Good morning, Bereans. We are studying Romans chapter 9, and we have seen that it is a theodicy—a vindication or a defense of God. In the first five verse, Paul gives us an introduction to this section. He tells us of his love for Israel. He says that he wished he could take their curse, implying that they were under the curse of God. This raises all kinds of questions. What about all the promises that God made to Israel? Has God's Word failed? Has God gone back on His promises? Those questions are extremely important. If it can be shown that God does not keep His word, what good is the Bible to us?
The Jew would state that (1) Yeshua is not the Messiah, and He cursed God's people Israel or (2) the word of God to Israel has proven false. These same arguments are somewhat seen in modern Dispensationalism. They say that God has postponed His promises and will fulfill them in the future in physical Israel.
Paul responds to this by beginning his theodicy in verse 6. God's promises have not failed or gone off course, nor have they been delayed. They were simply misunderstood. God is working, and has always worked according to the principle of sovereign electing grace.
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, Romans 9:6 ESV
"For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel"—the Scriptures never promised blessing to every physical descendent of Abraham. The basis of God's blessing is not to be found in one's physical relationship to a particular forefather, but rather to one's spiritual relationship to God by faith. The nation was chosen to be a vehicle of blessing to the world, but not all within the nation are chosen to salvation. The nation was elected to privilege, but only individuals are elected to salvation.
We must understand the following principle which Paul gives us in verse 6: There are two "Israels." There is physical, ethnic, national Israel but also spiritual or true Israel. Covenant, not race, has always been the defining mark of the true Israel of God. I said last week that Yeshua is the true Israel! It is in Him, and in Him alone, that the promises of God are fulfilled. We could say: "They are not all 'in Christ' who are physical descendants of Jacob."
If Yeshua is the true Israel of God and if the New Testament writers apply to Yeshua those prophecies from the Tanakh referring to Israel as God's son and servant, then what Paul says here in verse 6 destroys Dispensational Christian Zionism (the dominant view of the Church today). Considering the modern state of Israel as the equivalent of biblical Israel, Christian Zionists believe that the Jewish people deserve to possess the land of Palestine as their own.
Christian Zionism's leading proponent today is John Hagee, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas (a non-denominational Charismatic mega-church with more than 19,000 active members).
Hagee claims that he has been to Israel more times than he can count. He has met with every Prime Minister of Israel since Menachem Begin. John Hagee Ministries has given more than $8.5 million to bring Soviet Jews from the former Soviet Union to Israel. Hagee is the founder and executive director of "A Night to Honor Israel," an event that expresses solidarity between Christians and Jews on behalf of Jerusalem, the State of Israel, and the United States.
In March, 2006, John Hagee formed "Christians United for Israel" (CUFI). It is "a national association through which every pro-Israel church, para-church organization, ministry, or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to biblical issues."
Accordingly, Hagee proclaims that CUFI intends to "interact with the government in Washington" and persuade it "to stop pressuring Israel to give up land for peace." Besides the fact that this does not work, Hagee insists that Israel has a biblical mandate for the land.
If you understand Christian Zionism, you can see how important Romans 9:6 is to a correct theology. God's promises were not to all of Abraham's descendants. I commented on this last week, but let me be even more clear about this: Although many Christians today still consider the Jewish people to be a race, there is no Jewish race today! After the destruction of Jerusalem, the nation of Israel according to the flesh was scattered throughout the earth and thereby lost all tribal relations. This scattering was made immutable due to the fact that all tribal genealogical records were destroyed with the Temple in A.D. 70. The simple fact is that there is no existing Jewish race. Consider the following quotation from the Encyclopedia Britannica (1973):
The Jews As A Race: The findings of physical anthropology show that, contrary to the popular view, there is no Jewish race. Anthropometric measurements of Jewish groups in many parts of the world indicate that they differ greatly from one another with respect to all the important physical characteristics. (vol. 12, page 1054)
Collier's Encyclopedia (1977) states:
A common error and persistent modern myth is the designation of the Jews as a 'race.' This is scientifically fallacious, from the standpoint of both physical and historical tradition. Investigations by anthropologists have shown that Jews are by no means uniform in physical character and that they nearly always reflect the physical and mental characteristics of the people among whom they live. 1977, vol. 13, p. 573).
Today, being a Jew simply means that one is of the Judaistic religion or a convert to it, or else in a "brotherhood" of those who are. Therefore, being a Jew has nothing to do with race. We are familiar with a number of notable figures, figures such as Sammy Davis Jr., Elizabeth Taylor, and Tom Arnold who became Jews by conversion to the religion of Judaism. There is no Jewish race or nation today. God put an end to Judaism in A.D. 70. And understanding this will put an end to Christian Zionism and, thus, to an unbiblical foreign policy.
