Why does one person come to Christ, while another does not? The apostle Paul answers that question in Romans 9:6-13, as he shows how God sovereignly included Isaac and Jacob in the true Israel, while He passed over Ishmael and Esau, by including them in His purpose, His choice, and His call.
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Unconditional Election
Romans 9:6-13
Why is it that some people come to faith in Jesus Christ, while others do not? Sometimes, in the same family, some children become Christians, while others reject Christ. They have the same father and mother. They attended the same church. They heard the same gospel preaching. The parents prayed for all of their children. Yet, some were saved, and others lost. Or, sometimes a married couple will decide that they want to find a church. They attend a Bible church, hear the gospel preached, and one of them believes and is converted, while the other does not, and drops out of church. Why? What is behind some people becoming God’s children, while others do not? Well, that’s really what the apostle Paul is explaining here in Romans 9.
Remember what we learned last Sunday morning as we studied the first five verses. Paul was in great sorrow and unceasing grief for his fellow Israelites, because they had rejected Jesus Christ, and so were accursed and separated from God. They were lost and would soon perish in sin, in spite of the fact that God had given them so many spiritual privileges.
Paul knows that all of this might cause his readers to wonder if they can trust God’s saving promises. After all, if God made covenants and promises with Israel, and most of them ended up perishing, how can they have any assurance that God will be faithful to His promises to them. At the end of Romans 8 Paul tells them that he is convinced that nothing can separate a Christian from the love of God. Well, how can we know that is true? If God was not faithful to the Jewish people, He may not be faithful to us as well. So, Paul is concerned to dispel our fears and concerns and champion God’s faithfulness to us. That’s why he says in verse 6, “But it is NOT as though the word of God has failed.” By the “word of God”, Paul is thinking of God’s purpose according to His choice in verse 11. The word “failed” usually has the meaning of “fallen.” So, if the word of God has not fallen, it stands. Well, Paul tells us in verse 11 that God’s purpose stands. Therefore, in verse 6 Paul is saying “it is not as though God’s purpose has failed.” God’s purpose will be fulfilled. His purpose is invincible. It cannot fail! But why? We will come to understand why God’s purpose can’t fail, as we see Paul answer three questions.
1) Were all of Abraham’s descendants part of God’s true Israel?
2) How does Paul now there was a true Israel within Israel?
2) How did someone become part of God’s true Israel?
1.Were All of Abraham’s Descendants Part of God’s True Israel?
For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel. What in the world does Paul mean by that? Paul is making a distinction between all of Abraham’s descendants, and God’s true people. When he is thinking of the physical descendants of Abraham, he calls them “the children of the flesh” in verse 8. However, who are the ones who are Israel within Israel? In verse 7, Paul calls them “children”. In verse 8, he calls them “children of God.” In Romans 8:16 and 8:21, Paul speaks of “children of God” as saved people. In John 1:12-13 we read, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” In that passage, “children of God” refer to those who believe in Christ and are born again. Therefore, when Paul says, “they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel”, he means that not every physical descendant of Abraham is a child of God and saved from sin. Only some of his physical descendants became part of God’s true Israel. You see, a Jew was not saved simply because he was Jewish. A Jew was saved the same way we are, by faith in God’s promise. Abraham was justified by faith just as we are. But not all of Abraham’s descendants believed God.
What about this phrase “children of promise.” What does that refer to? Well, Paul uses this phrase again in Galatians 4:28-29, “And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. But as at that time he who born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.” In Paul’s mind, to be a child of promise is to be born according to the Spirit.
So, let’s paraphrase verse 6: “But the sovereign purpose of God has not failed. Why? Because God has been faithful to save all of the true Israel.” It was never God’s purpose to save every physical descendant of Abraham. It was His purpose to choose out of the physical descendants of Abraham a true Israel, and to save all of them.
This is why so many Israelites are accursed and cut off from Christ. They are not true Israelites. They are physical descendants of Abraham, not true children of Abraham. They are children of the flesh, but not children of the promise. They are not children of God. The promise of God was never that every physical descendant of Abraham would be saved. The promise and purpose of God is that He would make sure that the true Israel would be brought into being and saved forever. And as we shall see, the true Israel includes Jews and Gentiles. The word of God has not failed, because it applies only to the true Israel, and all the true Israel will be saved.
