Romans 9, Predestination & Total Depravity

Paul is in the position of having to explain, or rationalize, what happened to Israel. He’s dealing with the question of how God’s rejection of Israel affects the promises to Abraham. He is saying, “Look, there is precedent in scripture for God taking the kingdom away from Israel. Look at Isaac and Ishmael, which are analogous to two covenants, look at Jacob who corresponds to Israel and Esau who corresponds to Edom. The elect nation, Edom, descended from the firstborn, was disregarded in favor of the younger nation, Israel. In the same way now Israel, the elder, has been disregarded in favor of the Gentiles, the younger. Neither Jacob nor Isaac received the election because of anything they did, because it does not depend on he who wills or runs but on God who has mercy. In the same way the Gentiles have obtained righteousness, even though they did not will or run for it. So why has Israel been disregarded? Was it by the predetermined will of God? No, consider the scriptures. Consider Esau, who is analogous to Israel – he forfeited his birthright, and the mercy and blessing that goes with it, by his foolish and disobedient action. Read Jeremiah 18, Deuteronomy 30, Deuteronomy 39, Isaiah 28, Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 69, Isaiah 29 and Isaiah 65. All these scriptures illustrate how God deals with nations and establish that God will punish, or remake, the nation who disobeys. Israel has disobeyed like Esau did. So is God now unjust for dealing with her as He is? No, scripture is plain! Israel had PLENTY of warning! Look at what happened to Egypt as represented by Pharaoh! They disobeyed God, enslaved Israel to hard bondage and so God appointed Egypt to wrath. See that God shows mercy to whom He wills, those He favors and who believe and obey, and hardens whom He will, those who do not believe and who disobey. Has God now rejected Israel completely? Are the promises to Abraham null and void? No, look at the 7000 in the time of Elijah. They did not bow to Baal so God kept them. In the same way today God has kept a remnant of Jews, He chose them because they believed, and He hardened the rest because they did not believe. Like a cultivated olive tree, the Jews (natural branches – children according to the flesh) were cut off for unbelief and the Gentiles (branches from a wild olive tree – children of the promise) were grafted in. The Gentiles were found even though they did not seek, by God's grace and mercy. However, they remain by their faith and obedience, if they turn and disobey they will be cut off, and if the Jews turn and believe, they will be grafted in again. So, for the sake of the fathers, that is, because of Abraham’s faith in the promise of God, Israel can still partake of the promise in the same way that the Gentiles partake of the promise, through believing in Him whom God has sent.”

 

NEXT: On the Importance of Immediate Context