Who are Romans 9-11 about?
Romans 9-11 are about the nation of Israel. Paul writes these three chapters with special regard to Israel, tying them to the Old Testament and the Abrahamic covenant. They deal with God's covenants and promises to Israel, not the Gentiles. Believers experience salvation because of what God fulfilled for Israel.
Les teaches that Romans 9-11 are about the nation of Israel. Paul writes these three chapters with a special regard to Israel, and they must be tied to the Old Testament account. Going back to Genesis 12, God spoke to Abram in Ur of the Chaldees and commanded him to leave his family and go to a land God would show him. By faith Abraham went, beginning God's dealing with the man from whom the nation of Israel would come. The covenants God made with Israel are the foundation. Believers now experience the great salvation of God because of what God has done in fulfilling the covenants of Israel, though we have nothing to do with the covenants themselves. Les also gave an illustration of a man who came to know the Lord and became a good student of the Scriptures.
More Questions
Why must Romans 9-11 be interpreted in light of the Old Testament?
Paul wrote Romans 9-11 with special regard to the nation of Israel, so we must tie these chapters to the Old Testament account.
Why do we need to go back to Genesis when studying Romans 9-11?
Because everything ties together in Genesis, Romans 9-11 must be tied to the Old Testament account rather than read alone.
Why are Romans 9, 10, and 11 called parenthetical chapters?
Romans 9, 10, and 11 are parenthetical chapters: just as you can insert a parenthetical statement into a complete English sentence and then remove it and still have your complete sentence, so chapters 9-11 can be taken out and the flow from the end of chapter 8 to chapter 12 remains intact.