Romans 9:1-33: Spiritual and Ethnic Israel in relation to Sovereign Election

Romans 9

There is a debate concerning this chapter. Is Paul discussing the election of individuals (Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, and Esau) or of nations, which would be the choice of Israel over Edom? If it is just nations, how did Pharaoh’s hardened heart fit into this text? What does the book’s context indicate?

Romans 1-3 The Gentiles are sinners, the Jews are sinners, all men are unrighteous before God    Romans 4-5 God’s transferred righteousness based on the work of Jesus the Messiah is the only way of salvation                                                                                                                                            Romans 6-8 The Mosaic law cannot remove sin and justification is by faith alone                                  Romans 9-11 What about all of God’s promises to the Jews, if they are trying to get saved by the law and it is impossible, has God’s revelations and promises failed His people?

How can God be keeping His covenant promises when the majority of ethnic Israel is outside of covenant salvation according to Paul’s teachings? Are the Jews who are trusting in their keeping of the law saved or lost, in the covenant or outside the covenant? The context and questions being answered do not support the theory that the election of Israel over Edom is what is being described in Romans 9. Those who hold this view have a motivation to believe this from outside this chapter of the Bible. Individuals are all Paul can be talking about when you consider the flow of the book and the content of this chapter. He is simply not discussing nations at all here.

I. The proper definition of election vs. 1-13

A. The true Israel is explained using the Hebrew Scriptures vs. 1-8

1. The true Israel is not ethnic (fleshly, national) Israel vs. 1-5

2. The true Israel is spiritual Israel (Isaac vs. Ishmael) vs. 6-8

B. The true Israel is entered by a sovereign act of God vs. 9-13

1. The basis of divine election is revealed. It is only the will of God and not the will of man (Isaac vs. Ishmael) vs. 9-11

2. The basis of divine election is illustrated. Two individual twins, Jacob and Esau            vs. 11-13

3. True Israelites are individuals born by the sovereign will and power of God vs. 9-13

II. The powerful defense of election vs. 14-33

A. The critics’ objection # 1: Paul, your view of divine election makes God unfair vs. 14

1. If divine election is by God’s will, by God deliberately choosing one person over another, then that is unfair. For God to be fair, He would have to choose everyone, and they would make up their minds themselves

2. Answer: No way! Do not even think that thought. The Hebrew Bible teaches that God is sovereign in the distribution of His mercy and grace (Exod 33:19) vs. 15-16

3. Salvation from sin is not by human choice or by human works. It is by God vs. 17 (The Greek term for “but,” alla is a strong contrastive)

4. The Hebrew Bible teaches that God refuses to give His mercy to some; it is God’s choice to bypass them with His grace (Exod 6:19) vs. 17

5. God raised up Pharaoh in human history for two purposes: 1) for Yahweh to display His power in His dealings with Pharaoh and 2) for God’s name and powerful fame to be spread throughout the earth. (This cannot be discussing the rejection of the entire nation of Egypt because many Egyptians were converted during the ten plagues; some even went with Israel to Canaan [Exod 12:38]. This discusses one individual—Pharaoh) vs. 17

6. God shows grace to whom He desires to show grace, and God hardens those whom He wills to harden by the means He has chosen. He saves by sovereign grace, not by the so-called powerful ‘free will’ of fallen humans who love their sin and hate God and who would never naturally choose Him vs. 18

B. The critics’ objection # 2: Paul, did you just say that God wills to harden certain people and God wills to soften other people? How then can God hold any person accountable for sin? God would then be responsible for all the sins of humans. People would only sin to carry out God’s secret decree before the foundation of the earth vs. 19-23

1. Answer: Oh, critical person, you are just a human being. Who are YOU to dispute with God, the judge of the universe? Who are You to contradict God’s Word with false charges? vs. 19

2. Paul gives no direct answer to this second objection. Paul rebukes this proud attitude. ‘I want to know everything about divine election, and the way God does it better meet all my personal standards of fairness. I want to put God on the witness stand, because I can evaluate and understand all that He does’ vs. 19

3. Paul says humans are not to question God about His secret decree of divine election. This is in the realm of God’s wisdom that is beyond a human’s understanding

