Sermon notes April 27th, 2025

ROMANS 9

Paul explains his great sorrow for the lostness of his fellow Israelites. They have had all the privileges of God, and His revelation, including the promise of Christ’s coming in the flesh as the ‘eternally blessed God’. Such is Paul’s sorrow and grief that he could wish himself accursed if they could be saved. Much like Moses said in Exodus 32:32, Moses pleads with God to "forgive their sin," but if not, to "blot me out from Your book which You have written" The central theme of the letter is the righteousness of God (1:16–17). All people, whether Jew or Gentile, are sinful and stand condemned before a righteous and perfect God. It is only through the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross that people can be made right with God. On that basis of Christ’s payment for sin, God “justifies,” or declares righteous, those who have faith in him. “Those Who Chose Him”. This portion of Paul’s letter has had so much criticism, mostly by his fellow Jews, they called him a trader and many things much worse. It was breaking Paul’s heart that so many of his own people were not accepting Jesus. Paul uses words that some seem harsh, trying to get their attention, to make waves, to shake them up. He uses words like: 

• SOVEREIGNTY: a person who has supreme power or authority. God is sovereign in all matters, including salvation. In God’s sovereignty, it is His mercy and compassion that save. He is in control. He is the potter fashioning the clay; the clay does not have the right to protest about the vessel which the potter makes from it.

 

• Election: Paul wants us to understand that God's choice was not based on behavior, good or bad, since the boys he refers to here were still unborn. He repeats, that it was not because of their works. 

We all Have to Choose or You Have a Choice

• Clearly, God's choice was not because one was born to one woman and not another. And as the following verses will show, God did not make the choice based on their birth order.

Romans 9:1-3

1   I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 

• In insisting that salvation is for Gentiles as well as for Jews, Paul gave the appearance of being a traitor, a turncoat, a renegade as far as Israel was concerned. So, he here protests his deep devotion to the Jewish people by using a solemn oath. He speaks the truth. He is not lying. His conscience, in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, attests to the truth of what he is saying.

2   that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 

3   For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,

• He could even wish himself accursed or cut off from Christ if through the forfeiting of his own salvation his Jewish brothers might be saved. In this strong statement of self- abandonment, we sense the highest form of human love—that which constrains a man to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). And we feel the enormous burden which a converted Jew experiences for the conversion of his countrymen. It reminds us of Moses’ prayer for his people: “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written” (Ex. 32:32)

 4   who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;

• As Paul weeps over his people, their glorious privileges pass in review. They are Israelites, members of God’s ancient chosen people. God had adopted that nation to be His son (Ex. 4:22) and delivered His people out of Egypt (Hos. 11:1). He was a father to Israel (Deut. 14:1), and Ephraim was His firstborn (Jer. 31:9). (Ephraim is used here as another name for the nation of Israel.)
• The Shekinah or glory cloud symbolized God’s presence in their midst, guiding and protecting them.
• The Hebrew people wandered in the Sinai Desert for 40 years after the Exodus. This desert is also sometimes referred to as the Wilderness of Paran. Temperatures can reach up to 111°F to 113°F. Without this Shekinah cloud they would not have lasted a week. They also had a fire by night that could guide them. Can you imagine a night light every night to show you who’s taking care of you. 

Exodus 13:21

21   And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.

• It was with Israel, not with the Gentiles, that God made the covenants. 
• It was with Israel, that He made a covenant with Abram, promising them the land from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates (Gen. 15:18). 
• And it is with Israel that He will yet ratify the New Covenant, promising “the perpetuity, (a bond or other security with no fixed maturity date) future conversion, and blessing of a repentant Israel (Jer. 31:31–40).
• It was to Israel that the law was given. They and they alone were it’s recipients. The elaborate rituals and service of God connected with the tabernacle and the temple were given to Israel, as well as the priesthood. In addition to the covenants mentioned above, God made innumerable promises to Israel of protection, peace, and prosperity.
• But here’s the truth, they still have to choose!!

Romans 9:5-6

5   of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

6   But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 

• The apostle now faces up to a serious theological problem. If God made promises to Israel as His chosen earthly people, how can this be squared with Israel’s present rejection. 
• And with the Gentiles being brought into the place of blessing? Paul insists that this does not indicate any breach of promise on God’s part. He goes on to show that God has always had a sovereign election process based upon promise and not just on lineal descent. Just because a person is born into the nation of Israel does not mean that he is an heir to the promises, he or she must choose. Within the nation of Israel, God has a true, believing remnant.

Romans 9:7

7   nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 

• Not all Abraham’s offspring are counted as his children. Ishmael, for example, was of the seed of Abraham. But the line of promise came through Isaac, not through Ishmael. The promise of God was, “In Isaac your seed shall be called” (Gen. 21:12). 
• The Lord Jesus made this same interesting distinction when talking with the unbelieving Jews in John 8:39.

John 8:39

39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.”

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

Romans 9:8-10

8   That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. 

• It is not physical descent that counts. The true Israel consists of those Jews who were selected by God and to whom He made some specific promise, marking them out as His children. We see this principle of sovereign election in the cases of Isaac and Jacob.

