All Good Theology Should Lead to Doxology

In one paragraph

Pastor Carl opened Romans 9 through 11 by giving the congregation enough framework to read those three chapters together before next week's message. He focused on the opening and closing verses of that section, with a look at the center point that holds the whole argument together. The sermon ended with communion. Paul's opening words in Romans 9 land hard if you read them in isolation. Right...

Read together

1. Psalm 8:3-4 quoted at the opening to express wonder at God's mindfulness of mankind
2. Romans 1:16 cited as the theme of Romans: not ashamed of the gospel, power unto salvation for all who believe, Jew first and also Gentile
3. Romans 8:26 referenced as the Holy Spirit helping in our weaknesses, lifting us up and interceding
4. Romans 8:28 quoted as a mountaintop passage: all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose
5. Romans 9:1-3 quoted at length: Paul declaring truth in the Holy Spirit, his great sorrow and unceasing grief, and his wish to be accursed for the sake of his Jewish kinsmen
6. Romans 9:4-5 quoted listing what belongs to the Israelites: adoption, glory, covenants, the law, temple service, promises, the fathers, and Christ according to the flesh
7. Romans 10:13 identified as the center point of the chiastic construction: whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
8. Romans 11:33-36 quoted as the closing doxology: the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, his unsearchable judgments, and to him be glory forever
9. Philippians 4:21 referenced in prayer as Christ having power to submit all authority underneath his power
10. John 14:6 quoted as Jesus declaring he is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through him
11. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 paraphrased during communion: Jesus taking bread and the cup, saying this is my body and the new covenant in my blood, do this in remembrance of me

Talk about it

1. Paul says he has 'great sorrow and unceasing grief' over his fellow Jews, right after writing one of the most hopeful passages in all of Scripture. What does that kind of empathy look like in your own life toward people who know part of the truth but haven't connected it to Christ?
2. Pastor Carl pointed out that the center of the chiastic construction in Romans 9-11 is 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,' and that this is the lens through which everything else in the passage should be read. How does keeping that center point in view change the way you read the harder parts of Romans 9?
3. Pastor Carl asked us to imagine how we would design a way to save people if we had created them, and noted that forcing their will would not produce love. How does that thought help you hold together God's sovereignty and human free will in this passage?
4. The sermon drew a parallel between the Jew and Gentile divide in Paul's day and the churched and unchurched divide we see in our own congregation. Where do you see that tension showing up, and what does Paul's argument say about how we should respond to it?
5. Pastor Carl said that all good theology should lead to doxology, not confusion or aggravation, even if confusion comes first. Can you think of a time when working through a difficult passage of Scripture eventually brought you to praise rather than frustration?