Romans 11:33-36 To him be the glory for ever! Amen.

Contents Topics
Genre
Oh the depth of the riches GOD’S
Belongs to Paul’s LETTER to the Christians in Rome RICHES
This section is in the form of A DOXOLOGY (Expression of praise) and
- A Hymn to God (using three-fold structures of expression, wisdom GOD’S
questions & words) WISDOM
Context and
BEFORE knowledge of God! GOD’S
A comprehensive account of the Gospel of salvation precedes the passage KNOWLEDGE
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DOXOLOGY
How unsearchable his judgements, GOD’S
Analysis and argument give way in this passage to
JUDGEMENTS
adoration of such a wonderful God.
and
AFTER
his paths beyond tracing out! GOD’S
Practical implications of the Gospel follow.
WAYS
Structure Shape “Who has known the mind of the Lord? THE MIND OF
Oh the depth of the riches AN ASTONISHED EXCLAMATION GOD
and Or who has been his counsellor?”
wisdom GOD’S COUNSEL
and Who has ever given to God,
knowledge of God! that God should repay him? GOD’S
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CREDIT
How unsearchable his judgements, A RHETORICAL QUESTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and For from him GOD’S RELATIONSHIP TO
his paths beyond tracing out! CREATION
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? and
Or who has been his counsellor?” through him
Who has ever given to God, and
that God should repay him? to him are all things,
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For from him A THEOLOGICAL AFFIRMATION
To him be the glory for ever! GOD’S
and
GLORY
through him
and Amen.
to him are all things,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over-All Subject ?
A FINAL ASCRIPTION
 Teaching on this Subject ?

Application ?

Heart-beat ?

Exhortation ?

NOTE:
John Stott’s BST Commentary: Ch 15 (pp 309-312) is very helpful!

Commentary Notes (Stott) Word Commentary 1

•Paul worships
•Humble wonder at God
•Utter dependence on him
•Wealth and wisdom
–Deep & unfathomable / inscrutable (cf Is 55:8f)
–We cannot penetrate into the infinite mind of God!
•Judgements and paths
•Revelation and gifts
•What He thinks and decides (his mind)
•What He does and where He goes (his activity)
Commentary (Stott)
•To reverse roles would be to dethrone God!
•Our thinking
•about Got should never be separated from our worship of God
–Worship without theology becomes idolatrous
–A purely academic interest in God without worship
–Where all things come from? (Source)
–How all things come into being? (Means)
–Where everything is going? (Goal)
Exalting the inexhaustibility of God’s riches
both of his wisdom and of his knowledge
Oh! expressing very strong emotion!
The depth of the riches > a treasury which has no bottom > inexhaustible
resources of God
The wisdom of God > in creating the world, revealing His will, and
redeeming His people (c.f. the mystery of God’s saving purposes treated in
ch 1-11)
Celebrating God’s Judgements & Ways
the judgements > c.f. the overarching thought of a divine purpose whose
wisdom and justice is beyond human comprehension, such as at times of
crisis in Israel’s history when this ruling purpose of God must have seen
particularly obscure.
his ways > c.f. even though the mystery (of God’s plan of salvation) has
been revealed (v 25), there is far, far more to God’s purposes and actions
than human mind can ever take in.
1Dunn, James D.G., Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 38b: Romans 9-
16, (Dallas, Texas: Word Books, Publisher) 1998.
Paul felt that, like Job before him (c.f. Job 26:14), he had only caught a
mere glimpse of the edge of God’s doings! His sovereign purposes remain
a mystery.
The very idea of offering advice to God is ridiculous. So is the idea that we
could place him in our debt! (c.f. Job 41:11)

Relating the Creator to His creation

From…through…to Him > God is the source, the medium, and goal of
everything, the beginning, the middle and the end.

To Him be the glory c.f. The climax of the history of salvation is the glory
of GOD.