Romans 11:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"

NIV: "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?"

NASB: Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM, THAT IT WOULD BE PAID BACK TO HIM?

CSB: And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid?

NLT: And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?

KJV: Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

NKJV: “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”

Paul's hymn about how God is vastly unknowable began with a declaration about the depth of three things: His riches, wisdom, and knowledge. That poem continued with three questions about what we can know of God and what He needs from us. The first two of those questions were in the previous verse.

This is the third one, perhaps pulled from Job 41:11: Who has given a gift to God that God needs to pay back? In other words, who could ever give to God anything valuable enough that God would be in their debt? Paul is underlining the hard truth that God simply does not need us. He needs nothing from us, and does not require our existence. He will exist in completeness for eternity no matter what we do or don't do in response to Him. He owes us nothing.

That's not necessarily a comforting thought. This, however, is reassuring: the God who owes us nothing has given to us every good thing (James 1:17). Even better, the God who owes us nothing has given Himself to us in the form of Christ Jesus. In the context of Romans 11, He has shown us baffling mercy instead of the punishment we deserve for our sin, based only on our faith in Christ.

Romans 11:33–36 is Paul's poetic, hymn-like praise of God and His amazing wisdom. He quotes Old Testament texts such as Isaiah and Job. The prior passage explained how God's intent for Israel came with some level of mystery. As limited, created people, we will never be able to fully grasp the mind of God. The proper response, when we realize how beyond our understanding He is, is praise and worship.

In Romans 11, Paul concludes his exploration of God's plan for His chosen people Israel. It's true that as a nation, Israel has rejected faith in Christ, but a remnant of Israelites has believed in Jesus. God has hardened the rest in unbelief, but will bring Israel back to faith when enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ. Then many Israelites will trust in Christ, as well, and God will renew His covenant with His people. Paul concludes this section with a powerful poem or hymn about God's independence and how He is beyond our full comprehension.

Romans 11 concludes Paul's discussion about God's plan for the Israelites begun in Romans 9 and 10. Paul insists that, though Israel as a nation has rejected Christ, a remnant of Jewish Christians exists by God's grace. God has hardened the rest in their unbelief until enough Gentiles have come to Him through Christ. Then God will release Israel to believe in Christ and restore His covenant with her as many individual Jews come to faith in Christ, as well. Paul stands in awe of God's vast and unknowable mind and complete ownership of all things.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.