Romans 9:30-9:33 - Faith Makes Righteous

Calvin (1/9/02)

9:30: To put any cause before God's predestination is to reverse the true order of things, for all things depend first and foremost upon His predetermined purpose. It seems so wrong to our senses, that the Gentiles, who had no care for righteousness, but happily rolled in their sins are saved, yet Israel, who worked so hard to be righteous is not. The explanation lies in the fact that the thing that Israel sought to accomplish - the working of their own justification - is an impossible goal. The justifying righteousness we need can come only from God, only by His merciful grace, and it is there that the Gentiles found salvation. To this, Paul adds the fact that the Jews were put off by Christ, they could not accept Him who is the only way given to man by which he can attain true righteousness. In starting this line of thought, Paul focuses his reader on the magnificence of God's grace, for it is only that grace which has saved the unworthy Gentiles. It is not to be thought that the Gentiles somehow obtained righteousness by their faith. God had to first come to them with offers of righteousness, they would not have known to look for it. Not knowing righteousness, they could not desire it. No, their faith required first that God show His gracious mercy toward them by giving them that very faith to accept what He offered. Even faith is but a part of His favor toward us.
9:31: By contrast, Israel was wearing themselves out in vain pursuit of a righteousness they could not possibly attain to. Seeking the righteousness described by the Law of Moses, they never reached the law of true righteousness. Footnote: Where Calvin sees a need to invert the 'law of righteousness' clause, there is no real need. The Law they followed indeed described a righteousness that would save, could it be attained to, but it never has been attained to, and so, has never saved. To pursue is to chase after that which is fleeing from us, to run a race, to earnestly seek. (Ro 12:13 - Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. Ro 14:19 - Pursue those things that make for peace and mutual edification. 1Co 14:1 - Pursue love, yet desire the spiritual gifts, especially prophesy. Dt 16:20 - You are to pursue nothing but justice, so as to live in possession of the land God will give you. Ps 34:14 - Depart from evil, do good. Seek peace, and pursue it.) There are three related terms in Greek that speak in turn of running, the reaching of one's goal, and of obtaining the prize. In this, the Jews are depicted as running, but having stumbled before reaching the goal. The Gentiles did not run, but reached the goal by faith, and so, did obtain the prize of righteousness. In pursuing adherence to Mosaic law, the Jews had misunderstood the true law of righteousness. Legal righteousness had led them to fail of true righteousness.
9:32: It is just to reject those who seek salvation by their own works, for inasmuch as they depend on their own efforts, they reject that faith which is required. If they were ever to attain to their goal, it would abolish true righteousness. Faith and merit are polar opposites. We cannot obtain to God's kingdom by works. This, the example of the Jews clearly shows. We must recognize that our works are worthless in terms of our salvation, and that all depends solely on the mercy of God. How can they gain righteousness who seek to destroy it? Christ is given to us as the means of righteousness. Those who offer instead their own works attempt to rob Him of His office. So, those who seek righteousness by works war with God. We must recognize ourselves sinners of the worst sort if we are to make clear the great dignity of Christ. "He is light, life, resurrection, righteousness, and healing." If He is these things, then the doing of such things as they describe must be His doing, and none of our own. To claim our own righteousness is to contend with Christ. In His office as our Savior, as our Lord, He is tasked with eliminating all pride of the flesh as much as it is to comfort the burdened.
9:33: The claim of Christ as the stumbling stone of which Isaiah prophesied is apt. Christ is the very God who spoke through Isaiah in that proclamation. What wonder that they should not obtain righteousness who were offended by the One clearly pointed out to them as the way to righteousness? It is not as though Christ in Himself causes them to stumble, rather it is their own wickedness. Footnote: "Error is often a greater obstacle to the salvation of men than carelessness or vice…Let no man think error in doctrine a slight practical evil. No road to perdition has ever been more thronged than that of false doctrine. Error is a shield over the conscience and a bandage over the eyes." (Hodge) Although Christ may be the stone of stumbling, yet for the godly there is no cause to fear Him, for to them, He is life and resurrection. For them, He is the firm cornerstone, the unshakable foundation. If we pursue that hope which God places before us, there is no possibility of our being ashamed or disappointed. Footnote: The quotation Paul makes is a combination of Isa 28:16, Isa 8:14, and a return to Isa 28:16. Though the text comes from two different passages, the object of those two passages is the same. (Isa 28:16 - The Lord GOD says, "I am laying a tested and costly cornerstone in Zion for a firm foundation. He who believes in it will not be disturbed." Isa 8:14 - He shall become a sanctuary, yet to Israel, He will be as a stone to run up against, a rock to stumble over. He will be a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.) (1Pe 2:10 - Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not then received mercy, but now you have.)

