Eternal City Church Sunday Sermons

Jesus' resurrection is one of the most well-attested facts of history. Every year Christians around the globe celebrate resurrection Sunday in anticipation of the great renewal of all things. This message focuses explicitly on how the resurrection brings hope and joy out of sorrow and despare.

The good news is expressed in this simple phrase, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." This is good news to all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus for salvation.

Romans 10:5-13 (ESV)

In this paragraph, Paul is going to expand on the end of v4, ‘righteousness for everyone who believes.” He is going to unpack what it means to believe and further explain how the gospel is now open to the Gentiles.

While it would be tempting to do so, we should avoid thinking that Paul is against the Jews. The way to salvation being open to the Gentiles does not mean that it is closed for the Jews. Salvation is available for all who believe regardless of ethnicity.

In v5, Paul uses the phrase “righteousness based on the law,” and we should understand that to be a negative connotation and a contrast with the “righteousness of God that is based on faith.”

Paul quotes Lev 18:5. In Lev 18, Moses is exhorting the Israelites to follow the law in order to attain blessing, which for the Israelites meant material prosperity. Paul’s purpose in including this verse is to summarize his thoughts that the essence of the law is blessing comes through obedience.

The emphasis in the grammar of the sentence is on the word “does.”

Paul quotes from Deut 9:4 in v6. The context of Deut 9 is that Moses is telling the people that when they attain the land promised to them that they not point to their own righteousness as the basis for attaining the land. Paul is then using this phrase “do not say in your heart” to point to a distinction in righteousness based on the law vs righteousness based on faith and using the OT to criticize the law-based righteousness he has been arguing against.

Paul continues in vs6-8 quoting Deut 30:12-14. The context of Deut 30 is that of a prophecy of God’s restoration of Israel. In these verses, Paul identifies God’s grace. God through His word came “near” to the Jews so that they might know Him and obey Him. Now, His word (Jesus) is given to both Jews and Gentiles so that they might know Him and obey Him in faith.

If quoting Lev 18 was Paul summarizing the essence of the law, we could say Deut 30 is Paul summarizing the essence of the gospel. There has always been from God both a demand for righteousness and a display of grace.

The phrases “ascend into heaven” and “descend into the abyss” are references to something that is impossible to do, and Paul’s point is that salvation is not some impossible task to be achieved.

Verse 9 is connected as the explanation of how the word is near to the Gentiles. When the word of God is received by faith, it brings salvation.

The phrases “confess with your mouth” and “believe” in your heart” are being used rhetorically in connection with the similar phrases in Deut 30:14. We should not place a huge emphasis on oral confession being a requirement of salvation. Context (9:30; 10:4) makes clear that internal, heart belief is the requirement of salvation. Oral confession is an outward display of heart belief.

The content of belief is that Jesus is Lord, and He was raised. In the early church, the belief that Jesus is Lord and the conviction that Jesus was raised from the dead were central tenants of the gospel.

In v11, Paul quotes Is 28:16. The idea of not being put to shame refers to being delivered from judgment.

Paul again wants to make clear that salvation is there for all who believe. The only requirement is what our hearts (believe) and mouths (confess) are able to do. We do not need to do the impossible. God has already made salvation available through Jesus the Lord.

Just as there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile in judgment and condemnation (Rom 3:23), Paul makes clear in vs12-13 that there is no distinction as far as the Lord who rules and offers grace to them.

Paul quotes Joel 2:32 in v13 to show that in the OT people called upon Yahweh for salvation. Now in the NT, we call upon the Lord (Jesus) for salvation.

Journeying into Romans 10, the flow of the letter takes on more of the human responsibility side of salvation. Specifically in the area of the necessity of prayer. The argument is sometimes framed like this: If God has chosen whom he will save before the foundation of the world, why should I pray that God would save specific individuals? The simple answer is that God ordains the means (prayer) and the ends (individuals saved).

Romans 10:1-4 (ESV)

Lost within the detail and theological discussions of Romans 9 is that these topics of salvation and Israel are extremely personal for Paul.

