Romans 9:30-31 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.
Paul’s style of presenting his argument stands out again with his opening rhetorical question. He has made a clear point in the previous verses: God determine upon whom he will have mercy, and in his divine plan has included the Gentiles in this. His mercy is experienced upon all who have faith. Paul will begin to build on this idea in the following passage. Jews receive the same mercy if they believe, but they will experience judgment if they remain in their misguided religious pride. The book of Acts records how many Gentiles were receptive to the gospel that Paul and his companions shared in their travels across Asia. The evidence speaks for itself. The proof was clear to Paul that the Gentiles had received salvation. What did that have to do with the law? Paul looks at salvation by faith from a different angle in this passage. If the Gentiles experienced salvation by faith, then the Jews must also come through the same route. Israel tried to be righteous by keeping certain laws, but in this effort they also rejected certain other laws. Sin is pervasive and universal. Righteousness cannot be obtained by human effort in trying to overcome sin by obeying a set of rules. It is futile because no one can be good enough to be considered righteous before the judgment seat of God. Only those who trust in God’s mercy. The obedience is evidenced by faith and proceeds from faith. The Gentiles were justified by faith and the Jews failed to be justified by the law. The logic is clear: justification comes by faith and not the law.
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