Romans 9:30-33

Righteousness by Faith

Read the passage

30What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;

31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.

32Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

33as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

Paul asks what shall be said. Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, a righteousness that comes by faith. Israel, which pursued a law that would lead to righteousness, did not reach that law.

Their approach treated righteousness as a matter of works rather than faith. Paul explains their stumbling with this scriptural quotation:

See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.

The short section does not dismiss Israel's desire for righteousness. It identifies the way that desire went wrong: striving to establish a standing before God rather than receiving righteousness through faith.

Paul brings together Isaiah's pictures of a stumbling stone and a sure foundation. The decisive question is how people respond to Christ. He is the One to trust, yet people seeking to establish their own righteousness stumble over the gift He offers. The Gentiles described here had not been pursuing righteousness, but they received it by faith.

The promise at the end gives faith a solid object: the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame. Christ will not prove an unworthy foundation when that person's standing before God is at stake.

How We Know

Isaiah 8:14 describes the Lord as a stone over which people stumble; Isaiah 28:16 describes the stone God lays in Zion as a sure foundation. Paul brings these images together around the response to Christ: stumbling in unbelief or receiving the promise through faith.

Questions

1 What did Gentiles attain?

AnswerThey attained a right standing through faith even though they had not pursued it through the law. Paul highlights God's surprising welcome rather than Gentile superiority.

2 What happened to Israel's pursuit?

AnswerIsrael pursued a law that would lead to righteousness but did not reach it. The problem was not wanting righteousness; it was seeking it as though works could establish it.

3 What did they stumble over?

AnswerThey stumbled over the stone in Zion, identified through Scripture as a rock of offense. The response to Christ becomes the decisive point in Paul's explanation.

4 What promise is given to the believer?

AnswerWhoever believes in the stone will not be put to shame. Faith receives God's promise rather than building a defense out of achievement.

What This Means for Us

Receiving help can feel harder than achieving something for ourselves. The gospel asks us to receive the righteousness Christ gives, admitting that even sincere effort cannot establish our standing before God.

Consider whether you have been postponing trust in Him until you become a better person. Come to Him with the need you actually have. Obedience matters, but it follows faith in the Savior rather than qualifying us to approach Him.

Paul's warning must not become contempt toward Jewish people. He is himself an Israelite, and his argument calls every reader away from self-reliance toward Christ.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, be the foundation of our confidence before God. Keep us from stumbling over grace because we want to earn what You give. Teach us to trust You and obey with gratitude. Amen.

Your reading

Keep your place.

Save this passage to your private reading history.