Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20080217.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Romans: Charter Of Salvation Grace
Part V: God's Plan Of Salvation In View Of His Plans For Jews And Gentiles
B. God's Plan Of Salvation In View Of His Present Interaction With Israel
(Romans 10:1-21)
  1. Introduction
    1. Much misunderstanding exists today on the current and future role of God with the nation Israel: some teach the Church replaces Israel so that there is no future program for the Jew (non-dispensationalists).
    2. However, God's cessation of working through the nation Israel in our era is not due to God's ceasing to keep His promises to Israel, but to Israel's national rejection of salvation in Christ (as follows):
  2. God's Plan Of Salvation In View Of His Present Interaction With Israel, Romans 10:1-21.
    1. The Apostle Paul wrote he had a deep desire for his Hebrew people that they might be saved, Rom. 10:1.
    2. However, though his countrymen had a zeal for God, their zealousness was not based on knowledge, Romans 10:2: being ignorant of God's righteousness, and attempting to establish their own righteousness before God, they had not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God, Romans 10:3.
    3. To explain, Paul clarified that Christ was the end of the Law for gaining the righteousness of God for anyone who believed [on Christ] (Romans 10:4), a fact verified in the Old Testament writings of the Hebrew people (as follows), Romans 10:5-15:
      1. Moses had written in Leviticus 18:5 that the man who practiced the Law's precepts would live in doing so, a fact Paul acknowledged in Romans 10:5.
      2. [However, previously in his argument in Romans, Paul had established that no one was able to keep the Law, for the Law only exposed man's sinful failure, condemning him before God, Romans 3:19-20.]
      3. Accordingly, the Hebrew Old Testament revealed God's righteousness was obtainable by the individual through faith apart from the works of the Law (as follows), Romans 10:6-15:
        1. Citing Deuteronomy 30:12-14 where God through Moses showed God had graciously condescended to bring His truth to Israel so that she did not need to search all around her for it (Romans 10:6-8), Paul applied this truth to Christ's Gospel of salvation by faith without works that the Church proclaimed was given to Israel as well as to the Gentiles, Romans 10:9-10.
        2. This Gospel had also been predicted in the Hebrew Old Testament: (1) Paul cited Isaiah 28:16 and 49:23, showing those who believed on the Lord would not be put to shame, Rom. 10:11 NIV. (2) Paul cited Joel 2:32 to reveal that this Gospel was predicted to be open for all, Jew and Gentile alike, Romans 10:12-13! (3) That Gospel would delivered by God's messengers sent out into the whole world to proclaim it as Isaiah 52:7 reports, a passage Paul cited in Romans 10:14-15.
    4. However, though the Gospel of justification by faith apart from the deeds of the Law had been proclaimed to the nation Israel, Paul reported that not all Israel had obeyed this Gospel, Romans 10:16a. He noted that this failure was predicted in Isaiah 53:1 where the miracles ("arm of the Lord" = power of God seen in Christ's miracles) of the Servant of God, Christ, were not seen by Israel to be the evidence that He was the Messiah and Son of God to be believed for salvation (See John 12:37 where this prophecy is fulfilled).
    5. Thus, faith that leads to salvation comes by one's hearing the proclamation of the Gospel and believing it (Romans 10:17) as Isaiah 53:1 suggests; however, Israel had rejected God's Messenger and His message!
    6. This message had gone to the world via the Church, a fact Paul noted in Romans 10:18 in citing Psa. 19:4.
    7. Yet, Paul knew a Jew might object to his argument at this point, claiming Israel could not have known God would justify all men by faith (Romans 10:19a), thus implying Paul's Gospel was unjust for the Jew; in response, Paul cited the Old Testament to show it had predicted God would drive Israel to envy by His blessing the Gentiles (citing Deuteronomy 32:21 in Romans 10:19b) though He had long extended His salvation grace to a disobedient and obstinate Israel (citing Isaiah 65:1-2 in Romans 10:20-21).
Lesson: God's cessation of working through Israel today has not occurred because He has decided not to fulfill His promises to her, but because Israel has rejected God's promised Messiah and His Gospel!

Application: (1) May we not reject Christ's Gospel, but believe it to be saved! (2) May we as believers not reject other efforts by God to give us more truth to heed for blessing lest we miss God's best for us!