Chapter # 11 Paragraph # 1 Study # 5
November 25, 2018
Humble, Texas
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Thesis: The "conclusion" to be drawn by the nature of "Grace" is that those whose methodology is impenitently locked into the pursuit of self-exaltation do not get what "The Elect" obtain without effort.
Introduction: We have been arguing for an extended time that Paul's intent in Romans 9-11 is to clarify God's larger plan. This clarification was made necessary by a massive shift in focus in both "T"heology and in audience. Thus, we have been working our way through Paul's words in chapter 11 so as to see that the shift in focus from "justice" to "grace" does not mean that, somehow, God's words to the fathers who believed Him must be reinterpreted so as to be reduced to nothing. Though many today argue that Israel has no future with God, it is apparent from Paul's emphatic denial that God has "permanently thrust aside" His people whom he both "foreknew" and "elected" is a total rejection of that argument.
To further that argument, Paul appealed to the shift in "T"heology from Justice to Grace and to Israel's commitment to Justice. In our last study we saw that the essential nature of Grace is its absolute separation from the methodology of "works" in view of the main question: Who is going to obtain acceptance from God and participate in the ultimate outcome of the Plan?
This evening we are going to follow Paul down his path to the conclusion he seeks to establish.
- I. Paul's Summons to a Conclusion.
- A. The "What then?" opening of 11:7 is another example of Paul's way of reasoning: setting forth a fundamental claim and then summoning his readers to draw a conclusion (there are 12 texts in Romans that consist of this method).
- B. The "summons to a conclusion" is Paul's way of insisting that one cannot interact with "Truth" and then set it aside without allowing it to take its place in our way of looking at Life.
- 1. "Truth" is not revealed for "information's sake".
- 2. "Information" is a necessary first step in the process, but "Truth" set aside is simply indicative of man's participation in the willful rejection of God's reality as God.
- a. "Truth" is not revealed to give men "options" about how they will go about living.
- 1) Reality is; it cannot be created by wishful thinking and it cannot be altered by wishful rejection.
- 2) Reality posits no "options": it is as it is.
- b. "Truth" is revealed to summon men to participation in the reality of "Life by Truth".
- 1) That a "summons to Life" has been set up to be a "summons to Death" so that men will fear participation in it is simply indicative of the presence of Sin's depravity.
- 2) Until it dawns upon men that "Truth expressed in words has only one intention -- to bring men to the Joy of Life -- the fear of the summons will continue.
- II. Paul's Expression of the Conclusion.
- A. The "Conclusion" is to the "Truth" that "Grace" ceases to be "Grace" if any argument is made that "mingles" Grace and Works.
- B. The "Conclusion" begins with a description of the commitment of "Israel" to the "T"heology of God as Judge.
- 1. There are two underlying roots to this commitment.
- a. The first is the fixation upon God as One primarily focused upon "Justice" as the defining characteristic of God.
- 1) This is the underlying error of first century Jewish "T"heology.
- 2) This error was confronted by Jesus in both Matthew 9:13 and Matthew 12:7 as He quoted Hosea 6:6.
- a) This quote clearly indicates a divine "preference" that pushes "mercy" above "human performance issues" that are wrapped up in "justice" issues.
- b) This divine preference clearly indicates the rationale for the Gospel of the death of a Redeemer-Champion so that Grace can be extended without compromising Justice.
- b. The second is the level of intensity in the hearts of "Israel" regarding the pursuit of acceptance by God on the basis of their "obedience".
- 1) Paul has already established that "Israel" wanted to "establish their own righteousness" in rebellion against the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3).
- 2) By this means he also established the fact that the fundamental root of their desire was to "prove" that they were not "bad" and that God "owed" them a place in His Larger Plan.
- 3) But now he pushes the envelope by adding an intensifier to the basic verb "seek".
- a) Israel was not simply "seeking" to establish their own "goodness" before God; they had placed this goal above all else.
- b) By so doing, they had put themselves beyond "Grace".
- 2. Paul is uncompromising regarding the outcome of their distortion of "T"heology.
- a. Israel had not, is not, and will not achieve their objective.
- 1) It is impossible for a "sinner" to establish him/her self as "good"; this is a fundamental denial of reality and impossible to achieve [Note the primary point of the record of the rich young man who wished to "do good" to obtain eternal life].
- 2) Because Israel was "hyper-intense" in the pursuit of self-righteousness, there was no hope apart from "the election of grace".
- b. But "the Elect" do obtain the good objective which they were not seeking (Romans 9:30).
- 1) Clearly, then, this gift of Life from God is unrelated to "works".
- 2) Just as clearly, this gift of Life from God is directly related to His deliberate action in Grace.
- C. The "Conclusion" regarding those whose ultimate objective is self-exaltation is that they were "hardened".
- 1. The Authorized Version translation of "blinded" is unexplainable.
- 2. The Greek word is "hardened" as "encased within a hardened shell".
- 3. The verb is "passive voice", meaning that the hardening process was imposed upon them by another.
- a. However one takes this "passivity", it cannot be reckoned apart from the hyper-commitment to "seeking by works".
- b. Once this goal is "settled", consequences are imposed from the outside.