He views the Jews as his brothers and sisters who have rejected Christ and the gospel, and Paul continues to express an emotional connect to these topics due to his relationship with the Jews. It should serve as a reminder to us that theology is never simply an academic exercise, but the things we study have implications for real people we know.

The phrase “brothers and sisters” is a transition for Paul. He does not switch topics, but he is going to provide further explanation for the Jewish failure to be included in the people of God.

Why would Paul write to a primarily Gentile audience but spend so much time talking about the Jews? It seems appropriate that Paul wants his readers to understand that he is not happy about this Jewish failure, but he actually is still committed to seeing the Jews come to Christ.

Paul spent nearly all of Rom 9 talking about God’s determinacy of all things related to salvation, yet in Rom 10:1, Paul expresses that he prays for their salvation.

If God has determined these things, why does Paul pray? How should we reconcile these things and help our own prayer lives?

The theme of “zeal” is brought up in v2. Zeal would be described as having great energy or enthusiasm for something. In this case, the Jews have great enthusiasm for God. They desire to fulfill the law and seek to live the right way. The problem for Paul is that their zeal is not met by truth and knowledge.

Zeal is generally considered a positive characteristic when it is focused on truth and knowledge. Zeal without knowledge is fanaticism.

Fanaticism can easily turn deadly. We have seen numerous examples of people excited about the wrong thing, and the result is terrorism.

Have you encountered someone who was extremely enthusiastic but lacked knowledge?

What was that experience like?

In v3, Paul explains that this ignorance is actually willful.

The Jews understood that righteousness came from God, but they refused to believe that Jesus was the means through which righteousness would be manifested. By rejecting the truth of Jesus, they were willingly ignorant of the knowledge to save them. No amount of zeal in the wrong thing would save them.

We can see this idea through the use of the word “submit.” This means that the Jews would not submit themselves to Christ and did not have faith.

Paul’s comparison of God’s righteousness and “their own righteousness” signifies not that righteousness is a possession but a source. There is a righteousness where God is the source, but the Jews established for themselves a righteousness where they are the source. The basis of their righteousness was their own efforts.

Paul provides a clear ground for his explanation in v3. The Jews basing righteousness on their own efforts is wrong because Christ has brought the law to its fulfillment.

Calling Jesus the “end of the law” is a debated idea centered on what is meant by “end.” It is best to consider this word to mean “termination” and “goal.” So, Jesus not only brings an end one era of salvation history (the law), but He is also the one the law anticipated and pointed to.

Doug Moo in his commentary on Romans, uses a helpful analogy of a race. The finish line is both the termination (end) of the race and the race's goal (to reach it).

Jesus became a stumbling stone to the Jewish people (a tripping hazard). The gentiles who were not looking for God, found him, because God was the one seeking them. While the Jews were pursuing their own means to be right with God, which actually pushed them away from him. When God provided the promised messiah, he was rejected because he did not fit their preconceived ideas of who the messiah would be.

Romans 9:30-33 (ESV)

In Rom 9 so far, Paul has been addressing a question of God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people. In prior sections, Paul has argued that God has not been unfaithful because He is choosing (electing) a true Israel that is comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. His choice is based on His mercy, and He is free to make that choice.

The phrase “what shall we say then?” refers back to Vs. 24 that both Jews and Gentiles have been called, and the idea of the question is, how did this happen? How is it that Gentiles are included?

Paul’s answer is centered on the idea of righteousness and faith. Righteousness here is not referring to some type of moral living. Rather, it is positional righteousness similar to what we saw in Romans 3-5. What Paul means in Vs. 30 is that the Gentiles did not pursue some type of favor with God where God would consider them justified (declared righteous).

Recall what we have learned so far in Romans. Was there anything that the Gentiles had that while they did not have the law, they still knew what was right?

Paul has been consistent with this message that true righteousness is only received (“attained”) by faith with Rom 10:4 providing the object of that faith (Jesus).

