The Miracle Of The Method Series

Have you ever wondered, why does God do things the ways He does? As I’m reading through the Bible in a year, I read a lot a passages that I had to wonder, what’s the point? Why is this important to include in the Bible, and what does it have to do with me? I have to wonder about why the sacrificial system in the OT was so bloody. Could not God come up with something else? I wonder, why was Jesus born to poor parents? Why did Jesus have to die?

And I wonder that if people are inherently evil, as the scriptures says and as we discussed before, why did God make people in the first place? Or why do we have an evil heart? Couldn’t God fix that? We are not going to answer those question directly this morning, but we will consider God’s hands in all of this. We sometimes wonder about God. Yet we must remember that we must meet God on His terms and not our own. God dictates to us, not us to Him.

So often man tends to make God in our own image than realize that we are made in His image. But that image we are of God has been marred. The good news is that God has made a way for that image to be restored. And that is what we are looking at today: The miracle of God's way and methods.

The apostle Paul did not have such questions. That does not mean that he had all the answers, quite the contrary. But Paul knew God’s way in history is beyond our comprehension. So here in Romans 11:33-36, Paul lets go with a doxology, a praise to God for His wonders. Paul praises God for the miracle of His ways and methods.

Romans 11:33–36

Let me give a very brief and simplified synopsis of this Letter to the Romans. This letter is the closest thing we have to a systematic theology in the Bible. In the first part of Romans, from chapter 1 through chapter 11 Paul examines the gospel and the theology behind it. In chapters 12 through the end of the letter, Paul outlines, in light of the theology he has presented, how we should live as believers, in relationship to the world and to each other.

Quoting the John Stott, world renown theologian, who wrote many of my seminary text books, he says:

For eleven chapters Paul has been giving his comprehensive account of the gospel. Step by step he has shown how God has revealed his way of putting sinners right with Himself, how Christ died for our sins and was raised for our justification, how we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection, how the Christian life is lived not under the law but in the Spirit, and how God plans to incorporate the fulness of Israel and of the Gentiles into his new community.

Paul’s horizons are vast. He takes in time and eternity, history and eschatology, justification, sanctification and glorification. Now he stops, out of breath. Analysis and argument must give way to adoration. … Before Paul goes on to outline the practical implications of the gospel, he falls down before God and worships (33–36). [1]

Today’s reading is a doxology, or a praise directed to God. It falls at the end of Paul’s treaty on theology.

It is of great importance to note from Romans 1–11 that theology (our belief about God) and doxology (our worship of God) should never be separated. [2]

Romans 11:33a Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

This first phase in this verse could be taken one of two ways: (1) This could mean how rich is the wisdom of God and how rich is the knowledge of God. Or (2) The depth of God’s riches, the depth of God’s wisdom, and the depth of God’s knowledge. Translating directly from the Greek word for word we read: “O depth of riches and wisdom and knowledge of God." I do believe Paul is talking about the riches of God as well as His wisdom and knowledge. Especially when you compare with verses 34 and 35 where Paul covers these three things of God. riches, Wisdom, and knowledge, in reverse order.

Romans 11:34a For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD

Dealing the God’s knowledge.

Romans 11:34b OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?

Concerning the wisdom of God.

Romans 11:35 Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?

Comparing what we have to the riches of God. These we will look at these in detail in moment, but for now, understand the relationship between these three verses. Now returning to the questions we had at the beginning of this message, what about the method God chose to save us? What about Jesus being born to poor parents, only to grow up and die a horrible death on a Roman cross? Was there another, less painful way? Hold this thought and let’s go back and examine our passage.