Romans 9.32a-Israel Did Not Pursue Righteousness On The Basis Of Faith But On The Basis Of Meritorious Works
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday April 26, 2009
Romans: Romans 9:32a-Israel Did Not Pursue The Law On The Basis of Faith But On The Basis Of Meritorious Works
Lesson # 325
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 9:30.
In Romans 9:30, Paul presents a paradoxical conclusion based upon what he taught in Romans 9:6-29 that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness like the Jews, obtained it by faith.
Then, in Romans 9:31, he teaches that in contrast to the Gentiles even though the nation of Israel zealously pursued righteousness that is based upon obedience to the Mosaic Law, they never measured up to the Law.
This morning we will note Romans 9:32a and in this passage Paul teaches that Israel never measured up to the Law because they never zealously pursued it on the basis of faith but rather as if it were possible, on the basis of meritorious actions.
Let’s read Romans 9:30-33 and then concentrate on verse 32a for the rest of the morning.
Romans 9:30-33, “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’”
Let’s now concentrate on verse 32a.
Romans 9:32, “Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.”
“Why” is composed of the preposition dia (diaV) (dee-ah) and the accusative neuter singular form of the interrogative pronoun tis (tiv$) (tis), which together introduce a rhetorical question that asks why the nation of Israel could never measure up to the Law.
“Because” is the conjunction hoti (o^ti) (hot-ee), which introduces a “causal” clause that presents the reason why the nation of Israel never measured up to the Law.
“They did not pursue it” indicates that the reason why the nation of Israel never measured up to the Law is that they never zealously pursued it on the basis of faith.
“By faith” is composed of the emphatic negative adverb ou (ou)) (oo), “not” and the preposition ek (e)k), “by” and the genitive feminine singular form of the noun pistis (pivsti$), “faith.”
The noun pistis refers to the non-meritorious system of perception of placing one’s “trust” or “confidence in” the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
He is the object of faith for salvation and justification since His spiritual death on the Cross as an impeccable person redeemed sinful mankind from the slave market of sin, satisfied the demands of a holy God that human sin be judged, reconciled the entire human race to God and fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law.
He is also the object of faith for salvation and justification since His physical death dealt with the problem of man’s sin nature, which is the source of personal sin.
That He is the object of faith is indicated in Romans 3:22 and 26.
In Romans 9:32, the preposition ek is used with the genitive form of pistis as a marker of cause with focus upon source.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase indicates that the nation of Israel never measured up to the Law because they never zealously pursued it “on the basis of faith as constituting the source of justification.”
Romans 9:32, “Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works.”
“But” is the adversative use of the conjunction alla (a)llav) (al-lah), which introduces a statement that presents a concept that is in total contrast or is totally antithetical to zealously pursuing the Law based upon faith as the source of justification.
It indicates that zealously pursuing the Law on the basis of faith as a source of justification is totally antithetical to pursuing on the basis of meritorious actions as a source of justification since faith in Christ will result in justification since Christ perfectly fulfilled the Law.
On the other hand, performing meritorious actions will not since the Law requires perfect obedience which sinners do have not capacity to do.
“As though” is the relative adverb of manner hos (w($) (hoce), which functions as a comparative particle introducing a comparison between zealously pursuing the Law by means of faith with doing so by means of works.
With this word Paul is saying that the nation of Israel never measured up to the Law because they never zealously pursued it by means of faith as a source but rather “as if it were possible” by means of meritorious works as a source.
“By works” is composed of the preposition ek (e)k), “by,” which is followed by the genitive neuter plural form of the noun ergon (e&rgon) (er-gon), “the works.”
The noun ergon is used in the plural form and means, “meritorious actions” since we are speaking in the context of Israel attempting to be declared justified by God by zealously pursuing to measure up to the Law by being obedient to it.
The preposition ek functions with the genitive form of the noun ergon, “works” as a marker of cause with focus upon source.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase indicates that the nation of Israel never measured up to the Law because they zealously pursued it “on the basis of” or “because of” meritorious actions as constituting the source of justification.
Corrected translation of Romans 9:30-32:
Romans 9:30, “Therefore, what is the conclusion that we are forced to? That the Gentiles who, customarily and characteristically do not zealously pursue righteousness obtained righteousness, in fact a righteousness, which is by means of faith as a source.”
Romans 9:31, “However, even though Israel customarily and characteristically zealously pursues a legal righteousness, they never measured up to the Law.”
Romans 9:32, “For what reason? Because they, as an eternal spiritual truth, never zealously pursue it on the basis of faith (as constituting the source of justification) but rather as if it were possible on the basis of meritorious actions (as constituting the source of justification).”
In Romans 9:32a, Paul poses a rhetorical question that asks for the reason for the nation of Israel never measuring up to the Law by zealously pursuing righteousness that is based upon obedience to the Law.
He answers this question by teaching that Israel never zealously pursued it on the basis of faith as constituting the source of justification but rather as if it were possible, on the basis of meritorious actions as constituting the source of justification.
The Jews zealous pursuit of the Law was not the problem it was the way in which they went about that pursuit, which was wrong.
Instead of pursuing the Law on the basis of faith they went about pursuing to justify themselves before God by performing a meritorious system of works from it.
Galatians 2:16, “Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”
They failed to understand the purpose of the Law.
The Law was given to shut man up to faith, i.e., to exclude the works of the Law (or any system of works) as a system of merit for either salvation or sanctification and thereby lead him to Christ as the only means of righteousness (Galatians 3:19-20, 20-24; 1 Timothy 1:8-9; Romans 3:21-24).