2.How Does Paul Know that There Was a True Israel within Israel?
Paul gives the example of two of the early patriarchs, Isaac, and Jacob. Let’s look at teach of them.
Isaac was included in the true Israel, not Ishmael. Remember that Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was the older son, and by all accounts, should have been shown preference. However, Paul says in verse 7, “nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your descendants will be named.” God made a choice here of who would be included in the covenant line that would culminate with the birth of the Messiah. He made a decision of who would be included in the true Israel. God chose Isaac, and passed over Ishmael. God decided that Isaac would be an heir of the promises. Ishmael was never considered one of the patriarchs of Israel. He was excluded.
Jacob was included in the true Israel, not Esau. Now, of course, someone could say that Ishmael was excluded from the covenant, because he was the son of the Gentile Egyptian handmaid, Hagar. He was not the son of Sarah. Ishmael was born as a result of Abraham and Sarah’s scheming. They were trying to help God out, and so took matters into their own hands. The result was a child of the flesh, not a child of the promise. And so, Paul says, let’s look at the example of Isaac and Rebekah’s sons, Esau and Jacob. In this example, both boys were born from the same parents. Paul quotes Genesis 25:23 where the Lord tells Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger.” The Lord was telling Rebekah that Esau would become the father of the Edomites, but that he and his descendants would serve the Israelites. Now, again, this was contrary to common practice, because the younger should have served the older brother. But God is exercising His sovereignty in deciding that the opposite will be the case.
Then again Paul quotes Malachi 1:2 where God says, “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” If you go on reading more of the prophecy you discover that it has application not only for Esau, but for the Edomites, his descendants. Now I know that a lot of Christians believe that God loves everybody exactly the same, and He doesn’t hate anyone. That flies in the face of this Scripture. Here, the Bible clearly says that God hates Esau. What does that mean? Does it mean that God had felt malice and animosity toward Esau. It has the meaning of “to prefer.” God preferred Jacob over Esau. God decided to give some things to Jacob that He was not going to give to Esau. Jesus used word “hate” in this sense in Luke 14:26, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” However, the parallel passage in Matthew 10:37 says, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” So, what does it mean to hate father or mother, son or daughter? It means to love Jesus more than them. It means to prefer Jesus to family. It means we must choose over family in all situations. God chose Jacob to be part of the true Israel, and passed over Esau.
Someone once said to a Bible teacher, “I have a problem with Romans 9:13 – Esau I have hated.” The Bible teacher answered, “I have trouble with this verse too. But what bothers me is how God could ever say, ‘Jacob I loved!” I agree. Jacob was a conniving scoundrel. Jacob conned his brother out of his birthright, deceived his father to get the blessing, and continually tried to make bargains with God! Not much to admire in him, wouldn’t you say? He was a rat, a schemer, a conniver. God has every right to hate all men, because all men are sinners and have rebelled against His throne rights. All men have valued other things more than their Creator. There is nothing in fallen man to attract God’s love, and everything about him worthy of a holy hatred. The real surprise to me is that God would love any of us at all!
So, here Paul gives two examples of physical descendants of Abraham who were not included in the true Israel: Ishmael and Esau.
3.How Did Someone Become Part of God’s True Israel?
How Was Isaac made Part of the True Israel? Well, there was a problem! The problem was that Isaac didn’t exist, and his parents were unable to bring him into existence. Sarah was barren, and Isaac was old and advanced in years. They had tried to have a child of their own for many years, but were unable. Now, Sarah had gone through menopause and was past the age to be able to bear children. So, how would Isaac ever become part of the true Israel? God made a promise! The promise was that He would do what man could not do. God would cause Isaac to be born in a miraculous way. God would make Isaac a child of the promise. In the words of Romans 4:17 God is the One who “gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” Isaac’s supernatural birth is a picture of the supernatural rebirth of all of God’s children. John says that we are born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. That is exactly how Isaac was born. He wasn’t born of blood or the will of the flesh or the will of man. God Himself made sure that Isaac was born. God took the initiative, and provided the miraculous power to bring Him into the world. Then God sovereignly spoke and said that through Isaac your descendants will be named. God made a decision that no one could overturn.
