The Mercy of God

Study Guide

The relationship between sovereignty and responsibility often creates tension in our convictions about humanity and fairness. Instead of inviting us to understand, God simply asks us to trust. Although he has sent this message of salvation countless times to the Jews, they have rejected him, clinging to their own way of getting right with God. Paul makes it clear that anyone who calls on him, including Gentiles, will be saved.
Application
  1. Scripture is clear that both God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are true. How does the complexity and incomprehensibility of God move you to worship him?

  2. The Jews were sincere and zealous in their belief that they could earn righteousness by keeping the law, but they were wrong. How has our culture twisted the idea of truth? Has there been a time when your sincere beliefs did not line up with the truth of God’s Word? What did you do about that?

  3. As believers, if God’s Word is in our heart, it will also be on our lips. How often does your relationship with Christ come up in conversation? What hinders you from sharing with others? With whom is God moving you to share the gospel?

Key Points
  • We can know truly without knowing wholly. In the tension between God’s sovereignty and our responsibility, God doesn’t invite us to understand.

  • Believing that keeping the law would earn right standing before God, the Jews refused to trust Jesus. For Jews and Gentiles alike, faith in Jesus is the only way to be saved.

  • Sincerity does not make something true. Our zeal and desires must be consistent with God’s Word.

  • Being religious is not the same as being righteous.

  • In the Old Testament, God works through the nation of Israel to bring people to himself. Today he works through a new nation, the Church. Jews should be awakened and stirred to repentance by seeing God work through the multicultural, multinational miracle that is the Church.

  • Our speech reveals what is in our hearts. A defining characteristic of people in God’s Kingdom is that we will have something to say about the good news of Jesus.

Other Scripture References

Scripture: Romans 10:1-10:21