Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! For who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice? And who has given Him so much that He needs to pay it back? For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen.
Romans 11:33-36
Now what is this doing here? This is one of those parts of Romans that leaves the experts confounded. Remember I told you way back in Bible Gem 132
“Some question whether Romans Chapters 9-11 are genuine or not. Paul seems to close his letter three times. Once at the end of Chapter 11, again at the end of Chapter 15 and then finally at end of Chapter 16. Are these extra bits additions from other letters or other people or did Paul mean them to be there? This then gives you some homework to work out what is going on.”
Well now that we have been working in Romans 11 is time to sort out this question for yourself. What is happening here? It sure seems like Paul has closed the letter at the end of Chapter 11. so why are there chapters 12 through 16 which follow it? Are Chapters 9 – 11 genuine? Or are they an insertion from somewhere else? You know enough about Romans 9-11 to answer that question now. The next question then is does Romans end at 11:36? Meaning that Chapters 12-16 were not part of the original letter. Is this indeed a close to the letter or is it something else?
Ok that’s enough input for the moment. More in the next Gem. You work it out.
Is your default mode WITH PEOPLE law & judgment or grace & mercy? Forgive others as the Lord forgave you.
Rick Warren
Remember back to the reference we made to Paul Brand’s analogy of the skin and the skeleton in his book Fearfully and Wonderfully Made. Love and the Law.
Ian Vail