Bible In A Year | Read: Romans 9
30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Romans 9:30-33
Unconventional Hero
Thoughts on the verses
God’s people hung onto the hope of a coming Savior, one who would subdue the oppressive Roman regime and demand justice. But when the Messiah came, he wasn’t who they expected. He didn’t come as a conquering King but as a humble servant. He didn’t overthrow the Roman government, but encouraged paying taxes to Caesar. He wasn’t praised by religious leaders ,but was despised and rejected. He didn’t come to save us from our circumstances, but to save us from ourselves.
Overview of Chapter
This is targeted toward the Jewish people in the church of Rome. Jews would have taken great pride in their heritage and assumed they had a special place in God’s heart. Paul points out that even within their history, there were close descendants of Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel, who were not chosen by God. Abraham’s son Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. It was through Jacob the nation of Israel came into existence, not Esau. Jews would have been well aware that Jacob was far from perfect. In some ways Esau seemed to be better behaved. Therefore, if Abraham’s grandson could be rejected, how much more so a Jew from many generations later? In verse 32, Paul emphasizes that it is those who did not pursue God by faith who were rejected, regardless of their heritage.
There are people with greater advantages when it comes to having a relationship with God. A person raised in a home where Jesus is known and taught clearly has an advantage over a person who has never met a Christian. In Paul’s day, it was the Jews who had the advantage. Regardless, it is up to every individual to accept Jesus’ payment for his or her sin. You didn’t have a choice in what type of home or culture you were raised in, but you do have the choice to trust Jesus or not.
Action Steps
Bible: What is God showing me? What am I going to do about it?
Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.
Have you ever thought it would be cool to hear some C3 leaders discuss the daily verses, share about their lives and mostly just talk about nonsense? Of course not!…even though nobody has ever thought that we are still doing it. You can follow along with us each morning in a brand new podcast – Wednesday’s Jean Claude Van Damme & Alisha’s Magnetic Voice.
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