(RASV-1901)

ROMANS

CHAPTER 9

   THE Apostle Paul now directly challenges some of the natural misconceptions that had arisen within the Church concerning his countrymen:

   ROMANS 9—“¹I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, ²that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. ³For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren’s sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh. ⁴Who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; ⁵whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen."

   aaron-Though it may appear to the casual observer that Israel has been displaced altogether, Paul feels compelled to remind his readers of exactly whom we are talking about. Paul reminds us that these are still the original peoples of God that we are talking about here, who did visibly serve God in a multitude of ways. Paul’s sorrow here is because of this hardened state in which God, for the full promulgation of the Gospel, has now placed his brethren and kinsmen. Then as we progress on in our study of Romans, we will surely discover that all of corporate Israel is absolutely secure within God’s covenant of grace. Ref.11:25-27

   aaron-It is God’s visible dispositions and God’s invisible dispositions that are now being brought before us once again: Ref.Rom.2:28, 29

   ^"6But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: ⁷Neither, because they are Abraham’s seed, are they all children: But, In Isaac shall your seed be called.

   ⁸That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for a seed. ⁹For this is a word of promise, According to this season will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. ¹⁰And not only so; but Rebecca also having conceived by one, even by our father Isaac— ¹¹for the children being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand. Not of works, but of him that calls, ¹²it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. ¹³Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.

    aaron-When Paul wrote "they are not all Israel that are of Israel", common sense tells us that he has given us a complex definition for the term "Israel". So no matter what the circumstances might be, visible Israel will always be visible Israel. Consequently, we must look here for Paul’s deeper meaning. We might begin by carefully examining "it is not the children of the flesh that are Children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for a seed." This statement is once again forcing us to look at God’s visible dispositions in contrast to God’s invisible dispositions. Simply put, "the children of the flesh"; the visible institutional corporate peoples of God; visible Israel /or the visible Christian Church, are not collectively the children of God or the children of the promise. Then by this stated fact, we must conclude that the children of God or the children of the promise, are to be found only in the invisible elect sons of God. That hidden seed that is to be gathered out from both the Jews and the Gentiles alike: Just those who are in fact identified as the Jews—invisible Jews, the Circumcision—invisible Circumcision, and Israel—invisible Israel. But if God’s visible institutional peoples were collectively "the children of promise", then the transition to God’s universal reconciliation would have been unnecessary and impossible.  But it would seem even now that the Christian Church is trying to do the precise thing that the Apostle Paul forbade Israel to do.  We could start by saying—they are not all the invisible Church that are of the visible Church.  Meaning, that just because you are a part of the visible institutional Church does not automatically make you a part of the invisible Church. Like the meaning of verse 6—just because you are a part of visible Israel does not automatically make you a part of the Invisible Israel—Ekklesola en Ekklesia.

  ^“14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. ¹⁵For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. ¹⁶So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that has mercy. ¹⁷For the Scriptures says unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise you up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth. ¹⁸So then he has mercy on whomever he will, and whom he will he hardens.”

   aaron-God is always in complete control! This careful langrage that Paul uses, reiterates the fact that God’s whole covenant is based upon His sovereign grace alone.

   “¹⁹You will say then unto me, Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will? ²⁰No. But O man, who are you that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why did you make me this way? ²¹Or has not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? ²²What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction. ²³And that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he before prepared unto glory. ²⁴Even us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles?”

   aaron-V.24 absolutely proves that this special group that Paul is attempting to describe here in Romans, is made-up of both the Jews and the Gentiles. These surely are the sons so God; the children of God; the children of promise; the saints of God. Then vv.25-26 again confirms the universal character of God’s gracious reconciliation:

   “²⁵As he says also in Hosea, I will call that my people, which was not my people; And her beloved, that was not beloved. ²⁶And it shall be, that in the place where it was said unto them, you are not my people, There shall they be called sons of the living God.

   ²⁷And Isaiah cries concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is THE REMNANT that shall be delivered: ²⁸For the Lord will execute his word upon the earth, finishing it and cutting it short. ²⁹And, as Isaiah has said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We had become as Sodom, and had been made like unto Gomorrah.”

   aaron-This special group that is being singled out here in v.27, is being identified as the remnant. The very same remnant that we will see described in chapter eleven with even more detail.    [****]

   The complexity here is a bit overwhelming. So it will be extremely helpful for us if we take a short pause here, so as to digest just a little of what is happening in these important passages.