This gets into an interesting point of how a person is saved. Is salvation God’s election, or is salvation the attainment of righteousness? Staying consistent with scripture, we would have to conclude that it is both. One does not happen without the other.

For a more extensive review of faith, I would encourage you to go back and listen to the sermons in this series from Rom 3:21-26 and 3:27-31.

The “law” that Paul references in Vs. 31 should be understood as the Mosaic Law.

So, the Jews were trying to attain righteousness by performing the works of the law. They believed that by keeping the law they were assured of their place as part of the people of God.

The problem with this perspective of the Jews is not that the law itself is bad (Rom 7:12), but the way the Jews pursued righteousness through the law (“based on works”) was the problem.

Ultimately, the Jews “tripped” over the person of Jesus. They did not see Him as the goal and fulfillment of the law (Rom 10:4) and sought to establish their own righteousness through works (Rom 10:3).

Paul takes two OT verses, Is 28:16 and Is 8:14, and pieces them together for this quote about Jesus being a stumbling stone to the Jews. Peter also includes these same verses when discussing this idea in 1 Pet 2:6-8 which signifies that these verses were understood (most likely prior to Paul and Peter) in relation to each other.

What this is showing, and driving home Paul’s point, is that the Jewish failure to trust in Christ was actually predicted in the OT.

Questions:

Do you find yourself ever assuming you are justified based solely on your sanctification? That is, do you only (or primarily) look to how you are living to affirm your salvation?

Have you ever encountered a self-righteous Christian? What has been your experience, and how have you engaged with that person?

Why is it the “religious” people tend to be the ones who struggle the most with believing they are sinners?

What role did this play in the Jews not trusting in Jesus?

Paul has taught and preached predestination and reprobation in the past. He knows what objections are given in response. In these verses, Paul takes up the objection of is God unjust and is there real human responsibility if God sovereignly chooses whom he will save?

Romans 9:14-29 (ESV)

Following Paul’s statements in Vs. 10-13 that God is free to choose those who will be saved, Paul takes a detour of sorts in these verses to address two objections:

Since God chooses some and not others, how can God be righteous?

Since God is the one who chose, how can people be blamed for rejecting Him?

Paul reverts back to a diatribe style of writing that we have seen in other sections of Romans. In this style, Paul is asking questions he assumes objectors will present to him. Most likely, Paul faced these objections when teaching and was familiar with the questions that would be asked.

We should be cautious to not require God to operate by human standards and logic. There are paradoxes in this doctrine that we will not fully understand. We should avoid the assumption that God should be reduced to what we can understand.

In Vs. 14-18, Paul will address the first accusation that God is unjust. The idea of the word “injustice” for Paul is rooted in God’s faithfulness to His own character rooted in creation. So, to call God unjust would be to suggest that He is operating against His nature which Paul rejects with the strong negative “By no means!”

Paul expands his arguments by citing the examples of Moses (Ex. 33:19) and Pharoah (Ex 9:16), and he shifts the argument from one of justice to one of mercy.

Paul views this accusation of injustice as misunderstanding salvation. Salvation is a free gift of mercy that is not earned (Vs. 16). Salvation is not a right that humans have. Instead, it is a gift that humans are granted from a merciful God. Since no one has earned salvation, God is free to give it to all, some, or none. If God’s choice was based on justice with no mercy, everyone would be condemned.

The most negative reaction to the doctrine of election stems from Vs. 18 and the idea of God hardening the hearts of those He has called with mercy.

A couple of things to understand with this verse:

God hardens whom He chooses: Paul does not qualify this statement that God’s action is dependent on anything other than His free choice. So, God hardened Pharoah based on His decision.

God’s action is directed against people in rebellion against God: God will not harden the hearts of a person asking for forgiveness.

While God chooses this freely, humans, because of sin, are responsible for their own condemnation and punishment.

Paul addresses the 2nd objection in Vs. 19-23 with a series of rhetorical questions centered on the reality that God as creator is not subject to the accusations of creatures. Humans do not stand in judgment over God. God is the judge of the world and as judge, He has the freedom to choose as He wishes.

