Tragedy of the Jews
A Sermon on Romans 10:18-21
Originally preached May 22, 1964
Scripture
18But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. 19But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and …
Sermon Description
As it pertains to human knowledge, human understanding, or human works, the Jews of Paul’s day would be in a position of entire advantage. Yet the majority of Jews, as Paul laments in Romans, did not obey the gospel. Why? Moreover, what does it mean that Paul cites Scripture against the Jews calling them “disobedient” and “gainsaying”? In this sermon on Romans 10:18–21 titled “Tragedy of the Jews,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones grounds the tragedy of the Jews in God’s sovereign election and their prejudice against the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation belongs to the Lord, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds the listener. The way of salvation from old covenant to the new covenant is determined by the sovereign grace of God. The “whosoever” of salvation is tied to “whosoever” as God determines, whether that is predominantly Jews or predominantly Gentiles. But Dr. Lloyd-Jones leaves room for human responsibility as well. Many of the Jews in the first century were simply set against the gospel. Jesus experienced this in His earthly ministry with the Pharisees as did Paul in his ministry. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones tackles the topic of divine sovereignty and human responsibility and as Paul explained the tragedy of the Jews, Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls the church to self-examination and praise in the sovereign election of God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is dealing with the last verses of Romans 10, from verse 18 to 21.
- Paul asks two rhetorical questions: Have they not heard? Did not Israel know? He answers that yes, they have heard and known through Moses and Isaiah.
- Paul is showing the utter inexcusability of the Jews. He divides his argument into negative and positive sections.
- The negative sections show that the Jews' trouble was not due to not hearing or the message not being clear. The Old Testament made it clear Gentiles would be saved and Jews would reject the message.
- The positive section shows what the real trouble with the Jews was. There were particular troubles and a general reason.
- The particular troubles:
- The Jews had false notions of salvation. They relied on being God's people, having knowledge of the law, and their own works.
- They failed to see the true way of salvation, which is by God's election and grace, not human effort.
- Their hearts were hardened. They were non-persuasible, stiff-necked, and spoke against the message.
- The general reason for their condition was rejecting God's love. God stretched out His hands to them all day long but they were disobedient and contradicted Him.
- The Jews are without excuse because they rejected grace. If salvation were by perfect law-keeping, all would be damned. But God offered grace, and they refused it.
- God's election and human responsibility must be held together. We are not responsible for our salvation but are for our damnation. God is responsible for salvation, man for refusing it.
- Without election, none would be saved. But man is responsible for rejecting the offer. The power of the Spirit is needed to soften hard hearts.
- We must give God all glory for salvation. Trying to take credit shows a spirit like the Jews. We must become as children and recognize we can do nothing.
- The gospel is offered to all, but some refuse to call on the Lord. The Jews thought they could save themselves. They are without excuse.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Romans 10: Understanding Israel's Unbelief
What was the apostle Paul's aim in Romans 10:18-21?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Paul's aim in this passage is twofold: to complete the immediate argument and to sum up the argument of the entire chapter. Specifically, Paul is demonstrating "the utter inexcusability of the Jews" for their rejection of the gospel. The apostle proves that the Jews had no valid excuse for not believing, as they had heard the message clearly, and both Moses and Isaiah had prophesied that the Gentiles would be called while the Jews would reject the message.
What were the three false notions about salvation that the Jews held according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies three critical errors in Jewish thinking about salvation:
- They relied on their national identity as God's chosen people, assuming that being Jewish automatically saved them.
- They relied on their possession of the law and knowledge of Scripture, looking down on Gentiles as "foolish" (ignorant).
- They relied on their own works and seeking, attempting to establish their own righteousness through their efforts rather than accepting God's righteousness by faith.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the true way of salvation according to this passage?
The true way of salvation, as explained by Dr. Lloyd-Jones from this passage, is entirely the result of God's election and grace. He notes three pieces of evidence from the text:
- The emphasis on "I" (God) throughout the passage - "I will provoke you," "I was found," "I was made manifest"
- Salvation is not the result of human activity - "I was found of them that sought me not"
- God does the manifesting - "I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me"
The doctor emphasizes that salvation depends entirely on God's action and choice, not on human understanding, knowledge, or works.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the state of the Jews' hearts that prevented them from believing?
The sermon identifies two key words describing the Jews' heart condition:
- "Disobedient" - which Lloyd-Jones explains means more than just not obeying, but being "non-persuasible" or "stiff-necked" - they won't allow themselves to be persuaded
- "Gainsaying" - meaning contradicting or speaking against - they were cantankerous and always ready to argue against the message
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that their problem wasn't intellectual but moral - "Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil." Their hearts were hardened and they were determined not to believe.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones reconcile God's sovereignty in election with human responsibility?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents a careful balance between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. He states: "We are not responsible for our salvation. But if a man is damned, he is responsible for his damnation."
He explains that salvation is entirely of God's grace and election - no one deserves it or makes any contribution to it. However, those who reject the gospel do so willfully and are responsible for their unbelief. The Jews had no excuse because God had "stretched forth his hands all day long" to them - giving them multiple opportunities which they repeatedly rejected.
Lloyd-Jones concludes that "Were it not for the election of God, not a single soul would ever have been saved," as we all are naturally hard-hearted. Yet the person who rejects the gospel does so by their own choice and will be held accountable for that rejection.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.