Romans 9 – 10
Paul is focusing on the Law and its lack of redemptive power. The Law is there to provide guidance for a healthy and prosperous life, but not to provide salvation. No one but Jesus has been able to uphold the Law, so it’s a standard no one can reach. No matter how much we show God our obedience to the Law, without faith it is worthless. Verse 32 sums up the need for faith:
Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone
Israel pursued the Law by works and not by faith and it wasn’t until Jesus opened their eyes that this became truth. People of Israel often this their birthright through Abraham is the ticket to heaven and maybe doing work in the Law will elevate their status.
Verse 21 uses the Potters analogy found in a few places in the Bible (Jeremiah 18:6 is most common reference):
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?
We like to think God forms us into the image we want, but often time the form he makes us in is not what we necessarily want. Think about it we have to have the vessel for holding the wine for the feast or the flowers for Mother’s Day, but we rarely think of the need for a garbage can. When you think about it this way one can become depressed since we all see ourselves doing great things and being very powerful, not cleaning up after everyone else.
Chapter 10 has a great outline for salvation described in verses 8 & 9:
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
The Law tends to muddy the waters when people explore salvation. The idea ones salvation can be lost due to sins or disobedience of the Law is far from true. The message of salvation is a simple one when you dig deep. The part that says confess with the mouth is easy to do; it’s the heart things that is hard. It’s easy to say you believe in God, it’s another to really believe it. This is where reading and study become important since the scriptures not only clarify right from wrong, but help show you God so your heart will believe.
Once you understand and believe, work to know and find God. Where salvation on the surface is easy, really knowing God is a different experience. Once you get your brain around God, work on wrapping your heart around it to ensure salvation.