The Great Reversal and the Stumbling Stone Text: Romans 9:30-33
Introduction: Two Ways to Live
Every man, whether he knows it or not, is trying to become righteous. He is trying to justify his existence. The secular man does it by collecting accolades at work, by signaling his virtue on social media, or by being a "good person" according to the ever-shifting standards of the culture. The religious man does it by his devotions, his service, his doctrinal precision, or his moral scrupulosity. But at the bottom of it all is the same engine, the same desperate project of self-justification. We are all running a race, trying to arrive at a place of acceptability, a place where we can stand and not be ashamed.
The Apostle Paul, in this section of Romans, crashes into this universal human project with the force of a locomotive. He has just spent the bulk of a chapter explaining the breathtaking sovereignty of God in election, how God chooses Jacob and not Esau before they had done anything good or evil. And now, he anticipates the objection. If it is all of God's sovereign choice, then what is there left for man to do? The answer Paul gives is not what we would expect. He doesn't soften the blow. Instead, he shows us that God's sovereign plan works itself out through two diametrically opposed human responses: the way of faith and the way of works.
What we have in these few verses is nothing less than the gospel in miniature. It is a shocking reversal of fortunes that turns all our natural assumptions about religion and morality upside down. It explains why the church is filled with former pagans, and why so many who had every religious advantage stumbled into ruin. This is not just an explanation of first-century realities; it is a permanent diagnosis of the human heart. There are only two religions in the world: the religion of divine accomplishment, and the religion of human achievement. One leads to life, and the other, no matter how zealous, leads to a collision with a stone.
The Text
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, laid hold of righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written,
“BEHOLD, I AM LAYING IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,
AND THE ONE WHO BELIEVES UPON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”
(Romans 9:30-33 LSB)
The Astonishing Upset (v. 30)
Paul begins with a rhetorical question that sets up the great paradox.
"What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, laid hold of righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;" (Romans 9:30)
This is a stunning statement. Imagine two men in a race. One man has trained his whole life. He has the best equipment, he knows the track, and he is running with all his might. The other man is sitting in the stands, eating junk food, not even aware that a race is happening. Then, suddenly, the man in the stands is declared the winner. This is the picture Paul paints. The Gentiles were not pursuing righteousness. They were, by and large, pagans, idolaters, and morally adrift. They were not seeking the God of Israel. They were not trying to keep His law. Yet, they "laid hold of" righteousness.
How can this be? Paul gives the answer immediately: it was "the righteousness which is by faith." Faith is the key that unlocks this mystery. Faith is not a work. Faith is the empty hand that receives a gift. The Gentiles had nothing to offer. They were spiritually bankrupt. And it was precisely their bankruptcy that positioned them to receive the free gift of God's righteousness. They did not achieve it; they received it. They did not earn it; they were credited with it. This is the essence of the gospel. God justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5). He gives His perfect righteousness to those who bring nothing to the table but their own sin and an empty, trusting hand.
This is a profound offense to our pride. We want to contribute. We want to have a little something to show for ourselves. But the gospel declares that the only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin that makes it necessary. The Gentiles laid hold of righteousness because they stopped trying to pursue their own and simply received the one God offered in Christ.
The Tragic Failure (v. 31)
In stark contrast to the surprising success of the Gentiles, Paul describes the tragic failure of Israel.
"but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain that law." (Romans 9:31)
Here is the man who was running the race with all his might. Israel had every advantage. They had the law, the covenants, the prophets, the temple. They were zealous. They were actively "pursuing a law of righteousness." They were trying, with great effort, to be right with God through obedience to the Torah. And yet, for all their running, they "did not attain" it. They failed to arrive at the very thing they were striving for.
This is a heartbreaking irony. The very people who should have been first across the finish line did not even finish the race. Their failure was not due to a lack of effort, but to a fundamental misdirection of that effort. They were trying to build a ladder to God, when God had already come down to them. They treated the law not as a tutor to lead them to Christ (Galatians 3:24), but as a treadmill for self-justification. They mistook the signpost for the destination.
This is a solemn warning to all religious people. It is possible to be intensely religious, morally upright, and doctrinally knowledgeable, and yet miss God entirely. It is possible to pursue righteousness with all your strength and still fail to attain it, if you are pursuing it on your own terms.
The Diagnosis and the Stumbling Stone (v. 32-33)
Paul then asks the crucial question: "Why?" Why this great reversal? Why did the outsiders get in and the insiders get left out? The answer is simple and devastating.
"Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone," (Romans 9:32)
The fatal error was the method. They pursued righteousness "as though it were by works." They operated under the assumption that their standing with God was something to be earned through performance. This is the default setting of the fallen human heart. We want to be the master of our fate, the captain of our salvation. We want to put God in our debt.
But this path of works leads inevitably to a collision. It leads to the "stumbling stone." Paul then anchors this reality in the Old Testament, quoting from Isaiah.
"just as it is written, 'BEHOLD, I AM LAYING IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND THE ONE WHO BELIEVES UPON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.'" (Romans 9:33)
Who is this stone? The New Testament is unanimous: it is Jesus Christ Himself (1 Peter 2:6-8). Christ is the great divider of humanity. He is either the precious cornerstone upon which you build your life, or He is the rock of offense over which you stumble to your ruin. There is no third option. You either fall upon this stone in brokenness and repentance and are saved, or this stone falls on you in judgment and crushes you (Matthew 21:44).
Why is Christ a stumbling stone to the self-righteous? Because He confronts their pride at its root. His cross declares that all our works, all our religious efforts, all our moral achievements are utterly worthless to save us. He comes to us and says, "You cannot do it. You are not good enough. Your righteousness is as filthy rags. I must do it all for you." To the person who has built his entire identity on his own performance, this is an intolerable offense. To be told that you must abandon all your efforts and simply receive a pardon is humiliating. And so, they stumble. They trip over the very grace that was meant to save them.
But notice the glorious promise at the end of the verse: "AND THE ONE WHO BELIEVES UPON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME." This is the other side of the coin. For the one who abandons the project of self-justification and trusts in Christ, there is an ironclad guarantee. You will not be ashamed. On the last day, when all accounts are settled, when the secrets of all hearts are revealed, the one who trusted in Christ will be vindicated. Their faith will be shown to have been placed in the only one who could bear its weight. While the self-righteous see their life's work crumble into a pile of dust, the believer will stand secure, clothed not in his own righteousness, but in the perfect righteousness of Christ.
Conclusion: Stumble into Grace
So, the question this passage puts to every one of us is this: What race are you running? Are you, like Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness by your own works? Are you trying to make yourself acceptable to God through your own efforts, your own sincerity, your own religious activity? If you are, then you are on a collision course with the stumbling stone. Your best efforts will end in failure and ruin.
The good news is that there is another way. It is the way of the Gentiles, who were not even in the race but were declared winners. It is the way of faith. It is the way of abandoning your own efforts and trusting completely in the finished work of another. It is to stop running, and to fall, broken and helpless, upon the Stone. He is a rock of offense to the proud, but to those who believe, He is precious. He is the only sure foundation.
Therefore, I urge you, stumble into grace. Trip over your pride and fall into the arms of Christ. Abandon the exhausting treadmill of works and rest in His finished work. For the one who does this, the one who believes upon Him, has this unbreakable promise from God Himself: you will not, you shall not, you can not, ever be put to shame.