Matthew Henry (1/9/02)

9:30: In concluding his discourse on this topic, Paul shows that the reason for two outcomes was because two different means had been used. Yet in that, it remained a matter of God's grace which led to the difference. Of the Gentiles, it is noted that they did not even recognize their own guilt and misery, did not seek out a remedy for the illness they knew not that they had. (Isa 65:1 - I allowed Myself to be sought by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said "Here I am" to a nation that did not call on Me.) Nothing was to be found in their case except the free grace of God. Yet, in spite of their condition, by faith alone they came to righteousness. It was not submission to the Mosaic Law, but belief in Christ that had saved them. What the Jews had been chasing in vain for years, the Gentiles had caught by taking the short cut of belief in Christ.
9:31: The Jews had labored long, pursuing righteousness by the Law, and by observance of many ceremonies, but clinging to the shadows, they failed to grasp the substance. So, they fell short of acceptance by God. Seeking so hard after justification, they yet remained unjustified.
9:32-9:33: The problem was that they mistook the way that led to righteousness, and so missed the end of the way. They sought the right thing, but by the wrong way. Clinging to Mosaic Law, they stumbled over the Gospel of Christ, the very life and goal of the Law. They could not see the Law as anything other than the sole rule of righteousness, the sole means of attaining to that righteousness. They missed the fact that the goal it depicted was unattainable unless some other means should present itself. Thus, they could not accept the Christ that was offered them. This outcome was declared by Isaiah long before (Isa 8:14 - He will be a sanctuary, but those in Israel will find Him a cause for stumbling, a trap and a snare. Isa 28:16 - I am laying a tested cornerstone in Zion, a costly cornerstone to serve as a firm foundation. Those who believe will not be disturbed. Lk 2:34-35 - Simeon blessed the family, and told Mary, "This Child is appointed for the fall and the rise of many in Israel, He will be a sign to be opposed, a sword to pierce the soul, such that the thoughts of the heart might be revealed.") It is a great sorrow that the Foundation Stone should be to any a cause for stumbling, that the source of salvation should be a reason for offence to many, yet that is the case. Yet, there is a remnant that believe and will not be ashamed. Their hopes will not be disappointed. The Jews are left with no cause to complain. Righteousness and salvation were offered them, and they would not accept it. Their blood is on their own heads.

Adam Clarke (1/9/02)

