Vindicating God Part 1. Series

ROM 9:6-9. VINDICATING GOD – FOUR OBJECTIONS : PART 1

LAST WEEK WE SAW PAUL SHARE THE DEPTH OF HIS LOVE TOWARDS HIS JEWISH KINSMEN. HE ASSURED THEM OF HIS DEEP LOVE FOR THEM – HE WAS SORROWFUL AND WAS FILLED WITH UNCEASING ANGUISH BECAUSE OF THEIR LOST CONDITION. HE EVEN WISHED HIMSELF TO BE CURSED, CUT OF FOR THE SAKE OF HIS BOTHERS. 1-3 THESE WEREN’T THROW AWAY WORDS IN A WORLD OF SPIN BUT WORDS WHICH WERE FROM THE HEART OF THE MAN WHO CARED PASSIONATELY ABOUT HIS JEWISH BOTHERS.

PAUL HAD SOME TOUGH WORDS TO COME SO HE WANTED THEM TO KNOW THAT HE WAS NOT COMING FROM SOME SUPERIOR POSITION, HE WANTED THEM TO KNOW HE HELD NO ANIMOSITY TOWARDS THEM ON HIS BEHALF, ALTHOUGH THEIR WAS PLENTY ON THEIR BEHALF TOWARDS HIM AND THE GOSPEL HE WAS TEACHING AS IT WENT AGAINST ALL THEY BELIEVED GOD TO BE.

V6 -13 SO PAUL SETS OUT TO VINDICATE GOD - TO JUSTIFY HIS POSITION - YOU SEE ALL THAT PAUL WAS SAYING AS FAR AS THEY WERE CONCERNED VIOLATED GODS CHARACTER TOWARDS THEM AS A NATION. IT’S AS IF HE MEETS A JEWISH OBJECTOR (THE NATION) TO WHAT HE HAS BEEN SAYING AND SO HE REPLIES TOO THE QUESTIONS POSED V6 – 14 – 19 – 30.

THE FIRST OBJECTION COULD HAVE WELL GONE LIKE THIS, “IF YOU ARE RIGHT THEN PAUL THEN GOD HAS BROKEN HIS WORD, GODS PROMISES HAVE FAILED.” BECAUSE WE ARE GODS CHOSEN DESCENDANTS THROUGH ABRAHAM WE ARE BENEFICIARIES OF ALL GODS PROMISES. PAUL’S REPLY”V6 IT IS NOT AS THOUGH GODS WORD HAD FAILED. “NO YOU ARE MISTAKEN YOU HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD THE SCRIPTURES

THE JEWISH OBJECTION: IF AS PAUL TAUGHT, REGENERATION WAS ESSENTIAL TO PARTICIPATION IN THE COVENANT, AND AS A CONSEQUENCE THE NATIONS NON - ACCEPTANCE OF THAT DOGMA, THEY HAVE BEEN SET ASIDE, THEN GOD HAS BROKEN HIS WORD AND SO HE IS UNFAITHFUL TO HIS WORD.

JEWISH OPINION: THE VERY FACT OF BEING A JEW, A DESCENDANT OF ABRAHAM, ENTITLED THEM TO THE BLESSINGS OF THE COVENANT, AND TO BE REGARDED AS A CHILD OF GOD. SO PAUL BEGINS TO VINDICATE GOD THROUGH THEIR VERY OWN SCRIPTURES EXPOSING THEIR MISGUIDED ERRORS.

1. OUR BELONGING TO GOD IS NOT OF NATURAL DESCENT V6-9

V6 DO NOT CONFUSE THE TWO ISRAEL’S:

GOD KEPT ALL HIS PROMISES – HIS WORD CANNOT BE BROKEN – ALL HIS PROMISES WILL BE FULFILLED BUT WHAT THEY FAILED TO GRASP AND WE MUST GRASP V6 NOT AL DESCENDED FROM ISRAEL ARE ISRAEL (SPIRITUAL AND EARTHLY) NOT EVERY MEMBER OF ISRAEL IS A MEMBER OF GODS ISRAEL (THIS IS THE KEY THAT UNLOCKS THESE THREE CHAPTERS) SO THE REAL ISRAEL IS CONTAINED WITHIN THE NATURAL ISRAEL. TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, THE SPIRITUAL ISRAEL IS CONTAINED WITHIN PHYSICAL ISRAEL.