How Was Jacob made Part of the True Israel? Paul goes into even more depth to describe to us how Jacob was made part of God’s true Israel.
How This Did NOT Happen. God did not make His decision based upon the works of either Jacob or Esau. In fact, we are told in verse 11, that God made this decision before the twins were born and had done anything good or bad. In other words, God decided that Esau would serve Jacob without reference to anything they had done or would do. Jacob and Esau were not the ones who decided this. God was. And God made the decision without consulting them or their parents. The reason Esau served Jacob did not lie in man. The reason was God’s sovereign choice alone.
Friends, God’s election is unconditional. Jacob is an example of unconditional election. That means that you can’t find the reason for one person being chosen over another in the person. Election is not based on man meeting certain conditions. Yes, justification is conditional. The condition of justification is faith. “Therefore, having been justified by faith” (Romans 5:1). But election is unconditional. Election is not conditioned on faith. Election is based on the sovereign will of God alone. Notice how verse 11 is stated, “so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls…” Usually the counterpart to works is faith. That’s how Paul puts it in Romans 3:27 and Romans 9:32. However, here Paul does not say, “not because of works, but because of faith.” Instead, he says, “not because of works but because of Him who calls.” God’s purpose according to His choice is not because of our works or our faith. Before we can be justified we must believe. But before we believe, we must be chosen and called. God doesn’t choose us because we will believe, but so that we will believe. Unconditional election means that God chooses whom He will apart from man meeting any conditions.
How it DID Happen. Paul points to three things. All of them are divine in nature.
God’s Purpose. What does the Bible mean when it speaks of God’s purpose. Well, let’s examine a few New Testament texts that speak of God’s purpose.
Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” When God saves a sinner, He calls them to Christ. But this passage tells us that there is something that guides God’s call, determining who and how God will call. That “something” is God’s purpose. Therefore, God’s purpose, includes salvation.
2 Timothy 1:9, “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”
Notice that God’s purpose is rooted in eternity. God’s purpose is not God responding to situations or people. God establishes His purpose before there is anything or any people.
Notice also, that God’s purpose is linked with Jesus Christ from all eternity. This purpose of God was a purpose made in connection with the Person and work of Jesus Christ established in the counsels of God from all eternity.
Notice also, that God’s purpose is not only linked with Christ Jesus but with grace. This is a gracious purpose, stemming from eternity.
Finally, this purpose rules out our works as the reason for why we are called. God’s purpose is the basis of our call; not our works.
Ephesians 1:11, “also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.”
Notice that God’s purpose not only governs His call, but also His predestination.
Notice that God’s purpose is free and sovereign. He works all things after the counsel of His will. God governs all things, and doesn’t base how He governs on anything in man, but only in Himself.
Finally, notice verse 12, which is the goal of God’s purpose, “to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.” There it is! God’s eternal purpose in Christ is ultimately to create a people who would be to the praise of His glory. Or as it says in Ephesians 1:5-6, “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will (His purpose), to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
God’s Choice. The Greek word is “election.” God’s purpose according to election would stand. Election refers to a choice made. When we have a presidential election, we are choosing the next president through voting. If you said, “I elected to withdraw my name from the ballot”, you would be saying that you chose to do it. God’s purpose according to His choice means “God’s electing purpose.” The reason Jacob was chosen over Esau is because that was God’s electing purpose. Now, if God had chosen Jacob because God knew he would be more spiritual, or would believe, or would perform certain good works, this is the place where Paul should have been clear about it. Instead, Paul goes out of his way to make it very clear that God’s electing purpose was not based on anything in Jacob or Esau. It was based in His own will.