9:30: Having shown God just in His actions toward Jew and Gentile, Paul now turns to address the issue of why it is they have been treated as they have. Why is it the Gentiles have been invited into the kingdom? They had not sought entry, yet they found justification, remission of sins, and all the privileges of being God's people. This did not come due to some worth or obedience of theirs, but only by God's mercy and grace, which they accepted by faith. Having accepted the plan He declares in the gospel, they have been adopted into His family, into God's church.
9:31: The Jews, on the other hand, although they had been exerting great effort in pursuit of the rule of the Law, had not in all that pursuit come to that rule by which alone the blessing of righteousness can be gained.
9:32: Their mistake was in ignoring the method God had placed before them in the Gospel. They have ignored the terms of the covenant with Abraham, and placed all their concern on the law of Moses, thinking that obedience to that law would give them a right to the blessings of the kingdom. Seeing the message of the Gospel, that those privileges come from a different source than they thought, they are offended, and refuse to accept it.
9:33: For them, the Messiah was a stumbling block, just as had been prophesied (Isa 8:14, Isa 28:16). God would indeed bring Messiah, but He would not be the One they were expecting; not a mighty prince, but a humble man of sorrows; not redeeming by the power of the sword, but by His own humiliation and death. This man, they could not bring themselves to trust for salvation. Yet, in Him, every true believer will find certain salvation. (Ro 1:16-17 - I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to all who will believe. For God's righteousness is revealed therein from faith to faith. Even so, Scripture declares that the righteous man shall live by faith.) What are we to make of Paul's offer of self-sacrifice (Ro 9:3 - I would that I were separated form Christ, if it would save my fellow Jews)? The testimony to the depth of their fall is uniform. Scripture tells us of their idol worship, of their offering of sons and daughters upon the altars of false gods, even as the Moabites had done. Homer also writes of such human sacrifices being offered. Herodotus writes of the human sacrifices made by king Seamander and his wife. Curtius of Rome offered himself as an appeasement to the gods of Rome. So also, Decius. In all these sacrifices, we see an understanding that guilt can be transferred to the innocent, and their death offered in atonement. In following the example of these surrounding nations, Israel had lost sight of Yahweh, and had instead turned to serving Appollyon the destroyer. [The list of nations caught up in human sacrifice continues.] Is it eternal election that is treated of in this chapter, or is it election to external privilege and advantage? It would seem to be the latter. Paul opened the chapter with a listing of those advantages the Jews had owned, and now fallen from (Ro 9:4-5). It was the loss of these privileges that caused him such concern (Ro 9:2-3). Those privileges belonged to all Israel, to the whole body of God's people, not only to an elect few. The example of Rebecca clearly applies to nations, not individuals. The nation of Israel was elected, but not so as to be elected to eternal life, but only to such privileges as they had enjoyed. The service that Esau was to render to Jacob is not to be understood as eternal damnation. Nor could Jacob's position of rule be taken to mean eternal salvation. Again, it is a matter of privileges. (Ro 9:11 - Though yet unborn, having done neither good or bad, God made His choice, making clear that His purpose and choice would stand not because of works, but because of Himself.) Here, Paul lays election to the will of God, with no respect to the nature of the man, yet Scripture never says that salvation is given to any but the holy. In the examples of the patriarchs, election always precedes birth, yet Scripture does not teach that eternal life is thus bestowed upon any family or race. The vessels of mercy and wrath (Ro 9:22-23) are to be taken as the body of believers, both Jew and Gentile, and the body of unbelieving Jews respectively. It is not as nations that men shall be judged, but as individuals, yet this final section contrasts entire nations. It is this body of unbelieving Jews that is referred to throughout this and the following two chapters. It is a national unbelief that is spoken of. Thus, it is a national rejection, not the eternal judgment of individuals that is being discussed. This becomes more clear as we recognize that the fall described is not described as permanent, but as yet reparable. If it were eternal election that were under discussion, how then is a reversal possible? The same holds true of those described as elect. Ever, it is the whole body of the believing Gentiles that is described, and they too are described as being in a potentially reversible situation. The whole of the scope of discussion in these three chapters shows clearly that the election spoken of is not that election to eternal salvation or damnation, but simply the election into earthly advantages. It is only the bringing of preconceived notions to this passage that finds such eternal election described. In truth, such doctrines as they bring detract from God's glory, and fill His church with contention, so serving Appollyon.

Barnes' Notes (1/10/02)

