Grace In The Right Place
Romans 9:30-33
Introduction
!In Romans 9-11 Paul outlines God’s dealing with Israel. In chapter 9 Paul describes both the gifts of
Israel and Paul’s grief concerning Israel. Chapter 9 deals with Israel’s past; Chapter 10 Israel’s present
spiritual condition; and Chapter 11 Israel’s future spiritual condition.
!Remember the great theme of the book of Romans; God’s righteousness. In chapters 1-3 Paul presents
the need for righteousness; In 3-8 God’s provision of righteousness in Christ; and chapters 9-11 how
Israel rejected God’s righteousness (see Wiersbe’s Outlines; p.362). The rejection of Jesus by the Jewish
nation filled Paul’s heart with sorrow (vv.1-5). Paul grew up in a religious tradition that was rich in
heritage, rich in relationships, rich in revelation. Paul spoke of those privileges in verses 4-5; “to whom
pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants”.
!Did you grow up in a religious tradition rich in relationships and revelation? How do you walk away
from such a heritage? How do you redefine past relationships with people who grew up in the same
religious tradition?
!Paul has argued that true Israel in not simply a natural seed but an elect seed. God saves people on the
basis of His faithfulness (vv.6-13); His justice (vv.14-18) and His righteousness (vv.19-29). God’s
faithfulness is not based on race, blood or family. Paul could have easily said, “I was born a Jew, I will
live as a Jew and I will die as a Jew”. But Paul had an encounter with Jesus of Nazareth. Paul personally
experienced the risen Savior Jesus Christ. Paul understood that God’s election was not based on natural
descent (vv.6-10); or human merit (vv.11-13). Paul argues that God chose Jacob over Esau before either
boy was born; before either boy’s character or temperament was known; God choice was based on God’s
promise and God’s plan. The plan included salvation, redemption, forgiveness and righteousness based
on faith in Christ.
!!
People Who Look For Grace Apart From The Law (v.30)
!
Romans 9:30 (NKJV)30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue
righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;
!
Paul presents a paradox: The Jews who were looking for salvation did not find it. The Gentiles
who weren’t even looking—found it!
!
So much for seeker services!
!
Why? Israel sought salvation by keeping the Law. “. . .but Israel, pursuing the law of
righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.”
!
The word translated “attained” in verse 30 and the word translated “attained” in verse 31 are two
different Greek words. In verse 31 the word is katelaben. The word means grasped, or seized or
overtook. The second word (v.30) is ephthasen. The word means “arrived at”. One Bible
scholar and language expert noted; “The meaning is substantially the same, only the imagery in
the words differs; the former being that of laying hold of a prize, and the latter arriving at a goal”
(Word Meanings In The New Testament; Ralph Earle p. 194).
!
1
Grace In The Right Place
Romans 9:30-33
The Gentiles were able to lay hold of the prize while the Jews have never arrived at the goal. If
Judaism is a journey that leads to God’s Messiah—and Jesus is that Messiah, most Jews have not
arrived!
!
The key word in verse 30 is righteousness. The word righteousness means the character or the
quality of being right or just. In old English it was spelled ‘rightwiseness’ and when applied to
the Lord usually meant having a character or rightness consistent with God’s character.
!
In Romans 8:10 Paul wrote; “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the
Spirit is life because of righteousness”. . .righteousness translates the word; dikaiosyme; (and
here in vv.30-31).
!
The word can have various meanings in Paul’s epistles depending on context. In the broadest
terms in refers to the legal pronouncement of rightness based on God’s declaration; judicial
approval; God’s approval (see Strong’s Concordance). This is the righteousness that is at first
imputed by God through Jesus Christ and then imparted by God on the basis of faith in Christ.
The righteousness is found in Christ and is Christ.
!
What does Paul mean by the phrase; the righteousness of faith?
!
It is the voluntary and sincere change in the mind of the sinner that causes the sinner to turn to
the Lord Jesus Christ. Later Paul writes; “so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the
word of God” (Romans 10:17). Faith comes from hearing the message of the Gospel and that
message is all that Christ is and has done. The writer of Hebrews says; “But without faith is
impossible to please him; for he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (11:6). The sinner is saved by faith; “Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:11). We
are saved by faith and sanctified by faith and reconciled to God by faith. But we are also made
righteous by faith.
!
!
People Looking For Grace In The Law (v.31)
!
31but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.
!
attained (grasped, seized, overtook)
!
“knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we
have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of
the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Gal.2:16 NKJV).
!
!
!
2
Grace In The Right Place
Romans 9:30-33
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
The Big Rock In The Middle Of The Road (vv.32-33)
!
!
!
32Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they
stumbled at that stumbling stone.
!
!
Why was righteousness kept from the Jews? “Because they did not seek it by faith—but as it
were, by the works of the law”.
!
The righteousness was not kept from the Jews because God hated the Jews or mislead the Jews
or begrudged the Jews. The reason Paul gives “they did not seek it by faith”—they refused to
believe that justification and righteousness is based on Jesus Christ. The Jews stubbornly
persisted in trying to work out their own righteousness by personal merit and obedience to
Moses’ Law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. Who is this Rock of Offense?
!
The verb ‘stumbled’ is very interesting. It is the Greek word proskopto. It means to strike (in the
sense of one’s hand or foot) against something.
