ROMANS ROAD
to RIGHTEOUSNESS |
Romans
1:18-3:20
|
Romans
3:21-5:21 |
Romans
6:1-8:39 |
Romans
9:1-11:36 |
Romans
12:1-16:27 |
|
SIN
|
SALVATION
|
SANCTIFICATION |
SOVEREIGNTY |
SERVICE |
NEED
FOR
SALVATION |
WAY
OF
SALVATION |
LIFE
OF
SALVATION |
SCOPE
OF
SALVATION |
SERVICE
OF
SALVATION |
God's Holiness
In
Condemning
Sin |
God's Grace
In
Justifying
Sinners |
God's Power
In
Sanctifying
Believers |
God's Sovereignty
In
Saving
Jew and Gentile |
Gods Glory
The
Object of
Service |
Deadliness
of Sin |
Design
of Grace |
Demonstration of
Salvation |
|
Power Given
|
Promises Fulfilled |
Paths Pursued |
Righteousness
Needed |
Righteousness
Credited |
Righteousness
Demonstrated |
Righteousness
Restored to Israel |
Righteousness
Applied |
God's Righteousness
IN LAW |
God's Righteousness
IMPUTED |
God's Righteousness
OBEYED |
God's Righteousness
IN ELECTION |
God's Righteousness
DISPLAYED |
|
Slaves to Sin |
Slaves to God |
Slaves Serving God |
|
Doctrine |
Duty |
|
Life by Faith |
Service by Faith |
|
Modified from Irving
L. Jensen's excellent work "Jensen's
Survey of the NT" |
BRETHREN, MY HEART'S DESIRE
AND MY PRAYER TO GOD FOR THEM IS FOR THEIR SALVATION: Adelphoi, e men eudokia tes
hemes kardias kai e deesis pros ton theon huper auton eis soterian:
(See notes
Romans 9:1;
Romans 9:2;
Romans 9:3)
(Exodus 32:10,13;
1 Samuel 12:23;
15:11,35;
16:1;
Jeremiah 17:16;
18:20;
Luke 13:34;
John 5:34;
1 Corinthians 9:20-22)
Related resources...
Summary on the Attributes of God
Spurgeon on the Attributes of God
Israel of God - Is God "Finished"
with Israel in His prophetic plan?
Off Site - Table
Comparing/contrasting Israel & Church
Off Site - Does the Church Fulfill
Israel's Program? - John Walvoord
The Jewish People, Jesus Christ and World History
- S Lewis Johnson
Are you confused about God's plan for Israel?
Then I highly recommend Tony
Garland's
12 Hour Course on Romans 9-11
in which he addresses in depth the question of What
Will Happen to Israel?
(click)
or see the individual lectures below)
Romans 9:1-5 Paul's Sorrow Concerning Israel
Romans 9:6-13
Children of the Promise
Romans 9:14-24
The Potter and the Clay
Romans 9:25-33
A Remnant Will be Saved
Romans 10:1-13
The Righteousness of God
Romans 10:14-21
Has Israel Not Heard?
Romans 11:1-6
God Has Not Cast Away The Jews
Romans 11:7-15
Life from the Dead
Romans 11:16-24
Two Olive Trees
Romans 11:25-36
The Salvation of Israel
Note that when you click the
preceding links, each link will in turn give you several choices
including an Mp3 message and brief transcript notes. The Mp3's
are long (avg 70+ min) but are in depth and thoroughly Scriptural with
many quotations from the Old Testament, which is often much less well
understood than the NT by many in the church today. Garland takes a
literal approach to Scripture, and his love for the Jews and passion to
see them saved comes through very clearly in these 12 hours of teaching!
Take your home Bible Study group through this series if you dare. Take
notes on the tapes as the transcripts are a very abbreviated version of
the audio messages. This course is highly recommended for all who love
Israel! I think you will agree that Tony Garland, despite coming to
faith after age 30 as an engineer, clearly has been given a special
anointing by God to promulgate the truth concerning Israel and God's
glorious future plan for the Jews. Garland has also produced more than
20 hours of superb audio teaching in his verse by verse commentary on
the
Revelation (in
depth transcripts also available) which will unravel (in a way you did
not think was possible considering the plethora of divergent
interpretations) God's final message of the triumph and return of the
our Lord Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords! Maranatha!
Denny writes that Paul
cannot enlarge on this melancholy
situation without expressing once more the deep grief which it causes
him. (Expositor's Greek Testament)
John Witmer writes that...
Having stated the fact of Israel’s
stumbling in the preceding verses, Paul now explained the reason for
that stumbling. But first, in words reminiscent of the opening verses of
chapter 9, the apostle expressed his deep personal spiritual burden for
the salvation of the people of Israel. (Walvoord,
J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor
or
Logos)
Matthew Henry introduces
this chapter noting that...
The scope of the apostle in this part
of the chapter is to show the vast difference between the righteousness
of the law and the righteousness of faith, and the great pre-eminence of
the righteousness of faith above that of the law; that he might induce
and persuade the Jews to believe in Christ, aggravate the folly and sin
of those that refused, and justify God in the rejection of such
refusers.
Paul is passionate for he knows their plight
having been in their position prior to his conversion (and not even
realizing his great need!).
Brethren (80)
(adelphos from collative a = denoting unity + delphús
= womb) is literally one born from same womb and so a male having the
same father and mother as reference person. Figuratively, adelphos
as in this verse refers to physical Jews but not to those who had yet
been circumcised in heart and were Paul's Jewish brothers in Christ.
Paul explained the distinction between one who is a Jew outwardly
(physically) and yet not a Jew inwardly (by circumcision of his
heart)...
For he is not a Jew who is one
outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is
of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not
from men, but from God. (See notes
Romans 2:28;
29)
Brethren is an expression
of affectionate interest and indicates Paul's emotional attachment to
those who were his physical brethren.
My heart's desire...my prayer
to God - Paul’s desire translated into action. He didn’t just
"care," he prayed! And he prayed very specifically - for their
salvation. Note the repetition of the possessive pronoun "my" --
far from being detached, Paul is personally, passionately and intimately
involved in his pleading for his fellow Jews. Would it be that all
believers (many believers already are so involved) would be so
passionately, personally pleading for the the lost.
Guzik observes that...
Paul again feels compelled to relate
his heart regarding his fellow Jews. Paul does not rejoice that they
have stumbled at that stumbling stone (Romans 9:32).
Heart (2588)
(kardia)
does not refer to the physical organ but is always used figuratively in
Scripture to refer to the seat and center of human life. The heart is
the center of the personality, and it controls the intellect, emotions,
and will. No outward obedience is of the slightest value unless the
heart turns to God.
MacArthur
commenting on kardia writes that...
While we often relate heart to
the emotions (e.g., “He has a broken heart”), the Bible relates it
primarily to the intellect (e.g., “Out of the heart come evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
slanders,”
Mt 15:19). That’s why you must “watch
over your heart with all diligence” (Proverbs
4:23). In a secondary way, however, heart relates to
the will and emotions because they are influenced by the intellect. If
you are committed to something, it will affect your will, which in turn
will affect your emotions." (Drawing Near. Crossway Books)
Desire (2107)
(eudokia from eu
= well, good + dokeo = think) defines the state of being kindly
disposed, and so refers to benevolence, good will, or pleasure. Paul is
saying my earnest and sincere wish. Vincent says it is more
literally "the good will of my heart.". Young's Literal rendering is
interesting - "the pleasure indeed of my heart".
Charles Hodge writes
that...
The word desire means either “good
pleasure,” “sovereign purpose” (as in Matthew 11:26; Luke 2:14; 2
Thessalonians 1:11; see notes
Ephesians 1:5;
Ephesians 1:9),
or “benevolence” — “kind feeling or desire” (see note
Philippians 1:15).
The latter sense suits this passage best. Paul assures his brothers
according to the flesh that all his feelings towards them are kind and
that he earnestly desires their salvation. He had no pleasure in
contemplating the evils which hung over them. (Hodge,
Charles: Commentary on Romans. Ages Classic Commentaries or
Logos)
Wayne Barber explains that
that eudokia is derived from...
Dokeo the word for a person’s
thinking. The word for eu is the word "well or good." Paul is
literally saying, "My thinking towards you is good." Can you imagine if
you were a Jewish person reading this letter from Paul? You would think
he was undermining everything you ever believed. That is what he is
accused of over in Acts. That is why he got put in prison in Caesarea
and sent to Rome. He was accused of tearing it down. He is saying, "I am
not tearing it down. I am just trying to explain to you what I myself
did not understand." He says, "My thinking towards you is good. There is
nothing wrong with it."...
Can you get the picture? Here is a
burdened man. He used to be as blind as they are. God choose to remove
the blinders from of his eyes and now he looks at his kinsmen according
to the flesh (Jews) and realizes what they are doing will never get them
into the kingdom of God. What they are doing can never be approved by
God. Righteousness comes by faith in Christ Jesus. They have rejected
the very Source of all that righteousness. So therefore he says, "I pray
that you might be rescued (salvation = soteria = rescue, deliver), that
you might be delivered. You are in grave danger, both spiritually and
eternally. My prayer is that you would be rescued from this danger that
you are in." (Romans 9:30-10:5:Righteousness Precious Possession)
Matthew Henry comments that
Paul clearly and deeply expresses...
The strength and sincerity of his
desire. It was his heart's desire; it was not a formal compliment, as
good wishes are with many from the teeth outward, but a real desire.
This it was before it was his prayer. The soul of prayer is the heart's
desire. Cold desires do but beg denials; we must even breathe out our
souls in every prayer.
The offering up of this desire to
God. It was not only his heart's desire, but it was his prayer. There
may be desires in the heart, and yet no prayer, unless those desires be
presented to God. Wishing and woulding, if that be all, are not praying.
My prayer to God - As
Vincent rightly observes, this phrase implies communion with God.
For them - For (huper)
means on their behalf, specifically on behalf of his fellow Jews who
were still only Jews outwardly (physically) and not yet inwardly (hearts
uncircumcised, not born again).
Barnes comments that...
He not only cherished this feeling,
but he expressed it ill a desire to God. He had no desire that his
kinsmen should be destroyed; no pleasure in the appalling doctrine which
he had been defending. He still wished their welfare; and could still
pray for them that they might return to God. Ministers have no pleasure
in proclaiming the truth that men must be lost. Even when they declare
the truths of the Bible that some will be lost; when they are
constrained, by the unbelief and wickedness of men, to proclaim it of
them, they still can sincerely say that they seek their salvation.
(Albert Barnes. Barnes NT Commentary)
Prayer (1162)
(deesis)
refers to urgent
requests or supplications to meet a need and are exclusively addressed
to God. Deesis in the New Testament always carries the idea of
genuine entreaty and supplication before God. It implies a realization
of need and a petition for its supply.
Deesis was
used by the angel who assured the godly father of John the Baptist,
Do
not be afraid (command to
stop fearing indicating he already was fearful), Zacharias (means
"Jehovah remembers"), for your petition (deesis -
specifically their need for God to open his wife's womb) has been heard,
and your wife Elizabeth (means "my God is an oath") will bear you
a son, and you will give him the name John (means “Jehovah has
shown grace”)” (Luke
1:13).
Luke uses
deesis again of the disciples of John the Baptist, who were said to
“often fast and offer prayers (deesis)" (Luke
5:33).
In Paul's
letter to the saints at Philippi, he wrote these encouraging
words...
I thank (eucharisteo >
Eucharist used of Lord’s Supper when believers give thanks to God in
remembrance of Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice on the cross) my
(reflects Paul's deep intimacy) God in all my remembrance of you, always
offering prayer (deesis) with joy in my every prayer (deesis)
for you all, in view of your (joint) participation (with me) in the
gospel from the first day (when Lydia opened her home for the preaching
of the Word) until now. (see notes
Philippians 1:3;
Philippians 1:4;
Philippians 1:5)
In fact Paul used
deesis two more times in the short letter to Philippi once of
their prayers for him and the last use encouraging believers to pray
instead of worry...
For I know that this shall turn out
for my deliverance through your prayers (deesis) and the
provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (see note
Philippians 1:19)
Be anxious
(command to stop fretting and worrying - implying you already are -
about even one thing) for nothing (absolutely nothing because Nothing
is outside of God's sovereign control or too difficult for Him to
handle), but in everything by prayer (proseuche = the essence of
this word for prayer is worship) and supplication (deesis
- definite requests issuing as a cry for personal needs) with
thanksgiving (instead of a spirit of rebellion against what God
allows) let your requests (such prayer is the antidote to worry and cure
for anxiety) be made known to God. (See note
Philippians 4:6)
(Be anxious in nothing, prayerful in everything, thankful for anything)
Deesis is
used to describe the character of our Lord's prayers, the writer of
Hebrews recording that...
"In the days of His flesh, He offered
up both prayers (deesis) and supplications with loud
crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was
heard because of His piety." (Hebrews
5:7)
In a well known
verse on the effect of prayer, James writes...
Therefore (marks a turn from
speaking to individuals to the entire congregation - confess is plural),
confess (Confession cleanses the soul) your sins (paraptoma =
slips, false steps, offenses, sins) to one another, and pray for one
another, so that you may be healed. The effective (energeo = gives us
word energy) prayer (deesis) of a righteous man can
accomplish much (literally “is very strong”; Amplified = "makes
tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]")." (James
5:16) MacArthur comments
that "Weak prayers come from weak people; strong prayers come from
strong people. The energetic prayers of a righteous man are a potent
force in calling down the power of God for restoring weak, struggling
believers to spiritual health. To further demonstrate the power of
righteous prayer and provide an illustration that captures the essence
of his discussion, James turns to ...Elijah."
(Macarthur
J. James. Moody)
For their salvation -
Literally "unto (preposition = eis = "with a view to")
their salvation". This expresses the final or supreme purpose
towards which Paul's desire and prayers were directed... towards the
salvation of his unsaved Jewish brethren.
Matthew Henry writes that
his...
wish (was) that they might be
saved-saved from the temporal ruin and destruction that were coming upon
them-saved from the wrath to come, eternal wrath, which was hanging over
their heads. It is implied in this wish that they might be convinced and
converted; he could not pray in faith that they might be saved in their
unbelief. Though Paul preached against them, yet he prayed for them.
Herein he was merciful, as God is, who is not willing that any should
perish (see note
2 Peter 3:9),
desires not the death of sinners. It is our duty truly and earnestly to
desire the salvation of our own.
Salvation (4991)(soteria
from
soter = Savior in turn
from
sozo = save, rescue,
deliver) (Click
here or
here for in depth
discussion of the related terms
soter and
sozo) describes the rescue
or deliverance from danger, destruction and peril. Salvation is
a broader term in Greek than we often think of in English. Other
concepts that are inherent in soteria include restoration to a
state of safety, soundness, health and well being as well as
preservation from danger of destruction.
The idea of salvation is
that the power of God rescues people from the penalty of sin, which is
spiritual death which is followed by eternal separation from the
presence of His Glory. Salvation delivers the believer from the
power of sin (see discussion on Romans 6-8 beginning at
Romans 6:1-3)
Salvation
carried tremendous meaning in Paul’s day, the most basic being
deliverance, which included personal and national deliverance. In
Paul's day, the emperor was looked on as a "savior" (soter), as was the
physician who healed those who were sick.
It is interesting that Collin's
(secular) dictionary defines salvation as
"the act of preserving or the state
of being preserved from harm...deliverance by redemption from the power
of sin and from the penalties ensuing from it."!
Salvation is not just
escape from the penalty of sin but includes the ideas of safety,
deliverance from slavery and preservation from danger or destruction.
Mankind has continually looked for
salvation of one kind or another. Greek philosophy had turned
inward and begun to focus on changing man’s inner life through moral
reform and self-discipline. The Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus called
his lecture room “the hospital for sick souls.” Epicurus called his
teaching “the medicine of salvation.” Seneca taught that all men were
looking ad salutem (“toward salvation”) and that men are
overwhelmingly conscious of their weakness and insufficiency in
necessary things and that we therefore need “a hand let down to lift us
up”. Seneca was not far from the truth as Scripture testifies
(Jehovah speaking) Is My hand so
short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver?...Behold,
the LORD'S hand is not so short that it cannot save...(Jeremiah
speaking) 'Ah Lord GOD! Behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth
by Thy great power and by Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too
difficult for Thee" (Isaiah 50:2...Isaiah 59:1... Jeremiah 32:17)
Salvation
through Christ is God’s powerful hand extended down to lost souls to
lift them up and this is what Paul prayed for Israel.
As an aside, it is worth noting that God is good to the unsaved by
allowing the saved to pray for them.
How many of us are
believers today because
someone faithfully prayed for us (even without ceasing)?
Surely eternity future will reveal
that someone interceded on our behalf and brought our name boldly before the throne of God
pleading with Him to grant us salvation through His dear Son.
Believers are to pray for and witness (proclaim good news with their
life and then their lips) to all men and women, knowing that God will
not lose any of the elect but will save
all those who by grace believe in His Son. If your theology does not reflect
a genuine, heartfelt compassion for the lost and for their salvation,
then you have strayed from the heartbeat of the God Who...
so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but
have eternal life. (John 3:16) (See
How Can I Share My Faith Without An
Argument?)
And we should pray for Israel,
even as the Psalmist called for us to...
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May they prosper who love you. (Psalm 122:6)
Do you pray this prayer dear
Gentile believer? I pray you do as I think it is surely in God's will
for us to so intercede for His chosen people that the
remnant may be saved.
S Lewis Johnson writes
that...
Louis T. Talbot in one of his works
tells the story of a person who once said to him, "Do you expect me to
love the Jews? Why, they are terrible people." He said he replied, "Yes,
they are terrible. In fact, they are nearly as bad as the Gentiles."
And he pointed to the way the
Gentiles were acting the world over, fighting among themselves in
tumults and wars and, in addition, persecuting the Jews all the while.
And he added that, even if the Jews were worse than the Gentiles, what
of it? We would still pray for them and their salvation.
Ray Stedman comments that...
In Romans 9 we saw that the great theme was the sovereignty of God and
his electing grace. It set forth the fact that not one of us would ever
become a Christian, not one of us would ever remotely dream of seeking
God, if it were not for the electing grace of God which sought after us
first. The call of God awoke us out of the sleep of death, brought us to
our awareness of our need, created a hunger in our heart, and set us to
looking for him. That is the theme of Chapter 9.
By contrast, in Chapter 10 we have the matter of the responsibility and
the moral freedom of man set forth. These are two themes that are
usually regarded as opposed to one another. You can get into long
arguments over this matter of divine election versus man's free will.
There has been a great deal of heat (but very little light) that has
been evidenced by the arguments that have gone on for centuries over
this question. But you will notice that Paul puts them side by side and
says that they are both true. I don't think that we will ever begin to
understand the workings of God in our world today until we acknowledge
that both of these great pronouncements are true: God must call us
before we can possibly move toward him; yet, if we do not respond in a
responsible decision, we are to blame for not knowing him and for
continuing in our lost, fallen condition.
Now, I would like to ask you,
"Is your life
weak, and fruitless, and afflicted with a great deal of casual
Christianity?"
Well, if it is, the answer is not to try harder, the answer is not to
get yourself involved in more programs. The answer to how to make
"Christians" Christian is Christ -- not activity but receptivity, not
effort but faith. Laying hold anew of the reality of the presence of
Jesus Christ is the answer. I recalled the story of Martin Luther - How,
as a monk in the Augustinian monastery, he sought to make himself
acceptable to God, how he would spend long, weary hours lying flat on
his face on a cold stone floor, praying hour after hour, beating his
breast, weeping and crying over his sins, trying to discover some way of
release and of forgiveness, how he put himself under punishment and made
his body undergo suffering in order to do penance for his sins, and how,
finally, reading through the Scriptures in this very book of Romans, he
was struck by one phrase out of the first chapter -- the just shall live by faith {Romans
1:17 [note]
KJV}. Those words hit him like a sledgehammer, and he realized that God
was saying that it wasn't necessary to do anything.
God isn't asking us to do a thing. He is asking us to believe what
Christ has already done. Martin Luther stood up and began to walk in the
strength of that verse, and it gained power upon his soul and his heart
until it gripped him, and he sent it in flaming letters of fire across
Germany. It created the Protestant Reformation: The just shall life
by faith -- not by doing anything! (Read Ray Stedman's full message
-
How Far Away is God?)
><> ><> ><>
Our Daily Bread
has the following devotional entitled
"Heart Desire" - A Jewish leader was invited to speak
at a gathering of Christians in the USA who were celebrating Israel's
50th anniversary. The rabbi saw Christians as friends of the Jews. He
declared, "We are safe in America not in spite of Christianity. We are
safe . . . because of Christianity."
This statement is a welcome rebuttal to the accusation that the
Christian faith is anti-Semitic and even responsible for the death of 6
million Jews during World War II. It's true that some Christian leaders
in Germany were guilty of anti-Semitism and cowardice, but they were not
the ones who influenced Hitler. He was deeply affected by the writings
of the bitterly atheistic philosopher Nietzsche, who hated the Christian
faith and advocated the slaughter of the Jews.
Bible-believing Christians are to reflect the attitude of the apostle
Paul, who had a deep love for his fellow Jews (Rom. 10:1). He longed for
them to discover, as he had, that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the
Savior of people of all nations. Paul even said that he would be willing
to be cursed by God if it would result in blessing and salvation for
Jews (see note
Romans 9:3).
Does your heart ache for the descendants of Abraham? They have a rich
Old Testament heritage, but they need Jesus Christ. Pray for them today.
--H V Lugt (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Lord, speak to me, that I may speak
In living echoes of Thy tone;
As Thou hast sought, so let me seek
Thy erring children lost and lone. --Havergal
Everyone needs to choose Jesus--even
God's chosen people.
See (How
Can I Break The Silence?)
><> ><> ><>
In another devotional from
Our Daily Bread
entitled "Your Brother Is Down There" we read the following story - On the east side of London, pipes for
a large drain were being laid in a trench. Suddenly the dirt walls
collapsed, and several workmen were buried. Amid t | 