9:30: Now, we approach the inevitable conclusion of Paul's argument. Clearly, many among the pagan Christians had found a way to righteousness opened to them, and had taken that way. The point Paul makes regarding them is not so much that they had no thought for right or wrong, but that they had no body of law that they looked to as the sole means of their righteousness. Where the Jews had developed a law they thought they upheld, and so, were unwilling to see their true sinful state, the Gentiles were quite clear on their own sinfulness. Even so, it would be true to say that the majority of them did not seek out righteousness in any fashion. Righteousness is to be taken as synonymous with justification. Paul is not establishing some idea that sin didn't matter, or that their indifference to righteousness was cause for God to justify them. He simply points out that the Law, which had become such an obstacle to the Jews, was not an issue for the Gentiles. It was far easier for them to see their own sinfulness, and to recognize their need for a Savior. Such a blow to the pride of the Jews! Righteousness is by faith, because justification is by faith (Ro 1:17 - In the Gospel, God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, saying that the righteous man will live by faith.) Again, righteousness and justification are the same subject.
9:31: It is not that all the Jews had failed, but that as a people, the majority had not obtained the justification they sought so fervently. The Law required perfect purity and obedience. This, they thought they had done, so as to merit justification by its rules. The first three chapters of this book explain clearly why they failed to achieve that righteousness they sought, because none yet had ever managed perfect compliance to the Law, and none ever would, except Christ Jesus. However so obedient they may have been, yet they failed of perfect obedience, and so failed of justification. How humbling to the Jews to learn of this! Here was the whole object of their religion shown to have failed. Seeking to set up a system of righteousness, they succeeded only in making a system of self-righteousness that achieved nothing toward justification. (Php 3:4-9 - I might well have confidence in my actions, for I have outdone all in having reason to count my actions. I was circumcised in full accord with Jewish Law, one of the twelve tribes, trained under the Law as a Pharisee. I was zealous in persecuting the church as an enemy of that Law. In such righteousness as can be found in that Law, I was found blameless. Yet all such things, which I thought to be for my gain at the time, I now count as a total loss for the sake of Christ. More, I count everything to be loss when compared to knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. It is for Him I have suffered the loss of all things, but I count them as rubbish, if by their loss I may gain Christ, found in Him to have no self-righteousness from the Law, but true righteousness from God; a righteousness from faith in Christ.) Any other attempt to set up a works-based righteousness must likewise fail. In one fashion or another, we have all been guilty of such attempts at self-justification. The moral and the immoral both fall into that trap, but it must be repented of. We cannot be justified except we come to Christ as 'a poor, lost, ruined sinner, and throw [ourselves] upon the mere mercy of God in Christ.'
9:32: It seems remarkable that a people so bent on being righteous should so utterly fail of their purpose. How can it be? It is because they depended on themselves, rather than on God. They were doing all that they knew how to do; praying fasting, sacrificing, observing the Law, yet it came to naught. How could they have known it would fail them? Their own Scriptures should have given them to understand the situation. (Hab 2:4 - Look at the proud man. His soul is not right. No, the righteous will live by his faith. Ps 32:1 - Blessed is the one whose sins are forgiven and covered! Ps 130:3-5 - If You marked our sins, God, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You might be feared. My soul waits upon the LORD, and in His Word do I hope. Ps 14:2-3 - God looks down upon mankind to see if any understand and seek after Him. But all have turned aside, all have become corrupt, and there remains not one who does good, not even one. Ro 1:17 - In the Gospel, God's righteousness is revealed, for it says that the righteous will live by faith. Job 9:2 - How can a man be in the right before God?) The sacrifices were clearly intended as a type of some other perfect thing to come. The proper path to justification and the life of faith were both clearly depicted in the lives of the saints (see Heb 11). Yet, when the thing the types pointed to was come, they stumbled, and failed of their object. Their ruin was because they chose to seek the destruction of the very Messiah they had been waiting for. Unwilling to be saved by Him, they crucified Him. So, God withheld His justification, and cast them off as a people, which again the prophets had warned of.
9:33: Isaiah is quoted to show that this was so (Isa 8:14 & Isa 28:16). (Ps 118:22 - The stone which they rejected has become the cornerstone. 1Pe 2:6 - I lay in Zion a choice and precious cornerstone. He who believes in Him will not be disappointed.) Mount Moriah is the temple mount. Mount Zion was the site of David's palace, as well as the court. (1Ch 11:5-8 - David captured Zion although its inhabitants swore he would never enter. Joab was first to strike down one of the resisting Jebusites, and so became commander of David's men. David thereafter lived in that stronghold, and built the city around it. Ps 48:12 - Walk around Zion and count her towers. Ps 51:18 - Favor Zion and do good to her. Build Jerusalem's walls. Ps 102:13 - You will arise with compassion on Zion. It is time to be gracious to her for the time has come. Ps 137:3 - Our captors tormented us by demanding that we sing the songs of Zion. Isa 1:27 - Zion will be redeemed with justice. Her repentant ones will be made righteous. Isa 52:1 - Awake and clothe yourself in strength, O Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, O holy city, for no longer will the uncircumcised or unclean come into you. Isa 59:20 - A Redeemer will come to Zion, to those who repent among the tribes of Jacob.) That which caused them to stumble was their own expected Messiah, not because that was His purpose in coming, but because by their reactions, stumbling would be the result. (Mt 5:29 - If your right eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; for it is better to lose a part of your body than to lose the whole.) Christ is the cornerstone, the foundation of the church which God is building. That church cannot stand on human merit, but only upon the righteousness of our Savior. (1Pe 2:4 - We come to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but precious and select in God's sight. Eph 2:20 - We have been built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone. 1Pe 2:8 - He became a rock of offense to them, for they stumbled in disobedience to the word, and so were appointed to this doom.) In the passage quoted, the text is to the effect that believers will not make haste, but that hastiness speaks of their being afraid, and so shows them in a shameful light, having failed of their goal. We, who believe in Christ's work, will not be disappointed in the hopes He brings to us. They will not fail, this we know; and so we have no cause to be agitated or fearful. However, for those who won't believe, there is great cause for concern. (Da 12:2 - Many who are dead will awake to eternal life, but others will awake to eternal disgrace and contempt.) The viewing of this passage from Isaiah as a Messianic prophecy is consistent throughout the NT writers. (1Pe 2:5-8 - You are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, making acceptable sacrifices to God through Christ Jesus. Scripture says, "I lay a choice cornerstone in Zion, and those who believe in Him will not be disappointed." His value is precious for those who believe, but to the unbeliever, Scripture says, "That very stone which the builders rejected will become the cornerstone," and, "a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word. Mt 21:42 - The stone which the builders rejected became the chief cornerstone. This came about from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Lk 20:17-18 - He looked at them and asked, "What is this that is written, 'The stone which the builders rejected became the chief cornerstone'?" Lk 2:34 - Simeon's blessing said in part, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed.") Ancient Jewish writings have looked at this passage is speaking of a strong king, and so, also took it as a Messianic reference. God is sovereign. The doctrine of election was clearly established in the case of the Jews. To oppose that doctrine is to claim a lack of confidence in God, not believing He concerns Himself in the affairs of His creation. That doctrine does not speak of an arbitrary election, but of a wise and just election, the source of all mortal blessings. The spread of the Gospel shows that it is from heaven. The Jews had no reason to seek a breakdown of national barriers, except they knew the Gospel to be true. Yet Jewish apostles, complete with all the Jewish prejudices, were the instruments that brought the Gospel to the Gentile nations. Christians are safe, knowing their hope will not be disappointed. God will keep them. People still reject the cross of Christ, to their own ruin. This alone is the cause for the death of the sinner. As those who despised Him then perished, so will those who despise Him today.

