Misunderstanding, Nationalism, or Legalism. Richard Wellons Winston
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Misunderstanding, Nationalism, or Legalism
Identifying Israel’s Chief Error with Reference to the Law in Romans 9:30—10:13
Richard Wellons Winston
Misunderstanding, Nationalism, or Legalism
Identifying Israel’s Chief Error with Reference to the Law in Romans 9:30—10:13
Copyright © 2020 Richard Wellons Winston. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.
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I dedicate this dissertation to Beth, with thanks for your constant encouragement.
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Preface
Many deserve special thanks for contributing to this project. Aaron Burk encouraged me years ago to attend seminary, and this dissertation is the culmination of those studies. Greg Stiekes and Dr. Michael Barrett were instrumental in directing me towards Central Baptist Theological Seminary, and in challenging me to think deeply and seriously about Scripture. My interest in Paul and the law began in Dr. Jon Pratt’s class on the same topic, and I appreciate his patience in reading many of my papers on this topic and now finally a dissertation. Special thanks also go to the faculty and students of Central Baptist Theological Seminary for encouragement and challenge throughout the doctoral program. I am grateful for my brothers and sisters in Christ at Faith Free Presbyterian Church for their constant interest, encouragement, and prayers for my studies. Your labor was not in vain! I am also grateful to Dr. Charles Barrett and Geneva Reformed Seminary for the opportunity to finish this dissertation while employed as a member of the Resident Faculty. I do not know how I would have finished it otherwise. Special thanks are due to my parents for taking me to church, and introducing me to the things of God. Finally, immense gratitude is due to my wife, Beth, and my children, Ben and Grace. Your patience, encouragement, and support have meant to the world to me.
Richard Wellons Winston
Greenville, South Carolina
May, 2015
Abbreviations
BDAG Walter Bauer, Frederick W. Danker, W. F. Arndt, and F. W. Ginrgich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
HALOT Ludwig Koehler and Walter Bumgartner. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. New York: Brill, 1994–2000.
MT Masoretic Text
NA28 Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th edition
UBS3 United Bible Societies Greek New Testament, 3rd edition
UBS4 United Bible Societies Greek New Testament, 4th edition
Abstract
Richard Wellons Winston, PhD Central Baptist Theological Seminary, 2015 Committee Chair: Dr. Jonathan Pratt
This dissertation examines Paul’s exegetical and theological argument in Rom 9:30–10:13, with special attention to his use of the Old Testament. It argues that Paul criticizes Israel for pursuing a right standing with God by obeying the Mosaic law when they should have discerned within their own Scriptures both humanity’s inability to keep the Mosaic law and the necessity of salvation by faith alone. It proves this thesis in two ways. First, by exegeting key phrases throughout Rom 9:30–10:13, and showing that their meaning best accords with a law-gospel approach to Paul. Second, by showing that Paul uses the OT to argue that the law’s demands for perfect obedience must be read in light of the salvation-historical priority of salvation by faith. This work also argues against the ideas that the Mosaic law primarily commands faith and that Israel was guilty of a nationalistic approach to righteousness.
Chapter 1
Introduction
Thesis
This dissertation examines Paul’s exegetical and theological argument in Rom 9:30—10:13, with special attention to his use of the Old Testament. Paul declares at the beginning of Romans that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe (Rom 1:16). His confidence in the gospel’s power to save is based upon the fact that it reveals the righteousness of God which is obtained by faith (Rom 1:17a). The OT itself teaches that the righteous live by faith (Rom 1:17b citing Hab 2:4). Together, Rom 1:16–17 announce the theme of Romans: the gospel which reveals the righteousness of God for all who believe.1
Paul develops this theme throughout the major sections of Romans: 1:18—3:20 establish humanity’s need of righteousness; 3:21—4:25 develop the provision of justifying righteousness by Christ for all who believe; 5:1—8:39 explain the reality of sanctifying righteousness for all who have believed, and 12:1—15:13 give practical exhortations that illustrate the nature of the sanctified life.2 Interpreters, however, dispute the role that 9:1—11:36 play in the overall argument of Romans.3
C. H. Dodd famously argued that these chapters were the remnants of an old sermon on Israel’s rejection that Paul carried around with him and inserted here in order to fully answer questions raised in 3:1–9.4 Rom 9–11 does address questions raised in 3:1–9,5 but it does not logically