God’s Call. God’s call includes Him opening the eyes and heart of a sinner to His own beauty and worth, so that the sinner responds in faith and obedience. God did not decide to make Jacob part of the true Israel because of any foreseen good works of Jacob, or any foreseen evil works of Esau. The foundation of God’s choice was the good pleasure of His will. That’s as far as we can take it Biblically. That might not satisfy you, but that’s about as far as we can go. We must stop where the Bible stops, and trust Him for things that He does not explain to us.
So, what is Paul teaching in this passage? He’s teaching that there is a true Israel within Israel. There are children of God among all the physical descendants of Abraham. Paul proves that this is true by pointing to the fact that Isaac was included, while Ishmael was passed over. Jacob was included while Esau was passed over. How were Isaac and Jacob included? Isaac was included by a supernatural birth which prefigures our supernatural rebirth through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jacob was included by God’s purpose, choice and call, not because of anything that he had done.
Conclusion
How should we apply the truth of God’s unconditional election? Let’s apply it to two groups of people.
1) Those That Don’t Know Whether God Has Chosen Them. Well, would you like to know? Then come to Christ! It’s that simple. Turn from your sin, and flee to Christ. Jesus said, “All that Father gives to Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). If you will come to Christ today, you can know that the Father gave you to Jesus, and you can know He will certainly not cast you out. So, come!!
Some people think that the doctrine of election means that God is damning many people who ought to be saved. No, the truth of election is that God is saving many people who ought to be damned. We get it exactly backwards. We think that election is a bar to salvation. My friend, election doesn’t keep anyone from salvation. Man’s wicked heart keeps him from salvation. Election doesn’t harm anyone, but it does help many. A lot of people picture unconditional election as God standing at the door of heaven, with multitudes of people beating on the door, trying to get in so they can love and worship Him. But God says, “Ok, you can come, but not you, you or you. Yes, I will let you in, but not you or you.” The truth is that there is no one banging on the door of heaven! Everyone is ignoring God and is walking away from him, and if they keep going in that direction will find themselves in Hell. And so, God, because of His great love with which He loves us, lays hold on this one, and then that one, and turns them around. He changes their heart, and opens their eyes, and grants them grace to repent and believe, making them willing to come to Christ. If you are not a Christian, don’t go away from this place thinking that Brian was teaching that there are people that want to be saved, but can’t be saved, because God hasn’t chosen them. No, the Bible says there are none who seek for God. Election should never make you feel like you can’t be saved. Rather, it should make you feel like it’s possible for you to be saved. Without election, no one would ever be saved! Why? Because all men are born dead in trespasses and sins, without hope, without God in this world. What does a man who is dead in trespasses and sins need? He needs to be made alive together with Christ. That’s exactly what election guarantees! My friends, election is not bad news, it is Good News! It means there is hope that you can be saved. Without election, you don’t have a ghost of a chance of being saved. Because election is true, there is hope for you. Thank God for His unconditional election! So, come! Come now! Come with a humble and contrite heart and believe the gospel!
2) Those That Believe God Has Chosen Them.
This truth should make you humble. My friends, if that is you, you should be one of the most humble people on earth. Why? Because you know your salvation had nothing to do with you, and everything to do with God. You are saved because of His purpose, His choice, His call, His grace. We are all very familiar with Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” When you come to embrace God’s unconditional election, Ephesians 2:8-9 will make perfect sense.
This truth should cause you to give all the glory to God. If your salvation was not a result of your works or foreseen faith, but by God’s purpose and choice and call, then you have nothing to boast in. However, you ought to boast in God! Paul had learned this lesson. That’s why he wrote in Galatians 6:14, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” In 1 Corinthians 1:31 he wrote, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” As Paul says in Philippians 3:3, it should cause you to “glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.”
This truth should cause you to live a holy life. Notice how Paul puts it in Colossians 3:12-14, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you; so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” My friends, that is a beautiful description of a holy life – compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, loving. Isn’t that the kind of life you want to live? Well, Paul says because God has chosen you, you ought to live that way! You should show your overwhelming gratitude, by living a life pleasing to your Lord.
So, brothers and sisters, thank God for His unconditional election. And those that are not yet converted, be filled with hope, and come today to Jesus Christ to be saved. Let’s pray.
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