Wycliffe (1/11/02)

9:30-9:31: The issue of righteousness and salvation is critical to the Jews, for they thought themselves secure as God's people. Now that the case is declared for the Christians (both Jew and Gentile), the question remains as to the situation for the rest of the Jewish nation. The Gentiles had found righteousness and salvation by faith, by trust in God. (Ro 3:21-26 - God's righteousness has now been shown outside the Law, this manifestation attested to by the prophets, and by the Law itself. This righteousness is found through faith in Christ Jesus for all who believe, regardless of their race or means. All have sinned and failed to glorify God, so justification comes solely as a gift of His grace through the redemption we find in Christ. God made a public showing of Him as the propitiation for our sins. So, His righteousness was demonstrated because God, considering Christ's death, then chose to pass over those sins that had been punished in that death. Thus, He demonstrates His righteousness, so as to justly justify each one that has faith in Jesus.) Israel had ever tried to follow the principles of Mosaic Law, yet had always failed to do so perfectly enough to attain righteousness.
9:32: Their failure came because they did not come by faith, but trusted their own works to the point of rejecting the One God sent to save. (Isa 8:14 - He will become a sanctuary, but to Israel, He will be a stone to stumble over, a snare and a trap. 1Pe 2:6-8 - Scripture says: "I lay in Zion a choice and precious cornerstone. He who believes in Him shall not be disappointed." He is indeed precious for the believer, but to the unbeliever, Scripture says, "The stone which they rejected became the very cornerstone," and, "a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense." Indeed they stumble because of their disobedience, they were appointed to this doom.)
9:33: (Isa 28:16 - God declares, "I am laying a tested and costly cornerstone in Zion to serve as a firmly placed foundation. He who believes in it will not be disturbed." Isa 8:14 - He will become a sanctuary, but to Israel, He will be a stone to strike, a rock to trip over, a snare and a trap to her inhabitants.) It is a dark picture that is painted for Israel, and the ray of hope at the end is not for the unbeliever to lay hold of, but only for the remnant.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1/11/02)

