Words of Jesus Christ in "Red"  Romans 9:1-4
In Paul's earlier discussions he has proven to the reader that neither works, nor circumcision, nor the Law is any benefit toward salvation. Driven by the Holy Spirit of God he has topple the old Jewish traditions and beliefs, and has shown that these things are insufficient to save. Several thoughts have probably been running through the Jewish mind, the foremost of these now being "This man does not care for us! He has been destructive in his teaching, and has destroy all of the joy that we once had. We are lost!". Yet the Lord knows the opportune times: "the time to chastise and the time for giving love". The Jews, whose false beliefs have been shattered, should now be open to the gentle calling of the Spirit. Paul begins Chapter 9 by declaring his love for his "brethren" in the flesh, the Jews. Paul begins by asserting that he has a "great heaviness and continual sorrow" in his heart. The depth of his anguish is only felt when it is viewed in the original text. The word "heaviness" here is the Greek "LUPE", which refers to "sorrow, pain, grief". The word "sorrow" is the Greek "ODUNE" which means "a consuming grief, as in the loss of a Loved One". Paul speaks as if he is mourning for a loved one who died, and says that this state is continual, without end. Though Paul was recognized as the Apostle to the Gentiles, he was without a shadow of doubt a Jew in the flesh. He declares this at the introduction of Romans Chapter 11 by stating that he is a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin. Because these were his people he felt for their loss, though this loss was due to their hardheadedness. He was not gloating because they would not accept Christ, but was in "continual mourning" hoping they would repent. Being a Jew, Paul was also a inheritor to the Abrahamic promises, those promises that gave him and his descendants the land of Canaan. Wuess states: "The Abrahamic Covenant, promising Israel the possession of the land from the Nile on the Southwest to the Euphrates on the Northeast and East, actually, from the Mediterranean Sea on the West to the Euphrates on the East; and the Davidic Covenant, promising to Israel and eternal dynasty of kings of whom the last one would be an eternal person, had never up to the time of the writing of Romans, been fulfilled. Paul explains this by calling Israel's attention to the fact that these Covenants were designed for a spiritual people, whereas Israel at the time was apostate..". Paul's love was so great for his brethren that he stated: "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren". To be "accursed" is "ANATHEMA", or "to be cast into perdition". Paul stated that if it "were possible" (though this was only a hypothetical statement, and utterly impossible) he would except the fate of Hellfire, if only his brethren would come to Christ. Such love is hard to envision, for "I would not give up" my salvation for anyone or anything here on earth. .."to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;" In the Old Testament Israel, as a nation, was considered by God to be His "son" (though, not in the same sense that Jesus is the Son of God):
"The glory" refers to the shekinah glory of God that was present with Israel in history, particularly seen in the "pillar of fire and the cloud" that led them out of Egypt, and the fire seen at Mount Sinai during the giving of the Law.
The "covenants" refer to the covenants or promises that God made with Israel, particularly the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants:
The term "giving of the law" is self explanatory. Israel had the distinct honor of being chosen as the "first steward of the Gospel of God". The Law was an important forerunner of Christianity, for without it "man would not have been convicted of sin". The law made it impossible for humanity to delude themselves into believing that they were basically good. As the first stewards of God it was impossible to serve God outside of Israel, thus the term "the service of God". The term "the service" is the Greek "HE LATRIA", which means "the rendering of religious service (as in the Tabernacle, the priesthood, the offerings)". A parallel can be made between Israel in the Old Testament and the Church in the New. The stewardship of the Gospel has been turned over to the Church and removed from Israel. All religious service acceptable to God is performed through the assembly of the Church Age saints. It is impossible to serve God outside of the spiritual body of Christ (I Corinthians 12). Romans 9:5
"The fathers" refers to the patriarchs upon which Israel as a nation was built: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and King David. From these came the major Covenant promises that would establish Israel as a nation and a steward of God. Christ came out of the Israel: He was fully Jewish "in the flesh". This is evidenced by the genealogies of Matthew and Luke. For a long time theologians thought that the genealogical accounts of Jesus as shown in the Gospels were in conflict, till they researched and determined that:
These genealogies establish Christ as purely from the line of King David, giving him the earthly right to assume the eternal throne as promised in God's Covenant to David. Paul does make a distinction in the lineage of Christ: It was "as concerning the flesh". Only in "His humanity" did Jesus come out of Israel as a Jew. The statement "who is over all" recognized that Jesus is God, as omniscience is an attribute of Deity:
"Hath taken none effect" is the Greek "EKPIPTO", which means "to fall out of, to fall down from, to fall from a place which one cannot keep, to fall powerless". The word given to Israel embodied in the Covenants and the Glory was not a lie because of the One who gave them. The Scripture teaches:
If Israel interpreted the Covenant promises as "the nation would be saved", and this is not a true statement, and since God cannot lie, then it "was Israel" who misinterpreted the promises, not God who lied. Paul taught that "physical birth" into the nation of Israel does not entitle the seed to the children's inheritance. Just being physically born is not enough to inherit the Kingdom of God. Paul makes a distinction between "Israel the nation" and "Israel the saved, spiritual remnant". ".. In Isaac shall thy seed be called .."