9   For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”  

• God appeared to Abraham, promising that He would return at the appointed time and that Sarah would have a son. That son, of course, was Isaac. He was truly a child of promise and a child of supernatural birth.

10   And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 

• Another case of sovereign election is found in the case of Esau and Jacob. Isaac and Rebecca were the parents, of course. But Rebecca was carrying two babies, not one, let’s look at that:

Genesis 25:22-28                                       New King James Version

22   But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

23   And the Lord said to her:                                                                                “Two nations are in your womb,                                                                                Two peoples shall be separated from your body;                                                        One people shall be stronger than the other,                                                           And the older shall serve the younger.”

24   So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 

25   And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau.  (The name Esau (Hebrew: עֵשָׂו, ʿĒsāw) means "hairy" in Hebrew, referring to the hairy appearance of the biblical character at birth),

26   Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. (The name Jacob, of Hebrew origin (Ya'akov), primarily means "supplanter" or "holder of the heel")

27   So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. 

28   And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Romans 9:11-12

11   (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 

• A pronouncement was made before the children were ever born. This pronouncement could not therefore have had anything to do with works of merit by either child. 
• It was entirely a matter of God’s choice, based on His own will and not on the character or attainments of the subjects. The purpose of God according to election means His determination to distribute His favors according to His sovereign will and good pleasure. This verse, incidentally, disproves the idea that God’s choice of Jacob was based on His foreknowledge of what Jacob would do. It specifically says that it was not made on the basis of works!

12   it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.”   

• God’s decision was that the older would serve the younger. Esau would have a subservient place to Jacob. The latter was chosen to earthly glory and privilege. Esau was the firstborn of the twin brothers and ordinarily would have had the honors and privileges associated with that position. But God’s selection passed him by and rested on Jacob.

13   As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

• To further enforce God’s sovereignty in choosing, Paul quotes Malachi 1:2-3: “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” Here God is speaking of the two nations, Israel and Edom, of which Jacob and Esau were heads. God marked out Israel as the nation to which He promised the Messiah and the messianic kingdom. Edom received no such promise. Instead, its mountains and heritage were laid waste for the jackals of the wilderness (Mal. 1:3; see also Jer. 49:17, 18; Ezek. 35:7–9).
• The words Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated must be understood in the light of the sovereign decree of God that stated, The older shall serve the younger. The preference for Jacob is explained as an act of love, whereas bypassing Esau is seen as hatred by comparison. It is not that God hated Esau with a harsh, vindictive animosity, but only that He loved Esau less than Jacob, as seen by His sovereign selection of Jacob.

Romans 9:14

14   What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 

• The apostle correctly anticipated that his teaching on sovereign election would stir up all kinds of objections. People still accuse God of unfairness. They say that if He chooses some, then He thereby necessarily damns the rest. 
• They argue that if God has settled everything in advance, then there’s nothing anyone can do about it, and God is unrighteous for condemning people. Paul hotly denies any possibility of unrighteousness on God’s part. But instead of watering down God’s sovereignty in order to make it more palatable to these objectors, he proceeds to restate it more vigorously and without apology.

Romans 9:15

15   For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 

• He first quotes God’s word to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion” (see Ex. 33:19). Who can say that the Most High, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not have the right to show mercy and compassion?

Exodus 33:19

19  Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

• All people are condemned by their own sin and unbelief. If left to themselves, they would all perish. In addition to extending a genuine gospel invitation to all people, God chooses some of these condemned people to be special objects of His grace. But this does not mean that He arbitrarily chooses the others to be condemned. They are already condemned because they are lifelong sinners and have rejected the gospel. Those who are chosen can thank God for His grace. Those who are lost have no one to blame but themselves.

Romans 9:16-18

16   So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 

• The conclusion, then, is that the ultimate destiny of men or of nations does not rest in the strength of their will or in the power of their exertions, but rather in the mercy of God.
• When Paul says that it is not of him who wills, he does not mean that a person’s will is not involved in his salvation. The gospel invitation is clearly directed to a person’s will, as shown in Revelation 22:17: 

Revelation 22:17

17   And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

• “Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” Jesus exposed the unbelieving Jews as being unwilling to come to Him (John 5:39-40). 

John 5:39-40

39   You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40   But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

• When Paul says, nor of him who runs, he does not deny that we must strive to enter the narrow gate (Luke 13:24-25). 

Luke 13:24-25

24   “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25   When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’

• A certain amount of spiritual earnestness and willingness are necessary. But man’s will and man’s running are not the primary, determining factors: salvation is of the Lord.  It’s a heart thing. Do you understand? We all at some point will hear the Gospel of Jesus, will you choose Him? I know it’s easy, we all say yes, but does Jesus know you, He just said to some I do not know you.

Romans 9:17

17   For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 

• God’s sovereignty is seen not only in showing mercy to some but in hardening others. Pharaoh is cited as an example. There is no suggestion here that the Egyptian monarch was doomed from the time of his birth. What happened was this. In adult life he proved to be wicked, cruel, and extremely stubborn. In spite of the most solemn warnings he kept hardening his heart. God could have destroyed him instantly, but He didn’t. Instead, God preserved him alive in order that He might display His power in him, and that through him God’s name might be known worldwide.

