In the first part of this chapter, Paul describes how the Jews of his day (and as we can observe, most people today) reject God’s established way of being made right with him, instead trying to invent their own way with their own invented standards of “goodness”. But the fact remains that those who trust in Christ, instead of their own morality, will be made right with God.
But in order to trust in Christ, people need someone to tell them about Christ.(v.14) God has always made messengers of truth a part of trusting in him, as Paul refers to when quoting Isaiah 52:7.(v.15) In Isaiah 52, the prophet is announcing that God will rescue the Jews from the captivity they were experiencing in Assyria. But that chapter also foreshadows the ultimate freedom they would be offered through Christ, and begins describing the Messiah just a few verses later. (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) A very compelling passage, by the way!
So a person needs to be told about Christ in order to trust in him. Just because the Jews were the caretakers of God’s written word did not mean they were automatically rescued from the consequences of their sin. Like everyone else, they need to listen to God’s words and respond to them, which they have not always done, as Paul establishes by quoting Isaiah 53:1. (“Lord, who has believed our message?”) (v.16)
Faith that responds to God’s offer of rescue comes from hearing that offer, and that offer is made through the message of who Christ is and what he has done for us (the “word of Christ”). (v.17)
So what’s going on with the Jews of Paul’s day, and so many others today who live in a culture saturated with Christianity, yet they don’t respond to it? It’s not that they haven’t been exposed to the message. Paul quotes Psalm 19, which demonstrates how the presence and character of God is communicated through the natural world.(v.18) Like everyone else, they are without excuse for not pursuing God. (Romans 1:18-20) And even more so, since God’s written word was(and still is) commonly available! Additionally, by this time, Jesus and his apostles had been teaching among the Jewish communities for years. They were the first priority when it came to telling people about what Christ has done to rescue us.
Largely, Israel willingly rejected Christ, even though non-Jews trusted and believed in him all over. Paul implies that the Jews should have seen this coming, since God had previously promised to favor other people because of the Jews’ rejection of him, with the partial intent of provoking them to a jealousy that would cause them to return. Even while angry with people, God still extends a loving invitation of rescue and reconciliation. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:21, and Isaiah 65:1-2 to support this.(v. 19-21)
While many claim ignorance or lack of evidence as reasons for not pursuing knowledge of God, the truth is that it is much more an issue of the heart than of the mind. The truth is available for examination at a moment’s notice, but our tendency as humans is to hang on to our own way of living life with a death grip. Even so, God is constantly holding out his hand, ready to rescue anyone who is willing to BE rescued.
Next- The Jews Are Not A Lost Cause
Coffee House Question- If you are a Christian, though not since childhood, what were you afraid you might lose or have to give up by becoming a Christian? Did you lose or give anything up? What has it been like without it?
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