9:30: The result we find in all this is not that which might have been expected. Having shown that justification comes by faith (Ro 3:22 - It is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus for all who believe, making no distinction between nations), we find that Gentiles, who had been so indifferent to the things of God, have responded most positively and immediately to the Gospel, and so have been blessed with justification.
9:31: It would seem that the second 'righteousness' should be retained in the text, such that it is not that they did not arrive at the law, but that they did not arrive at the law of righteousness. We cannot understand this as making the law of righteousness and the righteousness of the law synonymous. No, the law should be taken to indicate a principle of action, as it has been used in preceding chapters. (Ro 7:23 - I see a different law in my body, warring against the law of my mind, making me a prisoner of the law of sin which runs my body.) What Israel had pursued was a true and legitimate principle of acceptance with God. It was not a problem with what they pursued. The problem was that they missed it in spite of such pursuit.
9:32: They thought to reach their goal by effort alone, that the rule presented in the Law was actually attainable by their efforts. This was not the case. Faith was necessary to attain to justification. They could not accept the Messiah that was given them in Christ Jesus.
9:33: In this, they behaved as Isaiah had prophesied they would do. (Ro 10:11 - Scripture says that whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.) It is hardly unusual to find multiple portions of the Old Testament combined when quotations are made, (in this case: Isa 8:14, and Isa 28:16). In this combining, we are given a view of both classes, those who reject, and those who believe. Whenever we approach topics such as this, which are beyond our human faculties, we must be wise to look to what God says in His Word, what He has done toward men. We must allow His evidence to answer our questions, even when those answers seem to present us with difficulties. God's elect cannot but be humbled when they remember that salvation has come not by their works and worth, but solely because it is His purpose and grace to do so. (2Ti 1:9 - He has saved us and given us this holy calling, not because of our works, but because of His own purpose and grace, granted to us from all eternity in Christ Jesus. 1Co 4:7 - Who thinks you superior? What do you have that you did not receive? If you received it, why do you boast about it as though you had not received it? Gal 6:7 - Don't be deceived. God will not be mocked, each man will reap what he has sown. 2Pe 1:10 - Therefore, be diligent to be certain of His calling you. If you practice these things, you will not stumble. Ro 8:30 - Whom He predestinated, He also called, justified and glorified.) The most sincere religion, the greatest desire for salvation, the most earnest efforts to do right, will none of them serve as a ground of confidence before God, unless you have also submitted yourself to the singular means of salvation He has declared: faith in His Son Jesus. In God's rejection of so much of His chosen people, and in the inclusion of the Gentiles, God is displaying the law that will rule judgment day. (Mt 20:16 - The last shall be first, and the first last.)

New Thoughts (1/12/02-1/14/02)

Pride. It remains the great battle of the human condition to battle this facet of our nature. As I've seen so often before, Scripture has much to say on the subject, that ought to help us to combat the problem. Two such verses have really jumped out at me in this study. The first of these is Paul's questions for the Corinthians in 1Co 4:7. Who thinks you superior? One might ask, who is it that has given you a reason for such an inflated opinion of yourself? Such a one ought to be rebuked for contributing to your delinquency!

