Romans 9:1-29

What’s Happening? 

Paul has spent the first eight chapters of his letter to the Romans explaining how God's promises to Israel have been given to non-Jewish people by faith in Jesus. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, God demonstrated his power to rescue his people, right wrongs, punish evil, and establish his eternal kingdom of justice and equity. This is great news for the world but it also provokes a deep sadness in Paul. All of God’s promises to Israel have come true, but most of his fellow Jews have rejected Jesus (Romans 9:1-5). While thousands and thousands of non-Jews have joined themselves to God’s promises, the majority of Paul’s fellow Jews are not currently experiencing the goodness of God’s Kingdom. To some, this sounds as if God’s promises to Israel have failed, but Paul spends the next three chapters proving that God is still faithful to the promises he made to Israel throughout the Hebrew Bible (Romans 9:6).

God is still faithful to his promises because being a true Israelite was never about being physically descended from Abraham. Not all of Abraham’s sons were given God’s promises; only Isaac was. And not all of Isaac’s children received God’s promises either; only Jacob did. A true Jew is not someone who can trace their ancestry back to Abraham but someone God chooses to receive his promises (Romans 9:7-13). To Paul, it follows that if God can choose a subset of Jews to receive his promises, then God can also choose non-Jews to receive his promises. He then quotes several passages in the Old Testament proving it was always God’s plan to include non-Jewish people in his family (Romans 9:24-29). God is not failing his promises to the Jews by choosing Gentiles; he is keeping them. While some Jews are proving God has not chosen them, God has nevertheless chosen many Gentiles to become members of Abraham’s family by faith in Jesus. 

Where is the Gospel?

In the middle of Paul’s train of thought, he stops to answer a question—isn’t it unfair for God to choose some people to receive his promises and not others? To that question, Paul says, “Absolutely not!” What would be unfair is basing entrance into God’s kingdom on anything else than God’s choice. If receiving God’s promises is based on anything besides his choice, whether human moral ability or ethnic lineage, that immediately means some will be left out (Romans 9:14-16). When God chooses, he isn’t being unfair; he’s being merciful. It’s only by his merciful choice that non-Jewish pagans, religious Jews, and everyone in between can receive God’s promises and live with him forever.

Paul proves this point from Israel’s history. God chose to rescue the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, and in choosing Israel, he did not choose Egypt. Instead, he hardened Egypt’s Pharaoh against the idea of Israel’s freedom (Romans 9:17). Even though Pharaoh watched as God slowly destroyed his kingdom, Pharaoh refused to free God’s people. But we learn from the book of Joshua that God’s choice in Egypt caused non-Jews around the world to trust God and join his Kingdom (Joshua 2:8-11; 9:3-21). Elsewhere, Paul points out that Pharaoh’s hardened heart is an illustration of how God’s seemingly unfair choice can become a global mercy (Romans 10:18; Exodus 9:16). The reason God did not choose Pharaoh was so that he could have compassion on the world. While it seems counterintuitive, God’s current choice of the Gentiles is how he will keep his promises in the Hebrew Bible. Just as God once chose Israel and did not choose Pharaoh, and it led to the world recognizing the power of God, God has chosen Gentiles so that God’s mercy can be poured out even more freely on the Jews. 

Paul says we can’t exhaustively know God's mind or why he makes the decisions he does (Romans 9:19-21). Paul suggests that we shouldn’t probe for answers we would not understand even if God told us. Instead, we should humbly consider God’s patience and kindness toward people (whether Jewish or not) who have long hated him (Romans 9:22-23). He bears with their hatred so that by his patience, more people might hear of his power and receive his mercy. As Paul has said elsewhere, God’s patient love towards his people is most clearly demonstrated by Jesus. He died not for good people but for God-haters and enemies (Romans 5:10). So while we might not have all the answers, we do have God’s heart to include all people in his family, displayed in the costly sacrifice of God’s chosen Jewish son, Jesus. In him, all people are made God’s sons and daughters and given access to all of God’s promises.

See for Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see the God who desires to show mercy to all people. And may you see that Jesus shows us God’s heart to make all people part of his family.