Original Meaning

EVERY GOOD SERMON has a conclusion that should stimulate its hearers to respond to the message. In 8:31–39 Paul concludes his “sermon” on Christian assurance in chapters 5–8 by calling on his readers to exult in their security in Christ. Now in 11:33–36 he caps off his survey of salvation history by leading his readers in an expression of awe at God’s extraordinary plan for the world. As in 8:31–39, the apostle uses questions to encourage us to identify with him in this outburst of amazement.

The praise to God Paul offers here falls into three strophes. In verse 33, we find three exclamations about God’s wise plan. In verses 34–35, the apostle uses three rhetorical questions to remind us how far above are the thoughts and ways of God. Finally, verse 36 reminds us that God is ultimate in all things and that he is therefore deserving of our praise.

The particle “Oh” (Gk. ō) shows that the first sentence of verse 33 is an exclamation—a reaction triggered by what Paul has been saying of God’s purposes in the preceding verses. The exact wording of the exclamation is not certain. According to the NIV translation, “riches” governs both “wisdom” and “knowledge.”1 But “riches” (ploutos) can also stand on its own as a third attribute of God alongside his wisdom and knowledge (see, e.g., the NRSV: “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!”2). If we take this latter interpretation, “riches” refers to the infinite kindness of God displayed in his plan of salvation (see v. 12). This plan also displays God’s “wisdom” and his “knowledge”—the latter word referring perhaps to God’s relational “knowing” expressed in his election (see comments on “foreknow” in 11:2).

Paul displays rhetorical care in his wording of the second two exclamations in verse 33 (the NIV merges them into one for English stylistic reasons). They have the same syntactical structure, and each begins with a similar-sounding adjective: anexerauneta (“unsearchable”) and anexichniastoi (“beyond tracing out”). “Judgments” does not refer to God’s judicial decisions but to his “executive” decisions for the direction of salvation history (see Ps. 19:9; 36:6; 119:75).

The three questions in verses 34–35 are taken from the Old Testament, the first two from Isaiah 40:13 and the third from (probably) Job 41:3. The questions may correspond, in reverse (chiastic) order, to the three attributes in verse 33:

“Who has known the mind of the Lord?”—knowledge

“Who has been his counselor?”—wisdom

“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?”—riches

These questions are obviously rhetorical and expect the answer “no one.” But the wisdom tradition Paul reflects taught that wisdom was able to do what no person was able to do: understand and interpret the mind of God. As the embodiment of wisdom, then, Christ, through his work of salvation, reveals God’s plan to us. If the first two questions remind us how far we are from fully understanding God, the final question reminds us of God’s grace, a great theme of these chapters. What God does in his plan of salvation he does not do because anyone has earned his favor or deserves his kindness, but solely out of his own great love for us.

The affirmation of God’s ultimacy in creation (v. 36a) may respond directly to verse 35—no one can demand anything from God, for he is supreme in creation—but probably reflects all of verses 33–35. The concept of God as source (ek), sustainer (dia), and goal (eis) of all things may reflect Greek Stoic philosophy (see Bridging Contexts). Whatever its origins, the saying expresses well the biblical teaching of God’s “ultimacy”: that he is far more important than his creation and must be therefore given the honor and glory due him. Paul therefore appropriately responds by ascribing glory to this wondrous and all-consuming God.

Bridging Contexts

STOICISM. We have repeatedly focused on the way the Old Testament and Jewish traditions illumine Paul’s teaching in Romans—and rightly so. Paul’s own roots are sunk deeply in the soil of Judaism, his understanding of the gospel is worked out in conjunction with the Old Testament, and his topic in Romans requires extensive interaction with these backgrounds. But Paul was also well acquainted with the religious, philosophical, and cultural currents of the Greco-Roman world in which he lived. Though raised in a strict Jewish household (see Phil. 3:5) and taught in a rabbinical school (Acts 22:3), he also grew up in the cosmopolitan city of Tarsus. His letters reveal a man well-read in the wider culture of his time. God therefore prepared Paul for just the kind of ministry to which he called him: apostle to the Gentiles.

This means also that Paul feels free to borrow from the Greco-Roman culture whatever he thinks will help to communicate the truth of the gospel. One of the most influential philosophical movements of his day was Stoicism. Stoicism had its origins in third-century B.C. Athens, where Zeno taught in the stoa (the porch) in the agora (marketplace). Rooted in a pantheistic worldview, Stoicism in the first century was preoccupied almost exclusively with ethics. It sought to answer the question, “How can the wise man live in accordance with nature?”3 Partly for that reason, it became popular with the Romans.

The saying we find in verse 36a sounds much like typical Stoic pronouncements about God. The second-century A.D. Stoic philosopher (and Roman emperor) Marcus Aurelius, for instance, said of God, “From you are all things, in you are all things, for you are all things” (Meditations 4.23). Thus, we might be tempted to conclude that Paul applies a Stoic teaching here to God, and we should not be upset if he does so. Paul obviously does not intend to bring over the entire Stoic worldview. He simply thinks that, at this point, the Stoics have said something about God that is true, understood within the biblical worldview.

But Paul may not be quoting a Stoic saying directly. Jews before Paul had taken over some of these same Stoic ideas about God (see, e.g., Philo, Special Laws 1.208; see also 1 Cor. 8:6). So Paul’s relationship to Stoic teaching may be indirect, mediated by his Jewish background. In any case, we can appreciate this assertion about God as an example of contextualizing the gospel. Paul borrows language that his first-century readers would be familiar with in order to help them understand the absolute supremacy of God.

Contemporary Significance

THEOLOGICAL HUMILITY. To my mortification and my family’s delight, I received in the mail just this week an invitation to join the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). I have reached a point of life in which I find myself prefacing many things I say with “at my age.” Undoubtedly, as my children insist, some of the sentences that follow reflect hardening of the arteries or irrational fear of anything new. But a few of these statements, I trust, reflect some wisdom that the perspective of age has inculcated.

One of the most common sentiments I express these days is a greater humility about certain theological positions I hold. Like many young people, I felt confident of my positions in the first years of my career. I sometimes propagated views orally or in print that I had not thought through as thoroughly as I should have. While I have not changed many of these views, I am much more inclined now to notice evidence that might not fit my view. Therefore, I feel much more keenly the need to nuance what I teach by calling attention to this evidence and by admitting that my own view may not be correct. Increasing age should certainly not turn us into theological milquetoasts—uncertain about what we believe and swayed by the latest wind of doctrine. And I am as passionately committed to the essence of the Christian faith as I have ever been. But I would describe my current approach in theological study and teaching as “humble.”

What does all this have to do with Romans 11:33–36? Just this: Paul’s reminder that God’s thoughts are far beyond anything we could ever approximate and his plan more intricate and marvelous than we could even imagine certainly calls on each of us to exercise great humility in seeking to understand God and his Word. On this side of glory, all our theologizing is uncertain and tentative. Humility, willingness to listen, and respect for others are the appropriate attitudes for us finite creatures as we seek to plumb the depths of God’s character and truth.

To be sure, God has graciously given us in his Word a revelation of himself and his plan that everyone can understand. The essence of what that Word says is clear and undebatable. But the details are not always as clear as our theological traditions or denominational loyalties suggest. People holding views with more tenacity than Scripture justifies have done untold damage to the church and to the cause of Christ in the world. So even as we praise God for his amazing and gracious plan of redemption, we must also bow our knees in humility before him and keep a good perspective on our own limitations in understanding the specifics of that plan.