What do you have that you did not receive? So he continues. If you are indeed so superior, surely you can produce some great work of yours to show that! But, everything you have to show was either given to you, or produced by means of something that was given to you. No man has ever created from nothing. No man ever will. This is a talent God has reserved for Himself. Yet, we are so proud of our creations. "Look what I did! Look what I made!" I do it all the time. God forgive me! I have done nothing. You have done it all. When will I learn to give You the credit only You deserve?

Why do you boast in these things you have received as though you had not received them, as though they came from you? Here is Paul's final question from that verse. Here is God's question to the proud. Here is God's question to the one He has just moved through. I confess I don't know how to handle these things well. I write down a song that God has placed in my heart. I know it's not my doing, I am just being faithful to put down what He has created in me. I bring that song forth, and there is a parade of folks telling me what a wonderful song it is, how it has blessed them. How to react? A thank you seems appropriate, but is it? Don't thank me, thank God seems so trite, yet is it not the more appropriate reaction? God, give me the grace and the wisdom to react to such things not as seems right to me, but as is right to You.

So many things You have allowed me to accomplish that I had no reason to think myself capable of. You have given me a talent for playing the saxophone, for leading a team of musicians in worship, for sensing the proper songs to bring forth. You have given me the ability to put down these songs You put in my heart, to give them the correct notes and chords, that others can join in the singing. You have given me to be an engineer, in spite of an almost total lack of formal education. And You have so elevated me in that arena that others seek me out for advice and understanding! You have given me the ability to study in ways such as this, to look at both Scripture and the writings of men more educated than I, and to see Your truth in it all. You have given me wisdom to know when to accept a thing as beyond me, and You have given me a spirit within to recognize the reality when I see it. All these things thrill me. All these things give me excuses to boast, yet none of them give me reason to boast of anything but my Lord who gave them to me.

On a day such as this, after the men's breakfast we had yesterday, after my worship leader has spoken of what a blessing the most recent song is, when there may be a saxophone solo that sets people to talking, Lord, on such a day as this, help me to speak what is righteous. The other verse that You have put in Your word; Habakkuk 2:4 - Look at the proud man. His soul is not right. No, but the righteous will live by his faith; this just stabbed me to the quick, my God. Indeed, Your word is sharp to pierce the soul. Oh God, may the words of my lips today show a soul that is fully resting on the faith You give. May the words of my mouth reflect a soul that is seeking only You.

Calvin tells us that as our Savior and Lord, Christ is tasked with eliminating all pride of the flesh as much as He is to comfort the burdened. Indeed, I think to the one who seeks to live by faith, pride is a burden. It is a great burden. When I think back over the few years of this study, when I read through my notes from prior studies, how often do I find record of my crying out over that very pride? How often do I see such a cause for concern in the pride of this flesh I bear? It is a burden that I cannot bear. My heart and soul have cried out to my God to remove that burden so many times, and I know He is at work to do so, for the elimination of pride, as Calvin said, is part of His duties. How can we hope to enter heaven, except pride be removed. How can we think to stand before the throne of Him who hates the haughty eye, except we have been trained to true humility? What possible reason do we, who will come to His kingdom only because of His own efforts, have to be proud? What have we ever done of our own volition that was worthy of such pride? Nothing. Nothing at all can we claim. Nothing good in us ever came of our own doing, but all was given to us. Are we saved? In that, there is no cause for pride. If we boast, let us boast only of that grace which has saved us, which has purchased our redemption from the bonds of sin, which has worked such great change in us that we can love Him whom we so long opposed. Let us boast of a God who loves us so much that He would do these things for a most ungrateful creation! Thank You, my God! Thank You!

Paul, as Calvin writes, focuses his readers on the magnificence of God's grace. This is the reality of our beliefs. God's grace is responsible for all that we are and do. God's grace is responsible for our salvation, for our continued existence, for our friendships and relationships. It is only grace that saved this most unworthy man. It is only grace that allows me to continue, that allows me to serve as part of His kingdom. This is a thought that each of us must keep in mind, and we must keep also another aspect of the issue. Just as we cannot stand before the throne of God on the basis of any merit of our own, so the Church that Christ is building cannot stand on the basis of any human merit. All the effort we are willing to expend on the part of our church programs will, in itself, accomplish nothing. It's not about our effort, it's about our Savior. If our programs are not His programs, then they will fail utterly, and become worse than useless. If our worship is in our own strength, we have done nothing more than had a concert. If our preaching is done in our own strength, we have done nothing more than brought about a pastor appreciation day. It's not about us. It's not about our ideas, our agendas, our egos. It's about our Savior. Either He, in His grace and mercy, will move upon the hearts of those we come in contact with, or they will remain just as lost when we're through with them, whether they join a church or not.

