NEW TESTAMENT 5
Romans 9:30-10:21
Lecture 23

Now Paul moves
•	from God’s sovereignty to Man’s responsibility. 
•	Notice Paul did not say ___________________________and non elect. 
•	Rather he emphasized “___________________________”. 
Had Paul Ended
•	The book of Romans or the discussion about Israel at 9:29, it would seem that God was ___________________________for Israel’s rejection. Any question about man’s part would be seen as impudence (9:20). Yet, Paul continues with the discussion of Israel’s responsibility. We will see that the Israel that God ___________________________was the Israel who rejected God. 
Here is a paradox: 
•	the Jews sought for righteousness but did not find it, while the Gentiles, who were not searching for it, found it.  The reason? ___________________________tried to be saved by works and not by faith. They rejected “___________________________righteousness” and tried to please God with “Law righteousness”. 
The Jews thought
•	 that the Gentiles had come up to Israel’s level to be saved;  when actually the ___________________________had to go down to the Gentile level to be saved.  
•	See Rom 3:22-23 and Rom 9:1-5.  Instead of using their religious privileges to lead them to___________________________, they used their privileges as a substitute for Christ. 
See the grace of God. 
•	Israel’s rejection brought the salvation of the Gentiles.  Paul’s final quote is from Isa 28:16. It referred to Christ, God’s ___________________________of salvation (Ps 118:22) God gave Christ to be a Foundation Stone, but Israel rejected Him and He became a ___________________________of stumbling. Instead of “rising” on this Stone, Israel fell (Rom 11:11). 
Their fall
•	 made possible the salvation of the Gentiles.No one denies there are many mysteries associated with God’s ___________________________and man’s freewill.  Nowhere does God ask us to choose between these two truths, because they are both come from God and are a part of God’s plan. 
•	They do not compete, they___________________________. The fact that we cannot understand how they work does not deny that they do work.  
The main thrust
•	of this chapter is clear: Israel’s rejection of Christ does not deny the ___________________________of God.  
•	Romans 9 does not negate Romans 8. God is___________________________, righteous, just, and gracious. 
Introduction
•	The theme of this chapter is Israel’s present ___________________________of God’s Son, JC.  Paul moves from divine sovereignty to human responsibility.  
•	He continued the theme of righteousness introduced at the end of the previous chapter (9:30-33) and explains ___________________________aspects of Israel’s rejection.
It would seem 
•	reasonable that Israel would have been excited about the news that their ___________________________had arrived. For centuries their prophets had been saying that He was coming.  
•	The OT had been a schoolmaster to lead them to the Messiah (Gal 3:24).  God had sought to prepare the nation, but when JC came, they ___________________________Him. John 1:11 “He came unto His own and His own (people) did not receive Him.
At one time Paul
•	 would have agreed with his people concerning ___________________________and he would have opposed the Gospel. He  had considered JC as an imposter. ___________________________considered Gentiles in need of salvation, but certainly not themselves.  
In several of Jesus’ parables, 
He points out the falseness of this notion.  The Elder Brother (Lk 15) and the ___________________________(Lk 18:9-14).  Israel would have been happy for political salvation from___________________________, but she did not feel she needed spiritual salvation from her own sin.
Since Israel’s return
•	from the Babylonian Captivity, she had been cured of idolatry. In the ___________________________and local synagogues, only the true God was worshipped and served, and only the true Law was taught.  
•	So zealous were the Jews that they even “improved upon” the Law. They added their own___________________________, making them equal to God’s Law. Paul himself had been zealous for the Law and the traditions (Acts 26:1-11; Gal 1:13-14).
Their zeal not based
•	on knowledge; it was heat without light. Many think their good ___________________________and religious deeds will save them, when actually it keeps them from being___________________________. They are sincere and devout, but those never save the soul. 
Israel did not 
•	understand God’s righteousness, not because they were never told, but because they refused to___________________________.  There is an ignorance that comes from lack of opportunity, but that was not true about Israel. There’s was a ___________________________and deliberate disobedience.  
They would not 
•	___________________________to God. They were proud of their own works.  They would not admit their sins and trust the Savior. Paul had made the same ___________________________before he met the Lord (Phil 3:1-11).
Everything 
•	about the Jewish religion pointed to the coming Christ –___________________________, festivals, priesthood, temple services, covenants.  Their law told them they were sinners in need of salvation. Instead of letting the Law bring them to Christ (Gal 3:24), they ___________________________the Law and rejected the Savior. 
9:30-33
•	These verses talk about a Stone of stumbling. He points to another part of the plan of God that seems rather___________________________: the Gentiles who are considered righteous obtained it by faith, while Israel failed to obtain righteousness by works. Jesus was a stumbling block oven whom the Jews ___________________________and tripped. Paul cites Isa 28:16 and 8:14 to support his position. 
