A MINI-LESSON ON ROMANS 9:30-33

Romans 9: 30. What will we say then? That the Gentiles who ran not after righteousness, have found righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith: 31. But Israel who ran after the Torah of righteousness, has not found the Torah of righteousness. 32. And why? Because they went after it, not by faith, but by the works of Torah. For they stumbled at that stumbling-stone: 33. As it is written, Behold, I lay in Tsiyon a stumbling-stone and a stone of offense: and he who believes in him, will not be ashamed. (AENT)

IN OTHER WORDS, Paul is NOT saying that "all one has to do is to believe in Jesus!" He is saying that once one has accepted the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and begins to OBEY Him, everything changes!

Many were guilty of simply doing by rote the Seventh Day Sabbath and the Feasts, etc. But their HEARTS weren't it! They were doing because that's what everyone else was doing...without actually KNOWING YHWH and doing these things out of love or the desire to have a real relationship with Him.

(This can be likened to a teenager cleaning up his/her room because they were TOLD to. They do it to prevent punishment, not because they love their parents so much that they want to please them.)

Having a relationship with God is a two-way street...

Yes, by grace and faith we are saved; but once we enter into that relationship, we are expected to heed and obey, and live our life according to HIS Divine Instructions, and not pretend we are "holy," simply because we "believe."

Ephesians 2:4. But Elohim who is rich in His mercies because of the great love with which He loved us 5. when we were dead in our sins, gave us life with the Mashiyach and rescued[1] us by His grace; 6. and revived us with him and seated us with him in heaven, in Y’shua the Mashiyach: 7. that He might show to the coming ages[2] the magnitude of the riches of His grace and His goodness towards us in Y’shua the Mashiyach.

8. For it is by His grace we are rescued, through faith; and this is not of yourselves, but it is the gift of Elohim; [3] 9. not of works, or else anyone glory (in themselves). 10. for we are His creation who are created in Y’shua the Mashiyach for good works which Elohim has before prepared for us to walk in. (AENT)

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Literally, “saved.” A variant of this word is what we call “Savior” in English. In Aramaic the concept of a savior is literally: “giver of life.”

[2] Or, “worlds.”

[3] The synonym for “gift of YHWH” is the name Mattityahu (Matthew). Rav Shaul (Paul) perhaps intended to reference Matthew here, the writer of the first account of the Good News! Matthew’s account of the Good News might well have been the only publication in circulation in Rav Shaul’s lifetime.