Not by faith

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. – Romans 9.30-32

Throughout history there has been a lot of effort by man to connect with God. That is what religion is all about. It is about what man can do to get back to God.

Here Paul speaks specifically to Jews. It must have hit them like a tonne of bricks when Paul wrote ‘The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness while Israel, who pursued the law, don’t have it.’

While this was for the Jews the truth applies to any who are trusting their religion for righteousness. If anyone is going to try and achieve righteousness by doing anything are going to fail. They are never going to make. Righteousness is impossible to achieve because no one has the power to be righteous. We are always going to mess it up. We are always going to blow it.

The problem with these Jews and anyone who pursues righteousness through doing anything is that their pursuit is ‘not of faith.’ The stumble at the stumbling block of faith.

Why is faith so hard? Why is it a stumbling block? I think it is because faith is too easy. It is intangible. It is hard to measure. We always want to do ‘something.’

But righteousness can only come through faith. For by grace are we saved, though faith.  Righteousness is not of works or pursuit. If it were we could surely boast.

Any attempt at salvation that is not of faith will fail.