Paul’s question in Romans 9:30 interrupts our usual way of thinking about God. He points out that the Gentiles, who were not even trying to become righteous, have actually received righteousness by faith.
They were not carefully following laws, rituals, or religious duties the way Israel was, yet God still declared them right with Him. This is deeply surprising to us.
It sounds upside down to our performance-driven hearts, where we tend to assume that those who work the hardest for God must be the ones closest to Him.
But the gospel turns that logic on its head and shows us that acceptance with God is not a paycheck we earn, but a gift we receive. Righteousness, from beginning to end, is “the righteousness which is of faith,” anchored in what Christ has done, not in what we manage to do.