In Vs. 22-23, Paul makes explicit that God is the one who freely grants mercy and salvation while humans are responsible for condemnation. It is not that case that an unbeliever can accuse God of being responsible for their standing as condemned.

The unbeliever is at fault due to their sin. Romans 1 makes clear that people prepare themselves for destruction due to sin, and God is the one who freely rescues those He chooses. “Those who will go to hell have no one to blame but themselves, and those who will go to heaven have no to praise but Jesus Christ.” – D James Kennedy

In Vs. 24-29, Paul returns back to the arguments made in Vs. 6-13 to identify that God is now calling a new people comprised of both Jews and Gentiles. OT references: Hos 2:23; Hos 1:10; Is 10:22-23; Is 1:9

Questions:

What questions about this paragraph of Romans do you find hard to believe? Is there something you would want to have further clarified?

Are there any aspects of this paragraph that humbled you as you read it?

The Apostle Paul continues his argument that God is faithful to his promises made to his Old Covenant people. He argues that not all the physical descendants of Abraham are those who were promised salvation, ultimately being God's people. Only those whom he foreknows, elects, and calls.

Romans 9:6-13 (ESV)

In Vs. 1-5, there was a question/criticism raised against Paul’s theology. If God chose the Jewish people, why do so many reject the gospel Paul preaches? For Paul’s critics, this brings into question the integrity of God’s promises. However, Paul will begin to address this criticism in this paragraph.

The central tenant of Paul’s argument (which runs through v29) is that God’s gracious calling and not ethnic identity is the true basis for being part of God’s people, and there is a distinction between the ethnic people of God (Jews) and spiritual people of God (Israel). Because of this, God has remained faithful to His promises (Vs. 6).

Paul’s first argument to support this is that all ethnic Jews are not part of the “spiritual” Israel.

What is spiritual Israel?

How would you describe this based on your understanding of Paul’s argument?

Paul supports his argument through the use of OT texts pointing to 2 examples: Abraham’s children and Jacob and Esau.

The first example highlights the truth that not all of Abraham’s descendants are God’s people. While both Isaac and Ishmael are physical descendants, only Isaac is a spiritual descendant of Abraham.

The second example explains not only God’s choice but also the nature and purpose of the His choice. God elected Jacob before either person was born, before either had behaved morally or immorally and in support of His good purposes.

The only reason Jacob received the promise was because of God’s graciousness and not Jacob’s good works.

This paragraph raises a hotly debated topic: Is Paul referring to individual calling (salvation) or corporate calling (salvation)?

There are a few primary reasons to support Paul’s speaking about individual calling:

Paul is addressing the question of why some individual Jews do not believe the gospel. It would be odd for Paul to address this with a review of the corporate election of Israel in salvation history.

The grammar of the text, specifically keywords such as “children of God” (Vs. 8), “children of promise” (Vs. 8), “call” (Vs. 7, 12), and “not because of works” (Vs. 12), are used by Paul elsewhere in Romans to refer to individuals.

The overall context of the chapter, particularly Vs. 24-29, shows that Paul’s point is to demonstrate how God has called individuals from the Jews and Gentiles to be His people that will be saved.

Based on Paul’s argument, we can make the following statement: Just as God chose Isaac and Jacob, He has chosen (elected) all those who are to be His people. This election is God’s free choice and is not determined by the morality or immorality of the person chosen.

Questions:

Some take the position that God’s election is based on His foreknowledge of those who would choose Him? What in v12 should lead us away from that conclusion?

Is election important? Should we insist on it being right? Why or why not?

Why is the doctrine of election hard for us to believe?

How should we engage with someone who does not believe in election the way you do?

Chapter 9 marks a new direction in the book of Romans. Here Pual begins a three-chapter defense of God’s promises to the Jewish people not failing but being kept. He starts by opening up his heart to his readers about how deeply he feels for his fellow ethnic Jewish brothers and sisters. He wants them to know Jesus savingly, even if that means himself being cut off from Christ (if that were possible).

