The apostle Paul winds up his doctrinal section of Romans by extolling God’s riches, and wisdom and knowledge. Here we see logic on fire, truth and passion united in a God-centered vision of all things.
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The Greatness Of God
Romans 11:33-36
In this passage, the apostle Paul gives us a glimpse of the greatness of God, as compared to man. It is really important to have a Biblical view of man and God – a Biblical anthropology, and a Biblical theology. I think one of the greatest errors of the Word of Faith movement, is in its doctrine of God. In an article in Gotquestions.org, the author is writing about whether the Word of Faith movement is Biblical, and he says, “the Word of Faith movement exalts man to god-status and reduces God to man-status.”
On pages 11-12 of my book, Overwhelmed By Grace, I wrote, “My newfound Biblical discoveries caused me to grow in my understanding of God. The best way I can describe it is that my God suddenly grew much bigger. Contemplating His absolute power, majesty, and rule took my breath away. I no longer saw Him as grieving over those who would not let Him save them. Now I saw Him seated on His throne, working all things according to the counsel of His will. My understanding of man also began to change. Whereas before I thought of man as occupying the driver’s seat, controlling his destiny through the use of his free will, I now understood that his sinful nature had enslaved his will so that he would choose only to reject God. I went from having a little God and a big man, to a big God and a little man.”
Here, in Romans 11:33-36, Paul paints a picture of a big God and a little man. Or, as the commentator, Charles Hodge put it, “God is all – man is nothing.”
Now, remember where we have come from in our study of Romans, especially chapters 9-11. The passage we are studying this morning is the conclusion, the grand finale of the doctrinal section of the book – chapters 1-11. And, it is even more closely connected to the final major section of the book – chapters 9-11. What has Paul been writing about in these chapters? He is describing God’s sovereign plan as to how He is going to save “the fullness of the Gentiles” and “all Israel.” The “fullness of the Gentiles” refers to the full number of Gentiles that God plans to save. “All Israel” refers to the full number of Israelites that God plans to save. So, just how is God going to save the full number of Gentiles and Israelites? First, God will allow Israel to reject Jesus Christ, and so be lopped off of the olive tree. Then, He will send His ministers to the Gentiles. When the Gentiles begin to flood into the church, this will make the Jews jealous, and some of them will embrace Christ and be grafted into the olive tree. And in this way – the rejection of Christ by the Jews, the salvation of the Gentiles, and then the Jews becoming jealous and coming back to Christ – God’s plan for all people will come to pass.
As Paul thinks about God’s mysterious sovereign plan, he is filled with wonder and awe at the greatness of God. I pray this morning, that you will also be filled with awe and worship of God as we consider His majestic greatness!
1. The Greatness of God’s Riches
There is some debate as to whether Paul is talking about two attributes of God or three. The NASB mentions two attributes – “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” However, the ESV translates this verse like this: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” Here are 3 qualities of God – riches, wisdom and knowledge. Both are equally good translations from the Greek. I’m going to go with the ESV on this, because after Paul mentions riches, wisdom, and knowledge, he shows how man does not possess riches, wisdom, and knowledge. In verse 34a, “For who has known the mind of the Lord”, this relates to knowledge. In verse 34b, “who became His counselor?”, this relates to wisdom. And then 11:35 says, “Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again?” That relates to riches. So Paul mentions riches, wisdom, and knowledge, and then shows how man does not possess those three qualities, but he mentions them in reverse order – knowledge, wisdom, riches. So, all of that to say that I think Paul is trying to show the inexhaustible supply of God in three areas: riches, wisdom, and knowledge.
Oh. Do you sense the depth of feeling in Paul? He says, “Ohhh!” He is having a hard time expressing himself here.
Oh the depth. God’s riches, and wisdom and knowledge are deep. They are so deep that Paul can’t plumb the bottom. They are like three different mine shafts going deep into the heart of the earth. No matter how far you go down these mines, they just keep on going. No one has ever come to the end of the shafts. These mine shafts just keep on going forever.
Of the riches of God. God is infinitely rich. He is so rich, that we will never be able to truly comprehend it. We think of the extremely rich people in this world like Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates who are both worth over 100 billion dollars. And, we can’t even comprehend that kind of wealth. But God is far more wealthy than all the wealthy men in the world combined. What is God rich in?
God is rich in mercy. Eph. 2:4-5, “but God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ”
God is rich in grace. Eph. 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”
God is rich in salvation. Rom.10:12, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
God is rich in glory. Eph. 3:16, “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.”
