Romans 9:31 - but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness.
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What does "Romans 9:31" mean?
This verse, Romans 9:31, is a crucial part of Paul's argument in Romans 9 about why many Jewish people of his time didn't accept Jesus as the Messiah. To understand it, we need to break down the components:
"Israel": In this context, "Israel" refers specifically to the Jewish people who were seeking to be righteous (right with God) through obedience to the Law of Moses.
"Following after a law of righteousness": This phrase describes the efforts of the Jewish people to achieve righteousness by strictly adhering to the commands and precepts of the Mosaic Law. They believed that by following the Law perfectly, they could earn God's favor and be declared righteous in His sight.
"Didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness": This is the key point. Despite their diligent pursuit of righteousness through the Law, they failed to attain it. They didn't reach the goal they were aiming for.
Why did they fail?
Paul argues that the reason they failed is because they approached righteousness in the wrong way. They focused on works (obeying the Law) rather than faith. This is further explained in Romans 9:32, which immediately follows:
> "Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone."
The "stumbling stone" is generally understood to be Jesus Christ. Because they were looking for a Messiah who would conform to their expectations of a conquering king who would restore earthly power to Israel, they rejected Jesus, who came as a humble servant offering spiritual redemption.
In Summary:
Romans 9:31 means that the Jewish people of Paul's time, while diligently trying to achieve righteousness through strict obedience to the Law, ultimately failed to achieve it because they pursued it through works-based righteousness rather than through faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 9:31 - but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness.
What does "Romans 9:31" mean?
This verse, Romans 9:31, is a crucial part of Paul's argument in Romans 9 about why many Jewish people of his time didn't accept Jesus as the Messiah. To understand it, we need to break down the components:
"Israel": In this context, "Israel" refers specifically to the Jewish people who were seeking to be righteous (right with God) through obedience to the Law of Moses.
"Following after a law of righteousness": This phrase describes the efforts of the Jewish people to achieve righteousness by strictly adhering to the commands and precepts of the Mosaic Law. They believed that by following the Law perfectly, they could earn God's favor and be declared righteous in His sight.
"Didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness": This is the key point. Despite their diligent pursuit of righteousness through the Law, they failed to attain it. They didn't reach the goal they were aiming for.
Why did they fail?
Paul argues that the reason they failed is because they approached righteousness in the wrong way. They focused on works (obeying the Law) rather than faith. This is further explained in Romans 9:32, which immediately follows:
> "Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone."
The "stumbling stone" is generally understood to be Jesus Christ. Because they were looking for a Messiah who would conform to their expectations of a conquering king who would restore earthly power to Israel, they rejected Jesus, who came as a humble servant offering spiritual redemption.
In Summary:
Romans 9:31 means that the Jewish people of Paul's time, while diligently trying to achieve righteousness through strict obedience to the Law, ultimately failed to achieve it because they pursued it through works-based righteousness rather than through faith in Jesus Christ.