Romans 11-12 God’s Dealings with Israel and Living Sacrifice

 

Romans 11 The culmination of God’s Sovereignty and man’s free will applied to Israel.

Romans 11: 1-6 God did not reject Israel - they rejected Him. But He still saved some of them anyway - those He could, those who would. Did they choose Him or did He choose them? Yes!

• Romans 11:3-4 quotes 1 Kings 19:10-18.  God’s response to Elijah was that he (Elijah) did not have the full picture. God had sovereignly kept a remnant of Israel faithful to Him. Elijah should not take the rebellion of Ahab and his cronies as the totality of the Northern Kingdom.  

Romans 11:5-10 The few in Israel that remained faithful to God did so because of faith in Him and His grace. Those who tried to earn His favor by the Law (thus making it not grace but an obligation on God), failed completely, because legalism led to spiritual apathy and blindness, and because they could not keep it.

• Romans 11:8 quotes Deuteronomy 29:4 about Jews who wandered forty years in the desert. They were consigned to this because they did not believe God’s promise.  (Numbers 14) It was fear in the natural level, giants in the land, that led to grumbling, rebellion, and talking about returning to Egypt.
• Romans 11:9-10 quotes Psalm 69:22-23 - David’s incantation regarding his enemies. He had earlier in this psalm described his trust in God and the flood of troubles his enemies had brought on him, because they did not seek God as he did.

Romans 11:11-12 It seems counterintuitive and self-contradictory, but since the Jews rejection of Christ led to blessing the gentiles with the gospel, the final outcome will ultimately be greater blessing for the Jews. 

Romans 11:13-24 Gentiles are not superior to Jews, as all are grafted in solely by God’s grace. And just as the Jews were broken off from God by their rejection of the gospel and Jesus,  so too will gentiles be if they similarly reject it and Him. To persist in unbelief is to reject Jesus, regardless of religious or ethnic identification.

Romans 11:25-32 Man’s free will and God’s sovereignty play out on both an individual and national level. Both are true, but at the individual level, there is a final result. Nationally, at the end, there is a division and a remnant. Those who don’t want to be with God, won’t be. (Deuteronomy 24:4)

Romans 11:33-36 God’s mystery leads to revealing His glory. This song of worship incorporates some Old  Testament quotes, but verses 33 and 36 appear to be unique, Paul’s own words.

• Romans 11:34 quotes Isaiah 40:13, which follows the challenge in Isaiah 40:10: See the sovereign Lord coming with power.
• Romans 11:35 quotes Job 41:11, one of a series of rhetorical questions that the Lord asks Job out of the whirlwind.

On the whole, most readers are likely still mystified or dissatisfied with Paul’s explanation of reconciling God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. In the end, it remains a mystery, but Paul worships God out of faith in His transcendent goodness.

Romans 12 Offering ourselves to God by living in Community

Romans 12:1-5 Paul urges us to present our whole selves to Christ, body and soul. As C. S. Lewis pointed out, the problem with being a living sacrifice is that we continue to be tempted to crawl off the altar. In presenting our selves as a sacrifice, we recognize  that only what is given to God will endure for eternity. In 12:1 & 4-5 Paul speaks to the presenting of our own body (12:1) and then to being part of the body of believers (12:4-5). In 12:2-3 he speaks to making our mind and judgment renewed so that we think in accordance with faith. Thus body and mind are both devoted to the Lord. Also, being part of a body of believers means that we we should recognize and encourage the gifts of others. 

Romans 12:6-8 speaks to the gifts we are given by God, a different list than is found in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10.  These seem to be different types of gifts. Paul’s list of charismata  (grace-gifts) in Romans identifies ministries or callings such as serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading. To the Corinthians he identifies enablements that are necessary for supernaturally, divinely-enabled actions. There is only one that is the same in both lists, although others might be linked.

• Prophecy appears in both lists, the outward bubbling of what the Holy Spirit is saying. Paul links this to faith.
• Teaching might be linked to supernatural wisdom and/or knowledge; at least, the act of teaching, presumably based on study, provides an opportunity for God to reveal new truths to and through the teacher.
• Giving could be an avenue for miracles, if, for example, the recipient of the gift desperately needs some very specific thing, that the giver does not know about but provides. Perhaps that could exhibit a Holy Spirit-given word of knowledge to the giver.

Romans 12:4-16 explains living in community. Beyond presenting ourselves to exhibit God’s gifts as per the above, certain behaviors are identified as specifics that demonstrate brotherly love. 12:9-16 lists many ways to show love to others, and gives practical ways we can practice the gifts listed in 12:6-8. How many children in families behave this way toward their siblings? But this is what we are called to.

Romans 12:17-21 dwells on Jesus’ theme in the Sermon on the Mount about loving our enemies. (Matthew 5:38-48) Specifically, Paul says to overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19 quotes from the song of Moses, which speaks to letting the Lord repay, i.e., not taking vengeance ourselves. 12:20 quotes Proverbs 25:21-22 which says to heap burning coals on the head of our enemy by giving him food and drink. Metaphorically speaking, this does not necessarily mean the fire of judgment, but perhaps the burning conviction when an enemy recognizes that they would rather live life in a community of love than to be dominant and evil. Romans 12:21 wraps up this last discussion with the admonition to overcome evil with good, just as Jesus did on the cross and through the empty tomb.