Romans 11:25-36
25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins."
28As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Doxology (Praise to God)
33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
35"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Paul last week gave us all a word of caution. He cautioned us about being arrogant. This week Paul still being concerned about us in verse 25 starts us off with another caution. He cautions us about being conceited. Being conceited was a big problem with the Jews, and I would say still is for the most part, a problem that Paul himself had when he was still a Jew.
Paul through out the book of Romans is continually reminding us that it is God who is the author of everything in this world and it is God that is the author of everything in our lives. God as Paul states is our potter who has molded and shaped our lives in every way. God does this solely for His purpose.
25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
Paul here is not saying that this is a mystery to him; he is saying that he doesn’t want them to be ignorant of this thing that is a mystery to them.
God has told Paul what is going to happen, he is getting divine revelation direct from God. Paul is telling them that when God has called the last Gentile to faith in Christ, that only at that point will Israel be brought back, that they as a nation will be grafted back in to the olive tree.
Why at the point of the last Gentile? Maybe it has to do with something else that will happen I would say very close to that same time. Maybe it will be them seeing Christ as He comes down from heaven with His army.
28-29 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.
We in the next couple of months are coming in to election season. We should all take part in this if we can and get out there and vote. Though I don’t think when Paul talks about election here he is talking about a voting season coming up.
When Paul is talking about election he is talking about those who God has chosen and called to come to faith in Him and Christ. That is what being one of the elect is. If you are elected to salvation as this is talking about then there is no way that you could have chosen to save yourself. If so, there is no way Paul could have said election and been correct.
Does someone who is running for public office decide for themselves that they are the right one for the office and then take the office? Not unless he owns his own town and is the only one who votes. They are elected, it is not them who decides if they are they one chosen, that falls to another means.
Paul likes to use another word sometimes for this and that is predestined, pre meaning before and destined or destiny meaning your future, your future (salvation) being decided for you, decided before your birth.
30-32 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. Expound
We are all bound to disobedience. Since the fall of Adam everyone is born a sinner. We can’t get around that fact.
But God in His mercy and grace bestows mercy on every single person in this world. Every single person has in some way received Gods mercy.
It may be that His mercy allows you to just be alive even though as sinners we really only deserve death. It could be that maybe He gave you a great job, maybe a great wife or husband, maybe a nice home….Everyone has experienced Gods mercy. Some who God has chosen will have the ultimate mercy, that of salvation.
The greatest gift of His mercy is Jesus Christ and the salvation that Christ brings us as believers. Imagine we have the promise of being in the presence of God. I think about that at times and I must tell you that it overwhelms me just thinking about it.
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Luke 18:9-14 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ’God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.
13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ’God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
In order for God to show us His mercy He must first see in us someone who understands their sinful self and comes to God humbled and grieved. God will not give mercy to someone who thinks that they don’t need Him.
In return if you understand that God has been merciful to you then you must show that same mercy to others.
Doxology (Praise to God)
Paul here after speaking about the mercy of God is so humbled that he feels the need to give praise to God for this mercy. Paul himself being a recipient of Gods mercy understands his unworthiness of this gift because he still views himself as a sinner, which he should.
33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
Paul here again giving God all the credit, no one knows what God is thinking, and for sure no one knows better than God about anything.
35"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
We have nothing to offer God; we come as Paul did as just sinners. God owes us nothing and we deserve nothing, that is nothing in the form of any type of reward. What we deserve is what comes with being a sinner, an eternity in hell.
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Paul is humbled; he has a clear view of who God is in his life and who is in control of everything that goes on in his life. To God be the glory forever.
Who is God to you? Is God bigger than you or are you bigger than your God? Two things to think about when thinking of God.
Remove from your thoughts limits that would make God small – Through this study of Romans Paul has been showing us the complete work of God in our lives. God being in control of everything so as to insure that we are secure in our process to glorification.
Remind yourself of the acts of God that are great – From the creation of the heavens and earth, to Israel’s freedom from bondage and the establishment of their own land, to Christ coming to pay the penalty for our sins and looking forward to His return.
God knows all because God created all things for His own purpose.
A.W. Tozer says this about God
God cannot learn. Could God at any time or in any manner receive into His mind knowledge that He did not posses and had not possessed from eternity, He would be imperfect and less than Himself. To think of God who must sit at the feet of a teacher is to think of someone other than the Most High God, maker of heaven and earth….
God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters, all mind and every mind, all spirit and all spirits, all being and every being, all creature hood and all creatures, every plurality and all pluralities, all law and every law, all relations, all causes, all thoughts, all mysteries, all enigmas, all feeling, all desires, every unuttered secret, all thrones and dominions, all personalities, all things visible and invisible in heaven and on earth, motion, space, time, life, death, good, evil, heaven, and hell….
Because God knows all things perfectly, He knows no thing better than any other thing, but all things equally well. He never discovers anything, He is never surprised, never amazed. He never wonders about anything nor does He seek information or ask questions.
As we finish up here today just keep in mind this.
God’s complete and perfect knowledge should humble us, it should comfort us, and it should encourage us.
Praise God!
