Context of Romans 10 4 End of The Law
Context of Romans 10 4 End of The Law
Context of Romans 10 4 End of The Law
I always remember the preacher at Scarborough Church saying: “a text without a context is a pretext”,
and this has stayed with me as a principle. This means to be sensitive to the immediate context of the
reasoning and of the words as well as the contexts of their culture and the contemporary events. The
words were not created in a vacuum.
Structural context (Romans 9:30-10:13, 16-21)
What then are we to say?
Gentiles,
who did not strive for righteousness,
have attained it,
that is, righteousness through faith;
but Israel,
who did strive for the righteousness that is based on the law,
did not succeed
in fulfilling that law.
Why not?
Because they did not strive for it
on the basis of faith,
but as if it were based on works.
They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,
as it is written, “See, I am laying in Zion a stone
that will make people stumble,
a rock that will make them fall,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law,
that “the person who does these things will live by them.”
The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.
For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”