Romans pt 11: Intro to Chapters 9-11

Feb 20

This is the Hard Part

This is the part where Romans loses most readers, and it is precisely why most people never make it past chapter 8 when reading Paul’s letter to the Romans. So let me give you a lens through which you can read these passages.
At the end of chapter 15:23-29, Paul gives us a typical newsletter that you might receive from any missionary out on the field. He writes about where he’s been and what has happened there. The book of Acts tells us that he always started in the synagogue with the Jews; he wanted to talk to them about the Gentiles being included, and he always had many questions. There are over 20 questions ranging from “Is God unjust?” (9:14) to “can someone fall so far that God cannot save them?”(11:11). Their questions were theological and rooted in their identity as God’s people.
Over time, Paul comes to anticipate the types of questions that the Jewish Christians had, and they are all collected and written down right here in 9-11. There are questions about what’s called cessationism, universalism, election, predestination, and more. There’s so much good stuff here, so I have decided to preach the questions because I want you to hear where they’re come from. But first, we need to talk about their theology of salvation so that we can understand the anxiety that they carry.

Meaning-Making Narrative

Everyone has a meaning-making narrative, a story they tell themselves about their life that makes sense of all the pieces. It includes your history and everything you’ve been through, whether good or bad, and it works to make sense of it all as a story leading somewhere. When it comes to reading, you read people best when you have come to understand their meaning-making narrative. And if you want to discern Pauls meaning making-making narrative, you need to go to Romans 9-11. Everyones theological narrative is unique to their people. This is also true of the Bible. There are several different salvation narratives in the Bible. Jesus has a kingdom narrative, James has a works/justification narrative, And Paul has a Covenant narrative. There is a diversity of voices telling the story of God and what it means for them.

I want to take a brief look at Paul’s narrative before we start moving through these chapters, so that we can get inside the mindset the these Jewish Christians and what Paul has to say to them.

Paul’s Covenant Narrative.

Paul’s narrative works like one of those Russian Nesting Dolls, it is plot within plot. Here is a diagram of how it can be understood: (1)

Main Plot: God is the creator of all and has placed mankind in a specific place of authority to rule under God and over creation, to order the world and bring the earth and all its creatures to flourish and good so that God can dwell among them.
But: Mankind has failed to live out this specific calling by practicing idolatry and disrupting the order of creation, serving other kings and rulers instead of God directly. Humanity’s sin causes them to fail in their purpose and mission.

Sub-Plot 1: God’s response is to create Israel. Israel is intended to be a people who will be separate from the rest of creation and set the world to rights through living in the originally intended way, directly under the creator YHWH, and, in this way, being a blessing to the nations of the earth.
But: Israel also falls into idolatry, failing at their mission and ending up enslaved in Egypt

Sub-Plot 2: God responds by rescuing Israel and giving the Torah (law). The Torah is meant to assist Israel in setting them apart and pressing them on toward their intended mission. The Torah both assists Israel in the mission.
But the Torah is also a stumbling block to them because it lays out punishments for disobedience to the law, like exile. Impurity and disobedience lead the people into exile God, their land, and their Temple.

The Messianic Solution: Jesus the Messiah is Israel-in-Person, but a better one. He succeeds everywhere that they have failed. He fulfills the Torah, not standing condemned by it. He fulfills Israel’s purpose, being a light and blessing to all nations. He takes Israel’s “exile-from-God” punishment on the cross, and he takes Israel’s sins upon himself, dying under them. At his resurrection, things are made right. Once again, God is at the helm in Jesus, king of all.

So Paul argues that Jesus is that Messiah, and that he has accomplished the roles of Israel, the Torah, and all of humanity as the perfect Imago Dei.

But: if that’s true, then the Jews wonder: why are they still suffering? And so they have questions for God:
“Why have you abandoned us? We did this all for you and it turned out terrible for us!”
And they’re mad at Paul for acting like God has decided to choose the Gentiles to complete the mission.

Taking Jewish Pain Public

And so in chapters 9-11, Paul will take their pain public; he wants their opponents to see it.

With the Gentiles in the room, Phoebe will ask each painful question they have:
“Is it all a lie? Was all of this for nothing? Where is God in all of this?”

All of this so that the cries of the broken can be heard by their powerful friends, the Gentiles, so those who view themselves as the hot new people of God on the scene will realize just how much pain their brothers and sisters are in.

Look at what Paul says:
“I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.”(Ro 9:2),

and then he honors them before the gentiles:

“Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah” (Ro 9:4–5).

Paul has no intention of diminishing their story or their suffering. Instead, he intends to reveal that story and suffering to their brothers and sisters, the Gentiles. So that they can end the cycle and bring healing back to the church again.

The Church that listens

When Watermark Church moved into our Central Ave building from the Springs theatre 12 years ago, I had a couple of conversations with church members who were not at all excited about moving to a better gathering space. There were people who showed up every Sunday for six years to help me set up chairs, microphones, and projectors and put out coffee, signage, and communion elements. When we moved into this place, some of them were sad about the change.

I said, “what? You like setting up the entire operation every week?”

And they said, “yes, it was the most important thing I could do for my family! I don’t have any other gifts to offer, and even what I have is being taken away!”

So we had a service where we looked back. I posted a picture of the old space where we met, and we cried as we celebrated the things that happened there, those who had moved away, those who had died, those who helped us build this church through sweat and sacrifice.

You can’t move forward, even towards good things, without first taking the time to celebrate, mourn, process, and accept what is behind us so that we can be ready to accept what God has for us in the future.

These Jewish Christians needed their Gentile brothers and sisters to understand what they have been through and what they have sacrificed so that outsiders can be included.

The role of power is not to lead or take charge, it’s not to coerce and make demands, and it’s not to drag everyone into some “great new future.” It is to listen, to understand, to serve, and to bring others to flourish.

Do you know how many people walk away from the church because they feel that the church has never bent their ears to listen to them? I have people tell me:

“I wasn’t allowed to talk about things at my church growing up; I couldn’t ask questions about faith, doubts, creation/evolution, about miracles, I couldn’t talk about social issues like race, abortion, immigration, sexuality, LGBTQ and gender issues… It all got shut down, and I had to fall in line or get out.”

I would argue that, it’s not that they don’t want to talk about it; its that they don’t want to listen.

Look, if listening to people of lower status — hearing their stories, pondering their questions, talking about difficult things with them — if that’s scary for you, the problem is not that you have a wrong view of people or even a wrong view of the issues; it’s that you have a wrong view of power.

The power of worldly kingdoms suppresses questions and doubts because it fears them. The power of God wields power differently, not over, but under. It trades thrones for mangers and swords for crosses, and it lets the Spirit work by gathering around the table and tending to that spirit as we submit to each other, listen to each other, and ask the spirit to minister to each other through the gifts that we have received from God.

I get tons of emails from people who are deconstructing and terrified, but they’ve gotten the memo that no one wants to hear their questions and doubts.
Perhaps the pain of these Jewish Christians will speak to that as we study Romans 9-11.