Romans 9-11 represents Paul’s great argument, against Gentile frustration, anger, and derision, on behalf of his own Jewish people. In chapter 9, he argued that God’s faithfulness and justice have never been dependent on Israel’s faithfulness; God is free to show mercy upon whomsoever God chooses, and the operative word there is mercy. Then in … Continue reading God’s Inscrutable Mystery: Romans 11 (Part 1)
In Romans 9, Paul defended both his own people and God’s justice from accusations that their rejection of message is a sign that God has abandoned them. Now here in chapter 10, he connects these ideas to some of the other major themes of the letter, included the nature of justice and righteousness, and Israel’s … Continue reading Zeal Gone Wrong, Zeal Gone Right: Romans 10
[There was a lot to say about Romans 9, so I had to divide the post into two. For the first half of the study, see here.] Election and Freedom The other week we saw that when the Bible speaks of God’s sovereign prerogative to choose, there are a few consistent themes: Election is about … Continue reading God’s Faithfulness to God’s People: Romans 9 (Part 2)
Today we begin the second half of Romans. From the jump there is a remarkable shift in tone and argument. You see, here Paul starts to address the elephant in the room: If everything he’s said is true, why have the vast majority of Jews not accepted his gospel? Let’s see what he has to … Continue reading God’s Faithfulness to God’s People: Romans 9 (Part 1)
We’ve reached the halfway point of Paul’s letter to the Romans. This means two things: First, it’s a great opportunity stop, zoom out, and look at where we’ve been so far. And second, we’re only halfway through. I say this because there has been a tendency to treat the second half of Romans as “an … Continue reading Called to New Life: Romans 1-8 in Overview
Matthew Root 