In our study of Romans we now come to Romans 9-11. These three chapters are considered the more difficult parts of this book. Volumes have been written about the meaning of these chapters. But are these chapters just deep theology and hard teachings that are reserved for intellectual academic studies? I think sometimes we can come across complicated scriptures and think that there is nothing there for us and these things are just for the academics to argue over. But I would like to remind us that all scriptures were given for the average person. Even scriptures that Peter may have called “hard to understand” (cf. 2 Peter 3:16) are scriptures that are given to all people. We recently looked at 1 Corinthians 1 in our Sunday morning Bible study where we learned that the Lord did not reveal these things to the noble, wise, or powerful (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31). The point is that you do not have to be someone special to understand what the Lord is teaching us. So I want to challenge you to want to know the meaning of Romans 9-11. I am going to challenge myself to not get lost in the weeds and get too deep into the details that I lose the message of these chapters. I will not speak on every verse but try to capture the meaning, paragraph by paragraph, as we move through these chapters. Lord willing, we are going to take four lessons to cover these three chapters so we can see the main message Paul is teaching about the gospel and what these things mean for our walk with Christ today.
So how I plan to approach each lesson in this part of Romans is to give a framework for understanding the chapter. Then we will go through the chapter and see what Paul is teaching and why that matters to us. Some can see chapters 9-11 as a sudden sharp turn away from what Paul has been teaching. But we have just completed Romans 8 where we have been encouraged that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. As we come to Romans 9 there is a big question that is looming over the book. It was a series of questions that Paul began in Romans 3:1-8. But the answers now come in Romans 9-11. The question is if the word of God and the promises of God failed. You see that this is what Paul is going to explore as it is stated in Romans 9:6. The reason this truly matters to us is because there is no reason for us to believe in God’s promises today if they failed in the past. We cannot believe that we have salvation if God did not keep his promises to Israel. How can we trust God’s mercy today? Did God prove himself to be merciful in the past?
The Heart For Mercy (Romans 9:1-5)
Paul was a physical Jew and physically belonged to Israel. So when he speaks about his own brothers and kinsmen according to the flesh, he is speaking about those who were physically descended from Abraham (cf. Romans 9:3). Paul is speaking about the physical Jewish people. Paul says that he has great sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart for the Jewish people. He has such a great desire for the Israelite people that he says that he wishes he could cut himself off from Christ for their sake. What Paul is going to say is not against his people but his earnest desire for his people to be saved. Paul then notes all the special privileges that God gave to Israel in their history. They were adopted to be God’s chosen people. They had the glory of the Lord that they followed in the wilderness and that resided over the tabernacle and temple. They had promises and covenants that were given to Abraham, Moses, and David as well as the promises made through the prophets. They had the Law that was given at Mount Sinai. They had the directions for worshiping the Lord. They had the patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Finally, it was through physical Israel that the Christ came (cf. Romans 9:4-5). Now I want to make our first observation. Even though physical Israel had all of these advantages, Paul does not say that they are in right relationship with God and that they would all be saved because they were physical Israel. The call was not that they were a special people so they could just relax and do nothing and be saved. Paul just said he has great sorrow and anguish for his people because they are not in relationship with God even though they were given all of these advantages and privileges.
God’s Word Did Not Fail (Romans 9:6-9)
So what happened? Did God fail? Did God’s mercy fail? What happened if Israel had all of these advantages? Did God’s word and promises fail if not all Israel is saved? If Israel is to be God’s chosen people and they were given all the promises, then what happened? It is so important that we read Romans 9:6 carefully because this explains everything that Paul is going to say in these three chapters. Listen carefully to what Paul says to answer if God’s word failed. “For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Romans 9:6 ESV). Please hear what Paul just said. He just said that there are two groups. There are those who are physically descended as Israelites. But there is another group of people are truly Israel. Not all who were physical Jews belonged to the true Israel. Not all of physical Israel belonged as the true Israel of God. Just because you were an Israelite did not mean you were in relationship with God or belonged as one of his people. This is not the first time Paul said this in this book. Look back to Romans 2:28-29.