Genesis 21:10-12 "Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bond woman and her son: for the son of this bond woman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was
very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bond woman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in
Isaac shall thy seed be called."
Galatians 4:23-31 "But he who was of the bond woman was born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one
from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bond woman and her son: for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond woman, but of the
free."
Abraham's physical seed was both Isaac and Ishmael, yet of the two only Isaac was "the seed of promise". Isaac was the child characterized by faith. Ishmael was born because of the faithlessness of Abraham and Sarah in the power of God, whereas Isaac was the child of promise. Paul uses this illustration because both Ishmael and Isaac were equally the seed of Abraham, but the child of faith, Isaac, "was the only one" which the promises pertained to. Ishmael describes the "unsaved nation" Israel, Isaac the "faithful remnant" to whom the promises pertain because they accepted Christ as Savior.
In this text Paul re-emphasizes that the "children of the flesh" are not the spiritual heirs of the promises of God.
We see the Doctrine of the Sovereignty of God taught again in this Scripture, yet it's purpose is not to establish the election of an individual but "of a nation". The word "purpose" is the Greek "PROTITHEMI", which means "to purpose to oneself, to determine". The word speaks of God's will in following a chosen path, and the determination to follow that path to the end. The word "election" is the Greek "EKLOGE", which means, "to pick out or choose from among a number". When God chose the elder to serve the younger, choosing Jacob over Esau, he was not choosing one individual over another individual. Both Jacob and Esau were "tribal heads". The tribe often took the name of its founder: Israel "the patriarch" was the tribal head of "Israel the nation". In this text Paul shows how God ordered the stewardship of the Gospel through one nation as opposed to another one. Jacob was chosen over Esau to hold this stewardship; his tribe would be the one which would carry on the work of God. When Jacob was chosen over Esau one path was taken as opposed to the other, "God alone determining which pathway He would allow". God chose the pathway that He would order according to "His own purpose", based upon His Sovereign will.
Even though we believe in the free will of man (and this is a concept taught in Scripture), at no time should we forget that "God is Sovereign". There are certainly Biblical areas that we do not understand as pertaining to the mind of God. For instance, before either Jacob or Esau were born ("For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil") God determined that the stewardship would be passed on to Jacob and his tribe. Jacob was chosen "not of works", but "according to the purpose of God". If we are remember our Old Testament history we know that Jacob "stole the birthright" and the blessing from Esau. Even so, in Romans Paul teaches us that this action happened "in accordance with the will of our God". Was God party to the deceit? "No!" The Scripture teaches that God cannot sin, nor can He be party to sin. Yet God "allowed" this action to take place. I cannot fully comprehend this, within myself, any more that I can fully comprehend the Doctrine of the Trinity, or the Doctrine of Predestination. But I can "accept it as valid" because the Scripture teaches it. I can recognize that I have a finite mind, and may not be able to understand the infinite Plan of God. As the Reformers have said, the discrepancy lies not with God but with our finity. One last thing to note about this text is the use of the words "loved" and "hated". These are only Eastern idioms which designate one thing chosen over another thing without any sense of emotion as we perceive hate and love. A better rendering would be: This choosing was not based on merit nor nationality, but solely on the predetermined plan that God established before the foundation of the earth.
God is absolutely Sovereign in the disposition of either his "mercy" or "compassion". It is neither by the will or works of men that we receive the mercy of God, but it is based on "God's own purpose, according to His own plan". Vincent states:
Often we forget, while on the throne of our human free will, that it "is God who is God", and not we ourselves. The Jews, after reading Paul's previous lesson, were probably in a state of uproar. They had been told all their lives that the "nation would be redeemed". They felt that perhaps God was "unfair" in changing His plan in mid-stream. But Paul asserts that the Plan was "never changed", that the Jews in their apostasy had misunderstood the Scriptures. They forgot that Sovereignty precludes fairness, knowing only justice and mercy. Fairness is an issue only between equals, and we are certainly not equals with the righteous God. God determines who He will show compassion on, and at all times controls human history so that His plan will emerge triumphant. To have "no control" is to have "no certain plan". With no plan there is chaos. "God is Sovereign over all!"
There are two things that should be pointed out in Romans at this point. The first is that this Romans text, when paralleled to the Exodus passage, "confirms the inerrancy of the Scriptures". In the Romans passage it states "the scripture saith unto Pharaoh" whereas in the Exodus passage it is recognized that the "LORD God" is the Author of the statement. "The early Church fathers considered the Scripture to be the very Word of God, not just the random writings of men." The second thing that should be pointed out is that the verse very definitely emphasizes the sovereignty of God "over the free will of men". What of the free will? Did not God create man with a will? I can hear the arguments now, and I do not disagree: man "does" have freewill. Yet when God's plan determines a certain set course of action, then "that plan will be fulfilled", even if God has to indirectly move humanity to compliance. This is not an isolated text:
There are many such texts in the Old Testament that show God's control over the lives of men. I have only listed a few. We must remember that in the light of the context, God "only uses control when necessary to fulfill His plan". He will exercise his sovereignty when needed for its fulfillment, "regardless of the freewill of men" that we so jealous guard.
