Romans 9:31Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Here at last is the clearest solution. On the basis of deeds, the Apostle proved that "not all who are of Israel are Israel" (Rom 9:6).

He confirmed this by the forefathers of Jacob and Esau and by the testimony of the prophets. Then he offers the chief solution on the basis of Hosea and Isaiah, after first intensifying the difficulty.

There were two questions: that the Gentiles received salvation, and that they received it without striving for it, that is, without taking care for it.

Again, concerning the Jews there were also two difficulties: the Jews did not attain salvation, and they did not attain it despite striving for it.

but the Israelites, constantly seeking the law of righteousness, that is, the law of works, did not attain righteousness, because the law consisting of works was unable to justify.

Thus, setting forth the reasons why not all the Jews were saved, he immediately weaves wonder into the discourse and says, "O how marvelous a thing!

The multitude of those who remained in error and had no aim at all to do good works has been justified. But Israel, though instructed by the law of Moses, did not attain what it hoped for and proved to have no share in this gift."

The cause is clear. They did not accept salvation through faith and righteousness in Christ, but considered it enough to boast in the shadows.

But the sons of Israel, who sought the law, did not make faith their own. Therefore they could not acquire it, the righteousness from faith, from the very works of the law, but "stumbled over the stone of stumbling," as Isaiah, who was from among them, said about them, Is 28:16; Is 8:14.

Faith is the fulfillment of the law, and the Gentiles who have it appear as those who fulfill the whole law. But the Jews, out of envy, did not believe in the Savior, because they laid claim to the righteousness commanded in the law, that is, Sabbath, circumcision, and the like. Yet they never came to the law, that is, they did not fulfill the law. Those who do not fulfill the law are accused by the law itself.

Israel, although it had the law among itself and sought righteousness according to the law, did not reach the goal and did not obtain righteousness. Then the Apostle again poses a question.

"But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, did not attain the law of righteousness." Here the law of righteousness means the Mosaic Law, which prescribes righteousness and was given to the Jews as a means of attaining righteousness. Therefore, here the law of righteousness is lawful righteousness, the ideal of righteousness. The Jews, striving to attain this ideal lawful righteousness, did not attain it. This was both because they sought it in fulfilling the law, but could not fulfill the law, and because they considered righteousness from the law sufficient for themselves and rejected the law of righteousness, that is, the Gospel, which proclaimed to them righteousness from faith.

The fourth point is the positive solution to the question why the Hebrews appeared as "vessels of God's wrath." It also explains what prevented these undoubted descendants of Abraham and Israel according to the flesh from being true descendants of those patriarchs according to the spirit.

This was so that they would not be rejected from Christ (Rom 9:30-10:4). It turns out that the Hebrews arranged this rejection for themselves, before the eyes, so to speak, of the saved and called Gentiles.

Even after Christ the Redeemer appeared on earth and offered a new way of justification through faith in Him, they still stubbornly continued to seek their salvation and justification before God in works of the law.

Although the rejection of the Hebrews is clear from what has been said, it is not fully clear how the Gentiles proved to be as near to salvation as the Hebrews, and even nearer.

Explaining this, the Apostle Paul says that the Gentiles received justification not through works, but through faith. The Hebrews, by contrast, sought to be justified through works of the Law, and not through faith.

Moreover, most of them did not have the right faith in the Savior. Therefore, when He appeared, many could not receive Him because of their false notions.

Thus He became for them an object of stumbling, an unexpected stone over which they stumbled and fell. He seemed a mere stone, although He proved to be the stone set at the head of the corner of your salvation.

The law of righteousness inscribed in man's nature is, as was said above, to remember God and keep the fear of God. It is to live according to His will, made known by conscience, in expectation of the blessed future.

This law of righteousness was also perceived by the Gentiles, but obscurely. It was entangled with falsehood in their ideas about God, about what is due, and about the future life.

Israel had true knowledge of God. It had the law, which defined precisely and in detail everything due. It also understood the future life more reasonably and more clearly.

Therefore Israel could run by the true path, or press after the law of righteousness, in order to attain it. And of course it did attain it. For everything among Israel was a divine institution, and that is never vain.

The saints and righteous ones who shone forth in the law are all those who attained to the law of righteousness. The God-fearing, who kept God's commandments and cleansed their sins by the order established by God, are all in Abraham's bosom.

