The rejection of Christ by the Jews was never total. The majority of the Hebrew nation did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah. But some of them did accept and obey Him.

In Romans 11, Paul makes it clear that there was always a remnant of faithful Israelites, even in the dark days of the Old Testament monarchy (verses 1-4). And, in the first century, there were those in Israel who did understand the truth.

For those who did not accept Jesus as the Savior, it was not too late. If they heard the truth of the gospel and were obedient to it, they could still be saved.

Through the Jewish rejection of the Messiah, the Gentiles were given the opportunity to hear and obey the gospel (“for the Jew first and also for the Greek”).

But Jews who had initially refused to confess Christ could also still be saved if they would but turn and be converted through the preaching of the gospel. When Paul writes in verse 26, “And so all Israel will be saved,” he means through hearing and obeying, anyone could be accepted by God. That’s how any lost soul is made righteous before God, by obedience. All Israel and all Gentiles could be saved in this manner.

In verses 15-24, he compares obedience to God with branches from a wild olive tree (lost souls) being grafted into a cultivated olive tree (the saved).

And he reminds us of both the goodness and severity of God (verse 22). God will accept all who believe and obey and will punish all who reject and disobey.

--Roger Hillis

Having established in Chapter 9 that the Jews, for the most part, had rejected Jesus as the Messiah, this chapter shows that Paul still loved his people and wanted them to be saved. He prayed for the Jews; their salvation was his heart’s desire. The problem was that they were ignoring God’s plan for their righteousness and trying to make their own plan. God’s plan for the salvation of the Jews is the same as His plan for Gentiles. They must be obedient to the gospel, not the Law of Moses.

In verse 4, Paul shows that Jesus was the “end of the law for righteousness.” That doesn’t mean that He ended the Old Law, although He did. But, in this case, it means that Jesus was the end result, or the fulfillment, of the Law of Moses. The Law was described as a “tutor” (schoolmaster, KJV) to bring people to faith in Christ (Galatians 3:24-25).

Therefore, the greatest need of Israel was to recognize Jesus as the Savior and to obey His new covenant. That’s why the book of Romans begins with a reference to the gospel as “the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (or Gentile, rh)” (Romans 1:16). And in the gospel is revealed “the righteousness of God,” that is, God’s plan for making both Jew and non-Jew righteous (Romans 1:17).

Jews needed to hear and believe and obey the Lord’s New Testament in order to be saved, as they called upon God for salvation (Romans 10:13). In general, Gentiles were more open to the gospel than were the Jews (verse 16).

Verse 20 describes the Gentiles as those who found God as they accepted Christ. Verse 21 describes the Jews as “a disobedient and contrary people.”

--Roger Hillis

Paul begins Chapter 9 by expressing his sorrow that his own people, the Jews, have rejected Jesus. He refers to “great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.” Of course, some Jews did not reject Jesus, but most of them did.

It was stated early in the ministry of Christ that His own people (don’t forget that Jesus was Jewish also) would not accept Him as the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Jesus told several parables to show that the Jewish people, as a whole, did not accept Him. The parables of the Wicked Vinedressers and the Great Banquet are two examples of this.

And when the Jews decided not to believe in Jesus as the Christ, the gospel was taken to the Gentiles.

Some of the material in Romans 9 can be a little difficult, but only because we have been introduced to the Calvinistic concept of election which states that God determines ahead of time which individuals will be saved and which people will be lost, independent of their own choices and actions.

This chapter shows us that this election is for groups of people, not individuals. Those in the group who choose to obey and follow the Lord are elected for salvation (here, it is primarily the Gentiles). Those in the group who choose to deny and disobey Christ are elected for condemnation (here, mostly referring to the Jews).

A teacher in school can tell ahead of time who will get A’s, B’s, etc. in the class. It will be based on what their performance in classes, on assignments and papers, etc. determines. Everyone who does what is required can get an “A” in the class. That has been predetermined.

--Roger Hillis

Our daily battle, even for Christians, is between the spirit and the flesh.

