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The Apostle Paul's Epistle
to the Romans |
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Chapter 9
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1I am telling the truth in Messiah, I am not
lying, my conscience testifies with me in the
Holy Spirit, 2that I have great sorrow and
unceasing grief in my heart. 3For I could wish
that I myself were accursed, separated from
Messiah for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen
according to the flesh,
In this and the coming chapters, we will learn
how Paul identified God's people and how we can
understand ourselves within God's people.
Specifically, he focused his attention on the
people of God on a national level and provided
for us his own personal feelings regarding those
within Israel who did not recognize Yeshua as
the Messiah and were therefore in a state of
rebellion against God. Paul intended to make it
clear that his feelings were not false but true.
Upholding the Torah's command to establish
nothing on the basis of less than two witnesses
(cf. Deuteronomy 17:6), Paul worded his
confession very carefully, making sure to
highlight the fact that his conscience also bore
witness, in the Holy Spirit, to the great sorrow
and unceasing grief in his heart. The use of two
phrases ("great sorrow" and "unceasing grief")
shows the great emphasis Paul made in regards to
his emotional state regarding unbelieving
Israelites. The Greek behind the word "wish"
indicates that this was indeed Paul's heartfelt
prayer but it was also something that he did not
actually expect to come to fruition. In other
words, these verses reveal Paul's heart towards
his fellow Israelites but it should not be taken
literally, in the sense that God actually would
curse Paul for the sake of the rest of Israel.
To Paul, the rest of Israel were his brothers
and his kinsmen according to the flesh. Here,
the word "flesh" should be understood to refer
to those among the people of Israel who were
indeed ethnically descended from Jacob but had
not yet come to faith in the Messiah. That Paul
would go to such a length to explain that he had
grief and sorrow in regards for unbelieving
Israelites indicates how important the salvation
of the people Israel is. As we will see, much of
Paul's ministry was influenced by the state of
his fellow-Israelites; perhaps, as we serve God
in our lives, we too should ask ourselves if the
things we are doing will make any great effect
to those within Israel who have not yet accepted
Yeshua as Saviour and Messiah.
4who are Israelites, to whom belongs the
adoption as sons, and the glory and the
covenants and the giving of the Torah and the
temple service and the promises, 5whose are the
fathers, and from whom is the Messiah according
to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed
forever. Amen.
Paul's brothers, his kinsmen according to the
flesh, were Israelites and, regardless of their
spiritual state, had the right to several
things. Contrary to the historical church's
sentiment towards those within Israel who had
not yet recognized Yeshua as the Messiah, Paul
recognized that despite their disobedience in
this area, they still remained the covenant
people of God. If these things belong to those
within Israel who have not yet recognized the
King, how much more do these things belong to
those within Israel, both Jew and Gentile, who
have recognized Yeshua for who He truly is? How
sad that all too often these things which God
has given to His children are either ignored or
outright refused. Firstly, the adoption as sons,
which refers to the special and unique status of
the nation of Israel; no other nation on earth
can claim to be in relationship with God.
Despite unbelief among the majority, because of
the promises of God made to the fathers, Israel
remains God's covenant people. Secondly, the
glory, which refers to the dwelling presence of
God that resided in the Tabernacle and the
Temple, known in rabbinic literature as the "shekinah."
The divine presence of God only dwelled where
God placed His name (i.e. Jerusalem) and only
Israel was given the privilege of "hosting" His
presence in connection with the Temple service.
Thirdly, the covenants, which refers to the
Abrahamic, Mosaic and possibly Davidic
covenants. As mentioned earlier, only Israel is
in covenant relationship with God. It's only
through the paradigm of the covenants that the
Messiah's atoning work has any relevance; the
Messiah did not come to save just a random
selection of people but specifically for the
descendants of Abraham (cf. Hebrews
2:16).
Fourthly, the giving of the Torah, which of
course refers to God revealing Himself and His
ways to Moses and the people of Israel at Sinai.
