Bible Study on Romans Session 17

Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans;

A Bible Study Based upon the Homilies of St John Chrysostom (SJC)

Study Guide – September 17, 2019 – Romans 9.1-33 – Homily 16

Prayer before reading of the Holy Scriptures: Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our minds that we may comprehend the message of Your Gospel. Instill in us also reverence for Your blessed commandments so that, having conquered sinful desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things which are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give glory, together with Your Father who is without beginning and Your all holy, good and life giving Spirit, always now and forever and to the ages of ages.

Chapter 9, Verses 1-5

  • Paul lays out his argument in advance to avoid people feeling like he is trying to trick them.
  • What does Paul mean by “accursed”? SJC “What has happened? You have not changed, have you? You did not destroy your yearning for him, did you? “No,” he answers. “Do not be afraid of that. Surely not. Rather I have increased my yearning.” How is it, then, that you wish to be accursed and to seek a separation at so great a distance that, after it, you cannot find anything that removes you further from Christ? And Paul replies: “Because my love for him is so strong.” (Pg 1 #3)
  • There is a difference in forms of separation. SJC “People keep away from the one because it is dedicated to God; they avoid the other because the person is estranged from God and broken off from the Church.” (Pg 2 #6)
  • We must always determine the “why” of things. SJC “For if we do not carefully examine into the cause of things, we will be calling Elijah a murderer and Abraham not only a murderer but even a slayer of his son.” (Pg 2 #9)
  • Paul’ desire is only to glorify God. He stops at nothing to keep the Jews focused and in the Church. SJC “So that the Jews might be saved and their blasphemies brought to an end….Paul also wished you to know this so that God’s promise might not appear to have failed of fulfillment.  (Pg 3 #15)
  • Paul’s willingness to be accursed is an example his love, just as the Father’s love = ultimate sacrifice. To think anything else of Saint Paul is like worms in dung. SJC “Why would the Jews say that? Because God made a promise to one people and then fulfilled it for another. Christ was sprung from one race and then gave salvation to others. God had made the promise to the ancestors of the Jews but, after their descendants had been abandoned, God brought into their blessings peoples who had never known him. The Jews had labored in their observance and concern for the Law, and they carefully read the prophets. Yet those who but yesterday had turned away from pagan altars and idols had become superior to the Jews. Where do we see the providence of God in these reversals?” (Pg 4 #20) 

Chapter 9, Verses 6-13

  • The promise of God has stood firm!
  • The “seed of Abraham” was not limited to the physical seee. In other words, If God always fulfills His promises then we must change our point of view. SJC “Therefore, if you learn of what sort the seed of Abraham is, you will see that the promise was given to his seed and you will understand that God’s promise did not fail of fulfillment….What difference does it make if the womb and belly of a woman were God’s instrument? For it was not the power of the belly but the strength of the promise which begot the child. This is the way in which we, too, are brought to birth by the words of God. For in the bath of waters it is the words of God which mold us and give us birth. For we are born when we are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And this birth comes not from nature but from the promise of God. Just as after God had promised the birth of Isaac, he then kept his word, so, too, he foretold our birth in baptism many years before through all the prophets and then later brought it to pass. Do you see how great a thing God foretold and, after he had promised it, fulfilled his promise with the greatest ease?” (Pg 7 #35, 38)
  • Why wouldn’t God save the Gentiles? SJC “If, then, all have sinned, how is it that some have been saved while others have perished? It is because all were not willing to come to God. For God’s part, all were saved, because all were called to salvation….It does not seem very reasonable to most men that all be punished because one man had sinned. But that all men might be justified, because one Man had done what was right, would be more reasonable and more in keeping with the divine nature. …Because God does not wait, as man does, to see from the outcome of their deeds, the good one and the one who is not good. God knows beforehand which is the evil one and which one is not. …Will you Jews tell me, even if you are at a loss about so many questions and can answer none of them, how is it that you are causing us so much trouble over the calling of the gentiles? Surely, I can give you a correct reason why the gentiles have received justification, and why you have fallen out of favor. And what is this reason? It is because the gentiles have been justified by faith and you, as you think, have been justified by observance of the Law. And because of your obstinacy about this observance, you have in every respect been abandoned….No man, even if he possesses the broadest knowledge, knows this, but his opinion on this matter is often quite wrong.” (Pg 9-11 #47, #49, #54, #58, #59)
  • This does not imply that only Gentiles are good and that Jews are evil. Virtue comes from the soul and not through the flesh.
  • God does not depend upon our evaluation of others for their salvation. SJC “Since God loves mankind, since he is infinite Wisdom, since he alone knows all things clearly, all the more will he not yield to the conjectures of men. He will make his decisions in all matters from his own wisdom, which is accurate and unfailing. This is why he chose the publican, the thief, and the harlot. This is why he dishonored and rejected the priests, the elders, and the rulers. You may see that this happened also in the case of the martyrs. For many of those who were utterly cast aside received crowns of victory in their hour of trial. On the other hand, many who were considered to be great in the eyes of many men have slipped and fallen. Therefore, do not demand an accounting from the Creator. Do not say to him: “Why did this man receive a victory crown while another was punished?” (Pg 12 #69, #70)
  • God judges intent AND actions. SJC “For God is not looking only for a show of deeds but also for a nobility of choice and an obedient mind.” (Pg 13 #71)

