“What if God . . . What if he did this .
. .?” (Romans 9:22–24, NIV). What
did God do? God gave eternal life to a
remnant, an elect; and He put up with, "bore with great patience"
those who did not repent . . . what if God did this “in order to make known
the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand
for glory . . .?” (Romans 9:23–24, ESV)
What if God did this to extend mercy to “even
us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?”
(Romans 9:24, ESV). Now if the previous verses were the most loaded, volatile
verses in this chapter (if not the Bible) this has also got to be one of the
most earth-shaking verses (especially if you were Jewish). Remember what Paul is doing. Most of Israel has been rejected, cut off,
forsaken by God (“For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off
from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
(Romans 9:3, ESV)). So has all the
precious promises to Israel become null and void? Has the faithful,
covenant-keeping God FAILED?
Paul's answer is "No"! "For
not all who are descended from Israel are Israel."[1] The Israel that can claim
the promises of God is a believing Israel – children of promise, the elect
among the nation. “For no one is a
Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But
a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the
Spirit, not by the letter . . ..” (Romans 2:28–29, ESV).
Now
Paul says that not only are believing Jews part of God's redemptive plan, but
so are some Gentiles. He supports that statement by drawing upon two Old Testament
texts. This is not a new theology, it
has been part of God's plan from the beginning.
(Romans 9:25–29)
“As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call
‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ”
“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ”
And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved,
for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without
delay.” And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us
offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”” [Emphasis Mine]
"The prophets saw very clearly in
their day that not all the people of Israel were faithful to God’s covenant.
And so they began insisting that God’s promises of blessing ultimately would
apply not to all Israel, but only to those Israelites who were faithful to God."[2]
"The Jewish nation was typically the spouse of God. The Lord had betrothed
Israel. But when Christ should come, He was to betroth Gentiles also, and to
call her beloved that had not been beloved. Paul therefore shows, by this
quotation, that the calling of these Gentiles as vessels of mercy was according
to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own
will—according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus."[3]
"In calling the Gentiles to salvation,
God calls a sinful people to himself, just as in saving Israel he showed mercy
to the undeserving . . . Most of Israel was judged, and only a remnant
experienced salvation. Indeed, as Isa. 1:9 says, Israel deserved to be wiped
out like Sodom and Gomorrah, but God had mercy and spared some."[4]
Now Paul has clarified completely and free
from any refutation that the promises of God have never failed, for those
promises can only be embraced by "true" Israel, i.e., Israel
according to promise, PLUS, an elect remnant also from the Gentiles. This comprises true Israel. As he wrote to the Galatians: “And if you
are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise . .
. “For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but
a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon
them, and upon the Israel of God.” (Galatians 3:29; 6:15–16, ESV)
The Word of God has never failed for the
Israel of God.
In the next blog I'm going to address the
#1 objection to this chapter. That is,
this chapter is speaking of national, not individual election to
salvation. I will attempt to show that
statement to be false.
PS: As an exegetical note, I take Romans
9:30f to be included with Paul's discussion in Chapter 10.
_____________________________________________
Previous Blogs on this topic:
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1
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Romans 9:1-2
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2
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Romans 9:3-5
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3
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Romans 9:6–9
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4
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Romans 9:6–13
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5
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Romans 9:13
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6
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Romans 9:14-16
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7
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Romans 9:17-19
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8
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Romans 9:20a
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9
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Romans 9:20-21
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10
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Romans 9:22-23
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11
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12
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[1] The New International Version.
(2011). (Ro 9:6). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[2] Moo, D. J. (2002). Encountering
the book of Romans : a theological survey (p. 154). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic.
[3] Haldane, R. (1996). An
exposition of Romans (electronic ed., p. 498). Simpsonville, SC: Christian
Classics Foundation.
[4] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The
ESV Study Bible (p. 2174). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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