If everyone is predestined, why bother to even preach?

Warm-up: How do you decide of any project whether it is worth your effort?

Read Romans 10.

Context: Ro 9 inferred from scriptures that the free will of God predestined everyone for a purpose to either display the mercy of God or his wrath. Ro 10-11 explains how God uses the preaching of the gospel to carry out His plan.

1) vv1-3: How did Paul’s belief in predestination shape his attitude as a missionary?

• Why did he not become fatalistic? cf v14
• How did Paul feel about fellow Israelites who persecuted him wherever he traveled to preach the gospel?
  • vv2-3: Did he look down on them? Why not? v2
• What did he perceive as wrong with them?
  • What did he mean by “ignorance of the righteousness of God“?
  • How could Paul say this without being liable to a charge of being arrogant? =>
• What hindered the Israelites to understand God’s word in the way Paul did? =>

2) v4 is a key verse to shed light on how the Old and New Testaments relate to each other. In what sense do you think Jesus is “the end (gr. telos) of the law”?

• How can you be sure that Paul meant the moral law?
  • v5 alludes to a passage of Moses about “the commandments” in Lev 18:5. What were those commandments about: Religious ceremonies, or about laws of moral conduct?
• In what sense is Christ the “end” of the law?
  • Read Lk 16:16-17, Ro 7:1 and 1Tim 1:9 => If the law remains valid, how can Jesus be its end? cf Gal 2:19
• Why does v4 start with the word: “For….”? => How does v4 “prove” that Israel “did not submit to God’s righteousness” in v3?
• • How can fervor to obey the law be disobedience? cf Jn 5:44-47 [If the chief end of the law of Moses is faith in Christ, rejecting Christ epitomizes disobedience]

3) vv5-9: How does the law of Moses promote faith in Jesus?

• vv5-6: By preaching good news? Or by preaching bad news?
  • The law of Moses can only justify those who (perfectly) do it (Ja 2:10) Why is that bad news?
• Read Deut 30:11-14. Did Moses disagree and claim that the law is not too difficult (v12) for anyone to do (v14)?
  • Hint: The word translated “not too difficult” also means “not too mysterious”. What is difficult/mysterious about the word of God in general, and what can overcome this difficulty? 1Cor 2:7
• In v6, Paul commented on the available Greek translation of Deut 30: If it were possible to ascend to heaven (or into the abyss) by our own efforts, how would that amount to taking the place of God?
• vv7-9: Why did Paul describe the gospel as ‘the word of faith’? => If Deut 30:11 would mean that mere mortals can live up to the demands of the law, quoting this verse would not suport but refute Paul’s argument. How could he see that Deut 30 is not talking about the decalog, but – in somewhat mysterious terms – about the righteousness from faith in Christ? Deut 29:1; 14-15; 30:6

4) vv10-15: If faith is a gift of God granted to those He predestined (Ro 9, cf Eph 2:8), why did Paul even bother to preach the gospel?

• vv13-15: What does God use as the means by which he carries out his immutable plan?
  • How does this biblical understanding of predestination differ from fatalism?

5) vv16-21: What did Paul address in the last few verses of this chapter?

• In v16, Paul quoted from Isaiah 53. What is that chapter all about?
  • Why did Israel not accept Isaiah’s testimony that Christ was sent to take our sins upon himself? v3
• vv17-21: Is the problem that the Israelites did not hear the word, or rather that they could not understand it?
  • Were they unable to understand because of a lack of interest? Why not? v20 (cf 1Cor 2:8-14; Ro 7:11, deceived by sin through the law into trusting this body of “flesh” that it can live up to what is required – a mindset that is death because it severs from the Spirit, Ro 8:6)
  • v19: How did God make Israel jealous? Jealous of what? Ro 9:23 Hint: Why was Cain jealous of his younger brother Abel (Gen 4:5)? Why was the prodigal son envied by his older brother (Lk 15:30)?
    • Did the older brother not hear of God‘s mercy, or was he unable to ‘understand’ and believe? Lk 15:31

6) Personal & application

• The way how the Bible teaches predestination is meant to stir emotions: What are those?
• How can we be moved by the doctrine of predestination and, like Paul, never become callous that millions do not know or believe in Jesus?
• What motivates you to follow Paul’s example to pray also for people who do not yet believe?
  • Should we expect our prayers to change the will of God? cf Mt 6:10
  • If not, why then do you pray at all?