Romans 9:33

"Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,"

Key Reflection

The verse from Romans 9:33 highlights how the Jewish people’s failure to accept Jesus as the Messiah was due to their reliance on works rather than faith. In first-century Judaism, seeking salvation through adherence to the law and rituals would have been deeply ingrained; thus, when Jesus presented a different path of faith in him, many stumbled because they could not let go of their traditional practices. This idea is rooted in the broader theme of the Old Testament, where Isaiah 28:16 speaks of the stone that becomes a stumbling block (the Messiah), emphasizing that true righteousness comes through trust rather than works alone.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 33. As it is written. See Isa 8:14; 28:16. The quotation here is made up of both these passages, and contains the substance of both. Comp. also Ps 118:22; 1 Pe 2:6. Behold I lay in Sion. Mount Zion was the hill or eminence in Jerusalem, over against Mount Moriah, on which the temple was built. On this was the palace of David, and this was the residence of the court, 1 Ch 11:5-8. Hence the whole city was often called by that name, Ps 48:12; 69:35; 87:2. Hence also it came to signify the capital, the glory of the people of God, the place of solemnities; and hence also the church itself, Ps 2:6; 51:18; 102:13; 137:3; Isa 1:27; 52:1 Isa 59:20; etc. In this place it means the church.

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