!
I was born with a congenital birth defect. I have shortened Achilles tendons. This defect means
the tendons are less than half the normal size; this it makes it difficult to walk in a normal
fashion; normal meaning most people plant their heel on the ground and then their toes—walking
heel —to toe. I learned to walk literally standing on my toes. Growing up I would stub my toes
—frustrating my mom to no end. I was literally born to stumble.
!
The Jew’s kept stumbling their collectives toes on Christ. Have you ever tried to walk in the
dark? Have you ever walked into a wall or other hard object unexpectedly and felt the sharp pain
shoot up your leg?
!
What do you do if you keep tripping over an object? Your first impulse is to remove that object!
What if it is an immovable object? What if it is a permanent object like a giant rock or huge
mountain? You might try rubber baby buggy bumpers or styrofoam to soften the blow.
!
3
Grace In The Right Place
Romans 9:30-33
That is what philosophers and scientists and world religions have done to Jesus. They have put
social or cultural or theological bumpers on Jesus to make him less blunt, less hard, less
offensive. For some Jesus is a sleep number bed. You can make him as hard or soft as you need.
!
But what happens when you remove the theological bumpers and you examine the hard facts of
the claims of Christ?
!
33As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever
believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
!
Paul quotes Isaiah 8:14.
!
The whole verse reads; “He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense
To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (15) And many
among them shall stumble”. The context of the passage was Isaiah’s message to Judah and Israel
from the Lord; using the very names of Isaiah’s children of Israel’s judgment, salvation and
restoration back to the land. Isaiah’s specific message was “tell Judah to neither fear nor
compromise with her enemies” (vv.5-16). The nation of Israel should not trust in the pact made
with Syria to protect Judah against her enemies. The people of Judah needed to join with
Jehovah and allow Jehovah to be their rock—their stone of safety. Paul saw in that image the
true stone—the true rock of salvation—Jesus.
!
In Peter’s first epistle Jesus is called the living stone (1 Peter 2:4). Why? Because Jesus is the
living God. Jesus is the chief cornerstone (1 Peter 2:6-7). The cornerstone unites the building
and Jesus unites the Church. Jesus unites all that God is doing in the affairs of human beings. If
the Cornerstone is not in proper place—than the whole building will be in an improper place.
Jesus is the chosen stone or select stone—meaning chosen for something special.
!
Warren Wiersbe tells the story of meeting a woman at the Christian Booksellers Convention.
She introduced the person with her as a very special person. He claimed to be Jesus Christ the
Lord. He had long dirty hair and a grungy beard. Dr. Wiersbe reached out for one of his hands
and remarked; “There are no nail prints here, so you must not be Jesus Christ. You are a phony!”
!
The coming of Jesus would serve or produce at least two things; it would provide a stumbling
stone and a rock of offense to those who reject Christ; and it would provide a source of
exoneration, blamelessness, justification for those who trust Jesus and believe in Jesus. The
unbeliever will stumble. The believer will justified—because God will find no ground for
shame, offense or disappointment (see The Believer’s Commentary; William McDonald who also
cites Isaiah 28:16; p.1720).
!
Jesus is the big rock in the middle of the road; in the path in the journey called life.
Everyone comes upon the rock. Most are crushed. Some find in Christ a tried stone, a precious
cornerstone, a sure foundation.
4
Grace In The Right Place
Romans 9:30-33
!
In Paul’s day many Jews stumbled. They did not see in Jesus God’s grace, mercy, love, and
salvation. The law and the prophets pointed to God’s Messiah. The Law intimated that God’s
people could become righteous by simply believing and trusting God’s Messiah. The Israelites
stumbled over Christ because they rejected the real purpose of the Law to serve as a teacher, to
bring them to Christ. This is the heart of God’s rejection for the Jewish nation. This is the
reason Israel is temporarily set aside. A stubborn—willful—persistent—unbelief.
!
The Psalm 118:22; “The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone” (NLT).
!
The Gentiles were not a chosen people or privileged people. Did Gentiles benefit from all the
gifts and privileges of the Jews? Of course.
!
Paul at the end of this chapter raises the question of how a people so favored could be rejected
and a people not favored could be accepted.
!
Paul’s answer; the Gentiles were willing to do what the Jews were unwilling to do: Believe in
Jesus by faith. Paul has made a very persuasive argument that both Jew and Gentile are all under
sin and in need of mercy and grace. We have all sinned. We have all fallen short of the glory of
God.
!
Jesus remains a stumbling block. Not simply to the Jew. Jesus is a stumbling block to the
Muslim who refuses to recognize Jesus as God’s final prophet; to the Hindu or Buddhist who
deny Christ’s death on the Cross as the satisfaction for sin; Jesus is a stumbling block to the
atheist who admires Christ’s wisdom and courage and example and ethic; but cannot believe He
is God in the flesh. Jesus is a stumbling block to the scientist who denies that Jesus is the
Creator; and to legalist and the spiritualist who see in man’s goodness a means to please God
apart from Christ and apart from faith.
!
Jesus remains a stumbling block to those who want to trust anything or anyone other than Jesus
to find acceptance by the God of the Bible.
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
5
Grace In The Right Place
Romans 9:30-33
Conclusion
!
!
6