Romans 9:18-19

18   Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

• Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his own heart, and after each of these times God additionally hardened Pharaoh’s heart as a judgment upon him. The same sun that melts ice hardens clay. The same sun that bleaches cloth tans the skin. The same God who shows mercy to the brokenhearted also hardens the impenitent. Grace rejected is grace denied. God has the right to show mercy to whomever He wishes, and to harden whomever He wishes. But because He is God, He never acts unjustly.

19   You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 

• Paul’s insistence on God’s right to do what He pleases raises the objection that, if that is so, He shouldn’t find fault with anyone, since no one has successfully resisted His will. To the objector, man is a helpless pawn on the divine chessboard. Nothing he can do or say will change his fate. That is a lie from the pit of hell. We all have the right to choose. 

Romans 9:20-21

20   But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 

21   Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

• Then Paul uses the illustration of the potter and the clay to vindicate the sovereignty of God. The potter comes into his shop one day and sees a pile of formless clay on the floor. He picks up a handful of clay, puts it on his wheel, and fashions a beautiful vessel. Does he have a right to do that? The potter, of course, is God. The clay is sinful, lost humanity. If the potter left it alone, it would all be sent to hell. He would be absolutely just and fair if He left it alone. But instead He sovereignly selects a handful of sinners, saves them by His grace, and conforms them to the image of His Son. Does He have the right to do that? Remember, He is not arbitrarily dooming others to hell. 
• They are already doomed by their own willfulness and unbelief.
• God has the absolute power and authority to make a vessel for honor with some of the clay and another for dishonor with some. In a situation where everyone is unworthy, He can bestow His blessings where He chooses and withhold them whenever He wishes. “Where all are undeserving,” 

Romans 9:22

22   What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 

• Paul pictures God, the great Potter, as facing a seeming conflict of interests. On the one hand, He wishes to show His wrath and exhibit His power in punishing sin. But on the other hand, He desires to bear patiently with vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. It is the contrast between the righteous severity of God in the first place, and His merciful longsuffering in the second. And the argument is, “If God would be justified in punishing the wicked immediately but, instead of that, shows great patience with them, who can find fault with Him?”
• Notice carefully the phrase vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. Vessels of wrath are those whose sins make them subject to God’s wrath. They are prepared for destruction by their own sin, disobedience, and rebellion, and not by some arbitrary decree of God.

Romans 9:23

23   and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 

• Who can object if God wishes to make known the riches of His glory to people to whom He desires to show mercy—people whom He had selected beforehand for eternal glory? Listen to C. R. Erdman’s comment seems especially helpful:

“God’s sovereignty is never exercised in condemning men who ought to be saved, but rather it has resulted in the salvation of men who ought to be lost”.

• God does not prepare vessels of wrath for destruction, but He does prepare vessels of mercy for glory.

Romans 9:24

24   even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Romans 9:25-27

25    As He says also in Hosea:

“I will call them My people, who were not My people,                               and her beloved, who was not beloved.”

26   “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,     ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.” 

• The second verse is Hosea 1:10. Once again, in its OT setting this verse is not speaking about the Gentiles but describing Israel’s future restoration to God’s favor. Yet Paul applies it to God’s acknowledgment of the Gentiles as His sons. This is another illustration of the fact that when the Holy Spirit quotes verses from the OT in the NT, He can rightfully apply them as He wishes. 

27   Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved.

Isaiah 10:22

22   For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea,                 A remnant of them will return; The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

 

 

Romans 9:28-30

28   For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,        Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”

• Paul was referring from Isa. 10:23 to the Babylonian invasion of Palestine and Israel’s subsequent exile. The work was God’s work of judgment. In quoting these words Paul is saying that what had happened to Israel in the past could and would happen again in his day.

29   And as Isaiah said before:                                                                         “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed,                                              We would have become like Sodom,                                                                      And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”

• As Isaiah said before (in an earlier part of his prophecy): Unless the LORD of the armies of heaven had left some survivors, Israel would have been wiped out like Sodom and Gomorrah (Isa. 1:9).

30   What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 

• What, Paul asks, is the conclusion of all this as far as this present Church Age is concerned? The first conclusion is that Gentiles, who characteristically did not pursue righteousness but rather wickedness, and who certainly didn’t pursue a righteousness of their own making, have found righteousness through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not all Gentiles, of course, but only those who believed in Christ were justified.

 

Romans 9:31-33

31   but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 

32    Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 

 

• The reason is clear. They refused to believe that justification is by faith in Christ, but went on stubbornly trying to work out their own righteousness by personal merit. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, Christ Jesus the Lord.

 

Romans 9:33

33    As it is written:

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

• This is exactly what the Lord foretold through Isaiah. The Messiah’s coming to Jerusalem would have a twofold effect. 
• To some people He would prove to be a stumbling stone and rock of offense (Isa. 8:14).
• Others would believe on Him and find no reason for shame, offense, or disappointment (Isa. 28:16).