Romans 11
The theme of Romans 11 is God’s mercy, rather than human effort, is what will decide the destiny of Israel. That is also theme of chapters 10 and 11. It is also, in another way, the theme of the book. God’s mercy, rather than human effort, will decide your destiny. God’s mercy, and not human effort, will decide the destiny of this church. This chapter uses the situation of Israel to show how our situation is also shaped and decided by God. As we have already seen, this is does not make Paul passive. He is not indifferent to the fate of his fellow Jews. His heart is broken for them. He prays for them, he tells them the good news. But it is God who will decide their destiny.
In the first section Paul talks about a group of people who are still true to God. Other translations call this the remnant. This group defy the prevailing culture. While other people around them turn away from God, they do not. Paul says that there is a such a group of Jews. While the majority have turned their back on the Messiah, this minority has not. Paul himself is one of this minority. He also gives the example of Elijah. Elijah felt that he was the last remaining follower of Jesus. He was not. There were 7000 others. God loves us. He has chosen us. Your sin is not too big for God to forgive. Your problems are not too big for God. Your past does not disqualify you from being with Jesus. Our job is to trust Jesus. His death on the cross is bigger than our sin. It is more powerful than our problems.
We trust in Jesus, not in ourselves. We might feel that we are in the minority. We might feel that no-one is listening. We might feel that it doesn’t matter if we serve God or not. But God always uses faithful people who hold on to the truth in tough times. In tough times, we pray. In tough times, we speak the word of God. In tough times, we obey God, even when other people don’t. The things which we do in difficult times have a huge impact. Sometimes, when we are in the minority, we don’t think about the opportunities we have. There was a remnant in China after the Cultural Revolution. God used these to grow the church again. There was a remnant in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. God used them to grow the church. We too are a remnant. We trust in the power of God and of his word in dark times.
True Christians are a minority in Britain: How can we live faithful lives in unfaithful times?
God’s grace is the theme of the entire letter. This letter is about God’s mercy and his glory. God’s mercy and glory are expressed in Jesus. Faith in Jesus Christ makes us right with God. It is not our good actions which make us right with God. It is his grace. Grace means God’s undeserved mercy. We do not work to obtain this grace. We do not earn it. It comes only by trusting Jesus. Many people, even in the streets of Manchester, tell us how we can earn God’s favour. They might tell us to follow different books, keep Islamic law, or join their group. This week during our Thursday discussion group, we read the book Romans. It said that we couldn’t be saved by the law. I was discussing it with a young man from Iraq. He struggled to understand that we couldn’t become ‘good people’ by obeying God. When we are brought up to think that we become good people by doing good things, it is hard to understand grace. Grace means that God’s choice, not our merit, will save us. If we do not understand grace, we think falsely about God, ourselves and others. When we think about our actions, or the actions of others, we can be tempted to accuse other people or ourselves. We begin to be frightened of God. Or perhaps we can begin to be weary. God’s grace is enough for us, and for other people.
We are saved by grace, not by works. How does your understanding of grace impact the way that you think about : a) God, b) yourself, and c) others?
Paul doesn’t say that Israel wasn’t trying to be good, or that they didn’t care about God. They wanted God’s favour. They were prepared to do anything to obtain God’s favour. Yet they did not obtain God’s favour, because they sought it in the wrong way. It is perfectly possible for someone to be sincere, religious, hard-working, and to completely miss out on God’s mercy. In order to obtain God’s mercy, we have to understand God’s message, the gospel. But some people cannot understand it. It seems impossible to them that God should send someone to die for them. We need God to soften people’s hearts. So how can we do that? The first thing. Paul said at the start of Chapter 10 that his prayer for the Israelites was that they should be saved. Only God can bring people to Jesus. The second is to have faith. God is in charge. The third is to tell people the good news. Even if people are stubborn, the Good News about Jesus is their only hope. Look at the Paul himself. He teaches us that Jesus is the only way to salvation. He teaches us that only God can lead someone to faith. He told people the gospel wherever he could. He prayed for people so that they would be saved. We should have the same attitude. Only Jesus saves. Choose people that you want to pray for. Pray for them consistently. We will pray that God opens the eyes of people and brings them to salvation.