Actually, the Greek behind this phrase could
actually be translated as "the legislation,"
thus giving this statement a broader meaning,
referring not only to the giving of the Torah
but also to the ongoing life of Israel as
governed by Torah. That Paul would list the
Torah and it's application as one of the gifts
God has given to His people is yet another
indication that the historic understanding of
Paul's view of the Torah is misinformed and
incorrect. Fifthly, the Temple service, which
refers to sacrificial worship administered by
the kohanim in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Once again, we see that Paul's own words (and
actions, cf. Acts
21:26)
contradict the teachings of the historical
church who taught that through the sacrifice of
the Messiah, God abolished the sacrificial
system. This is actually a misunderstanding of
the sacrificial service in the first place. The
sacrificial service is God's ordained form of
worship, with the sacrifices themselves being
symbolical of the ultimate sacrifice of the
Messiah. God would not have instituted a worship
service that was contrary to His way of
salvation. Since all those of true faith that
participated in the sacrificial service were
actually saved by the sacrifice of Messiah, the
animal sacrifices they offered only resulted in
ritual purity, which itself is a portent of the
true purity we have and will receive through the
blood of the Messiah. Sixthly, the promises,
which refers to the promises made to the
fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The reason
why all those of true faith can be called
children of Abraham (cf. Rom
4:16, Galatians 3:7)
is because Abraham stands as the quintessential
believer. To the fathers, God promised that
their descendants would never cease, that they
would enjoy the Promised Land forever and, most
importantly, God would bring from their
descendants a saviour that would bless all
nations of the earth. This is why, seventhly,
the Messiah according to the flesh is listed
last, and whom Paul stated is from the fathers;
when it comes to the humanity of the Messiah, He
is a son of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To take
the Messiah Yeshua outside of the context of the
people of Israel, like the historic Christian
church has done, is to almost completely miss
the purpose of the Messiah. The Messiah came to
secure the salvation of Israel, a salvation
which those of the nations can also enjoy.
Yeshua of Nazareth was Jewish when He was born,
He lived as a Jewish man and He will return as
the King of Israel and will reign over all.
Overwhelmed with the greatness of God’s grace in
giving these gifts to His people, Paul ended
this list with a bracha (a liturgical
blessing), to which the hearers of this letter
would respond with the word “amen,” a
term which indicates agreement.
6But it is not as though the word of God has
failed For they are not all
Israel who are descended from Israel;
To the average Christian, the unbelief of the
majority of Israel does not cause any great
theological conundrum. The historical church has
consistently taught that God abandoned Israel as
a nation and has turned his attention to His new
people "the church." For Paul, however, the
rejection of the Messiah by the majority of
Israel calls into question God's eternal
promises made all throughout the Tanakh, namely,
to ultimately save Israel. Furthermore, if God
had no qualms with abandoning the people of
Israel as a whole (God forbid), then it's
possible that He might abandon us (God forbid).
Paul's first answer to resolve the tension
between God's promises and the reality of his
day (and our day) is that they are not all
Israel who are descended from Israel. Here Paul
presented a situation where there is a group
within a group and both groups are legitimately
called Israel. Earlier, in verse 1, Paul
described his anguish over his fellow Israelites
but he made sure to describe them as those who
are according to the flesh, referring simply to
those who are physically and ethnically
descended from Jacob and not necessarily
speaking to their spiritual state. All
throughout this epistle Paul had made it clear
that everyone, even Israelites, have sinned and
are in need of God's regenerative work of
salvation. Therefore, the group called Israel
that is within the larger, physical group called
Israel refers to those with clear Israelite
lineage who have experienced the life-giving
work of the Spirit and have been chosen for
eternal salvation. Rather than teaching some
kind of replacement theology, Paul was simply
pointing out the fact that not everyone who is
physically an Israelite has experienced
salvation, whereas a select group within Israel
has. In this way, the word of God has not
failed, that is, God's promises to the fathers
are being fulfilled in a remnant within Israel
and, as we will see, will one day be fulfilled
in the nation as a whole.
7nor are they all children because they are
Abraham's descendants, but: "THROUGH ISAAC YOUR
DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED." 8That is, it is not
the children of the flesh who are children of
God, but the children of the promise are
regarded as descendants. 9For this is the word
of promise: "AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH
SHALL HAVE A SON."
Paul then made the same point but with a
slightly different illustration, this time using
the narratives from the Torah that clearly show
God's sovereign choice at work in the offspring
of Abraham. Similar to verse 6, the point here
is simple: simply being a physical descendant of
Abraham does not guarantee being chosen for
God's salvific purposes. The book of Genesis
shows that while both Ishmael and Isaac were
Abraham's sons, only Isaac was chosen to be the
one to receive the covenant blessings made to
Abraham. Here, the term "children of the flesh"
refers to simply being physically descended from
Abraham, whereas "children of God" refers to the
children of Abraham to whom God has sovereignly
chosen to be the recipients of the blessings of
the covenant God made with Abraham. Notice how
the phrases "children of God" and "children of
the promise" are used in parallel with each
other. The promise, as Paul made clear in verse
9, refers to the fulfillment of God's chosen
will. Specifically, in the context that Paul
referenced, God's choice was that Sarah would
have a son, namely, Isaac. The birth of Ishmael
was the result of Abraham's will but the birth
of Isaac was the result of God's will. Again,
both Ishmael and Isaac were Abraham's children
but only Isaac was chosen. This does not mean
that there was no provision or blessings given
to Ishmael - and in the larger illustration, to
the part of Israel that has rejected the Messiah
- but it does mean that only those whom God has
sovereignly chosen will receive the specific
covenant promises and blessings.
