Why God Does What God Does
Chapter 9
Does God make mistakes?
Paul, your logic says that justification is how God is making His people right but if that is true, what about the promises made to the Jews?
Did He lie to them?
Did He finally give them up after they continually disappointed Him?
If He did then what makes you think that He will not someday tire of the church and give them up?
If only those in Christ are God’s special people then are not we creating a teaching that is basically anti-Jew?
V2 When Paul looked at Christ he rejoiced but when he looked at his people he wept.
V3 Paul is in love with his people of physical birth.
Read Moses’ words in Ex 32:30-32
He was willing to stay out of heaven for the sake of the saved (Phil 1:22-24) and willing to go to hell for the sake of the lost.
Phil 1:21-24
21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.
23 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
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V4 Israel was adopted as God’s own people - Ex 4:22-23
He gave them His glory in the tabernacle and the Temple - Ex 40:34-38.
V5 Jesus is called God.
All of these blessings were given freely to Israel and to no other nation.
V6 But in spite of these blessings Israel failed. When the Messiah appeared they crucified and killed Him.
It looks like on the surface that God has abandoned His people but,...
Paul defines his terms so people are not confused, “Who is Israel really?” This was first brought forward in Romans 2:28-29.
We could say, “For they are not all the church who are in the church”
Christian family is not enough, Baptism is not enough, church family is not enough only those who enter the promise of the Father that all who are in the Seed shall be blessed and given life.
This was also hinted at by John the Baptist:
Luke 3:7-9
7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ’We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
9 "And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
This is also told by Jesus:
John 8:37-41
37 "I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.
38 "I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."
39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.
40 "But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
41 "You do the deeds of your father." Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father-- God."
V7 “seed of Abraham” means his physical seed that produces children in the flesh.
“In Issac your seed” means the spiritual seed.
V8 This means...
Romans 4:13-14
Gal 3:15-22
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.
16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.
17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.
18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.
20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.
22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
God has been selecting people from the start of His covenant.
So, no promises of eternal consequences were made to Abraham’s natural descendants but only to the spiritual children who God was selecting.
V9 The child Issac was born because of the promise God made to Abraham, not the promise was given because Issac was born. The promise of God really produced Issac through Abraham.
V10 You may argue that God didn’t bless Ishmael because he did not have the same mother. SO everyone coming from Issac will be “True Israel”. But this is proven false because Rebecca is the mother of twins. Yet God chose who He would select as the child of promise.
V11 The only way we can know that we are saved is the at God alone is working it out. It is not because of our behavior or potential behavior, it is about God and His, and His alone, choosing of man.
V13 Jacob I have loved, Esau I have hated.
Hated means to love a lot less.
Luke 14:26-27
26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
27 "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
V14 What? Is there not unrighteousness with God? No!
V15 Paul quotes
Exod 33:17-19
17 So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."
18 And he said, "Please, show me Your glory."
19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
V16 Is profound! We are to cry out for the mercy of God. He alone holds our destiny in the palm of His hands. For you to be saved you should be saying to God on your face before Him, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. I praise You and thank You for You have saved me from myself. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!!”
V17 Paul gives another example of God’s sovereignty. Moses and Pharaoh. One was the master and one was the slave yet God chose the slave to rule the master.
God did not make Pharaoh evil, or a sinner, he was already that in Adam. What God did was to harden his heart in sin, in order to bring it out, and show it to the world.
Exod 8:13-15
13 So the LORD did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields.
14 They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.
15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said.
Exod 8:31-32
31 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained.
32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.
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Exod 9:34-35
34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.
35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
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Exod 10:1-2
1 Now the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him,
2 "and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD."
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V19 Now you will say, Why does God still find fault? For who can stop Him if He hardens our hearts to not respond to Him?
V20 It is God alone who does some things in our lives, He chooses our parents, our genetics, our time, our place of birth.
You must understand that this does not deal with God as Creator but as Governor. “Thing formed” not created. V21 This clay is not humanity but fallen humanity. We chose to walk away form God. He is choosing to bring some back. Man is responsible for his damnation. God is responsible for his salvation.
The theme here is not man’s responsibility but God’s sovereignty to see that what He has promised will come about. Man can not make God a liar. God is true and every man a liar. We truly can never promise because we are subject to circumstances and events. We are to say, “If the Lord wills...”. Only God can give and truly know that He will keep His promised agreement.
V23 God’s sovereignty declares His divine glory.
V24 God always had it mind to win a world not just one people group. If He did not have in mind to win the world why did He change Abraham’s name to mean, “Father of many nations”?
V25-29 These are Paul’s proof texts that this is God’s plan.
V30 So are you saying that the Gentiles who were not searching for righteousness, found it? And the Jews who were searching for righteousness, never found it?
V31 Israel’s problems was that they thought that they would be saved by works, by behavior. They rejected “grace righteousness” and chose works or “Law righteousness”.
To be 99.999 righteous is not enough to come in the presence of God.
The Jews thought that the Gentiles had to come up to their level when really they had to go down to the Gentiles level, faith.
V32 Instead of using their privilege as a stepping into the presence of God, they sold their birthright for a “works religion”. Issac was not suppose to have the birthright but snatched it away for the “worldly rightful heir” and received the blessing forever.
The stumbling stone - Ps 118:12
V33 - They believed in God but not in the Son of God.
Election: How is man saved? It is because God has chosen him.
Damnation: Why is man lost? It is because man is wilful and deliberate sinner who rejects the offer of salvation.