Turning our attention back to Romans 9:6 thru 10:21, we understand that Paul is telling the story of Israel—which he further and further narrows down to the final remnant. This narrowing is only done through the sovereign election of God. The Jew was a devout believer in the doctrine of election—that is the doctrine of corporate election. They felt that all who were physical descendants of Abraham were chosen. Using the Hebrew Scriptures Paul corrects this idea.
In Romans 9:7-13, Paul is reading and explaining the Word of God. He's saying that if Israel had read and understood their Scriptures, they would have seen that what has happened is not contrary to the Bible but is, in fact, in full accord with what one finds in the Tanakh.
Remember, the Jews would say that physical descent from Abraham made them Israelites. They declared that any man born a Jew had a right to the promises of God. But Paul taught that "For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel." And then in verses 7-13 he proves this from the Hebrew Scriptures.
and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." Romans 9:7 ESV
nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "through ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED." Romans 9:7 NASB
Paul supports what he had just said by distinguishing between the "offspring" and "children" of Abraham. Literally, this verse reads: "nor that seed of Abraham all children." The NASB seems to have this backwards they see "Abraham's descendants" as the larger category referring to ethnic Israel, and "children" as referring to the chosen. But this is disproven by Paul in his quote of Genesis 21:12.
But God said to Abraham, "Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. Genesis 21:12 ESV
We see here that "offspring" is referring to the chosen ones of Isaac's decent, the elect. So, Paul uses "children of Abraham" of true Israel, the spiritual seed, and "offspring" is used of physical descent from Abraham. Not that this is all that critical as long as we see that Paul is again saying that within the larger group of ethnic Israel is the true Israel.
The context of this quote from Genesis is where God is saying to Abraham: Even though you have an older son, Ishmael, he will not be the heir of the promise. Rather, "through Isaac your descendants will be named." What Paul sees here is that being a physical child of Abraham, and even being the oldest, did not make Ishmael an heir of the promise to the covenant people. Why? Because God did not choose him. The thought here is focused on God's choice of Isaac in contrast with Ishmael.
Paul's point here is that God chooses some of the sons of Abraham to salvation and not all; they are not all Israel which are of Israel. According to Genesis 25:1-4 Abraham had six other sons by his wife Keturah, but they too were rejected. So just being a child of Abraham doesn't guarantee spiritual blessings.
Paul is making the point that God is selective or elective. "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." The Greek word translated here as "named" is kaleo. Every other use of kaleo in Romans, seven of them, are all translated "called." Why they translated it "named" here is a mystery. The "calling" here is an effectual call, an irresistible call, a sovereign call, as evidenced by the fact that all who were called were justified and glorified. We see this in Romans 8.
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:30 ESV
Why have the majority of Jews rejected the Gospel? It is because God's calling is selective. God's promises are true and sure, but they have been misunderstood. God's promises were to the select few and not to the many.
This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. Romans 9:8 ESV
"This means"—tells us that this is a further explanation of what he had just said. "Children of the flesh" is the same as "offspring" in verse 7, and "the children of the promise are counted as offspring" is the same as "children of Abraham."
and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." Romans 9:7 ESV
Physical descent doesn't give one claim to the promises of God. Who are the true children of God? They are the children of promise—those called by God to receive the promise of salvation. God's children are those of whom Isaac is a type. He was born of a special act of God. He was born by supernatural power, and he was born in accordance with a divine promise:
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, Romans 4:19-20 ESV
God had promised Abraham a son by Sarah and He fulfilled it. Turn with me to a passage in Galatians that gives us a lot of insight into this subject of true Israel.
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Galatians 4:22-24 ESV
Veres 24 says that these things "may be interpreted allegorically"—this is from the Greek word allegoreo. An allegory is a story in which people, things, and happenings have another meaning, often instructive. Here, Isaac and Ishmael are symbols of the two covenants, old and new.
Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. Galatians 4:24-25 ESV
Let me ask you a question, "Is Paul's, 'present' our present?" Is this referring to today's Jerusalem? No! He is referring to the Jerusalem of that day which was destroyed in A.D. 70.
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband." Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. Galatians 4:26-28 ESV
Believers are like Isaac. They are children of promise; not born according to the flesh, but according to the will of God.
Paul is not speaking here of man's believing a promise and therefore being written down as one of God's children. He is speaking of the promise of God to Christ that characterizes the existence and calling of all the real children of God:
Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many, but referring to one, "And to your offspring," who is Christ. Galatians 3:16 ESV
The promise is made to Christ, the seed of Abraham. He expounds this in the next verse:
For this is what the promise said: "About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son." Romans 9:9 ESV
This is a quotation from Genesis 18:10.
The LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Genesis 18:10 ESV
Isaac, the coming child, did not believe the promise in order to be born. God promised Isaac to Abraham, and He kept His promise by a miracle. The birth of Isaac was supernatural.
God's promise was based upon what He does and not upon what men do. Isaac was a promised child in God's sovereign plan and so are all believers. Our birth, like Isaac's, is supernatural:
Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. Galatians 4:28 ESV
The Hebrew Scriptures represent the Father as promising the Son a certain reward for His sufferings on behalf of sinners:
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:10-11 ESV
"He shall see His offspring"—this is a reference to the elect of God. God has given the elect to Christ. We are children of promise. Notice, that it says "he shall be satisfied" and not frustrated.
Many Christians today are like the Jews of Paul's day. They think everyone will inherit the promises of God. Think through this with me. If God's purpose is to save all men, if Yeshua died for all men, and if the Holy Spirit is trying to win all men to Yeshua; by observation and fact, it is obvious that most people don't believe in Christ and are dying without eternal life. Then what you have is a God who is disappointed, a Savior who is dissatisfied, and a Holy Spirit that is defeated. To argue that God is trying His best to save all mankind but that the majority of men will not let Him save them is to insist that the will of the Creator is impotent while the will of the creature is omnipotent. But the God of the Bible is not impotent and under the will of man. The God of the Bible is absolutely sovereign:
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. John 6:37 ESV
According to this verse, who is it that comes to Christ? All that the Father gives Him. God's chosen will come to Christ.
And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. John 6:39 ESV
Who is it that receives resurrection life? All that the Father has given Christ. Isn't that what it says?
When Yeshua had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. John 17:1-2 ESV
To whom does Christ give eternal life? He gives it to all those whom the Father has given Him—the elect:
"I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. John 17:6 ESV
I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. John 17:9 ESV
For whom does Yeshua pray? He prays for those whom the Father has given Him. He doesn't pray for the world.
Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24 ESV
Those given to Yeshua by God the Father are children of promise. God is selective in salvation. So Jewish unbelief doesn't make us question God's promises. Not all Israel are Israel. God's promises are not to all mankind. They are to His elect.
The point here is that God's word has not failed. He has done what He promised to do:
And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, Romans 9:10 ESV
This is a stronger illustration. Not only Abraham and Isaac, but also Isaac's wife Rebecca is included (Genesis 25). Notice that he says, "Rebekah had conceived children by one man" A Jew might have said about Ishmael, "Of course God didn't choose him as a child of promise. He didn't have a Jewish mother. Hagar was a Gentile."
Rebecca gave birth to twins, Jacob and Esau, and God chose Jacob. God's unconditional election finds its most unequivocal expression in the choice of the younger twin born to Rebecca. Esau was first born and should have had the right of primogeniture (a double blessing), but God chose Jacob. God is selective and sometimes He doesn't choose what would seem like a likely choice. God's choice was apart from custom or tradition.
though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad-in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls- Romans 9:11 ESV
This is not a parenthesis as some translations make it. Why did God reverse the order of nature and choose the younger twin? It was "in order that God's purpose of election might continue." The word purpose is the Greek word prothesis, which means "an intelligent decision which the will is bent to accomplish."
he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Yeshua Christ, according to the purpose of his will, Ephesians 1:5 ESV
His will and His purpose are one so that what God purposes He wills.
making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ Ephesians 1:9 ESV
God has purposed in Himself the salvation of His people.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, Ephesians 1:11 ESV
God works out all things in time just as He planned them in eternity.
In choosing Jacob and rejecting Esau, God had respect to nothing but His own purpose. His purpose "would stand" means that it should be established and recognized in its true character, that is, that it might be seen it was not of works but of Him who calls. The choice is solely in God and His sovereign choices.
When we hear Paul say, "Not because of works," we naturally expect him to also say, "but by faith." But that is not what he says here. He says, "not because of works but because of Him who calls." Why? Because faith is not a condition of election. Election is unconditional.
Analyze the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You will find lying, deceit, doubt, duplicity, and contrariness. Yet God chose them. Why? God acted not out of any obligation but rather out of His sovereignty, and thus He chose freely on the basis of His own will. The election of God is not based upon the works of the individual but on the will of God.
Contrary to what this text and the Bible as a whole teaches, W. B. Riley states: "The soul's election depends upon the soul's choice. Thou, my friend are the only person who can settle this question of election. It is not settled in Heaven; it is settled on earth. It is not settled of the Lord; it is settled by man." That is a common Arminian position.
though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad-in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls- she was told, "The older will serve the younger." Romans 9:11-12 ESV
Verse 12 is a quotation from Genesis 25.
