A Stumblingstone

Rom 9:30  What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

Rom 9:31  But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

Rom 9:32  Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

Rom 9:33  As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Works of the law- a stumblingstone.

Being given the law to follow with penalties for not following that law - it is easy to see how one might begin to believe that obeying that law is all that is needed and faith could take a back seat. 

Follow the pattern- get the end result you want.

Yet the lifeless results are not what is needed and Christ our Savior came to open the eyes of God's chosen people to this very truth!

God NEVER wanted lifeless, loveless obedience.

God's chosen walked by FAITH.

Heb 11:4  By faith Abel...

Heb 11:5  By faith Enoch …

Heb 11:7  By faith Noah...

Heb 11:8  By faith Abraham...

Heb 11:20  By faith Isaac …

Heb 11:22  By faith Joseph...

Heb 11:23  By faith Mose

Heb 11:31  By faith the harlot Rahab…

Heb 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

Heb 11:33  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

Heb 11:34  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Heb 11:35  Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

Heb 11:36  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

TRUTH!

The people of God had this knowledge of their forbearers, they had the books we now call the Old Testament.  They knew their forbearers walked by faith. Yet they hardened their hearts and stopped living by faith and started living by works.  God did NOT forsake them even then. God over and over heard their cries for repentance and forgave them their backsliding.  

Then… God sent His Son, His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ our LORD, our Savior.

Jesus came to strip away the lack of faith by revealing the love in God and His moral ten commandments.  Jesus came to reveal the LOVE in the obedience, the faith in obedience. Jesus did not come telling us to obey without faith as so many did. Jesus did not tell us to work for our salvation without believing. Jesus did not review the ten moral laws with us and tell us if we keep them we're saved.  Jesus DID tell us that it was good to keep the moral law but there was more needed.

Mat 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Jesus was revealing the LOVE necessary to be saved, to have eternal life. 

Just obeying the laws was not going to help any one. But love and obedience resulting from love, that is truth!

There is a block of stumbling, a stone of stumbling, and that is the fine line drawn clearly- that so many choose to ignore. The line that reveals the love first and foremost, eclipses the law without the love.

More on this tomorrow by the grace of our LORD and SAVIOR!

In His name…

AMEN.