God is rich in wisdom and knowledge. Col. 2:3 “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
God’s mercy, grace, salvation, glory, wisdom and knowledge are so great, and so abounding, that He is infinitely rich! He has so much of these graces, that there is no shortage of supply. There is no deficiency. He is overflowing in these graces.
Man is Not Rich Like God. Notice what Paul says in verse 35, “Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?” Of course, the answer is “No one!” No one can give God something He doesn’t already have. No one can ever make God obligated to him. God never owes anyone anything. No one has ever first given to God. God is always the first giver! He is always the first cause, the initiator. Anything we ever do for God is always a response to His gifts to us. My friends, you will never be able to bring God under obligation to you. God does not pay us back. God doesn’t owe anyone anything! We sometimes get upset with God, because we think we deserve better than what He has given us. Never! The truth is, the only thing we really deserve is Hell! We have sinned away any right to anything from God. If God gives us anything it will be pure grace. No, you can’t give something to God first, so that He is now obligated to return the favor. God is the Fountain, the First Giver, and all of our giving to Him is just a response to His love to us.
The popular early-20th century Bible teacher, Dr. R. A. Torrey, told of a time when he was at a meeting for businessmen in Australia when a note was handed to him. It said, “Dear Dr. Torrey, I am in great perplexity. I have been praying for a long time for something that I am confident is according to God’s will, but I do not get it. I have been a member of the Presbyterian Church for thirty years, and have tried to be a consistent one all that time. I have been Superintendent in the Sunday School for twenty-five years, and an elder in the church for twenty years; and yet God does not answer my prayer and I cannot understand it. Can you explain it to me?”
Torrey read the note from the pulpit and replied, “It is very easy to explain it. This man thinks that because he has been a consistent church member for thirty years, a faithful Sunday School Superintendent for twenty-five years, and an elder in the church for twenty years, that God is under obligation to answer his prayer. He is really praying in his own name, and God will not hear our prayers when we approach him in that way.” Later a man came up to Torrey and admitted that he had written that note. He said, “You have hit the nail square on the head. I see my mistake” (R. A. Torrey, The Power of Prayer and the Prayer of Power [Zondervan], pp. 138, 139)
2. The Greatness Of God’s Wisdom
Paul mentions God’s wisdom and knowledge. Even though there are similarities between them, there is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is the awareness of facts. Wisdom is the awareness of how to use those facts for right goals. God’s wisdom is infinitely deep. How does God’s wisdom express itself? In His judgments and ways (vs.33).
Judgments and Ways. These two words are parallel to each other, just as unsearchable and unfathomable are parallel to each other. In other words, Paul is saying the same thing twice, in slightly different wording. When God takes His knowledge and rightly applies it to a situation, the end result are His judgments or ways. In other words, God’s judgments and ways are the decisions He makes because He knows all the facts and the right application of all the facts. God’s judgments and ways refer to God’s decision to permit the Jews to reject Christ, to harden them, to throw open the door of salvation to the Gentiles, then to make the Jews jealous and to save all elect Israelites in that way. These are God’s judgments and ways. This is how God has decided to apply all the information He possessed.
Unsearchable. This word means “beyond the power of man to search out or explore.” The decisions God makes regarding people and events in this world are beyond our ability to search out. God has not told us why He has allowed or ordained all that takes place. We can’t understand His reasons for them, because He has not told us. We must simply trust that He is wise, and must have good reasons for all things.
Unfathomable. This word means “not capable of being measured, or understood; incomprehensible.” One of God’s attributes that we don’t talk about a lot is His incomprehensibility. Now, this attribute of God does not mean that we can’t know anything about God. Of course we can. God has revealed much to us in the Scriptures about Himself. But it does mean that we can’t know all there is to know about God. Now, that only stands to reason. We are finite, and He is infinite. It is impossible for a finite creature to completely understand an infinite Creator.
Paul’s point is that God’s wisdom as seen in His judgments and ways is so great that we can never search it out, measure it, or even fully comprehend it! He has acted in history in mysterious, secret ways that are working to produce the desired end result. We would never have come up with a plan to save all elect Gentiles and Jews through the rejection of Christ, the opening of salvation to the Gentiles, and the jealousy of the Jews. But that is the way God decided to bring His purposes to pass.
Man Is Not Wise Like God. We learn that truth from verse 34, “who became His counselor?” Who did God go to in order to get advice? When He created the world, did he look to you? Did you give Him counsel as to what creatures He should make, how many stars and planets He should create, and how far apart He should place each one? When He designed the plan of salvation, who did He take counsel with? Did He go to the angels to get their wise advice and put it into motion? Of course not! God took counsel with no one. God needed no one to share their wisdom with Him, because He already possessed all wisdom. He is rich in wisdom. No one ever became His counselor. The one thing proud sinners want to give God the most is their counsel. They tell God that they don’t like the way He is running the universe and that He should do it their way. And, if He doesn’t, they won’t love or serve Him.