Each person has a dual nature, the inward part (called the spirit or the soul) and the outer part (called the flesh). Paul reminds us that, as Christians, we are to walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh. This is a never ending struggle.

There is some debate about whether the word, spirit, in Romans 8 should be capitalized or not. Some believe it refers to the Holy Spirit and, therefore, as the translators of the New King James Version and many other translations have decided, the word should be capitalized. Others believe it is simply a reference to the spiritual part of man (as contrasted in Romans 8 with the physical side or the flesh) and should be lower case, spirit. Either way, the spiritual side of our being is to be led by the teachings of the Holy Spirit as revealed in the Bible.

We are to focus on the things of God so that we will walk, live, set our minds on and be led by the Spirit of God. When we do that, Paul says, “you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit” (verse 9). This is what makes us “sons of God” (verse 14).

Struggles and trials will confront us on every side when we seek to live for God. But God has provided for us all things we need to survive this earthly existence and live with Him forever in heaven. And no matter how many trials or difficulties we may have, we can be “more than conquerors” through Jesus and His sacrifice on our behalf.

When we seek to live according to the spirit and to deny the flesh, nothing can separate us from God’s love. Nothing.

--Roger Hillis

One of the major points of Romans, chapters 3-8, is that we are no longer under the Law of Moses.

His illustration to make that point in Romans 7 is marriage.  Two people are bound by God’s law to one another “till death do us part.” If one puts away his or her spouse and remarries while that spouse is still living, that person is in a state of adultery.

(He doesn’t deal with the exception here of sexual immorality. His point is the marriage law itself, one man and one woman for life, not the exception. The exception doesn’t have to be mentioned every time the basic marriage law is given for the exception to be valid.)

But because the Old Law (of Moses) died or was nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14), we are now under the Law of Christ, the gospel, or the New Testament.

The Law of Moses revealed to us what sin is and gives us many examples, as in the Ten Commandments. He specifically mentions covetousness, the tenth commandment. We learn that violating any part of God’s revealed will is sin.

But Paul, though no longer under the Old Law, still struggled with the weaknesses of the flesh. The final part of Romans 7, verses 15-25, describes his daily battles between what he wants to do and what he actually does. He wants (or wills) to do good, but his flesh is weak and so he often finds himself sinning.

We all face that battle, day by day. It is never easy to do only the right thing, because of the lure and power of temptation. But with the help of Jesus (verse 25), we can be victorious in this spiritual warfare, with its eternal consequences.

--Roger Hillis

A proper understanding of God’s grace and mercy will lead people away from sin. There were, in the first century, and there are now, people who conclude that God’s grace is permission to sin. Romans 6 was written to early disciples to show them the error of that kind of logic.

Paul reminds them (and us) that, when we were baptized into the death of Christ, we were raised to walk “in newness of life” (verses 3-4). It is in baptism that we contact the blood of the Savior. Just as He died, was buried and rose again, so too we die to our sins in repentance, are buried with Him in baptism and are raised as new creatures.

In baptism, our old man of sin was crucified with Him, “that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin” (verse 6).

We are, therefore, as followers of Christ, “dead indeed to sin, but alive to God” (verse 11).

His conclusion, then, beginning in verse 12 and continuing through the remainder of Chapter Six, is that sin must not reign in our bodies. We must not present our bodies as slaves of sin, but as instruments of God for righteousness (verse 13).

We were formerly slaves of sin, but have obeyed God from our innermost being (our hearts) and have become His slaves, bondservants of righteousness (verse 17).

And, finally, he tells us that sin will result in eternal condemnation (“death,” verse 23), but that, through God’s free gift, we can enjoy “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

--Roger Hillis

Having been justified before God through our faith in Jesus Christ, we can have peace and hope. Even through trials and difficulties, we develop endurance and strength of character, which give us hope.

Hope is more than just wishful thinking. It is desire, plus confident expectation. And it is hope that is described elsewhere as an anchor for our soul (Hebrews 6:19). A life lived without hope is mere existence. All life is not lived well and the Savior came that we might have abundant life (John 10:10).