"Repliest" in this text is the Greek "ANTAPOKRINOMAI" which means, "to render a judgment against". When Paul brought up the Doctrine of the Sovereignty of God it was "not a new truth". It was a teaching that had been well illustrated throughout the Bible, while the Jews over emphasized the free will of man. Paul seeks to bring back the full Biblical truth concerning the sovereignty of God. He emphasizes the freedom of our Sovereign Creator God. The Creator has the righteous authority to exercise control over that which He created. Man has become arrogant in his free will, forgetting that the same free will was given to him by the Creator, who has every right to suspend it as He sees fit. The point that should be made is twofold:
"Lump" is the Greek "PHURAO", which means "to mix so as to make into a dough". The idea of the passage goes back to the creation of man:
Paul does not establish a norm in this text, but cites a hypothetical situation signified by the "What if" clause. Paul asks, "What if" He who created, created some unto destruction and some to glory? "What if" God elected some unto salvation, and then insured that they came to salvation? "What if" He "did not" elect others, then allow them to choose their own way? When we begin speaking about "conditional election of the individual", anger erupts and people fly off the handle. Yet I am confronted with Paul's question, "What if" God did elect? Does not the Creator have that right to within His sovereignty? I am convinced by Paul that He who created has the right to do that which He pleases over that which He created. I am also convinced that if unconditional election is true, then this fact carries with it "no sense of fairness or unfairness". It is a matter of justice. When mankind fell through Adam, God had "no obligation" to show mercy unto men. He had "no obligation" to send a Savior. That he did so was an act of mercy. God does have "an obligation to show justice" to man, this being established by His nature. He exercises this obligation by sending the children of the wicked to Hell. But men, for some reason, have come to the state of arrogance where we feel that God "owes us" mercy. Paul destroys this false doctrine with his "What if" statement in Romans. Mercy is God giving us that which "we do not deserve". Predestination and the free will of man can be likened to a railroad track that heads toward the horizon. When you see both doctrines up close, they seem to be as far apart as the rails of the track. Yet the closer the tracks get to the horizon, the closer the rails seem to be to each other until they seem to merge as one. Both predestination and man's free will seem to be dichotomous, yet, once we get to the horizon of Heaven, we will see how both blend together inside the Plan of God.
Paul's reason for previously discussing election was to show the Jews that "both Jews and Gentiles" were subject to the merciful calling of God. God, who created all, had every right to choose either Jew or Gentile to salvation.
"Crieth" is the Greek "KRAZO", which means "an impassioned, inarticulate cry or utterance". Isaiah in a great anguish sorrow cried out that "though the nation Israel would be great", that "only a portion" or remnant of that great nation would be saved. The remnant that would be saved would be "believing" Israel as opposed to the unbelieving nation Israel. The doctrine of the remnant of Israel is not a new one, but is taught time and time again in the Old Testament.
There are many Old Testament passages which refer to the "remnant of Israel", these are but three. Of particular note is the Jeremiah passage here the "remnant" is characterized by weeping and walking a straight pathway. This is illustrative of repentance and redemption. The "remnant of Israel" that shall be saved shall be the ones that believe on the "Lord of Sabaoth", Jesus Christ, our Lord in Heaven. The Greek for "work" is "LOGOS", which "does not" translate as "work" but as "Word, utterance, doctrine". What does the text mean by "He will finish the WORD, and cut it short in righteousness"?
There are four uses of "word" in relationship to God in the scriptures:
The "WORD" of God as referred to in our Romans text applies to the Word of God in prophecy. One of the last perfected signs that will signify the "end of the ages" is the "redemption of the remnant" of Israel. Conservative theologians believe that the salvation of believing Israel will come just before the thousand year reign of Christ known as the "Millennium" (Ezekiel 38-39). This is when Messiah returns to protect His people from the power of Gog and Magog, evil world powers under the control of Satan. Israel must be redeemed "before" the end of time, before the prophecies of God come to a conclusion.
Paul summarizes why Israel as a unbelieving nation shall not be saved, whereas the Gentiles shall see Heaven. The reason is because one group accepted Christ as Savior while the other, the nation that should have known better, rejected the Messiah.
"The intent of the law was to teach man that he was totally sold under sin, and to teach him that no righteousness could come out living up to the standards of the law." Even in the Old Testament emphasis was placed on the living your life through faith:
Yet Israel stumbled under the Law, tried to live by it's precepts while all the time rejecting the life of faith. "When you reject God's desire for your life and harden your heart, you have no cause to blame God when your life produces only bitter fruit." The remnant in Israel that accept Christ as Savior will produce fruit unto salvation: all others within that great nation, regardless as to how Jewish they are, shall see only rejection at the Final Judgment.  Click Here! Click Here! 
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