They were that seed preserved by God, for whose sake the whole mass of the people of Israel was also preserved. Now, by the apostolic preaching, this seed has been called and brought into the inheritance of Christ. It constitutes the remnant being saved.

When the Apostle says, "Israel did not attain to the law of righteousness," he means the Israel that stood before men's eyes. This was the mass of the people, with the ruling authorities, spiritual and civil, and with all the order of life under the law.

It was in Jerusalem and in all cities and villages, in Palestine and in the Dispersion. Everywhere there were those who believed in the Lord. Yet everywhere they were few, despised, persecuted, and excluded from the assembly of the sons of Israel.

Therefore, in general, it was right to say that Israel did not believe in its Lord and Deliverer. The Apostle had this prevailing mass in mind when he said: "Israel did not attain to the law of righteousness."

How did it happen that this mass did not attain, while the small seed preserved among it did attain, and this remnant will be saved? "Because it was not from faith, but from works of the law."

This Israel also pressed after the law of righteousness, but did not attain it, because it did not press in the spirit of faith, but only by works of the law.

Yet those few who have now attained to the law of righteousness were not strangers to works of the law. They faithfully fulfilled every legal righteousness, as did the Savior Himself. Where, then, is the great difference, so that some who were alike attained, while others did not?

The Apostle characterizes this difference with the words: "Because it was not from faith, but from works of the law." The many had works of the law alone. The few had not only such works, but also faith.

This faith had formerly lived in their heart as a shadow. Now it was realized and received its true and firm form.

In works one must distinguish the works themselves, visibly done in their place and time. Then one must distinguish the disposition with which they are done. Still more deeply, one must distinguish the spirit with which they are done.

Take an example. A good alms has been given to such a person, in such a place, at such a time. This is the visible work.

The disposition beneath it is invisible. It may have been done from a natural feeling of compassion, from consciousness of duty and commandment, from vainglory, or to gain a temporary reputation among men, needed for some other purpose.

The first two are right, but the last are not right. In them there is no mercifulness at all, and the alms appears without a merciful soul.

The spirit with which deeds are done usually embraces many dispositions and deeds, and sometimes, or most often, all of them. It is what moves the one who acts: self, the world, or God. It may act from fear, for reward, or from love.

These motives, now singly, now in pairs, now accompanying one another, now crossing with one another, make up the spirit of each one's life.

The spirit required by natural righteousness is to do everything for God and according to God. In whatever degree this is done, everything is right. The first two motives are not right.

Deeds are never without a disposition and spirit hidden beneath and within them. Yet it happens, perhaps most often, that the latter, disposition and spirit, belong to an entirely different kind from the former, the deeds. Then the deeds remain alone, belonging to their own kind.

In the example given, an alms offered for self-interested aims, without heartfelt mercy and without thought of God, remains only a visible deed. It belongs to the class of good works, while the disposition and spirit are not good, but of another kind.

Meanwhile the one who did it may rely upon it in evaluating himself. Others too may evaluate him by this deed. Only the eye of God will evaluate him otherwise.

And if some trial meets him, then even others will not fail to see what was within him.

Let us generalize this case and suppose that all works of the law are done so that only the visible side of the works conforms to the law, while the disposition and spirit do not conform.

Then it will be right to say that a certain circle of people has only works of the law, and nothing more. What is within the works is foreign to the law.

Meanwhile they themselves, relying on these works, may consider themselves correct, and others may think the same. Only God sees how correct they are. This will also be shown if they are subjected to some trial capable of drawing out and revealing what is hidden within them.

Let us apply this to the words of the Apostle Paul. Why did the Jews, meaning the mass of the people, not attain to the law of righteousness, though they acted according to the law and were convinced they were correct? They thought nothing more would be required of them.

The Apostle answers: because they had only works of the law. Everything else required with them, the spirit and disposition, was not right and did not conform to the law of righteousness.

The Apostle gathered what was lacking into the phrase: "because it was not from faith." What is required by this?

In another place the Apostle writes: "Without faith it is impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (cf. Heb 11:6).

This is the common faith of all, impressed upon human nature. There is God, on whom we depend in every way. We must strive in every way to please Him.