Could the sacrifice of one Man, Jesus Christ, really provide hope for all mankind? Could millions of souls be saved through the death of one individual?

Paul reminds us here that it was through one man, Adam, that sin entered the world. Verses 12-21 remind us that just as one man brought sin and death into the world for everyone, so one man, Jesus, brought righteousness and life into the world also.

Many have interpreted verses 12-21 to teach the false doctrine of inherited sin. This passage does not teach that. It is true that we suffer the physical consequence of Adam’s sin, in that all people will die physically. It is not true that we suffer the guilt of Adam’s sin. We suffer the guilt of our own sin and the spiritual consequence of an eternity separated from God.

But God provided salvation for us through the death of His Son. Both spiritual death (due to sin) and spiritual life (through the righteous act of Christ) are conditional. We choose to sin and we can choose to obey God and live forever.

 --Roger Hillis

There are three principles we have discussed so far in Romans.

1) No one can be saved by perfect law keeping, because all have sinned.

2) We must obey the Lord by faith.

3) God’s grace then saves us.

Romans 4 provides an illustration of these principles as set forth in Romans 1-3.

Both Paul (Romans 4) and James (James 2) use Abraham as their example of the relationship between faith and deeds and many conclude that they contradict one another. Such is not the case at all. They were simply answering two different questions and so they approached the subject from opposite directions.

Paul was fighting Judaizers who sought justification by the Law of Moses and so he emphasizes the importance of faith in Christ for salvation, not obedience to the Old Testament.

James deals with those who claim faith in God but it is not demonstrated in their lives. He reminds them that faith without works is dead.

Romans 4 shows us that faith in God has always been essential for salvation, by reminding us that Abraham was justified by faith, before the law of circumcision was given and before the Law of Moses had been revealed. Therefore, neither circumcision nor the Law of Moses is the basis of salvation. Rather, it is our faith and the grace of God that brings about salvation.

--Roger Hillis

Chapter One said the Gentiles were guilty of sin. Chapter Two said the Jews were guilty of sin. Chapter Three, therefore, says that everyone is guilty of sin.

The first 20 verses of Romans 3 conclude that everyone falls under the condemnation of sin. Paul first defends God’s righteous judgment of the world (verses 1-8). Then he quotes numerous verses from the Old Testament (verses 9-18) to show that all people who reach a point of accountability before God rebel against His will and commit sin. Paul then reminds them that obedience to the Old Law will not justify one before the Lord.

The chapter concludes with a discussion of salvation through faith in Christ apart from the deeds of the Law of Moses (verses 21-31).

Two verses stand out in this chapter.

Verse 23 states, in terms that cannot be misunderstood, that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Verse 26 speaks of God’s righteousness and says that He is both “just” (in that all sin is punished in the plan of God) and “the justifier” (the one who delivered this saving plan to mankind).

We do not earn salvation through obedience; it is still a gift of God’s grace. Salvation is never a matter of perfect deeds, but of mature and devoted faith.

--Roger Hillis

The end of Romans 1 was primarily a condemnation of the Gentiles, who had abandoned God as Creator and who began to worship and serve the creation instead. This led them to all sorts of immorality and, God had, therefore, given them up to their own uncleanness.

Chapter Two focuses on the reality that the Jews had likewise rebelled against God and His righteousness and were, therefore, just as guilty of sin before God as the Gentiles.

The chapter contains a warning to practice the truth, not just to preach it to others. It is one thing to know and teach the truth and another thing entirely to practice it in our own lives. The Jews were good at moralizing for others, but in their own lives, they were falling far short of God’s standard.

The goodness of God should lead souls to repentance. His grace offers us a second chance to please Him and should never be looked on as an excuse to sin more. When we realize there are only two options for eternity, God’s reward or His punishment, we should be motivated to serve Him. He will judge without favoritism in the last day.

Chapter Two ends with a reminder that external actions are important as we obey the Lord, but that our hearts, what we are on the inside, will determine whether we are acceptable to God or not. It is possible to appear to others to be serving God when we really are not. The Jews needed to learn that and so do we.

--Roger Hillis