Romans 9:30, commentary and pictures

The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. In contrast, Israel pursued a law of righteousness but did not attain it, because Israel sought it not by faith but as if by works, stumbling over Christ as the stumbling stone. That righteousness is received by faith as God's free gift and is not produced or earned by law, works, or ceremonies. Jews and Gentiles stand on an equality before God, for true Israel is defined by faith rather than by natural descent, so believing Gentiles become Abraham's seed while unbelieving descendants are not counted as Israel. This faith does not abolish the law but purifies the heart and makes people doers of God's law, avoiding both self-righteousness through works and lawlessness.

Plain Sense and Context

The Gentiles had not been chasing after right standing with God, yet they laid hold of it, and the righteousness they received was the righteousness that comes by faith. They obtained it by accepting the good news when it was set before them, believing God as Abraham believed so that it was reckoned to them for righteousness. Conscious that they had not walked in God's law, they accepted Christ as the propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of past sins through God's forbearance, and so were credited with what they had not labored to produce themselves. With Christ's coming the ceremonial law had ended, and by faith in Christ they received the salvation that explains how those outside came to share the standing of God's people.

In direct contrast, Israel ran hard after a law of righteousness but never caught up to it and did not attain it. The reason was that Israel sought it not by faith but as if by works of law, trying to work out the law in its own effort rather than receiving righteousness as a gift. That pursuit was carried on at a distance in human wisdom and strength and traditions, walking by sight instead of working in the easy yoke of faith of Christ. Righteousness is received by faith and is not earned by deeds of law, which is why pursuing it through works did not lead to attaining it.

In rejecting God's righteousness in Christ, Israel stumbled at the stumbling stone, which is Christ Himself. Israel looked to the law for salvation and failed through lack of faith, attempting to keep it in its own strength and thereby stumbling over Christ. Many still stumble in the same way and for the same cause, preferring an old law of works to the law of faith, the law of the Spirit, the law of grace through Jesus Christ in whom the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in those who walk after the Spirit.

The statement stands within the argument of Romans 4-11 concerning human sin and need and God's grace in saving people through Jesus Christ. That epistle presents salvation as equally open to Jews and Gentiles, with justification among its central gospel teachings. It belongs to Paul's explanation of who are truly Israelites and who are heirs of God's promise and how the promise is obtained. In that same chapter God's dealing in preserving or destroying is shown to accord with fitness or unfitness for continued existence, since human beings can accept and obey God's will or reject it, and their choice bears on destiny.

Righteousness Through Faith

The Gentiles had not pursued righteousness yet attained it, and the way they attained it was by faith, for righteousness comes from God and is received by faith rather than earned by works of law, produced by enforcing law or performing works, achieved by human effort to keep the law, or gained by pursuing righteousness apart from faith or by works and ceremonies. Israel pursued righteousness through works and did not attain it, which explains the contrast that seeking righteousness through works does not lead to attaining it and that efforts to establish one's own righteousness fail when there is no submission to God's righteousness. This righteousness which is of faith is God's own righteousness, the very righteousness the law demands but cannot give, which satisfies the law, so to teach that no one is made righteous by the law honors the law highly rather than disparaging it, because faith in Christ is trust in Christ for that required righteousness. Keeping the commandments is therefore not outward conformity or human effort but the life of love that comes through faith, and the great demands of God's law for inheriting the promised land reveal the greatness of the promise, since God promises and swears to give that demanded righteousness to everyone who trusts Him.

They attained it when the gospel was presented to them and they accepted it, believing God as Abraham believed so that it was counted to them for righteousness, being credited with what they had not tried to do themselves. Knowing they had not walked in God's law, they accepted Christ as a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission of past sins through God's forbearance, opposite to seeking it by trying to work out the law in human wisdom and strength and traditions. The righteousness acceptable to God is received as a free gift by faith and not earned through works, ceremonies, or human pursuit, and those whom God has made right then do what is right because God has given them righteousness rather than trying to make themselves righteous by their own effort.

Faith removes the curse and makes people doers of God's law, purifying the heart and bringing the person into harmony with God's righteousness, so that whatever is not done through faith in Christ's merit is sin. That righteousness which is of faith is a law found in the Righteous One that supplies the life power people need. Real righteousness comes only by faith, so circumcision cannot make a person righteous or serve as a condition of salvation, for it was given to Abraham as a sign of the righteousness he already had by faith and without faith the sign is empty, as is seen when it is taught that Abraham was saved because of his circumcision rather than receiving circumcision as a sign that he was saved, which exposes those who keep zealously seeking justification by their own works instead of by faith.

Jews Gentiles and Israel

The verse proves that the Jews by nature were never any more the people of God than any other people and have no advantage over others, but Jews and Gentiles stand on an equality. Every person in every nation has been chosen in Christ and in no other way unto adoption as sons, so that people of every nation become Abraham's children and share the same standing with God through faith in Christ. Natural descent gives no special acceptance, for God has no special regard for the literal descendants of Jacob.

God's children are the children of promise, not simply Abraham's physical descendants, and believers from among the Gentiles share in God's mercy. Gentile believers who were once without Christ, aliens from Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, are made near by the blood of Christ, made one with Jewish believers with the dividing wall broken down, and are recognized as Israel. Gentiles can belong to God's Israel through faith rather than birth, becoming Abraham's seed and citizens of Israel's commonwealth, while unbelieving descendants of Abraham are not counted as Israel. Israel is defined by faith and not by national descent, and God's people are not defined by descent from the ancient tribes, for the true seed is gathered from all nations through the gospel and the promised unity of God's children is found in Christ. Paul is not applying the Jacob and Esau prophecies to Jacob and Esau as individuals but to two nations and two manner of people, proving that not all who are descended from Israel are Israel and that another manner of people become Israel by faith.