   First, God’s gracious sovereignty is expressed in the fact that God is in complete control over every aspect of His reconciliation. God is telling us that within His institutional corporate peoples, He has designated some of His peoples for a state of honor and some of His peoples for a comparative state of dishonor. Then it is important that we see the necessity of this dishonored segment’s positional state. That is, if visible Israel had not been placed in this prophetic condition of stumbling /blindness /hardness, we would not fully understand the universal character of God’s reconciliation; we would not fully understand God’s immeasurable grace; and we would not understand God’s establishment of this very honorable group that He calls His elect. But then we must also see how God is still graciously keeping His stumbling peoples within the main stream of His blessing. This is just a little of what the book of Romans is offering to our understanding.

 [****]

   “³⁰What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness, attained to righteousness—even the righteousness, which is of faith: ³¹But Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. ³²Why? Because they sought it not by faith, (Ref.Heb.4:2) but as it were by works. They stumbled at the stone of stumbling; ³³even as it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence: And he that believes on him shall not be put to shame." Ref.Rom.11:7-10

   aaron-Because of visible Israel's failure to understand this new work of God, that has resulted in this transition that has revealed His invisible elect priestly line, the apostle Paul did not cease praying for them.

   We learned about the supernatural way in which the invisible children of God were identified in chapter 2 in distinction to the visible children of God: The manifestation of the precise way in which the invisible Jew and the invisible Circumcision are also an identified part of God’s reconciliation. We must then find, that in chapter 9 God leaves no stone unturned. God's desire here is that we properly understand how all of these things are accomplished: That God Himself through His elective sovereignty accomplishes everything. Then to complete this explanation, God now directs our attention to the identification of those who make up corporate Israel.

   Because of the previous manifested changes that resulted in the expanded identification of the Jews and the Circumcision, one might get the impression that God's Word has failed. This would be totally wrong. The error would be in our failure to understand that these apparent changes in the identification of the Jew, the Circumcision, and Israel, are not real changes at all. This is the reason why God gave us all of Romans chapter four: Which has allowed us to see the relationship between Abraham, the Everlasting Covenant of Grace, the Covenant of Promise, and this present dispensation—the Church age.

   To confirm the added definitions that we received in chapter two, and to better understand the universal character of His program of reconciliation, God tells us once again that He Himself is the Sovereign Justifier. The method being used by God is exactly the same now as it was in the past. But here, God is attempting to more clearly reveal His invisible dispositions to our understanding:

   1. They are not all Israel that are of Israel. That is, just because they are, through their birthright, a part of visible Israel, does not automatically make them a part of God’s invisible Israel.

   2. It is not the children of the flesh that are the children of God. Here, to more precisely define the character of His invisible dispositions, God, in a very selective way, is simply distinguishing the invisible from the visible.

   3. The children of the promise are counted for a seed—the children of God. This is speaking specifically about God’s elect priestly line.

   Then to remove any confusion, God, in this portion of Romans, has taken us back into the Old Testament books of Genesis, Exodus, and Malachi:

Bringing Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, Esau, and Moses into view: So that we might understand the prophetic nature of His sovereign election. To understand that it is God who is in charge, and it is God alone who does all the choosing. Again, the obvious reality in God's sovereign election is this: That all of God’s visible peoples who come into covenant through God’s visible institutions [visible Israel /and the visible Christian Church], are not necessarily a part of His invisible priestly line. To confirm God's elective sovereignty, let us look again at these questions that Paul has presented:

   21} What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid, no! God has mercy on whom He will, and whom He will, He hardens.

   22} You will say then, why does He still find fault? Who withstands His will? Who are we to reply against God? He is the potter and we are the clay. He makes vessels unto honor and unto dishonor.

   It is the incorporation of the Nations into God's elect family that is clearly seen in this Scripture. We are the vessels of mercy, which He before prepared unto glory, even us, whom He also called; not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles. Which is the fulfillment of Hos.2:23 and 1:10: Which is the unequivocal proof for the prophetic Church. Again, this special group that represents God’s invisible dispositions—His invisible priestly line, must be gathered from both the Jews and the Gentiles alike. This is clearly manifesting God’s universal reconciliation to our understanding.

   Isa.10:22 then confirms God's intent to save only a remnant of visible Israel into His revealed Covenant of Promise, not all of visible Israel. (As it is also confirmed in Isa.1:9)

   23} What shall we say then?

   (a) The Gentiles followed after and attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith.

   (b) But Israel, seeking God's righteousness, as it were, by works, stumbled at the stone of stumbling. [Isa.8:14, and 28:16 fulfilled.]