Saturday, December 7, 2013

December 8 Romans 9-11 Macro View of Redemptive History

Chapters 1-8 provided a micro view of salvation - how an individual gets saved. Chapters 9-11 give us a macro view of redemptive history - from Abraham and the Jewish people to Christ and the predominance of Gentiles culminating sometime in the future with the Jews being grafted back into the olive tree of salvation.

vv. 10:1-4 are important for all of us to remember as we are confronted with religious pluralism. Religious pluralism wants us to affirm, as equally valid, all religions. Religious pluralism values zealousness for a god(s) as the key. Paul doesn't value zealousness alone. Zealousness needs to be combined with knowledge about Christ.

These verses also speak against earning salvation by self-righteousness. All religions except one require some amount of meritorious actions (also called works or self-righteous acts) to earn a right standing with God. The one religion that does not recognize one's works as meritorious (salvation earning) is Biblical Christianity. Isaiah calls them all filthy menstrual rags before God. Biblical Christianity is by faith - always was, always will be.

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