We must act sincerely before His face, according to the promptings of the law He has given in conscience, in expectation of a blessed future. This is that natural righteousness mentioned above.

It is the spirit which must penetrate all works and produce all good dispositions, that is, virtues, which are realized in works. The people in question lacked this, and therefore they did not attain to the law of righteousness.

But the Gentiles also lacked this. How then is it said that they attained? They attained because, when the preaching of the Gospel revealed to them wherein the essence of the matter lay, they at once supplied what was lacking. They had nothing on which to rely.

The Jews also heard of what was lacking. Yet they were deceived into confidence that they had it, because they had works of the law.

They relied on works of the law. Thinking nothing more would be required of them, they rested in these works and regarded every other measure as unnecessary. Consequently, they also regarded as unnecessary what the Gospel preaching offered.

Their spirit was entirely different. It was the spirit of selfhood and love of the world. Its essence is to arrange and secure earthly well-being or happiness, turning everything into a means to this end, not excluding even divine things.

In this sense they stood on the same line as the Gentiles. God was on their tongue, but He and His glory were not in their heart. The Savior often rebuked this.

Their model is the Pharisee who said: "God, I give Thee thanks" (Lk 18:11). But what follows? On what did he rely?

On the fact that he did not visibly commit injustice, did not steal, did not wrong anyone, and did not commit adultery. And what did he do? He fasted twice a week and gave a tithe.

All this, of course, is not bad. But if there is no fear of God in it, no zeal for His glory, and no desire to do everything for Him, then it is nothing.

If there is no love for the brethren and no desire to do them good with self-sacrifice, then all this is nothing. It is very possible for all this to be absent despite what was said.

It is even possible for there to be something that not only takes away all value from such works, but also places the doer in a class of men entirely contrary to the works.

The Savior pointed this out. Someone said: I have given to the temple what should have been supplied to my father, a powerless old man. What then? Let him die of hunger?

Is it not evident that such a man stands entirely in the group opposed to the teachers of the law? Another time the Lord reproached them because they did not seek the glory of God, but only human glory.

It turns out that the general spirit then was such that God was not in their heart, nor any concern for the brethren. They only wanted things to be well with themselves.

In everything they relied on their own powers, their own methods, and external relations. They did not need God. He was only on their tongue.

Of course, not all Jews were such. Among them were many in whom the faith indicated by the Apostle was alive, namely, that God exists and that He is a rewarder. This faith constitutes the essence of the natural law of righteousness.

They too performed all the works of the law along with the others. Yet they did not rely on them, and did not do them for their own sake, but for God's sake, for His glory, and to please Him.

Therefore, like the Gentiles, they too had nothing on which to rely. When they heard the preaching of the Gospel, they immediately accepted it, as did the Gentiles.

The only difference was that they, as Jews, met in it what they had awaited. The Gentiles received what they had not awaited.

Such is the Apostle's thought, if by the word faith one understands only the law of righteousness impressed upon our nature. But in his word there is something much greater.

The Old Testament, both by explicit word and by the arrangement of all its rites, presented an indication of the Coming One. In Him there is salvation not only for Jews, but for all nations.

All who lived in this covenant or in the law had faith in this. All expected that the Great and Wondrous One was coming. Yet not all believed and expected in the true spirit.

The part that lived only for the arrangement of its earthly well-being did not attain to the law of righteousness. Still less could it rightly believe in and await the Coming One.

The other part, hidden amid the former as seed and remnant, did attain to the law of righteousness. It also believed in the Coming One and awaited Him in the true spirit.

The first part expected that the Coming One would come and make them most happy on earth, rich, glorious, and rulers over all peoples.

The second expected that when He came, all that they failed to acquire would be fulfilled in them. They desired this and strove to attain to the law of righteousness.

In other words, they expected that He would fully satisfy their spiritual needs and wants. He would make them perfect in spirit, cleanse them from sins, and make them holy and well-pleasing before God.

Therefore, when Jesus, called Christ, appeared and declared that He was the Coming and Promised One whose coming they awaited, He offered satisfaction of all spiritual needs to those who would believe in Him and cleave to Him.

Those latter ones, tormented by the unsatisfied state of their spiritual needs, at once believed in Him and cleaved to Him. Those who, for some reason, did not manage to believe in the Lord while He was among them were later gathered by the apostolic preaching.