God's Decisions and Ours

"Romans 9 teaches the absolute sovereignty of God in the decisions he makes about the ultimate fate of human beings. That teaching naturally raises questions in our minds. As we have seen, Paul does not really try to answer these questions - at least from our perspective. For him it is enough to know that God has revealed himself as the one who determines these matters. We have no right to stand in judgment of what God does. We can judge him only by the standard of his own revelation, and by that standard, God certainly is "just." 

Nevertheless, Paul plainly believes in the reality of human decisions. We are not puppets or robots. Our decisions matter, and we are responsible to make the right ones - to accept Christ, to live holy lives, to love one another, and so forth. How can our decisions really matter if God decides everything? Theologians and philosophers have debated this issue for centuries. They have discovered no neat logical solution to the problem. We must be willing at this point to live with what we call an "antinomy," an unresolved tension between two clear truths. God determines what happens; I am responsible for what happens. Scripture teaches both, and therefore I am compelled to believe both, even if ultimately I can't explain their relationship. Many who have written on this topic use the term "compatibilism" for this general viewpoint. The term refers to the belief that absolute sovereignty and genuine responsibility are not contradictory but "compatible" with one another. I think this comes closest to the teaching of Paul in Romans and to the witness of the Bible in general."

Doxology

This was a short essay that I wrote for WSB 304: Romans. My professor, Marty Culy, said it was an edifying devotion. Therefore, I hope this would also edify the readers out there.
=======================================================================

            The passage that I have chosen to share with you is Romans 11:33-36. From this passage, I will explain to you what it means and how it applies to us currently by performing careful exegesis. Paul is about to conclude his entire argument, from Romans 1 – 11, on the history of salvation for the Jews and Gentiles. The way he concludes that section is doxology – praise and worship. Let’s take one step at a time and see why he would utter a doxology, and consider the overall context of the passage, specifically Romans 9 - 11.

            In Romans 9 – 11, this part of the section in the book of Romans speaks about God’s promise of salvation for the Gentiles and Israel. Paul explains God’s sovereign choice of election in Romans 9. Paul had “great sorrow and unceasing anguish in [his] heart” (Romans 9:2) for his unbelieving Jewish brothers because they failed to believe in the message of salvation - Gospel - and failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. No doubt, the Jews were very passionate and zealous for God because Paul understood what it meant to be an unsaved Jew who relied on the law in order to gain a righteous standing before God. However, they failed to place their faith in Jesus because they were “being ignorant of the righteousness of God” and “they did not submit to God’s righteousness” (Romans 10:3). Moreover, Paul continues to explain that the message of salvation is for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord” (Romans 10:13). Yet, as Paul quotes Psalm 19:4, the Israelite have heard the message of salvation because “their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world” (Romans 10:18). At the same time, because they failed to understand the gospel, God used the Gentile nation to stir up jealous in the Jews. The Gentiles, who did not have special revelation to God’s Word, experienced salvation by placing their faith in Jesus. God is still, however, reaching out to Jews (Romans 10:21). Furthermore, Romans 11 speaks about God’s graciousness toward the Jews in how there’s a remnant of Israel and how Gentiles were grafted into the branch in which the Jews got cut off from. Paul warns the Gentiles, however, that they do “not become proud, but fear” the Lord (Romans 11:20) because of His righteousness and judgement that’s shown in Romans 1 – 3. 

            Just before the given passage, God shows His grace and mercy to the disobedient Jews and Gentiles. Knowing all these, Paul explicitly worships God for how deep He is. “The riches and wisdom and knowledge of God” goes beyond everything that could ever be comprehended in this life and the life after because they are “unsearchable” and “inscrutable”. As Christians, when we see the holiness of God through the reading of Scripture, may our response be worship. How often, after Bible study, do we leave the church without expressing our gratitude and worship to the God that’s due His name? Even Paul himself, after explaining the gospel, explaining the hope for the believers in believing the gospel, and explaining God’s promise of salvation to Jews and Gentiles, would humbly express himself in worship.  No matter how many times we read the Scripture, we will always learn something about God because there’s no limit to understanding His greatness. Paul then quotes from two Old Testament verses that teach about human beings can’t measure up to God’s standard. In Isaiah 40:13, apart from special revelation from the Holy Scripture, nobody has known the mind of the Lord to even be His counselor. Or yet in Job 41:11, nobody has ultimately given anything to God because everything on earth belongs to God. All things belong to God, and He deserves all the glory. His work of salvation, and the explanation of the gospel in Romans, ultimately is to bring Him glory and praise forever ever. Therefore, every time after God speaks to us through Scripture, may we continue to worship Him by offering our bodies as living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

---

Sorrow and Unceasing Anguish For Unregenerate Family and Friends

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

(Romans 9:1-3)

I've been meditating on this passage for the whole day. As I think about those who don't have a relationship with God, it is not only my friends who need salvation in Jesus Christ, but my whole family also needs know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

I pondered and wondered what Paul was experiencing when he said he has "sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart". I imagined tears. I also pondered why he would wish to be separated from God for the sake of his brothers. The answer is very simple: love. Paul would wish, if it were possible, that he would be accursed and to suffer the eternal punishment from God in exchange for his fellow Jews being saved. However, even if Paul wished that, it wouldn't do any good. As Christians, we must recognize that we do not have the supernatural power to save anybody.  God can use us and empower us to share the gospel with them, but the ultimate result is up to God. There's not much we could do to save our lost friends and families, but Paul still had hope in God through prayer:

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 

(Romans 10:1-4)

To summarize, Paul is saying that though the Israelite believed in God and were zealous for God in obeying His laws, they ignorantly misunderstood that the law revealed their unrighteousness, and they tried to earn their righteousness of God through the law. If a person wants to obey God's law, law, they must live by them (Leviticus 18:5; Galatians 3:10). However, all have sinned. Therefore, God's righteousness is, however, found through faith in Christ. Christ ended the law. Christ redeemed His people from law through the cross. And till this day, everyone around the world is trying to earn their righteousness or salvation through good deeds, religious laws, being a nice guy and girl and so on, and thus puff themselves up when they meet Jesus face to face where Jesus will say, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23) because all their righteous deeds are "polluted garments" or "filthy rags". (Isaiah 64:6)

My friends, in a family of seven, it is certainly a struggle to be the only Christian in the family. There are times I pray for their salvation, and there are times where I lose hope and give up on them. However, this passage convicted me a lot for the lack of love for my family. I recognize that I've been trying to so hard and try to convince them that Jesus is Lord. I trusted my own strength to save them more than I trusted in the Spirit to do His work in them. 

Paul was (and still is) a great example of his love for his family. And I want to imitate Paul, as he is in Christ.

Everyday, as I am blogging, is a grace from God. Every breath that I take is mercy from God. Everyday, as a sinner, God rescued me from the pit of despair and being dead in my sin. I'm here because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ's life, death burial and resurrection. God has been gracious, and He's inviting us to ask Him and to talk to Him.

For those who are living in a non-Christian family (and this could also be applied to every person who is lost and don't know Christ), you are not alone. Sometimes, we may feel alone. But let us join hands together, and like Paul, may our "heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved."