Romans 10 Class Notes

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TLC Women’s Bible Study Romans 10 Paul Spurlock 3/20/18

Some think a better chapter break would have been at 9:25 or 9:30 due to Paul’s train of thought—but since even the whole of chapters 9-11 are one long connected unit of discussion as well, it’s difficult to know for sure where to make the breaks.1 Coming out of chapter 9, Paul is back to his all-book habit of using OT quotes to ideally establish authority with the Jews and to make the case to his brethren that faith in God that naturally produced obedience to the Lord and His covenants was always the way to salvation, as opposed to ethnic or national heritage.

To help us make the connection to the broader context, I’ll again include commentary from 9:25 on: 9:25-26 Hosea 2:23 and 1:10 (in that order) are quoted. In Hosea’s original context, he’s calling the northern ten tribes of Israel to return to God or face judgment; they didn’t heed his prophetic warning and were conquered & hauled away by Assyria in 722 BC. Like many OT prophets, Hosea uses dramatic imagery and even “acted out parables”2 to attempt to get the people’s attention. Symbolizing the “spiritual adultery” of Israel, Hosea is instructed by God to marry a “wife of harlotry” (Hos. 1:2). This is an example of a prophet having to personally live out & symbolize (again, in an acted parable manner), how God feels about His “adulterous bride” (Israel) betraying Him. Hosea’s wife does commit adultery and yet, as God will do with Israel, he takes her back—this is a symbolic picture of Israel as God’s “bride” who commits spiritual adultery, how she will be sent away, and then how she’ll be brought back (as seen in the books of Nehemiah & Ezra). So, what is Paul’s point in quoting Hosea? Many see this as teaching a future regathering of ethnic / national Israel to Jesus (since the majority of Jews now are not following Him). While possible, note how Paul applies Hosea to the “Gentiles” of his day (v. 24) followed by I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’ (in other words, at first Gentiles were not God’s chosen people; the Jews were. But now, in the New Covenant, all in Christ are God’s people). And this begins in Paul’s day (because recall the basic complaint at the outset of chapter 9—Gentiles are coming to Jesus but most of the Jews, Paul’s “brethren,” have not). So, the time frame is Paul’s day, not the future necessarily. To be sure, Hosea, (to his original audience), wouldn’t necessarily be taken this way. Whereas Hosea (at 2:23) was speaking of the remnant of Jews who are told that a return from exile is promised, Paul now applies Hosea’s “return” message to Gentiles coming into the Church. For now, via the illumination of the Holy Spirit, Paul reveals the ultimate meaning of the OT texts (just as Jesus also said would happen in Luke 24:44-45): “Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures”). Now the complete meaning of the OT Scriptures make sense—they point to ultimate fulfillment of all things in Jesus—and beginning with the birth of the Church in His day! Compare 9:33 (which combines passages in from Isaiah 28:16 & 8:14) with 1 Peter 2:9-10—both are references to Gentiles and are applied to the Church. Note also the Isaiah 10:21 quote (“return to the mighty God” which means a spiritual return—not a geographical one as was the case when the Jews returned from the Exile). Due to the connection with the same “mighty God” (earlier at Isa. 9:6), Paul isn’t (at least here) teaching a return to the land of Israel by Jews in the future, but a spiritual return to God in Jesus by all who come in faith—and again, beginning in Paul’s day! 1

The original manuscripts had no breaks. Translators inserted them later to assist the reader.

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E.g.s. of acted parables: Isa. 20:1-6 (Isaiah going “naked and barefoot” symbolizing shame), Jer. 27:1-7 (Jeremiah to wear a yoke symbolizing bondage); Eze. 4:1-4 (Ezekiel told to lay on his side “the same number of days as the years of [the people’s] sin”).

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9:27 “Like Sodom…Gomorrah…” means totally wiped out. But, as also revealed throughout the OT, it is the “remnant” that will be “saved”—the remnant in Christ or, all in Christ by faith (9:6). Isaiah 28:16 & 8:14 combine the “stone” talk also evidenced elsewhere (e.g. Ps. 118:22). We know now in the New Covenant what they did not in the Old Covenant: Jesus is the ultimate “Zion”; He is the “cornerstone” for true Israel; but He is also a “stumbling…rock of offense” for those who reject him. Chapter 10 Notes & Commentary: 10:1 “Salvation” is Paul’s “heart’s desire” for his “brethren” (and, here at least, not a return to the land or a rebuilt temple as many today endeavor to make happen). 10:2 Prior to coming to Christ, Paul’s “zeal” was “not in accordance with knowledge.” In other words, prior to truly knowing God through Jesus, Paul thought he was zealously serving God by persecuting Christians! But now he is enlightened, serving the very ones he once sought to harm! 10:4 The phase “end of the law” can mean the literal end of the Old Covenant or its telos (fulfillment). 10:5-8 Leviticus 18:5 quoted. Then Deuteronomy 30:14—and probably from the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT called the “Septuagint” (or “LXX” for short) as opposed to a Hebrew text. Sometimes these versions of the OT vary in minor (& inconsequential) ways. This is why some Bibles read “abyss” and others “sea”; cf. Dt. 30:13). Paul’s point is that God brought the Law (Dt. 30:11) “near to you” (the Jews as opposed to most Gentiles up to this point in history), so that they (the Jews) are without excuse. 10:9ff. The likely teaching point of “believe that God raised (Jesus) from the dead” is not to make a case for faith via the historicity of the resurrection (God & Jesus had already raised others from the dead —e.g., Lazarus), but to declare that Christ is now ruling at the right had of the Father—i.e. He’s Lord & King over all! So, then, “accepting Jesus” means to accept the reality of Jesus as King and surrender to Him. 10:11 “Not be disappointed” also means “not be put to shame,” which, in a shame & honor-based culture, means to not experience the severe shame of being shut out of the King’s realm. 10:12 Again, as in all of Romans, there’s “no distinction” on what matters (salvation, being in the people of God through Christ, etc.). Some popular teachers take this to mean “for now” and that in the End Times God will reestablishes the distinction between Jew & Gentile. 10:13 In the OT, “Calling on name of the Lord” didn’t merely mean crying out to God when one was in trouble. It referred to one’s primary lifestyle. It was one’s “calling.” 10:14-14 These well-known verses sound clear by themselves. But they don’t seem to fit larger context of true Israel’s salvation(?) 10:16 The Gospel is preached, but not all receive it; (the quotes are from Isa. 53:1 & end of Isa. 52:7). 10:17-21 “Faith comes by hearing …” (the main point is that people need to encounter the Gospel); “But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have.” It’s difficult to understand Paul here…is he answering a hypothetical objector as he did earlier? Or is he simply saying, as he quotes from Psalm 19:4, “THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH” that a witness of God has always been perceptible to all peoples of all times? Is this akin to what Romans 1:20a also declares in 2

saying: “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen”? In other words, God can be known by all who want to know Him, no matter when or where they lived. Related, Paul seems to be making a case for the necessity of preachers—but then he says people have already heard (via the stars as Psalm 19:4 reveals); he seems to be arguing one way and then another(??) Were the Jews critical of Paul’s ministry to Gentiles? After all, his time with Gentiles takes away from time he could be using to reach his own brethren(!?). But then he says “have they [really] never heard? No, (or yes), they have heard via the stars (“general revelation”)3 and via the Hebrew Scriptures. The quote from Deuteronomy 32:21 harkens back to God saying, as Israel’s “Husband,” that if they reject Him he’ll seek another nation that will not reject Him. Examples from the OT include: the Gentile widow (via Elijah) due to her faith; Naaman the Assyrian too. Jesus brings it to fulfillment at Mt. 21:43. Paul again used the Law (Deuteronomy) & the Prophets (Isaiah) to show the nature of true Israel and the true Gospel.

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“General revelation” means recognizing the existence & presence of God through His creation. In other words, it means that due to what we observe in the universe & creation, we, “in general,” conclude that God made everything & therefore exists. In contrast, “special revelation” means we’ve had a “special” (personal) encounter with God through His entry into history in the person of Jesus Christ. For those of us who did not live at the same time as Jesus in the first century, we encounter special revelation through coming to Him via His Word, the Bible (i.e., by reading it or hearing preached). Additionally (and more & more today) Jesus is personally encountering many in lands (e.g. the Middle East) where the gospel is aggressively prevented from being disseminated and even outright illegal to share. Many (perhaps most?) Christians believe that without special revelation a person cannot be saved. But others believe that, while all salvation must still come solely through Jesus (e.g. Acts 4:12), that God can & does accomplish salvation via general revelation to those who have lived in times & places in history that never heard the gospel; if such persons respond positively to whatever degree of revelation of God they encounter, God, knowing their hearts, will save them by applying the special work of Christ on the cross to them. Primary texts that are cited in support of this “more open” view of salvation include: • Dt. 29:29a—“The secret things belong to the Lord our God” (In other words, who knows what a loving God will do to save those who have not heard (& in ways that remain “secret” from our perspective). Does it not make sense that the lover of our souls will relentlessly pursue everyone!?); • Ps. 19:1—“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” (A creator God is evident by what can be observed in His creation. And through His creation, He can be found is a way that saves); • Mt. 7:1-10—“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Clearly then, if a person wants God, Jesus, through His Spirit and whatever means necessary, is going to “be found” by such a person); • Acts 14:16-17a—“In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness” (If a true seeker of God lived in a time or place in which no evangelist came to witness to them, God would provide the necessary & adequate “witness” Himself).

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