ALTHOUGH THE NATION WAS CHOSEN TO TRANSMIT THE SCRIPTURES - TO SPREAD ONE GOD – ALTHOUGH THEY HAD GREAT PRIVILEGES V4 -5 THE CHOOSING OF THE NATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT EVERY INDIVIDUAL WITHIN IT WAS CHOSEN FOR SALVATION.

SO THE FACT THAT SOME DON’T BELIEVE DOESN’T CANCEL OUT GODS PROMISES BECAUSE GOD NEVER INTENDED THAT EVERY JEW TO BELONG, ONLY A REMNANT. ROM11: 4-6 THE REMNANT – OT: 7000 RESERVED - WHAT ABOUT THE THOUSANDS WHO HAD BOWED TO BAAL. GOD ONLY EVER SAVED A REMNANT.

ENTER INTO THE NEW TESTAMENT

1- JOHN. 8:37 -39 JESUS DENOUNCED THE JEWISH OPINION ABOUT DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM

2- MATT 3:9 JOHN THE BAPTIST DENOUNCES JEWISH OPINION .

3- JOHN 1:47. JESUS POINTS TO A GENUINE OUTWARD JEW /INWARD JEW. HIS RESPONSE V49

4- GAL:3: 6- 7 JUST AS ABRAHAM, “ BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS’.” THEREFORE KNOW THAT ONLY THOSE WHO ARE OF FAITH ARE SONS OF ABRAHAM

5- ROM 4:11,12 ABRAHAM‘S REAL DESCENDANTS CIRCUMCISED AND UNCIRCUMCISED. BUT BOTH WALK BY FAITH.

V7A. PAUL UN–PACKS GENESIS: NOR BECAUSE THEY ARE ABRAHAMS DESCENDANTS ARE THEY ALL ABRAHAMS CHILDREN. SO THE FACT YOU ARE DESCENDED FROM ABRAHAM DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN YOU ARE ONE OF GOD’S CHOSEN CHILDREN. PAUL QUOTES GODS WORD TO ABRAHAM GEN 21:12. IT IS THROUGH YOU OFFSPRING ISAAC THAT YOUR OFFSPRING WILL BE RECKONED.”

V8 -9 REMEMBER ABRAHAM HAD EIGHT SONS IN ALL THE FIRST OF WHICH WAS ISHMAEL THROUGH THE SLAVE GIRL HAGAR - THEN THEIR WAS ISAAC WHO CAME AS A RESULT OF A PROMISE FROM GOD AND THEN HE HAD 6 OTHERS AFTER SARAH DIED WITH KETURAH GEN 25:1-2. ISHMAEL AND THE SIX WERE DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM THESE WERE THE NATURAL CHILDREN V8 NONE OF THEM WERE TO BE THE INHERITORS OF THE PROMISED COVENANT.

V 7 BUT ONLY ISAAC, WHO WAS BORN THROUGH THE DIVINE PROMISE OF GOD GEN 17 19 – 22, THE COVENANT PROMISES WOULD COME THOUGH HIM ALONE AND NOT ALL THE NATURAL DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM. GOD CONFIRMED THIS TRUTH TO ISAAC. GEN 26:3 – 4. SO THE FACT THE ISAAC ALONE WAS TAKEN INTO THE COVENANT MADE BY GOD WITH ABRAHAM DID NOT MAKE THE WORD OF GOD NON EFFECT! (V6 IT HAD NOT FAILED) GOD HAD NOT BROKEN HIS COVENANT PROMISE BUT IT HAD BEEN KEPT THROUGH ABRAHAM – ISAAC – JACOB – AND IN THEIR SPIRITUAL LINEAGE, WHO AE BORN OF THE PROMISE (SUPERNATURALLY RE-BORN BY FAITH)