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. His praise is not from man but from God. (Romans 2:28-29 ESV)
Who is really a Jew? Who is really Israel? Paul says it was not outward or physical. Rather, belonging as God’s people is inward and a matter of the heart by the Spirit. Now the rest of Romans 9:7-9 proves this point. Here is how Paul proves it: were all the children of Abraham part of the promise? No. Abraham had many children. Abraham had Ishmael first. Abraham had many other children with Keturah after Sarah died. But only one was the child through whom the promise came: Isaac. Many were physically descended from Abraham but only those who were of Isaac were children of the promise.
God’s Purpose of Election (Romans 9:10-18)
In verses 10-18 Paul says he will prove this point again. Isaac was the child of promise. Yet even not all his children would be children of promise. Isaac and Rebekah had two sons: Esau and Jacob. But it was only Jacob that would be chosen, not both Esau and Jacob. Why did God do this? Paul tells us that God was showing his purpose of election (cf. Romans 9:11). What is being shown in the example of Esau and Jacob? You might remember that before these two boys were born, Rebekah was having a tumultuous pregnancy. The answer God gives to Rebekah in Genesis 25:23 is that there are two nations in your womb and the older will serve the younger. The promises of God would not come through the older, Esau, but through the younger, Jacob. God chose Jacob (“Jacob I loved”) and rejected Esau (“Esau I hated”). Paul says this was showing God’s purpose of election. What does this show? Verse 11 says that God determined this before either were born and before either had done good or bad. God used this to show that the way God would save the world would be dependent on his own mercy, not on human will or exertion (Romans 9:15-16). This is the title of the lesson and the big idea of Romans 9. God desired to show the world his mercy. God wanted people to see his compassion.
For anyone to be saved, God had to decide that he would save people at all. God had every right to create the world and create people and tell his people to be like him. When no one did so, every single person ought to experience God’s judgment. As Romans 3 declared, there is no one who is righteous. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No one should be God’s people if belonging to God is only dependent on our work or our human will. For God to proclaim that it is possible to belong to him is only based on his mercy and compassion.
I would like to summarize this idea this way. No one can stand before God demand that we should be able to be his people. When we understand who we are, then our right conclusion to draw is that no one can belong as his people. But God determined to have a people anyway to show his mercy and compassion. Therefore, God is not unjust to determine how he will have his people (Romans 9:14). God is not unjust to choose how he was going to have a people. God is not unjust to say that mercy will come through Isaac and not Ishmael. God is not unjust to say that mercy will come through Jacob and not Esau.
But God’s mercy always has a result. Look at Romans 9:17-18. Paul reminds us of Pharaoh during the exodus. God raised up Pharaoh and put him in a position of power in Egypt to show his own power. Now do not miss the picture. How much mercy did God show Pharaoh? If you think carefully about what happened, you will recognize that God showed overwhelming mercy. God used Aaron’s staff turning into a serpent so that Pharaoh would listen. God turned water to blood so that Pharaoh would listen. God sent frogs over the land so Pharaoh would listen. God sent insects over the land so Pharaoh would listen. God then sent flies over the land so Pharaoh would listen. God then killed the cattle so Pharaoh would listen. God sent boils on the land so Pharaoh would listen. God sent hail down on the land so Pharaoh would listen. God sent locusts over the land so Pharaoh would listen. God sent darkness over the land so Pharaoh would listen. Then God sent judgment of the death of the firstborn so that Pharaoh would listen. In fact, do not forget that God warned Pharaoh of these things through Moses. Do we see the continued mercy of God toward Pharaoh? God could have immediately judged after just commanded him to let the people go. But he showed mercy upon mercy. But what did Pharaoh do with that mercy? He hardened his heart. In Romans 9:18 we see that God’s mercy will cause you either to experience his salvation or to harden your heart. Further, Pharaoh’s actions prove that God uses rebellion and resistance to accomplish his saving purposes. Israel was delivered through Pharaoh’s rebellion to God as God displayed his glory (Romans 9:17). God used Pharaoh’s rejection to show his own glory and to save his people.
