#DailyDevotion Jesus Is A Stumbling Block. He Makes No Sense To The Human Mind.
January 20th
Read Rom 9:19–33
Rom 9:19-21 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” (20) But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” (21) Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 30-32 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; (31) but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. (32) Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,
People often because rhetoric is a lost art don’t recognize Paul’s rhetoric here. He is not necessarily saying that God is working like this but rather he is trying to reason with us that God is waaaayyyyyy above our best thinking. Really verse 20 is key here. “Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?”
We need a little humility when approaching God and his Word. God is not going to tell us everything. He tells us what we need to know to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. He may let us in on more at times but always to that purpose. He has let us know that His thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways. What’s the point in arguing with him? Should you get an audience with him as our father Abraham did, you can attempt to Jew him down but otherwise, you’re simply going to trust he knows what he is doing.
So what is Paul’s point here in Chapter nine? We attain righteousness by faith and not by works. The gentiles are who are not Abraham’s children through the flesh are his children not because of their sanctified great Christian lives but through faith in Jesus Christ and his work alone.
The Jews and erring Christians fail to achieve this righteousness even though they may pursue a law that would lead to righteousness because they do not pursue it by faith. Without faith in Jesus it is impossible to please God. Heb. 11 And everything done apart from faith in Jesus is sin. Rom. 12 No matter what good works you try to do to be righteous, holy and pleasing to God is impossible without faith in Jesus.
Jesus is the stumbling stone. He makes no sense to the rational mind. The rational mind says that if you are basically a good person, if you don’t hurt other people (most of the time) and help other people (most of the time) then God should be pleased with you and heaven is your oyster. But Jesus says no. Faith in him, simple trust in his works is what makes you sanctified, holy, righteous and pleasing in God’s sight, even without any works of our own to show. For this faith is the very work of God and not ours.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant us faith to trust only in you for our status before the Father and not trust in any of the outward works that you work in us for our salvation. Amen.