Israel was not lost because they were seeking after the wrong things. Their objectives were sound. They wanted to be righteous. No, the issue was in the methods they sought to use to achieve those objectives. God was showing them the way to righteousness, but they took a wrong turn, and followed their own path. They were so wrapped up in their own programs, their own works, that they rejected the One God had sent, because He didn't fit in to their plans.

Can we not see the danger for ourselves in this? Every church of Christ has its programs and agendas. This is not a bad thing in itself, but we need to be very careful when we attempt to plan God's footsteps. Are we laying out plans as servants of the Most High God? Are we reacting as a servant will to his master? The servant reacts to the least indication from his master as to what he would have done, and then moves with alacrity to accomplish the master's will. If that is how our actions are planned, we do well. Yet, even in the doing of such actions, we need still to have an eye upon the Master, to see if He wishes to adjust our course.

On the other hand, if we are off pursuing our own ideas, we are in great danger. It is dangerous for the sheep to go ahead of the Shepherd. We are far to shortsighted to be in the lead. We are entirely too prone to focusing so intently on our current object that we lose sight of our surroundings. We will cheerfully pursue our plans straight into perdition, if that's where it leads. We are simply that bullheaded. This is what happened to Israel when their Messiah came. Will it be what happens to us when He returns?

The church in our day has exchanged the disciplines of theology, of study, of learning God's word, for the less strenuous path of direct feed. We're no longer satisfied with understanding God, we want the experience. Me, I'd prefer to have the experience of God, the intimate enjoyment of my Lord and Savior, as well. But, I would not neglect every possible road to knowing Him better at the same time. Consider the words of Charles Hodge:

"Error is often a greater obstacle to the salvation of men than carelessness or vice…Let no man think error in doctrine a slight practical evil. No road to perdition has ever been more thronged than that of false doctrine. Error is a shield over the conscience and a bandage over the eyes."

If we have told our converts that all that need be done is to mouth these words, and presto! Salvation is yours! we've done more harm than good. We have not made converts, but victims. If we have told them that the conversion experience is all that matters, we have done them great harm. If we will not put every effort into teaching them the full truth of the Gospel, if we will not establish them in sound doctrine, we have put them in harm's way without so much as a shield. We may as well turn them out into the blizzard without benefit of a coat.

How dare we be so cavalier about knowing Him we claim to love so dearly! Did you cease trying to know your spouse better when once you were married? If you did, then shame on you. If not, then how can you think it acceptable to cease trying to know God, to whom you are betrothed to be married for an eternity? Will you really leave yourself open to believing every slanderous word that may be said about your Beloved? Can you learn nothing from your parents? Adam and Eve both left themselves open. They neglected the words of their Creator, and so, were primed and prepared for an enemy's lie.

God help us. My prayer this morning is that You, oh Lord, would awaken a fresh hunger for understanding in Your people. Help us to cease from our lazy habits, to remain hungry in the face of experiences. Lord, I want Your presence, to know Your nearness, as much as any other believer. I love it when You make Yourself known amidst Your church. Oh, but I remain so hungry to learn, so hungry to know You better. I hunger to explore all that You have revealed about Yourself. How shall I test these fresh revelations when I haven't yet digested what You have long ago revealed? How can we blindly trust every word that comes to us, without a firm foundation in Your word? Father God, I pray that you would make our home group a place for sound teaching, free of fluff and emotionalism. I pray that you would raise up many such home groups amidst our church, where true learning of Your word can and do occur. Help us, oh God, not to be lazy when it comes to knowing You. Help us not to be so caught up in our programs and parties that we neglect You. Help us, oh God, to be balanced, to enjoy Your presence most fully, and to seek Your truth most assiduously.