Prairie View Christian Church Norway, Iowa PastorTeacher Bill Wenstrom www'prairieviewchristian'org

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Prairie View Christian ChurchNorway,
IowaPastor-Teacher Bill Wenstromwww.prairievie
wchristian.org
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Tuesday April 28, 2009Romans Romans
932b-Israel Stumbled By Means Of The Stone Which
Causes Stumbling-Jesus ChristLesson 326
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Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 930.
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In Romans 930, Paul presents a paradoxical
conclusion based upon what he taught in Romans
96-29 that the Gentiles who did not pursue
righteousness like the Jews, obtained it by faith.
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Then, in Romans 931, he teaches that in contrast
to the Gentiles even though the nation of Israel
zealously pursued righteousness that is based
upon obedience to the Mosaic Law, they never
measured up to the Law.
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Sunday morning we noted Romans 932a, in which
Paul teaches that the reason why Israel never
measured up to the Law was that they never
zealously pursued it on the basis of faith as the
source of justification but rather on the basis
of a meritorious system of works.
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This evening we will note Romans 932b, in which
the apostle Paul teaches that Israel stumbled
over the stumbling stone, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Lets read Romans 930-33 and then concentrate on
verse 32b for the rest of the evening.
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Romans 930-33, What shall we say then? That
Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness,
attained righteousness, even the righteousness
which is by faith but Israel, pursuing a law of
righteousness, did not arrive at that law.
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Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but
as though it were by works.
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They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as
it is written, BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF
STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO
BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.
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Lets now concentrate on verse 32b.
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Notice that there is no connective between the
sentence they stumbled over the stumbling stone
and the previous one because they did not pursue
it by faith, but as though it were by works.
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The reason for this is because Paul is employing
the figure of asyndeton.
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Asyndeton is employed here by Paul in Romans
932b where he does not use a conjunction to
connect the statement they stumbled over the
stumbling stone with the previous statement in
Romans 932a.
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He uses this figure in order to emphasize with
his readers that he intended his words to be read
with solemn emphasis since this statement reveals
the heart of the matter.
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With this statement they stumbled over the
stumbling stone Paul reveals with solemn
emphasis that justification by faith alone in
Christ alone was an offense to the majority of
the citizens of the nation of Israel.
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The reason is that justification by faith in
Christ was totally antithetical to their own
popular religious philosophy of meritorious
system of works to be justified and became the
obstacle that brought about their fall as a
nation.
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Romans 932b, They stumbled over the stumbling
stone.
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The apostle Paul employs the stone imagery from
Isaiah 814 and 2816 as indicated by the
quotation in Romans 933.
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Isaiah 814-15, Then He shall become a
sanctuary But to both the houses of Israel, a
stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, and a
snare and a trap for the inhabitants of
Jerusalem.
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Many will stumble over them, then they will fall
and be broken They will even be snared and
caught.
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Isaiah 2816, Therefore thus says the Lord GOD,
Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested
stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation,
firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be
disturbed.
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Romans 933, Just as it is written, BEHOLD, I
LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF
OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE
DISAPPOINTED.
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Romans 932b, They stumbled over the stumbling
stone.
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They stumbled over is the third person singular
aorist active indicative form of the verb
proskopto (proskovptw) (pros-kop-to), which is a
compound word composed of the preposition pros,
toward, against and the verb kopto, to strike,
beat, thus the word literally means to strike
against.
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In Romans 932, the verb proskopto is used in an
intransitive sense meaning stumbling and is
used in a metaphorical sense of the spiritual
stumbling of the nation of Israel.
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They stumbled in a spiritual sense because they
never zealously pursued the Law by means of faith
in Jesus Christ as Savior but rather by means of
a meritorious system of works.
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The apostle Peter employs this verb in the same
manner with reference to nation of Israels
rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah
in 1 Peter 28.
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1 Peter 24-8, And coming to Him as to a living
stone which has been rejected by men, but is
choice and precious in the sight of God,
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you also, as living stones, are being built up as
a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer
up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through
Jesus Christ.
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For this is contained in Scripture BEHOLD, I
LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER
stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE
DISAPPOINTED.
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This precious value, then, is for you who
believe but for those who disbelieve, THE STONE
WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY
CORNER stone, and, A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A
ROCK OF OFFENSE
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for they stumble because they are disobedient to
the word, and to this doom they were also
appointed.
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Israels zealous pursuit of the Law by means of a
meritorious system of works rather than through
faith in Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah
prevented them from seeing their need for Him as
a Savior.
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Paul teaches in Romans 103 that Israel sought to
establish their own righteousness rather than
subjecting themselves to the righteousness of God
in the impeccable Person of Jesus Christ.
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By doing this, they never could see their need
for Jesus of Nazareth as their Savior.
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Romans 101-3, Brethren, my heart's desire and
my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.
For I testify about them that they have a zeal
for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
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For not knowing about God's righteousness and
seeking to establish their own, they did not
subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
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Israels zealous pursuit of the Law to produce
their own righteousness through a meritorious
system of works was the result of
misunderstanding the purpose of the Law.
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Paul teaches in Galatians 319-24 that the Law
was designed to be a temporary guardian until the
coming of Christ, the Suffering Messiah Savior.
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However, Israel approached the Law as a system of
merit, shifting from a faith basis to a works
basis (Exodus 198 Romans 103).
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So ultimately, the purpose of the Law was to
lead people to Christ (Gal. 324).
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Jesus Christ came to free Israel from the
condemnation of the Law but Israel rejected Him
because they erroneously believed that they could
establish their own righteousness, which would be
accepted by God for justification.
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However, they could not produce the perfect
righteousness required by a holy God.
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Only, Jesus Christ who is impeccable was perfect
in His obedience to the Law.
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But the Jews stumbled over Him because of their
self-righteous arrogance, which manifested itself
by pursuing the Law so as to produce their own
relative righteousness.
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Thus, they failed to see their need for a Savior
in a spiritual sense.
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The majority in Israel like Judas Iscariot only
viewed Jesus of Nazareth as a political Messiah
and when He failed to live up to their
expectations, they rejected Him and by doing so,
they rejected the only means of salvation!
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Romans 932b, They stumbled over the stumbling
stone.
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The stumbling stone is composed of the
articular dative masculine singular form of the
noun lithos (livqo) (lee-thos), the stone and
the articular genitive neuter singular form of
the noun proskomma (provskomma) (pros-kom-mah),
stumbling.
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In Romans 932, the noun lithos is used of the
Lord Jesus Christ in relation to His rejection by
the nation of Israel during His First Advent.
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The word is also used in this manner in Matthew
2142, Mark 1210, Luke 2017 and Acts 411.
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The apostle Peter employs lithos in the same
manner with reference to nation of Israels
rejection of Jesus of Nazareth in 1 Peter 28.
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The word functions as a dative instrumental of
means indicating that Jesus Christ is the means
by which the nation of Israel stumbled.
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In Romans 932, the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ is not in view here but rather He is the
presented as the Fathers instrument in causing
the nation of Israel to stumble because they were
on a works program.
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The noun proskomma indicates that the Lord Jesus
Christ is said to cause the nation of Israel to
stumble in a spiritual sense.
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The noun functions as a genitive of product
indicating that the Lord Jesus produced or
caused the nation of Israel to stumble in a
spiritual sense.
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