3. The Greatness of God’s Knowledge
How great is God’s knowledge? How deep does it go? Well, God knows literally “all things”! He is omniscient. There are no pieces of information or facts that He does not know. God knows all the facts stored in all the books and computers of the world. He knows every fact about every planet and star in every galaxy of this universe. And he knows every nuance about every molecule, and atom that exists. He knows what every person is doing, saying, and thinking at every moment. He knows the past, present and the future all at once. He knows all of the millions of reactions that will come to pass as a result of every event that takes place. God knows all of this without the slightest strain on His mind. His knowledge is infinite. His knowledge is deep. It is unsearchable and unfathomable.
Man Is Not Knowledgeable like God. This truth comes out in the question of verse 34, “For who has known the mind of the Lord?” Of course, the answer is “No one!” No one has ever known fully the mind of the Lord. God’s mind is unsearchable and unfathomable. We could never plumb the depths of the mind of the Lord. Our knowledge is very limited. His knowledge is limitless.
4. The Greatness Of God Over All Things
From Him are all things. God is the Source of all things. All things have their origin and being in God. He is the Creator of everything that is. Every single thing that exists apart from God, came from God. From Him are all things.
Through Him are all things. God is the Sustainer of all things. Not only does He give all created things their existence and life, but He then sustains them every second of their existence. He feeds them, clothes them, keeps their hearts pumping, and lungs breathing. Not only does our original life come from God, but our entire lives are sustained by His mercy and love. This is what is meant in Hebrews 1:3 where it says, “He upholds all things by the word of His power.”
To Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. He is the Goal of all things. Everything exists in this universe for the glory of God. This means that all of creation will end up bringing glory to God. If a man is saved, God’s mercy will be glorified. If a man is damned, God’s justice will be glorified. God will get glory in all things He has made. If we had spiritual eyes to see, we would see even now how all things are bringing glory to God.
Conclusion
Does Your Theology Lead You To Worship? Theology is simply the study of God. If you have a good, solid, Biblical theology, it should lead you to stand in awe of your God. That is what theology did for Paul! He stands amazed and marveling when He considers the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God! He can’t take it all in. That’s what Biblical theology should do for us as well. We should never study theology just to become smarter, or to amass more information, or to impress people, or to have a “Dr” before our name. We study theology to know God. The more we know God, the more we will love and adore and praise and worship Him. So, study God to the end that you will be able to give Him more glory!
Friends, if you are studying your Bible, but it is not leading you to worship Him, something is wrong! Ask the Lord to increase your vision and understanding of God, that you might rightly glorify Him.
Do You Ever Try To Counsel God? “Lord, You shouldn’t have allowed Hitler to reign in power and exterminate 6 million Jews! Lord, You shouldn’t have allowed evil people to molest children or rape women or murder innocent people. Lord, if I were God, I would have chosen a better way. Lord, You shouldn’t have allowed my friend or child to die. Lord, You could prevent all suffering, but You don’t. You should get rid of all evil and suffering, and only allow good things in this world.” Oh, the foolishness and arrogance we display when we talk or even think like this! Let’s repent of questioning God. When we do, we are questioning His knowledge and wisdom, judgments and ways. We are in no position to question Him, because His judgments are so deep, that we will never be able to see the bottom, at least in this life. Let’s kneel in the dust, put our hands over our mouths, and kiss the rod that has smitten us.
When Jonathan Edwards was 59 years old, he was inoculated against smallpox, and the vaccination ended up killing him. A few days later, Sarah Edwards, now widowed, picked up her pen to write to her daughter Esther. This is what she wrote: “My very dear child, What shall I say! A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands upon our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had [your father] so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be. Your affectionate mother, Sarah Edwards.” That is a wonderful example for all of us to imitate!
Do You Love The Thought That You Exist To Bring Glory to God? We are told in Isaiah 43:7, “Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” Now, that is just the plain truth. But, the only people who love the thought that they have been created for God’s glory, are born again people. It is only when God has given you a new heart that you can start reveling in God’s glory, rather than your own. Do you love the truth that you exist to make God look glorious! Do you love the fact that all of history in the end will reveal the beauty and glory of God? Do love the thought that you were saved in order to praise the glory of God’s grace? The reason why God created all things, why He ordained history, and why He sent His Son to save us, was for His own glory. You exist to see His glory, enjoy His glory, and show forth His glory. Do you love that truth? I pray you do!
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