Romans 9:27-33 (NIV)

Romans 9:27-33 (NIV)
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality."
29 It is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah."
30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.
32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone."
33 As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

I want to reiterate that I find chapters 9-11 of Romans some of the hardest passages to grasp. You will find good Christian people who disagree with each other on these passages. I am more settled about their meaning than I was some years ago, however I still struggle at times with what is being said by Paul. With all that being said, lets dig into these rich verses.

We have already heard Paul say that not all of Israel is Israel. In other words, just because you were born a Jew does not mean you are automatically in the kingdom of God. The remnant are those who exercised faith in God by obeying Him. The other Jews exercised their works in hoping to please God to let them into His kingdom. The non-remnant exercised no faith whatsoever. To be born a Jew and to have all the advantages of being a Jew becomes a disadvantage when they miss the point of faith. Again the Jews are upset because the Gentiles are getting in on all the promises and they are not Jewish; they were not born a Jew! If you are not born a Jew then how can one get in on the riches of God's grace? Paul says it is receiving righteousness that is by faith and not by works. We know that this is true because even Abraham believed and it was credited to his account as righteousness. Then Christ shows up and teaches this righteousness by faith and what do many of the Jews do? They reject Him! The one that could complete them and bring it all together for them, they throw upon a cross. This truth is dripping with irony and pain. How do you escape the pain and shame? You take this Jesus Christ as as your Savior and Lord. It is still true today that Christ is either a stumbling block or He is the stepping stone of blessing.

Caesar was more talked about in his time than Jesus, and Plato taught more science than Christ. People still discuss the Roman ruler and the Greek philosopher, but who nowadays is hotly for Caesar or against him; and who now are the Platonists and the anti-Platonists? There are still people who love him and who hate him. . . . The fury of so many against him is a proof that he is not dead.

Giovanni Papini (1923– )