4. God does not have to explain all His choices and plans to mere humans. God is the God of the universe. Humans are limited; only God is unlimited in His knowledge Humans cannot demand that God explain other doctrines so simply that everyone can understand them, even those without faith or the Holy Spirit. Doctrines like: the Trinity, the two natures of Jesus the Messiah, the decrees of God, predestination, regeneration, and effectual calling. Fully understanding how these truths work is beyond us. It is rebellion of the highest order to demand God explain to us what is above our comprehension to understand. Life has mysteries that are incomprehensible (cf. the book of Ecclesiastes) vs. 19

5. Christians should never lose sight of the majesty and glory of God. The true Israel to whom the promises of salvation were given is spiritual Israel, not ethnic (fleshly) Israel (the nation). God is more concerned with the faith line than the bloodline. What Paul is saying here is: ‘Sit down and shut your mouth. You are in God’s presence. You are not questioning me. You are questioning God with arrogant pride and with foolish presumption. This is not acceptable’ vs. 19

6. Paul’s illustration from the Hebrew prophets (Isaiah & Jeremiah) of the Divine Potter. God has the right, just like a potter, to take from the same supply of clay some clay to make a wonderful bowl (honor) and some clay to make a bowl that is a bedpan (dishonor). Does the bedpan have the right to challenge the potter and ask why it was made for an unglamorous purpose? NO. Does the potter have the authority to use the clay and make the vessels he needs just like he desires to do? YES. What if God, the great potter, desires to make what he wants from one handful of clay from the supply and then to leave another handful of it unfinished? Can He not make one son in a family a believer and pass by his brother and allow him to receive his just reward for his sin and rebellion (Jacob, Esau)? All humans are from the same supply of clay. God does not owe any of us anything. No human deserves grace, mercy, and heaven. We deserve hell for our rebellion and sin. Our sinful nature is fallen, and we love the darkness (error, sin) rather than the light (truth, holiness). When sinners are punished, they only get exactly what they deserve (justice alone) vs. 20

7. What if God wants to magnify His justice and wrath in a clay vessel that was prepared (passive voice verb) for perdition, everlasting punishment, and everlasting destruction? What if God also wants to take other vessels and magnify His love and grace by appointing them to salvation? God can do what He wishes when it is according to His holy nature. God is sovereign in all things, yes, including the salvation of sinners from everlasting punishment. God is saving some and God is bypassing others. God, at times, raises up a person to be an example of His wrath (Pharaoh) vs. 21-23

C. Paul’s conclusion: The effectual call of God comes to individual Jews and Gentiles vs. 24-27

1. The Gentiles found transferred righteousness by faith in Jesus vs. 24-26, 30

2. God is calling out a true Israel by election, His choice for Himself vs. 27-29

3. Most of God’s covenant promises were to spiritual Israel, not ethnic Israel. He is fully fulfilling His promises of salvation from sin to His true people, the spiritual people vs. 27-29

4. True Israel has always been those who come to God by faith (including Rahab and Ruth). God is keeping His covenant promises with His elect ones, the true Israel of God. Just being a physical descendant of Abraham, being Jewish, does not automatically make you a called and chosen person of God vs. 30-32

5. Many of the Jews stumbled away from heaven by trying to earn it by works vs. 31-32

6. The Messiah’s transferred righteousness is the only way any person can be justified and allowed to enter heaven vs. 33

7. [Romans 11 will show us there are future promises left for ethnic Israel also, but here Paul is showing the promises are being fulfilled by God electing individual humans out of the mass of humanity. He is not discussing picking one nation to receive more blessings than another. Spiritual Israel comprises elect individuals called by God to salvation.]

The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith: Chapter 3: Of God’s Decree

3. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated, or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice. (1 Tim 5:21; Matt 25:34; Eph 1:5-6; Rom 9:22-23; Jude 4)

4. These angels and men thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number is so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished. (2 Tim 2:19; John 13:18)

5. Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any other thing in the creature as a condition or cause moving him thereunto. (Eph 1:4, 9, 11; Rom 8:30; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 Thess 5:9; Rom 9:13, 16; Eph 2:5, 12 )

6. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so he hath, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means thereunto; wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ, by his Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith unto salvation; neither are any other redeemed by Christ, or effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only. (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Thess 2:13; 1 Thess 5:9, 10; Rom 8:30; 2 Thess 2:13; 1 Peter 1:5; John 10:26; John 17:9; John 6:64)