| Romans 9:30-33 "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it is written: 'See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumbleand a rock that makes them fall,and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.'" As for the Jews, their problem was that they relied on their status and works. By status, they were God's chosen people. God's salvation came from them. By works, they had the law from God, by which they lived their everyday life, unlike the Gentiles who were completely living in the darkness. So at that time the Jews were very proud of themselves. Here Paul said with groans that they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works, therefore they stumbled instead. You and I may or may not be one of the Jews, but we are still like the Jews sometimes who are so self-complacent and self-righteous that they don't think they need the gospel of the Lord. Chinese Christians in North America especially tend to rely on their fortune and circumstances. If everything goes well, they would think that God's favor is on them. So they are more engaged in the worldly activities while getting further away from God. In church we also tend to rely on formalities and outward rules, such as reading the whole Bible once a year, tithing, joining cell groups, etc. Once we have made achievement in these areas, we would think that we are fairly holy. Actually all we do is to pursue the law as the way of righteousness. We fail to pursue God's righteousness instead. In verse 33, the Lord is both the stone of stumbling and the rock to rely on. Why is He both the stone of stumbling and the rock that never puts people to shame at the same time? Actually the Lord never changes. For those who want to rely on themselves, due to the fact they are unable to receive the salvation of the Lord, and they don't think they need to do so, they are unwilling to follow the Lord. From this perspective, the way of the Lord becomes their stumbling stone instead to keep them from the salvation. On the other hand, for those who trust in the Lord, due to their faith and humility, they are saved. And they will never be put in shame by the never-changing God. How are you responding to the Lord? Are you willing to be faithful and humble, and follow God with all your heart? The Lord has promised that the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame! 
Pray with Pastor Tong Liu Lord, we thank you, for you are the rock in our life. Even the circumstances keep changing, people around us keep changing, those who believe in you will never be put to shame. May the Lord help us not to rely on ourselves any more, but to trust in you and follow you. We thank you and we pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen! |
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