Stumbling Upon Salvation

All Things Are Possible With God

Why is it that Jesus has been such a stumbling block or rock of offense to religious people (Jews, Arabs, or people of other religions)? If you’re not aware, “most Jewish people are taught that Jesus is only for Gentiles”¹, and to Muslims, “it is clear that the Jesus character in the Qur’an is not the biblical Jesus.”² Though Muslims make Him out to be a good prophet, He is second best only to Mohammed. For one to believe in Him as the Son of God is the worst of all sins – shirk.³

Jews and Arabs both think that we Christians have taken a man, Jesus, and made Him into a God. That is highly offensive to them, and it is also highly offensive to us. Unfortunately, their hardened religious hearts don’t allow them to see that what we believe about Jesus is the complete opposite – that God came down from heaven and became a man. Why is that so hard to believe? Is anything impossible for God? Of course not!  It’s not hard to believe unless it has been ingrained in you from birth to disbelieve as most Muslims and Jews have been.

A Stone of Stumbling

Speaking of Jesus and the Jewish people, the apostle Paul writes, “they have stumbled over the stumbling stone.” (Romans 9:32) He then quotes the prophet Isaiah, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 9:33) From these passages we have Jesus represented as a rejected cornerstone and a rock of offense.

On one occasion, speaking to the chief priests and the Pharisees, “Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? (Matthew 21:42) The prophet Isaiah, whom Jesus is quoting, knew this would be true of the Messiah one day and Jesus was now informing the people that He was the fulfillment of that prophecy which spoke of His rejection.

A Kingdom Key

A key to understanding the rejection of Jesus being “the Christ [Messiah] who is God over all” (Romans 9:5) can be found in the last portion of Romans 9. Here Paul makes the statement, “What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.” (Romans 9:30-31)

It’s here that we find the heart of the matter, but we have to take a deeper look to see it. What Paul describes here is exactly what happened to the Jewish people, and it is still happening today. In Jewish, Islamic, Hinduist, and Buddhist circles, around the world people are pursuing a law or laws (holy books such as the Torah and Talmud, the Koran and Hadith, the Vedas, and Tripitaka, etc.) that they believe will lead to righteousness.

None Is Righteous, No, Not One

But here’s the sad truth – every person in every one of these religions is failing to achieve the righteousness they so desire. Not one adherent is strong enough, disciplined enough, or smart enough to keep every law or command that their religion requires – and they are aware of that. But that doesn’t stop them from trying!

So, this begs the question – why is it that people find such fulfillment in trying to pursue righteousness that is attained by following laws (religious duties, rituals, and rites)? Paul gives us a clue in the next verse. “Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone (Romans 9:32)

Righteousness that is based on works (doing good deeds) is the crux of religion. When I use the word religion, I’m referring to a system that emphasizes following the rules of God yet without having a relationship with God. And to be very adamant here, it is only through authentic Christianity that we can have a true relationship with God. Jesus made this concrete when He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Amazing Grace

Paul was clear when he said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Oh, and there it is my friend, the point of this article – boasting in our good works (aka, pride). That is the reason why religious people enjoy their religion so greatly. They find a sense of pride in all that they do for God and think they are more accepted by Him because of their good deeds.

Knock, Knock, Knocking on Heaven’s Door

It’s the Jehovah’s Witness who’s knocking on doors, the Muslim who’s bowing towards Mecca and praying five times a day, the Buddhist who’s making offerings to their spirit houses each day, the Jew who keeps the Sabbath perfectly and studies the Torah incessantly, the Hindu who offers “Pooja” or prayers daily to their deity, the Catholic who prays the hail Mary repeatedly, the Christian who finds pride in their perfect church attendance, and so on.

They are all trying to please their god, earn salvation, and have their sins absolved, hoping that their good is going to outweigh their bad. But the forgiveness of sins (which is something every human being needs) “is based on God’s grace and compassion, not on our own human attempts to impress him with all kinds of ceremonies and habits”⁴ and good deeds.

So, pride is the answer to the question at the top of the page, but the Bible is clear that God hates pride. (Proverbs 8:13) “Pride is giving ourselves the credit for something that God has accomplished.”⁵

Humble Pie

When Jesus spoke His final words on the cross by saying, “It is finished,” (John 19:30) He was declaring two things: 1) the work that God gave Him to do was completed, and 2) the work of man’s redemption and salvation was also now completed.

It takes humility to put away our religious pride – pride in ourselves and our goodness and accept the fact that Jesus has done it all. Jesus fulfilled the law, meaning that we no longer have to. It takes humility to accept the fact that no matter how hard we try, “we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23 NLT) Though we like boasting in our good deeds, Isaiah the prophet tells us that “our righteous deeds are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)

In Conclusion

Sadly, though Christians have been sharing the good news that salvation is “by grace through faith” alone (not by works) for over 2,000 years, today religious people are still finding their identity and a sense of pride in habits, ceremonies, and rituals.

As we’ve reflected on the stumbling block that Jesus has become to many religious people, we are reminded that pride is the root of the issue. It’s not that they don’t understand the gospel or that they’re unwilling to accept Jesus as the Messiah, but rather that they’re unwilling to let go of their own attempts to earn salvation and instead humbly receive it as a free gift. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23)

The Bible is clear that God hates pride, and that true righteousness comes not from our own efforts, but from faith in Jesus Christ. As we seek to share the good news with others, let us not be discouraged by their rejection, but instead be reminded of the power of humility and the transformative message of grace that has the potential to bring people to their knees in worship. That’s surely what that message did for me!

1.  https://jewsforjesus.org/learn/why-do-most-jews-not-believe-in-jesus ↩︎
2. https://radical.net/article/christians-muslims-believe-jesus/ ↩︎
3. https://www.reachingmuslimpeoples.com/post/the-sin-of-shirk ↩︎
4. https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/the-untold-reason-why-jewish-people-do-not-believe-jesus-is-the-messiah/ ↩︎
5. https://www.gotquestions.org/pride-Bible.html ↩︎