When “Religion” Fails You: Notes
Discussion Guide
10.31.21 ONE gospel Romans 9:1 – 11:36
When “Religion” Fails You
“They stumbled over the stumbling stone” (Rom 9:32).
OPEN
This week’s long section of text focuses on the theme of God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people. Sadly, parts of it have been used to justify anti-Semitism in churches and have been the basis for claiming that God has rejected the Jews. To the contrary, Paul argues that salvation for Jews and Gentiles comes through Israel’s Messiah, that this is what God predestined in Holy Scripture, and that God’s ongoing purpose is to unite all things – including Jews and Gentiles – in the Messiah. God’s promises in the Torah did not fail, but “religion” failed by causing people to stumble over Jesus of Nazareth.
NEXT
Do you sense Paul’s anguish over the plight of his fellow-Israelites who had not accepted Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah? Compare 9:1-3a to Exodus 32:30-32. What is the setting for Exodus 32?
Paul denied both that God’s promises to Israel had failed (9:6) and that Jews could not receive God’s mercy (9:23-2; cf. 11:1ff). His overarching argument in Romans is that Jews and Gentiles are both able to be saved through Jesus – in fulfillment of the promise to Abraham (cf. Gen 12:3; Gal 3:8). What is the condition of salvation for Gentiles and Jews alike?
“Religion” (i.e., the trappings of Second Temple Judaism and the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish religious leaders) failed the Jewish people by focusing on the “works” of Jewish law rather than leading people to accept Jesus as their Messiah. Read 9:30-33 very carefully. How did Jesus become a “stumbling stone” to so many? How is Paul’s own life a case study?
How does 10:11-13 both answer and rebuke the anti-Semitism of church history?
Romans 11:1-6 reminds readers that only a “remnant” of Israel in Elijah’s day were faithful to Yahweh, just as Paul was part of a “remnant” who accepted Jesus in his day. Should we be surprised in any generation that the people loyal to God are in the minority? If not, why not?
“Religion” – human leaders and teachers, not God and the promises of Scripture! – had failed to bring the Jewish nation to recognize its Messiah when he appeared. What a horrible tragedy! Is it possible that religion is continuing to fail people in search of a Savior? Can you think of specific illustrations of how religion is failing people in our own time?
Perhaps you know the distinction many people in the 21st century make between “religion” and “spirituality.” How do you understand the terms to be defined in those settings? Do you think there is any legitimacy to such a distinction? Does the NT make any similar distinction? Cf. Jas 1:27; 2 Tim 3:5.
CLOSING
The concern that religion sometimes fails people is a prophetic warning that Isaiah and other OT prophets sounded (cf. Isa 1:11-17; Jer 6:20; Amos 5:21-24). Close by reading Luke 19:45-48 to see that Jesus himself raised this same issue to his contemporaries. Please close your time of study in prayer for Harpeth Hills to keep our focus on the gospel message and not to fall into the traps of formality, tradition, and contentment with the status quo.