Romans 9:10-18 (NIV)

Good morning to you who follow Christ in the good times and the bad times.

Romans 9:10-18 (NIV)
10 Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac.
11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election might stand:
12 not by works but by him who calls--she was told, "The older will serve the younger."
13 Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!
15 For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
16 It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.


You have to really keep these verses in context. Here is what this Scripture is not saying: 1) God sends some to heaven and some to hell. 2) God knows who is going to heaven and we do not have to witness. 3) God in some arbitrary way just goes about His business and what we do or how we respond makes no difference.

The context of these verses has to do with God no longer using Israel as His primary way of reaching the world with His message. God had raised Israel up to be the nation to show forth His mercy and grace, but that has been taken from them because of their disobedience. You will see upon further reading that God has now replaced Israel with this thing called the church. There are, what we call, the primary purposes that are revealed in Scripture. We all have a purpose and yes God has a plan for our lives. What we have to face as we read Scripture is that there are some that are chosen for a higher purpose. One example of that higher purpose is what God chose John the Baptist to do. Upon further examination you will see that in Peter's life as well as Paul's. In these chapters Paul is dealing with what we call down south the "Big Dog!" Israel has been put on the sidelines and the Jews are not getting with the new program. Paul goes to the O.T. to show how God, in the process of raising up Israel, chose Jacob over Esau to make it happen. Many people apply the Jacob and Esau passage to prove what some call the doctrine of unconditional election. This doctrine teaches that God chooses whom He will and the basis of that has nothing to do with our response. I contend that God does choose people, but we are not privy to how He does this thing of election. Remember here Paul is talking about Israel being put on the shelf for a while.

Read these verses very carefully for they are used in showing some end-of-the-times teachings in some circles. Just a thought as you read chapters 9-11; God is going to reach this world with or without us so why not join in?

Romans 9:4-9 (NIV)

Romans 9:4-9 (NIV)
4 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.
5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
6 It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."
8 In 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.
9 For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."


In verses 1-3 Paul told of his anguish that Israel did not know the Messiah. He is now addressing a couple of issues regarding the Jewish nation. The first issue that Paul addresses is that it was not a waste to be a Jew. There were a lot of advantages in being a Jew and Paul lists them in verses 4-5. Paul would say that the Jews did not take advantage of being in their unique position to see that Jesus was the Messiah. Jews were coming to faith, but the nation as a whole had not turned to Jesus. Many Gentiles around the world were believing in Christ and they did not have the built-in advantages that Israelites had as a people. Perhaps a bigger issue is that of people thinking that God somehow had failed His people. In verses 6-9 Paul begins to answer that question. Not all Israel are Israel. What a great phrase that sums up what is really going on in God's bigger plan. Just because you have some Jewish blood does not mean you are automatically in God's family. Paul then turns to the children of the promise which is different than a blood line. That is why Paul says later that God has mercy on whom He has mercy. What is happening in these verses is like a glimpse behind the curtains of an epic drama. The deeper you go into this drama it becomes apparent that God wrote the epic play and He is directing it as well. As I read chapter nine I grieve for Israel with all their opportunities to know and obey the truth, but did not act. Pray for Israel as they are still in God's plan and then make sure you act upon the opportunities that have been and are given to you.

Romans 9:1-5 (NIV)

Are you ready to dive in?

Romans 9:1-5 (NIV)
1 I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit--
2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race,
4 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.
5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.


Paul never forgot where he came from. In the south they will say, "they got above their rais'en" when they think somebody has forgotten their roots. Paul was a Jew among Jews. Paul had a holy heart burn for the Israelites to come to faith. It deeply troubled him that they did not know the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. "Great sorrow and unceasing anguish" are the words Paul uses to describe how he feels about the chosen people of God not knowing salvation in Christ. Today we have extreme sports and in my opinion they are extremely amazing but sometimes crazy. Some of the things I see these younger people do on bikes, snowboards, skateboards, etc., are truly amazing and very risky. The risk they take is for the adrenalin rush and glory they receive. You could call Paul's statements about how he wants to reach the Jews as extreme evangelism. I do not believe it is for the rush or the glory that Paul says, "For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race." Paul is saying that he would go to hell for them if they would come to faith. Paul has an authentic heartache for his people that do not know the Messiah. Of all the issues that are in the public debate forum none are more important than where does a person go once they die. Paul made it personal in these verses when talking about reaching people for Christ. Paul felt it and did not just know it. Who does your heart ache for in order for them to come to Christ? Pray for them and ask God to open the eyes of their heart.

Are we as willing to go into debt for the work of God as we are for a vacation to Hawaii?
Erwin W. Lutzer (1941– )