The prehistory

A doxology is often placed at the end of a biblical exposition, or at the end of a prayer. The term is derived from the Greek doxa(δόξα, glory or honor) and is a tribute to God. It is about this text:

“O depth of the riches, wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are His judgments
and how untraceable His way!

For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who became His counselor?
Who gave Him something first,
so that he will be repaid?

For from Him and through Him and to Him is the All!
To Him be the glorification for the eons!
Amen!”
Rom 11:33-36

Paul writes these words immediately after he has completed the teaching itself. The praise flows from what has gone before. He said just 1 verse earlier, “For God includes all together in rebelliousness, that He may have mercy on all!” (Rom 11:32). The praise reflects this statement. In the last article “The Mystery about Israel” this verse was already discussed in more detail.

This verse and the doxology that follows it do not stand in a vacuum. It is the summary of all things Paul has explained up to this point in Romans. The praise is at the end of 11 chapters. Not only did he state at the outset in Romans that there is not a single righteous person, but also that God’s own righteousness more than outweighs man’s unrighteousness. For:

“However, the gift of grace is not like the grievance. For if by the mortification of the one [Adam] the many died [die Menschheit wurde sterblich], how much more does the grace of God and the gift in grace (which is of the one man Jesus Christ) flow over into the many reconciled!”
Rom 5,15 KNT

Paul explains that the grace of God is much more than the problem to which it formulates an answer. No old condition is restored by grace, but something much better is achieved. Through justification and reconciliation, we are drawn into the love of God, which He already showed while we were still unsuspecting in the world (Rom 5:8).

This justification and reconciliation are not dependent on our pledge, although everyone will pledge this once. This is not wishful thinking, but is made clear at every turn in the Letter to the Romans. We can also think of Paul’s “conversion experience,” for example. The encounter with the Risen Lord was all that was needed (Acts 9:3-6). Therefore, God’s mercy has less to do with man than with God Himself:

“For God includes all together in unruliness, that He may have mercy on all.”
Rom 11:32

The praise of Paul

The apostle’s praise is not doctrine. He had already completed his apprenticeship. He praises God, but on the basis of the things he has previously declared and proclaimed. This doxology consists of 3 parts.

1. The wonder of God’s action
   “O depth of the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments, and how unsearchable His ways!” (Rom 11:33)
   Paul praises God’s wisdom and knowledge. It is the understanding of His nature and work. In direct response to the previous verse, he marvels at how inscrutable God’s judgments are and how untraceable His ways are. For, who would have thought that God would gather all into unruliness, and then have mercy on all? This does not seem logical at all. The apostle marvels at God’s actions and His ways with mankind.
2. Human self-righteousness is excluded
   “Who knew the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?” No man had foreseen this or presented it to God as an idea. The apostle sees here the greatness and independence of God. It works. He does not need us for this and no one has advised Him on this. What is described in the Gospel is not our wisdom, but God’s wisdom.
   “Who gave Him anything first, that it might be repaid Him?” Paul settles accounts with the self-righteousness of men. No one “scored points” with God, no one “gave” anything to Him first, as if God would then have to compensate us later (cf. Isa 40:14). This also applies, for example, to the supposed “faith” that one must have in order for God to save. This is not true and is an anthropocentric teaching that does not agree with the Gospel. Here Paul emphasizes again that no one gave anything to God first so that He would have to do something good to that person later. That’s not how it works. Especially the believers would have to realize that God Himself causes the willing and the working in us (Phil 2:13).
3. The comprehensive understanding
   “For out of Him and through Him and to Him is the universe!” This is the summary. It covers the course of world history from the perspective of God’s jurisdiction. Everything is of Him (1 Cor. 8:6). He is the origin. After that, everything is also through Him (cf. Acts 17:24-25). Often this “through Him” is also referred to Christ (Heb. 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6), the Son of God through whom God builds His house. This is the sustaining power in all things, as it says, “all things consist together in Him” (Col 1:17). Finally, Paul says, “everything is toward Him.” That is the goal. This is not a wish, but a clear statement. Origin, path and goal have God Himself in mind as the source, the sustaining power and the goal. It is precisely the absence of human effort (Rom 11:34-35) that leads to this.

So this doxology, this praise, is not in a vacuum, as if this still needs to be interpreted, but it is the culmination of Romans 1-11. It is the summary of all things clarified up to this point. God’s jurisdiction is not mentioned here for the first time; it has already been explained many times. It is also not the case that only here, for example, it is explained that God reaches the goal with all people and the whole creation. He had already mentioned this several times before, as is substantiated for example in the following texts:

“Accordingly, as by the one grievance there came to condemnation for all men, so also by the one judgment there comes to justification of life for all men.”
Rom 5:18

“For the creation was subordinated to vanity (not voluntarily, but for the sake of the subordinate) in the expectation that the creation itself will also be freed from slavery to the glory of the children of God.”
Rom 8:20-21

“For God includes all together in contumacy, that He may have mercy on all.”
Rom 11:32

In interpreting this doxology, then, we must start from the context and the rest of the Letter to the Romans. In this praise, the apostle simply restates what he has previously stated. He speaks praise to God because praise is what these things do. Grace makes free. A view of all-embracing grace of God in Christ Jesus makes grateful and leads to praise about God’s wisdom, about his ways and about his judgments. That is what Paul is doing here in his praise.

Understand connections

Doxology is not a doctrine, but is based on the things taught before. Paul does not have an explanation for everything. He cannot imagine all the details. He says, “How untraceable are His ways”. From this we can understand that Paul is not looking for a complete proof, as if he had to understand in everything what is going on in God Himself. This is precisely not the case (cf. 1Cor 2,11).

It is enough for Paul that the origin, course and destination all depend on God Himself. This is the overview, from which grows confidence and trust. Paul recognizes that God holds this world in his hands. That is enough for him. That’s what he trusts. Can he prove that? No. Neither can we. Nor do we have to. There is, as Paul elsewhere describes it, something like a “mystery of faith” (1 Timothy 3:9). There is no certainty except trust in God’s working. This trust, however, contains such a great richness and such a wide horizon that the apostle thanks God for it.