Romans 9 and 10
Some of us are reading through and discussing Romans 9 and 10. Here are the study questions for this passage.
Study Questions for Romans 9-10
Quick overview of Romans 9: Some Jews apparantly argued with Paul (a former Jewish Pharisee) that a Jew was automatically a child of God, regardless of faith in Christ. Paul disagreed, and Romans 9 is that disagreement. His position: those who are chosen are done so in God’s grace, not because of anything inherited or earned. Paul is clear that acceptance by God comes through faith in Christ, not by works or birthright.
1) Paul prefaces his argument with giving credit where credit is due: The gentile world is saved through Israel. We are to honor them as God’s chosen people, and “from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ.” With this established, how can Paul say that non-Christ-believing Jews will not enter heaven? What is his argument about the decendents of Abraham? Who are his “true” decendents, according to the covenant and the promise of God? Who. therefore, are not? (For the full scoop on the children of Abraham, read Genesis 16 and Genesis 21.)
2) Did God really hate Esau? This quoted passage from Malachi 1:2,3 must be considered in the context of the other quoted passage, Genesis 25:23. In this latter passage, is God talking about two people, or something else? (For further clues, do a little investigative reading in Smith’s Bible Dictionary.)
3) Romans 9 uses three examples from the Old Testament to demonstrate how God chooses people in spite of what they might otherwise deserve or inherit. Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, and Pharoah. How did God demonstrate his sovereignty in their lives?
4) The book of Hosea is a an amazing picture of how God longs to restore Israel to himself, even though she has been as unfaithful to him as Hosea’s wife was to Hosea. Even in his wrath, God still longs to have Israel return to him, and everything He allows or causes to happen to Israel is toward that end. Paul quotes Hosea 2:23 and Hosea 1:10 to make a unique case. What is it?
5) Herein lies an oft-quoted (and sung) passage about the potter and the clay. Take a moment of silence before God and contemplate: in what areas of your life are you resisting - or resenting - the work of the potter? Here’s a really tough question: Can you in expect to find true peace and joy in your life while still resisting/resenting? (Here is a good - but hard hitting - read on the source of conflict in our lives: James 4.)
6) The Zion mentioned at the end of Romans 9 isn’t miles below the earth and populated by former Copper-Tops. Get the 411 on the real Zion of the Bible.
7) What is the “stumbling stone” mentioned by Paul? Consider why God used that term, and whether or not you see it applicable today.
8) Verses 6-8 get a little hard to follow without knowing the passage Paul is referring to. The passage he is adapting is one from Genesis where Moses is making his final address to Israel before his death. The message is clear: God will bless Israel, provided they obey Him and follow His law. (Deuteronomy 30:9-10.) This is followed immediately with the assertion that it is quite possible to know what God’s will really is. (verses 11-14.) Now that you have the background, read Romans 10:6-8 again and see if it is a little easier to understand.
9) If you are ever asked what a person must really do to please God, verses 9-11 contains nearly the clearest answer you can give. If you’ve been thinking about memorizing any Bible verses lately, this is good material. Verse 11 even throws in a little eternal security into the mix!
10) Doctrine in the medieval church about Jews become clearly anti-Semitic by various church leaders in the 4th century. These new teachings centered around the notion that God had rejected Israel and accepted the Church in their stead. These ideas were politicised when the Roman Empire adoped Christianity as the official religion. The political pursuits that used “Christian” anti-Semitism left a bloody trail in history from the Crusades to the Spanish Inquisition to the Nazi Party. For a fuller account, read the history of “Classical and Christian Anti-Semitism“.
The “justifications” for such anti-Semitism may very well have been originally gleaned from passages like Romans 9 and 10. Once again, we must consider all scriptures in their context for our interpretation to be accurate. In this case, we need only to keep reading about the status of Israel in Romans 11. Although we’ll study that in full the next time we meet, at least consider what Paul said in Romans 11:1-2a for now: “I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.”
The question bears asking: If the average church-goer in 450 AD or 1450 AD could read the Scriptures for themselves in their own language, could the Church ever have become such a terrible haven for anti-Semitism? (Warning: this question is a set-up.)