This is a passage
•	that is often used to support the church’s ___________________________program. 
•	That is ok, but the first application is to Israel as a nation. The only way unbelieving Jews can be saved is by believing on the___________________________. Before they can call on Him, they must believe.  
This means 
•	that they must believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the ___________________________and the Son of God.  It means believing in His death and resurrection (Rom 10:9-10).  Before they can believe, they must ___________________________(v. 17) and this meant that the herald of the Word must be sent, and it is the Lord who does the sending.
Two Ways of Right Standing (10:1-13)
•	Paul again shares his concern for the Israelites and their ___________________________(v1). They had a zeal for God, but it was not enlightened (v2). Ignorant of the way of faith, they tried to gain righteousness by keeping the ___________________________(v3). They failed to realize Christ ended the law as a way of getting rightly related to God. 
An Alternate View
•	Of 10:4 is that ___________________________is the “end” of the law, that is, its “aim” rather than its “termination”.  
•	Thus the ___________________________has its meaning and fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Verses 6-7
•	Is a strange reference to bringing Christ down from heaven and up from the dead. Its background passage is Deut 30:11-14, who ___________________________spoke to the people about keeping God’s commandments. Yet, Paul’s words in v 7 differ from all known forms of Deut 30:13. It is most likely that Paul wanted to assert that ___________________________had done all that was necessary for salvation. 
Verses 8-9
•	Nothing remained to do but confess Him as ___________________________and to receive salvation through Him by faith. Some scholars believe these verses are an early confession of faith. The section ends with a quote from ___________________________2:32, declaring “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (v13). 
At this point, 
•	Paul could have remembered his own salvation call to ___________________________the ___________________________to the Gentiles (Acts 13:1-3).
10:14-21
•	This section is without question a ___________________________one. Paul’s argument is hard to follow and the use of his quotes to support his argument may get lost in our reading. Yet, the main thrust is plain: Israel is responsible for her___________________________. She herself has rejected the Word of God that was near her (v. 8).
The result
•	of their rejection brings ___________________________truths to the forefront. Each of these three are supported by a quotation of the OT.
Israel is guilty.  
•	Someone might argue with Paul: “But how do you know Israel really heard?”  He would reply by quoting ___________________________19:4, a psalm that emphasizes the revelation of God in the world. God reveals ___________________________in creation (Psa 19:1-6); and in His word (Psa 19:7-11). 
The “Book of Nature” and the 
•	“Book of___________________________” go together and proclaim the glory of the Lord. Israel had the benefit of both books, for she saw God at work in nature and she received God’s word in written form. No wonder Jesus often said to the crowds, “He that hath ___________________________to hear, let him hear”.
What marvelous grace!  
•	When Israel rejected her___________________________, God sent the gospel to the Gentiles that they might be saved!  This was predicted by Moses in ___________________________32:21.  Paul mentioned this truth before in Romans 9:22-26.  
One reason
•	 why God sent the gospel to the Gentiles was that they might provoke the Jews to ___________________________(Rom 10:19).  It was an act of grace both to the Jews and to the Gentiles. ___________________________65:1 prophesied that God would save the Gentiles.
Let’s Look
•	at this In another way.  There are ___________________________objections raised by Paul’s opponents:
•	Israel lacked Messengers from God (10:14-17)
Paul uses the words from Joel 2:32 to bridge the gap between verse 31 and 32. He provides a series of 4 questions in verses 14-15. The implication is that Israel is not at ___________________________for failing to understand and believe God’s Word. She lacked preachers of the gospel. Paul quotes Isa 52:7 in verse 15 and Isa 53:1 in verse 16 to refute this objection. God was ___________________________in sending his messengers, but Israel did not heed them. (v16)
2. Israel lacked the Opportunity to Hear (10:18)
It seems to be a simple restatement of the first objection. Paul phrased the question and then cites Psa 19:4 to refute it. In the original setting the quote referred to the heavenly bodies that declare the ___________________________of God and proclaim his handiwork. Paul applied this to the preaching of the gospel.
3. Israel lacked understanding God’s Message (10:19-21)
If this were not true, surely, ___________________________would have believed the gospel. The fault lay in the hidden word of God. Had ___________________________understood the gospel, she would have received it. 
Paul Quotes both
Law (Moses) and Prophets (Isaiah) to refute this notion. First, Deut 32:21 (v1). Paul’s ___________________________for doing is not obvious. Perhaps he points to the Gentiles acceptance of God’s message to show the Jewish claim was foolish and ungrounded. Second, he quotes Isa 65:1 (v 20) to show that God was found by a people who were not even ___________________________Him. The Jews should have been looking for God since they had a zeal for God (V2). 
The Real Explanation
For Israel’s rejection of God and God’s word is they were an ___________________________rebellious people. 
See 10:21 for a quote from Isa 65:2.