Big Idea: The key issue in this controversial text is the role of the law in light of the work of Christ. Paul reverses the Deuteronomic curses and blessings: non-Christian Jews experience the Deuteronomic curses because they attempt to be justified by the law, while believing Gentiles are justified because their faith is in Christ, so to them belong the Deuteronomic blessings.

Understanding the Text

Romans 9:30–10:21 forms the second unit in Romans 9–11 (9:1–29 is the first, and 11:1–32 is the third). The theme of Romans 9:30–10:21 is the reversal of the Deuteronomic curses and blessings. The former pertain to non-Christian Jews (and unbelieving Gentiles), while the latter apply to Christian Gentiles (and Christian Jews as well). These two themes form a simple chiastic structure for Rom…