Romans 9:1-12
1I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
6It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 8In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."
10Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger.
We ended last week with Paul reassuring us that there is nothing that can come between us and God and us and Christ. Paul told us that we are conquerors even more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.
Now Paul steps back for a moment and he thinks about his Jewish brothers and that they will never have the promise of salvation that he has gained through Christ. He wishes that he could in some way save them by giving himself up for them. To be cut off from Christ if that could in any way save them. Paul was grieved tremendously by this realization.
But the truth is the Jews for the most part wanted nothing to do with Paul. They thought of him as a traitor trying to bring lies and deception upon them, lies about who Christ was. What the Jews wanted was Paul’s life for the lies they thought he was spreading. They would come together wherever Paul was and do everything they could to take his life from him.
One of these stories is told in Acts
Acts 23:12-13 The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13More than forty men were involved in this plot.
Paul tells about these hardships in 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 11:24-26 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.
The remarkable thing we see here is not that the Jews hated Paul and wanted him dead, these feelings are unfortunately common among people, but that through all of this, Paul still loved the Jews and would do anything to help them come to faith. Even after all the things they did to him. Nowhere in the Bible does Paul speak in bitterness about the Jews not anywhere. He speaks only in love.
Paul’s spirit was the spirit of his Master Jesus, who said in Matthew 5:44 "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
This loving spirit that was in Christ and also in Paul is one that every one of us should strive for. We are called to love as Christ loved and through that draw those to Christ who can be saved.
This is one of the toughest things to do isn’t it? To love those who hate you and maybe even want to kill you.
It is easy to love our spouse, our children, our parents, and even some strangers, but our enemies that is tough. We should always pray that God would touch those who are our enemies and make them anew just as He did us.
Then in verse four and five Paul says something that is only said this once, he calls Israel the adopted sons.
Romans 9:4-5 The people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
When we see this used, it is always used as a reference for the saved. But here we see that God had also adopted the Jews for a purpose, another purpose other than ours. God chose Israel to be the ones He used to bring about salvation for those who would have faith in Christ. Their adoption is much different than ours, their adoption was for an entirely different purpose.
Paul uses this reference to describe God choosing Israel to be the ones He would bestow upon his covenants, the law, temple worship the promise of Christ, and the Messiah coming from within them, but for sure not the promise of salvation. That comes by faith in Christ only and not by any other means.
Romans 9:6-9 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 8In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."
The true descendants of Israel are those who believe in Gods promise. Who have faith in that promise. The Jews did not believe that Christ was the Messiah, thus they did not believe and have faith in God. They chose not to believe the fulfillment of Gods promise in Christ.
Verse nine talks about Abraham’s children. Who are Abraham’s children?
Abraham Justified by Faith Romans 4:1-12
(1)What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? (2)For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. (3)For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." (4)Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. (5)And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
(9)Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. (10)How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. (11)He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, (12)and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
God’s word did not fail. It was fulfilled. The Jews just did not understand their role in Gods plan. They are the chosen people, but not the chosen for salvation that belongs to the chosen that have faith in Christ.
Romans 9:10-12 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger
We have talked a lot lately about the fact that God chose us and not that we chose God. Here it is again “in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls” Works is anything you do or need to do for salvation. Paul tells us here that it is not by anything we do, but it is by Him who calls us.
Praise God! I know that if it had been left up to me I couldn’t have done it. I give all the praise and thanks to God for that.
Romans 3:10-11 "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”
That was us before God had come into our dead lives. God revived us, more than revived us He replaced us with a new us. A new us that can be looked at as righteous because of Christ’s work on the cross for our sins, God gave us the ability to now understand Him, to understand His word, and God gave us the ability and desire to seek Him and Christ.