Though not connected with the law, believing Gentiles by faith met its requirements and kept it, while the Jews professed to keep the law but through lack of faith did not keep it. Since real circumcision consists in keeping the law, the two groups changed places, so that believing Gentiles were really Jews and unbelieving Jews by nature were the same as the heathen. Israel according to the flesh was accursed from Christ and, although the giving of the law pertained to Israel, came miserably short of it because it stumbled at the stumbling-stone, which is Christ. This happened because Israel would not believe that the promises of God to Israel are wholly and solely in Christ, but thought God honored them for their own sake without any regard to Christ, stumbling over promises made to no earthly nation to the exclusion of all others. Israel earnestly desired, pursued and labored for righteousness at any cost with zeal for God but not according to knowledge, being ignorant of God's righteousness and unwilling to submit to it. Instead of seeking righteousness in the properly appointed manner by faith, Israel went about to establish its own righteousness, which is as a soiled garment, and so came short of the righteousness of God because the same veil remains upon the heart.

Prophecy and Kingdom Transfer

The attaining of righteousness by Gentiles who had not pursued it fulfills the promise that those who were not God's people would be called God's people and children of the living God. It shows that God prepares vessels of mercy and calls them not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles. Those who were once without Christ, aliens from Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, are made near by the blood of Christ, made one with Jewish believers with the dividing wall broken down, and are recognized as Israel. Their inclusion among God's people in this way fulfills the promise that the glory of the Gentiles would flow like a stream.

Israel according to the flesh followed after the law of righteousness but did not attain to it because it sought it not by faith but by works, while the Gentiles who followed not after righteousness attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith, because they sought righteousness in the right way by faith, and therefore gained the precedence over Israel. This fulfills Christ's words to the self-righteous that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before them and that the kingdom of God shall be taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. The promises of the kingdom to the descendants of Jacob were conditional and were forfeited under the old covenant. The kingdom was taken from unbelieving Israel and given to a nation bringing forth its fruits, so that Gentiles who did not follow after righteousness but attained to righteousness by faith, as those rich in faith who love God, are made heirs of the kingdom, and the forfeited promises can only be regained by obtaining an interest in Jesus, now the prince soon to be crowned King.

The Jacob and Esau prophecies are not applied to Jacob and Esau as individuals but to two nations and two manner of people. They prove that not all who are descended from Israel are Israel and that another manner of people become Israel by faith, which is what the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness did when they attained the righteousness of faith. Their attaining righteousness by faith proves that God has no special regard for the literal descendants of Jacob, and that all His purposes and promises will be fulfilled without building again the middle wall which Christ in His gospel has broken down.

Law Obedience and Life

With Christ's coming the ceremonial law had ended, and believing Gentiles received by faith in Christ the salvation Israel failed to obtain because Israel sought righteousness through deeds of that law rather than faith, which explains why Gentiles came to share the people-of-God status while many Jews did not. There is an old law of works and a new law of faith, the law of the Spirit, the law of grace through Jesus Christ in whom the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in those who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Many still stumble in the same way and for the same cause as the old Jews, loving the old law of works better than the new law of faith and turning from his law of faith to follow the old law of works. The righteousness demanded by God's law is the righteousness needed to inherit the promised land, but it is received by faith and not achieved through human efforts to keep the law, for God promises and swears to give it to everyone who trusts him, so the law's great demands reveal the greatness of the promise.

Righteousness is attained by faith, and the Jews failed to obtain it because they sought it not by faith, yet this does not condemn those who keep the seventh-day Sabbath. No one expects salvation through keeping the Sabbath or any other of the ten commandments, but all hope of righteousness and salvation rests on Christ alone. Justification from past transgression of the commandments requires turning from that transgression and endeavoring to keep those commandments for the future, for to claim to be justified from sin while remaining under no obligation to refrain from sin is presumption and an insult to God and to Jesus Christ. Through faith in Christ believers receive God's own righteousness which satisfies the law and accept God's law as the rule of character, and keeping the commandments is not outward conformity or human effort but the life of love that comes through faith. This righteousness is not made by keeping the law as a way to make oneself righteous, yet faith does not abolish the law or make Christ an excuse for sin, for Christ saves people from sin and brings them to the true standard, pointing to righteousness by faith that avoids both self-righteousness through works and lawlessness.

Faith in Christ alone justifies and not the law, for the law only condemns and shows sin, and Israel looked to the law for salvation and failed because it had no faith and tried to keep it in its own strength, stumbling over Christ. Like the Jews, people who do not understand this try to make themselves fit to receive God's blessing, but God's blessing through Christ turns people away from their sins. Righteousness is not attained through self-salvation or the supposed goodness of a person or nation, which highlights the danger of seeking righteousness through human character rather than Christ. Righteousness is received by faith as a free gift and not earned by pursuing it through human effort, and Christ still offers this righteous life and salvation on the same terms, so rejecting him now is as disastrous as the Jews' rejection of him in Paul's day. Human beings can accept and obey God's will or reject it, and God's decision to preserve or destroy individuals accords with their fitness or unfitness for continued existence, so their choice bears on fitness for continued existence and destiny.