10And not only this, but there was Rebekah
also, when she had conceived twins by one man,
our father Isaac; 11for though the twins were
not yet born and had not done anything good or
bad, so that God's purpose according to His
choice would stand, not because of works but
because of Him who calls, 12it was said to her,
"THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER." 13Just as it
is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."
To make the point even clearer - that the
covenant blessings fall upon those whom God has
chosen - Paul referenced the story of the birth
of Jacob and Esau. Unlike Ishmael and Isaac, who
had different mothers, Jacob and Esau had the
same mother, thus tightening further Paul's
argument. Not only did Jacob and Esau have the
same mother but they were the result of the same
conception; there was nothing inherent within
either of them that should have dictated who
would receive the covenant blessings. Paul
emphasized that God made His choice regardless
of the actions of either man, further referred
to as "works." Here again, as we've studied
before, Paul used the term "works" (sometimes
connected with the phrase "of law") to refer to
the actions one takes to be counted among God's
chosen people. The contrast, and the true way
one is counted among God's people, is "calling."
To be called is to be chosen and to be chosen is
to be counted among those who will received the
blessings of God's covenants. In the case of
Jacob and Esau, they were both still in
Rebekah's womb when God said to her that Esau
would serve Jacob (cf. Genesis 25:23).
Furthermore, Paul quoted Malachi 1:2-3 to
point out that Israel (Jacob) enjoyed covenant
relationship with God in contrast to Edom
(Esau), despite the fact that they were
brothers. Once again, those who receive covenant
relationship with God do so not on the basis of
their actions, who they are or who their parents
were but only on God's sovereign will.
14What shall we say then? There is no
injustice with God, is there? May it never be!
15For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON
WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON
WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." 16So then it does not
depend on the man who wills or the man who runs,
but on God who has mercy.
As we've seen many times throughout this
epistle, Paul anticipated the false conclusions
that people might have come to through his
teachings. He addressed these by stating the
false assumption and then refuting it with the
phrase "may it never be!" In this case, Paul
anticipated that some might conclude that God
was unjust, since He chooses people for
salvation, not on the basis of works but
according to His own purposes. Paul defended
this position by once again referencing the
Torah, this time quoting God Himself, who made
it clear to Moses that the choice of who would
receive His mercy and compassion was up to Him
and His choice alone. Paul's interpretation of
this verse followed in verse 16; God's choice
does depend on man's intentions or actions but
upon God alone. Contrary to what some believers
teach in regards to salvation, here is clear
Scriptural teaching that salvation depends not
upon man's choice or acceptance but upon God's
own merciful choice. No matter what man wills or
does, he cannot earn salvation; salvation truly
is a matter of God's grace and mercy.
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17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR
THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO
DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME
MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH."
18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and
He hardens whom He desires.
To further substantiate his point that God is
not unjust but is, in fact, just in choosing
some for mercy and passing by others, Paul again
quoted Exodus. In regards to Pharaoh, the Torah
is clear that both God and Pharaoh himself
hardened his heart. How is it that God hardened
Pharaoh's heart? Rather than being just, that
would seem unjust and unfair. While our human
minds cannot comprehend God's justice, there is
an explanation that is somewhat satisfying. The
record of Scripture shows that God, through
Moses and Aaron, continually pleaded with
Pharaoh to obey God and let His people go. Each
plague was proceeded with a call for repentance,
a chance to escape God's judgement. God is
perfectly righteous and good, so the hardening
of Pharaoh's heart did not come through
treachery on God's part but through calls of
repentance. Since Pharaoh was an unregenerate
sinner, he rejected these calls to repentance
and instead hardened his heart against God.