Romans 9:1-5 (ESV)

In the first eight chapters, Paul lays out a deep, rich, theological journey that culminated in Paul recognizing the faithfulness of God’s love in 8:31-39. We would expect Paul to jump into practical theology now, but he waits to do that until ch 12. Instead, Paul spends chapters 9-11 working through the gospel’s implications on the Jewish people.

Paul’s discussion during these chapters centers on this question: if the Jews are God’s chosen people, why do so many of them not believe the gospel?

So, while theological topics such as the righteousness of God and predestination will be explored, those are not the main theme of these chapters. Instead, Paul is wrestling with this tension of the Jewish experience in relation to the gospel.

Grammatically, we can see Paul’s shift to a new topic by the lack of any connective language with chapter 8 that one would expect if Paul was making a direct connection between the chapters.

Paul begins in vs. 1-2 with an emotional statement highlighting the care he has for his Jewish brothers and sisters. This is emphasized through Paul’s use of both the positive (“I am speaking the truth”) and the negative (“I am not lying”). This adds conviction to Paul’s words that they are not flippant or lack meaning.

Why do you think Paul goes to such lengths to give his remarks more credibility? What could people have accused Paul of based on his previous comments about the Jews and his ministry as the “missionary to the Gentiles”?

The idea of conscience is introduced in vs. 1 as further justification for Paul’s sincere concern for the Jewish people. Conscience can be defined as “A capacity for moral judgment and an awareness of what you believe to be right or wrong.” – Taken from Conscience by Andy Naselli and JD Crowley.

What is the basis or foundation of the conscience?

Note that the phrase “in the Holy Spirit” is called a dative of instrument, meaning that the Holy Spirit is the instrument through which Paul has confidence that his conscience is clear.

In vs. 3, Paul gives the reason for his emotional statements. Paul’s fellow Jews are under condemnation due to their lack of belief in the gospel, and he has such a love for them that he would rather face eternal damnation than see the Jews remain under condemnation.

Paul probably has in mind Moses’ statements in Exodus 32:30-32. Tim Keller helpfully states that Paul “while logical in his writings, was never cold in his feelings.” He had a genuine care for his fellow Jews.

The word “wish” is used in other places as “pray.” Should we believe that Paul was genuinely praying that his position in Christ would be exchanged for the Jews?

There is a causal connection between vs. 3-4. Paul’s sorrow over the situation is tied directly to the fact that the Jewish people have experienced so many privileges, yet they have rejected those privileges.

Interestingly, Paul switches from using the term “Jew,” which was prominent in chapters 1-8, and begins using the word “Israelite.” Paul is not using these synonymously. Rather, Israelite is being used as a place of special position in the Jewish people. The OT speaks of a remnant that remains faithful. This is the idea of how Paul uses the term Israelite.

There is a past, present, and future connotation to Paul’s words in vs. 4-5. While the Jewish people were granted all of these privileges in the past, there is a sense of present purpose as the Jewish people are still relevant to God. Terms like “adoption,” “glory,” and “promises” indicate some future relationship between God and Israel that will be explored through chapter 11.

With so many Jewish people rejecting the gospel, does this mean God’s promises made in covenant with Israel have failed?

Why does this matter for us?

Sin is either a forbidden, taboo word or a ploy used to sell products. The Bible, however, explains that sin is what's wrong with every human being and what has broken our word. Basing his message out Romans 5:12, Eddie Jones thoroughly explains sin with all its terrible consequences.

God is not only maintaining all creation's properties and upholding all things, but he is also directing all things according to his purpose and will (Ephesians 1:11). For God's children, this is good news; we can trust our Father's wisdom and good heart for us even in life's most complex trials and troubles, knowing God is at work.

Fear is one emotion that every human being experiences. Some fears are irrational, and some are well-founded. Christians have not been given a spirit of fear but power, love, and self-control (the Holy Spirit). Because we have Christ as our savior, we also have God as our father. Who promises to be with us and care for us (no matter the situation).