Chapter 9, Verses 14-29

  • Another example of condescension leading up to lifting up. SJC “Paul also does this so that, when he has made his hearer ready and when he has checked and softened down the man’s mind and judgment, he may bring in his solution, after he has made his adversary more ready to accept what he has to say.” (Pg 14 #77)
  • Paul is a faithful teacher SJC “Do you see how Paul frightened, struck with fear, and caused his objector to tremble, rather than to ask questions out of idle curiosity? This is the mark of the very best teacher. He does not go along in every case with what his pupils say. Rather, he draws them to his own way of thinking, he roots out the thorns and then he sows the good seeds” (Pg 14 #80)
  • We aren’t clay. SJC argues against literalism “But we must not take all examples in their entirety.” (Pg 14 #82)
  • God does nothing random and without reason
  • Paul desires for us to submit ourselves to God
  • Punishment and honor is based upon how we use our free will
  • God is long-suffering to give everyone a chance to repent, and if they don’t repent at least those that watch God’s power might have a chance to repent. (See the example of Pharaoh Pg 16 #90ff)
  • Some are saved while others are not saved, not because God does not desire them to be saved, but because they do not choose to be saved. SJC “For man must will and act; but he must not put his trust in what he does himself.” (Pg 17 #95)
  • Free will is the key to the mercy of God. SJC “What is the source, then, which makes some vessels fit for wrath and other vessels for mercy? It is their own free will. However, since God is exceedingly good, he shows the same goodness to both. He showed his mercy not only to those who are saved, but he contributed his share to Pharaoh as well. Both the saved and Pharaoh enjoyed the same long-suffering. If Pharaoh was not saved, it was altogether owing to his own will. For as far as God’s part was concerned, Pharaoh had received no less than those who were saved.” (Pg 17 #98)
  • Paul offers the quotes of the Prophets as evidence that this has always been the plan of God and that Paul is not offering anything new.

Chapter 9, Verses 30-33

  • Two main points in this entire chapter that Paul had to bring us through an extensive dialogue. Otherwise he would have turned too many away from the truth. SJC “For surely, there are two questions discussed. First, that the gentiles found justification and, secondly, that they found it even though they did not pursue it, that is, that they found it even though they did not earnestly seek after it. And, again, in the case of the Jews, there are two difficulties of the same sort: first, that Israel did not find it and, secondly, that they did not find it even though they earnestly sought after it.” (Pg 19 #10)

Life Application – There has been enough in this chapter to leave the teaching for another time“This is why I have given a rather lengthy explanation in this part of my discourse, so that I might not be forced to undermine and obscure the clarity of what I was saying by cutting short the continuity of its context. Therefore, I shall stop my discourse at this point even if I say nothing to you on its moral aspects of which I usually treat, so that I may not befog your memories because of the excessive number of topics which I have discussed. It is now time to put the proper conclusion to my homily by closing it with the doxology to the God of all. Let us then both stop, that is, I who am speaking and you who are listening, and let us give glory to him, since his is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Pg 21 #117)