Pharaoh's rejection of these calls to
repentance, however, was obviously not a
surprise to God and, in fact, fulfilled the very
purpose God had planned for him. Through
Pharaoh's rejection of God, God was able to
demonstrate His power through the plagues,
plagues which caused God's reputation to be
known throughout the earth. Here we find one of
numerous examples where the term "name" does not
simply refer to a word but to a person's
character, actions and reputation. Once again,
Paul followed this quotation of Torah with his
own interpretation, specifically, that God has
mercy on whom He desires and, likewise, hardens
whom He desires. The Gospel message itself is
the mechanism through which God demonstrates His
mercy and also the way He hardens people. To
those whom God has done a regenerative spiritual
work, the message of His forgiveness through the
cross is a message of salvation. On the other
hand, to those whom God has not regenerated, the
Gospel message, since it is rejected, becomes a
message of condemnation, since there is no other
way to be saved.
19You will say to me then, "Why does He still
find fault? For who resists His will?" 20On the
contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back
to God? The thing molded will not say to the
molder, "Why did you make me like this," will
it? 21Or does not the potter have a right over
the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel
for honorable use and another for common use?
Strangely, in some believing circles, the very
objection that some have to the idea that God is
completely sovereign in regards to salvation is
the very objection that Paul foresaw and
answered here. The objection, from our human
perspective, is actually natural: if some are
predestined for mercy and some for hardening,
why would He find fault with unbelievers, since
they are simply living out their predestined
purpose? It would seem unjust for God to punish
those whom He never intended to regenerate. To
Paul, however, this is the completely wrong way
to look at it. It's backwards to apply our own
fallen human logic to God; God is the Creator,
so His logic must dictate what defines what is
just and unjust. That God's sovereignty leaves
most in a state of wonderment shows that we are
the creation and He is the Creator. To this
point, Paul used the metaphor of a potter,
representing God, and clay, representing
humanity. It would be ridiculous for the clay to
question the potter's choices, since the potter
has the right to do whatever he pleases with the
clay. Likewise, God has every right to choose
our destinies; out of the same "lump" of
humanity, God chooses eternal life for some
(vessels for honourable use) and, as a result,
eternal death for others (vessels for common
use).
22What if God, although willing to
demonstrate His wrath and to make His power
known, endured with much patience vessels of
wrath prepared for destruction? 23And He did so
to make known the riches of His glory upon
vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand
for glory, 24even us, whom He also called, not
from among Jews only, but also from among
Gentiles.
The reality is that mankind has forfeited any
legal right to eternal life. Everyone has sinned
and deserves instant punishment. There is no
particular reason why God did not simply wipe
each of us off the face of the earth the moment
we first sinned. Here we learn, however, that
though God has this right, he endures sinful
humanity with much patience. He does this in
order to make known the riches of His glory upon
vessels of mercy. In other words, rather than
simply punish all humanity at once, like in the
flood; God endures each sinful generation, so
that He can save a remnant. Each remnant is made
up of vessels of mercy, which God prepared
beforehand for glory. This again demonstrates
how great and unfathomable God's wisdom is; that
He can create humanity and predestine a
set-apart group for salvation. This group is
made up not just of Jewish people but also from
among the Gentiles. Though He surely chose and
continues to choose the Jewish people to be the
proclaimers of God's word, His plan was not just
to save the Jewish people but to also save some
from among the Nations as well; God's choice for
who makes up His covenant people does not depend
on ethnicity.
25As He says also in Hosea, "I WILL CALL
THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, 'MY PEOPLE,' AND
HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, 'BELOVED.'" 26"AND IT
SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO
THEM, 'YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,' THERE THEY SHALL
BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD."
Paul then quoted the prophet Hosea, referencing
the words HaShem spoke to the Northern Kingdom
of Israel regarding both their judgment and
future restoration (cf. Hosea
2:23,
1:10).
Due to Israel's consistent rebellion, they were
promised exile to the nations, to the point
where they would be considered no longer beloved
by God nor could they rightly be called "[His]
people." The people of the Northern Kingdom were
not left without hope, as it was also prophesied
that they would indeed be restored to the Land
along with being reunited with Judah. Paul's
main point was that God is able to bring
salvation to those whom it would appear could
not be saved. Not only does this bolster his
overall argument that the word of God has not
failed in regard to Israel (cf. 9:6) but
it also reintroduces the fact that God can and
does also save Gentiles. The prophecies
regarding the Northern Kingdom provide Paul with
a very fitting illustration for the salvation of
Gentiles for if God's sovereignty is manifest in
the restoration of the people of Israel, how
much more so in the salvation of those who were
never actually God's people in the first place!
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "THOUGH
THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE
SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE
SAVED; 28FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON
THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY." 29And just
as Isaiah foretold, "UNLESS THE LORD OF SABAOTH
HAD LEFT TO US A POSTERITY, WE WOULD HAVE BECOME
LIKE
SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE RESEMBLED GOMORRAH."