And the LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger." Genesis 25:23 ESV
Based on what is said here, some say that what Paul is talking about in Romans 9 is the election of a nation as over against nations and not about the election of individuals. It is true that this text is talking about nations (Edom and Israel). But what Paul is doing in Romans 9 is defining who Israel really is. And if you remember what we said last week, the True Israel is Christ, and we are in Christ by faith. So, it is a foolish argument to say that this is about nations and not individuals. If it is unjust for God to select one man over another, why is it all right if He selects one nation over another? Aren't nations made up of individuals?
As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." Romans 9:13 ESV
This is a proof text of all that Paul has been saying. He selected one of the twins, and He rejected the other twin. He is quoting Malachi.
The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. "I have loved you," says the LORD. But you say, "How have you loved us?" "Is not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert." Malachi 1:1-3 ESV
This is in reference to the nations that descended from Jacob and Esau, respectfully, Israel and Edom. The prophet is here reproving the Jews for their ingratitude. As a proof of His peculiar favor, God refers to His preference for them from the first.
Do you see how God is arguing for His love for Jacob? They say, "How have you loved us?" And He answers, "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" In other words, "Didn't Esau have as much right to being chosen as you? Wasn't he the son of Isaac? Wasn't he a twin in the same womb with you? Wasn't he even your elder brother? Nevertheless, I chose you. But I hated him."
Some try to twist it by saying that hate doesn't mean hate, but it means "to love less," or "to regard and treat with less favor." Hate is used in this way in several passages:
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26 ESV
Here hate would have the idea of "to regard with less favor." But in the original context of Malachi 1:1-5 that Paul quotes from, "loving less" hardly fits with the visitation of judgment.
but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert." If Edom says, "We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins," the LORD of hosts says, "They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called 'the wicked country,' and 'the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.'" Malachi 1:3-4 ESV
This doesn't sound as if hate means "loving less." We know from the Scripture that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. Genesis 29:30 ESV
"Loving less" is quite different from hating.
The quotation of Paul from Malachi 1:2-3 in Romans 9:13 is for the purpose of confirming what had just been quoted from Genesis 25:23 which points to a discrimination that existed before the children were born or had done good or evil.
"Jacob I loved"—that is the root of election. God chooses because He loves. God is sovereign in the exercise of His love. What I mean is that He loves whom He chooses to. God does not love everybody. He didn't love Esau. You must admit that the Bible says that. Let's put it in the form of a syllogism.
Major premise: God hated Esau
Minor premise: Esau is part of the world
Conclusion: God doesn't love everyone in the world.
As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." Romans 9:13 ESV
God didn't love Esau; that is very clear. Now how will you argue? Will you say that he loves everyone but Esau? Was Esau the only person whom God did not love? The belief of our day that God loves everybody is a modern belief. The writings of the church fathers, the Reformers, or the Puritans will be searched in vain for any such concept. The fact is that the love of God is a truth for the saints only. With the exception of John 3:16, not once in the four Gospels do we read of the Lord Yeshua telling sinners that God loved them. In the book of Acts, which records the evangelistic labors and messages of the apostles, God's love is NEVER referred to at all. The word love never appears in Acts. Does that seem odd to you? But when we come to the Epistles, which are addressed to the saints, we have a full presentation of the truth.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 ESV
This is the first time in the New Testament where we are told that God loves us. And the "us" here is the saints. Paul is writing to those who have been justified.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Yeshua the Christ. Romans 5:1 ESV
Sovereign election is probably one of the most hated doctrines of the Bible. Men's response to this doctrine is not new. Fallen men don't like that God makes choices in their lives.
But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." Luke 4:25-27 ESV
Yeshua is teaching the principle of Divine Sovereign Election. There were a lot of widows in Israel, but God chose a Gentile. There were a lot of lepers in Israel, but God chose a Gentile. Notice the crowd's response to God's choosing outside of Israel.
When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away. Luke 4:28-30 ESV
Men do not like the Doctrine of Sovereign Election because it strikes at the heart of his view that there is something good in him which God accepts and makes him acceptable before God. Men still react this way today to election, don't they?
Every person chosen to salvation, whether in Israel or in the Church, is chosen by God before the person is born. The Bible says your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of the world.
and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. Revelation 13:8 ESV
We are so man-centered today that even in our theology we can't grasp anything that doesn't start with us. We think it's unfair for God to choose between Jacob and Esau. And we think it's wrong for God to choose some individuals and not others. May we allow the Scriptures to shape our thinking so we will have the mind of Christ. God is sovereign, even in His love.
Paul has now so far vindicated God's word despite the failure of Israel. The promises belong only to the chosen elect of God and not all individuals within the nation. God operates on the principle of Divine Sovereign Election. National Israel misunderstood the promises.
Yeshua fulfilled all that Israel was destined for. And now every person, Jew or Gentile, who trusts in Christ, is united to Him and becomes part of this true Israel in Christ.