
III. Redemption
Six issues that are apparently at odds with God’s Sovereignty
· Evil
· Free Will
· Universal availability of salvation
· Human Responsibility
· Evangelism
· Prayer
Yes, God is sovereign.
Yes, God chose the nation Israel, but not all Israelites will be saved
Why? Because Jesus put an end to the law and righteousness comes by faith, not the law
Paul’s answer to God’s Sovereign Choice is simple:
God has the right to choose whomever he wants and whatever method he wants and his choice was universal opportunity for everyone who responds in faith to his calling.
I. The Response to God’s call to righteousness (Romans 10:8-10)
What Paul paints here is a picture of absolute surrender.
A. Confession - A response by Mouth (Matthew 10:32-33)
Question: What do we confess?
Answer: Jesus is Lord
Question: What does it mean that Jesus is Lord?
The Hebrew concept of Lord (adoni) means one possessed of absolute control
· Master over slaves
· Ruler over subjects
· (in Hebrew culture) Husband over wives
The Greek concept (Kyrios) was very similar – absolute master
Question: Can a slave live his/her life any way they wish?
If we are living our lives the way we want to based upon our own desires and wishes… Jesus is NOT lord of our lives.
“With mouths we confess and are saved”
B. Belief - A response by Heart
Question: What do we believe?
Questions I ask people when they are ready to accept Jesus as Lord
1. Do you believe that Jesus was the son of God
2. Do you believe that he lived a perfect life
3. Do you believe that he died for your sins
4. Do you believe that he was raised from the dead
5. Do you believe he has the power to forgive you and give you eternal life
This is not just a mental assent, but a life changing faith that comes from the heart
“With our hearts we believe and are justified”
Question: Is there a conflict between the totality of God’s work in salvation and the concept of Man’s responsibility to receive, confess, and believe?
Answer: No. See Romans 10:13; Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:14-16
God has always planned for mankind to be redeemed by faith.
Global Theme of Scripture: God will create for himself and for his glory a people who have been redeemed by faith in Jesus Christ.
Now we are getting to where we can finally begin to reconcile God’s Sovereignty with Man’s Responsibiity… This same Paul who in chapter 9 told us that God could save or reject anyone he wants because he is the only Sovereign God says that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How do we reconcile this?
First, let’s remind ourselves of God’s work in salvation: Romans 8:30
III. The Method of God’s call to righteousness (Romans 10:14-17)
A. To confess, one must first have called
B. To call, one must first have believed
C. To believe, one must first hear
D. To hear, someone must first preach
E. To preach, one must first be sent
Blessed are those who go…
This is evangelism.
The relationship between God’s Sovereignty (Romans 8) and Man’s Responsibility (Romans 10)
| | | Confession | | |
| Foreknowledge | Predestination | Calling | Justification | Glorification |
| | | Believing | | |
| | | Hearing | | |
| | | Preaching | | |
| | | Sending | | |
The place where God’s Sovereignty meets Man’s Responsibility is the call
God Calls Us; We Call on God
See Psalm 14:2.
Conclusion: There is a mysterious relationship between God’s Sovereignty and our salvation. However, we are given clear instructions regarding
1. The universal availability of salvation
2. The required Human Response necessary to receive salvation
3. The mandate to share the gospel to all the world
And to conclude chapter 10 and lead into chapter 11…
IV. The Rejection of God’s call to righteousness (by Israel) (Romans 10:18-21)
1. Israel heard
2. Israel Understood
3. Israel chose not to believe
SOME OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID NOT REMAIN IN GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS
Hosea 1:9
PART II – Remaining in God’s Righteousness
Chapter 11 of Romans now brings everything together in a final charge that reminds us of our responsibility to remain in God’s righteousness.
Even though Israel rejected Jesus and so Gentiles have been included into salvation doesn’t mean that God had rejected Israel. A remnant of Israel has always been faithful.
I. A Remnant of Israel has been faithful (Romans 11:1-10)
A. God’s rejection was limited to those who did not believe
1. Eyes blinded
2. Hearts hardened
B. God retained a remnant who are saved by grace
1. God has always retained a remnant
2. God will always retain a remnant
II. The Salvation of Israel is still the Goal (Romans 11:11-24)
The question is: Who is Israel?
Israel is: All those who call place their faith in Jesus; some are the natural vines; some are grafted in.
A. The Gentile Church is not a replacement of Israel (Replacement Theology)
B. The Gentile Church is not a temporary sidebar in Israeli history (Dispensationalism)
C. The Gentile Church is an unnatural grafting of wild branches into Israel
Zechariah 2:10-11; John 10:16
When you understand this, it changes everything…
The Theology of the Vine
1. God planted his vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-4)
2. The unbelieving branches of the natural vine were cut off (Isaiah 5:5-7)
3. Jesus is the vine (Jeremiah 23:5; John 15:1-2)
4. The believing branches of the wild vine (gentiles) were grafted in (Romans 11:17)
5. Branches that remain in Jesus will bear fruit (John 15:4-5)
6. Branches that do not remain in Jesus will be thrown away (John 15:6; Romans 11:19-21)
7. The original branches will be grafted back in when they believe (Romans 11:23-24)
We need to be very careful here not to interpret this to mean that you can lose your salvation. This passage is talking about groups of people who claim to be Christians but don’t live in obedience to Jesus.
Read Revelation 2:1-5
Paul’s theological conclusion from Romans chapters 1-11:
III. God desires to show Mercy on all people (Romans 11:25-36)
A. Gentiles were disobedient and so have received mercy
B. The Jews became disobedient so that they may receive mercy
C. All must be disobedient so that all must receive mercy
Question: Why is it important that we all become disobedient so that we all receive mercy?
Answer: Because there is no religion in the world that is sufficient to make us righteous before God. This is precisely the point that Paul has been making now for 11 chapters.
Conclusion: God has made his mercy available to all of us
It is all about the mercy of God, so that no one can brag about their own merit.
Therefore - God deserves all the glory
Because God deserves all the glory, it is only fitting that Paul end’s this section of his letter with a Doxology… which is intended to turn our focus to God…
Romans 11:33-36 (NIV)
33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
35"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
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