To be sure, Paul quoted these verses of Isaiah
to show that God has always only saved a remnant
with Israel (cf. Isaiah
10:22-23, 1:9).
In every generation, the majority of the people
of Israel were either disobedient or indifferent
to God. This is because God has only chosen a
small remnant, in each generation, to be
regenerated and given zeal for His ways. It is
HaShem that is the One who maintains this
remnant; God executes His word and makes sure
there is always a remnant of the people of
Israel who are spiritually alive and maintain
the covenant. Even though the historic Christian
church has maintained that Jewish believers must
renounce Judaism for Christianity, there
nevertheless have been Jewish people in each
generation since the first century who have
believed in Yeshua and maintained a devotion to
God through Torah obedience. This, again, is a
work of God's Spirit; otherwise the people of
Israel would have been assimilated long ago.
This, like the salvation of Lot and his family
from Sodom and Gomorrah, is a matter of God's
grace.
30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who
did not pursue righteousness, attained
righteousness, even the righteousness which is
by faith; 31but
Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not
arrive at that law.
The truth that salvation is purely a matter of
God's grace and sovereignty, evident in the
salvation of a remnant of Israelites in every
generation, caused Paul to turn again to the
matter of the salvation of Gentiles. The
salvation of Gentiles demonstrates God's
sovereignty because, by and large, Gentile
believers were not seeking righteousness but
were actually living a life of paganism and
these are the ones who actually attained
righteousness! To be clear, Paul defined
righteousness to be the righteousness that is by
faith, that is, a righteousness that comes
through trusting God and being faithful to His
ways. Israel, on the other hand, by and large,
though pursuing a Torah of righteousness did not
arrive at that Torah. Why did Paul add the word
"law" (Gr. "nomos," a translation of the
Hebrew word "torah") when referencing
Israel but did not include it when referencing
Gentiles? The word "law" was added because God
had indeed given His revelation to the people of
Israel but not to the Gentiles. Paul's point was
that though Israel had been given God's Law, a
revelation of His righteousness, they somehow
did not actually arrive at the true intention of
that Law. Unfortunately, many Christian
commentators have somehow taken this to mean
that Israel was wrongheaded by pursuing the
Torah but this is exactly what was and is
required of her by God! It's not the pursuit of
the Torah that should be questioned but the
manner of heart that one pursues it.
32Why? Because they did not pursue it by
faith, but as though it were by works. They
stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33just as it
is written, "BEHOLD, I LAY IN
ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE
DISAPPOINTED."
Israel did not arrive at the true intention of
the Torah because they, for the most part, did
not pursue it by faith but instead thought they
could attain righteousness by works.
Historically, Christian commentators have
assumed that Paul contrasted simple belief with
trying to attain salvation by keeping the Law
but this is not Paul's contrast. Paul contrasted
keeping the Torah by (or through) faith with
keeping the Torah as way to maintain one's
position in God's covenant people. To put it
another way, for those of faith, those who stand
righteous before God on the basis of the
Messiah's sacrifice, Torah observance is matter
of obedience and a result of our new identity.
On the other hand, for those who believe that
being Jewish (a status that one is either born
with or attains through legal conversion) is
what secures salvation, Torah observance is a
matter of obedience, on the one hand, but also a
way to maintain the veneer that one is truly a
covenant member, on the other. To Paul, this is
to miss the very heart of the Torah; if one does
not see the goal of the Torah, Yeshua the
Messiah, and obeys the Torah on the basis of His
merit, one has missed God's way of
righteousness. How inconceivable to Jewish
sensibilities that when the Messiah came more
Gentiles came to salvation than Jews! Perhaps,
though, because Gentiles (at least in the first
century) clearly had no previous connection God
or His covenants and could only come to God
empty-handed, as it were. Jewish people,
however, like nominal Christians today, had a
sense that their pedigree obligated God to
include them among those chosen for salvation.
This is why Paul said that Israel stumbled over
the stumbling stone. Again, we should remember
that Paul's use of Israel here did not refer to
all of Israel, for surely there was a remnant
that did not stumble over the Messiah but was
pursuing the Torah by faith. Instead, Paul
referred to the part of Israel, which
unfortunately was the majority, which had
rejected the Messiah. He then quoted Isaiah
28:16 (with a snippet from Isaiah
8:14
inserted to further his point), which in
Isaiah's context is God Himself. It was not
unforeseen that when God's way of salvation was
to be made manifest that many within Israel
would stumble over it. On the other hand, those
who do not stumble and instead believe are not
to be disappointed. |
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