God’s Mercy Is For All (Romans 9:19-29)
This brings us to the resistance of verses 19-21. We are in no position to argue about how God does things. We are no position to argue about how God would choose to save the world or how to belong as his people. Now verses 21-23 are illustrating this point. But let’s read Paul’s conclusion so that we understand the illustration properly. Go to Romans 9:25-29. Hosea prophesied that those who were not God’s people would one day be called God’s people. They will be called “sons of the living God.” Isaiah prophesied concerning Israel that though physical Israel may be as numerous as the sand of the sea, only a remnant would be saved. The remnant exists only because of God’s mercy (Romans 9:29). Of the “not my people,” there would be a people. Of the “not beloved” God would call for his “beloved.” What is the message? God showed mercy on Israel with great patience (though it is prepared for destruction because of its resistance and rejection of God) so that the riches of his glory would be given to those who were Gentiles. From those who were “not his people” (physical Israel and Gentiles) God would have his people (a remnant from physical Israel and from Gentiles). This is the point being illustrated in verses 22-24.
To summarize the initial point that we read in Romans 9, God’s purpose of election has always been to save a remnant. There was never a time where all physical Israel was saved. Even of the people who saw the miracles of the exodus, only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter and did not fall in the wilderness. It has always been a remnant who respond to the mercy of God. Many respond to God’s mercy by further hardening their hearts. Jesus said the same thing when he was on the earth.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)
It is always been the few who seek to enter in through the narrow gate. Further, the true people of God has always included all people, not just those from physical Israel. Abraham has told that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him. There were many subtle clues that God was going to bring in his people from all nations when we look at Melchizedek, Ruth, Rahab, the widow in Zarephath, and others. God has always been at work to bring in his people from all over the earth.
The Mercy of the Gospel
I want to end our lesson by expanding on an idea I stated earlier. The mercy of God generates two responses. Either God’s mercy will lead you to seek him and be thankful or lead you to resist his will further. In Romans 12:1 we are going to see the apostle Paul proclaim how we are to live because we are those who appreciate and have experienced the mercies of God. Every day we experience the mercy of God. But the imagery of Romans 9:19-20 is important for our consideration. Will we be shaped by the mercy of God or will we resist his mercy? Pharaoh had repeated opportunities to submit to God’s will. He had so many opportunities to see the mercy extended to him so that he did not need to experience the judgment to come. Sometimes Pharaoh even said he would relent but would then change his mind and return back to his stubborn will. What I want us to consider is if this is us. Has God been merciful to us each day and we have even considered and declared that we will change our ways for him only to return to the sin we said we would stop? Has God’s mercy been in vain because we simply refuse to turn to him?
The other point Paul makes is how the Israelites had experienced God’s mercy, enduring them with much patience, but they never changed because they had all of the advantages. They looked at what they had: the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the promises, the Law, the worship, and the patriarchs but that did not move many of them to be transformed by God’s amazing mercy. Instead, they took God’s mercy for granted and became vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. I want us to consider if this is us. Have we been given so many advantages under the new covenant but taken them for granted? Maybe you grew up on the pews and heard about Jesus and learned about God’s love for you. Maybe you understand God’s mercy to adopt you as his child and you know that Jesus came to bring a new law and covenant so that we could be saved from our sins. Maybe you have taken part of worshiping your Lord and have seen the glory of the Lord in Christ Jesus. But rather than being transformed by God’s amazing mercy, you sit on a pew each week. Church has become a Sunday morning event rather than a way to deepen your love for God and your relationship with fellow believers. You have taken all the advantages and mercy given to you and have become a vessel of God’s wrath prepared for destruction because this does not come from the heart. You do not have a passion for God. Jesus is not your all in all. Can I beg you today to not throw away the mercy of God? Can I beg you to see that you are wasting God’s mercy each day as he continues to give you another day to return to him with all your heart before it is too late? God is a mercy giver. But are you responding to his mercy today?