Romans 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” 36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Paul ends his discussion about salvation for the Jews with a doxology that acknowledges God’s righteous judgment. God has a plan that will be worked out. Humans cannot presume to know God’s plan or try to define God. There are modern attempts among theologians and philosophers to do this, but it will all fail. In the context of the previous three chapters, God made promises in the Old Testament concerning the salvation of Israel. Not all Jews will believe in the Messiah, but as a whole, one day they will. This is a mystery, something that Paul cannot explain. It is obvious that Paul had faith in these promises. He had a deep love for his people. But he also would not let this love blind him to the greater promise of new life in Jesus Christ. No one can presume to know God’s plans, even Paul. He does not know how all this will work out in the future. Any time we set up a system of thought, we are presuming we know God. Scripture is clear on broad promises but is not always exact in how these promises will be fulfilled. This should cause any reader of the Bible and believer in it to be humble in arriving at conclusions about what the Bible says or means. We have to know the difference between what is clear and what is mysterious and beyond our understanding. It is a journey where we seek to know God in ever deepening ways but we never can grasp fully.
For older posts, click here.