NT Doctrine — Romans 9

Paul has already established in the earlier chapters that when someone chooses to reject His guidance, they are delivered over to the Devil. They are granted all the evil they want, and more. It will fill their lives until it consumes them. This is what happened to the Nation of Israel.

Paul would be willing to exchange his own election if they were released from that curse. That’s not how God works. The glorious touch of Christ is more generous than anyone deserves, and yet His Presence is freely given to all who seek Him. This glory belonged to Israel, the nation that rejected the terms that came with it.

Not every Israeli in the flesh belongs to the divine promise that goes with the name “Israel”. Paul differentiates between the human birthright and identity of Abraham’s descendants versus the spiritual birthright of the covenant promise God gave him. He notes that Abraham had other descendants, but only one covenant heir. The same goes with Isaac, whose wife bore twins. God favored one twin over another before they were even born, Jacob who received the name Israel.

This brings up the issue of predestination and election. Not every event in history is predestined, but some events are because of God’s plans. Just so, not every human born is elect. It is impossible to justify such a thing by human reckoning. All that’s left is simply embracing God’s decisions and making the most of it.

As we read the account of the Exodus, we learn that Pharaoh was chosen by God to rise up, to build a great empire, and then to have its economy destroyed. He was not hardened until he rejected God’s claims over Israel. Had he accepted God’s choices, he would not have suffered so badly. He could give up one bunch of slave laborers, or have all of his agricultural output and society destroyed.

Paul goes on to restate the common reasoning of people about this situation, that God punishes those who do what He ordains. That’s the wrong approach to the question. It assumes the authority to judge God by human standards. It doesn’t work that way. God can choose what pleases Him and it is, by definition, good and right and in everyone’s best interests.

That’s because the most important thing God could do for fallen mankind was to reveal Himself at all, never mind how. The prophets had warned that God could unmake Israel easily, by replacing them with some other nation. Indeed, at some point He would do so. Indeed, the greatness of the name “Israel” would go on to outshine all that had already happened, because that name would apply to a different kind of nation that could not be counted.

Thus, a host of Gentiles who never heard of Jehovah would be adopted as His family. This was predestination, a decree from God. If Israel chose not to participate, that was on them. He would reveal to these other nations the righteousness of faith and they would embrace it. Meanwhile, Israel the people would be driven to chase a superficial righteousness of legalism and not even succeed at that.

It was because they rejected the one and only choice God gave them: faith. Without faith, they were unable to recognize the cornerstone of the New Covenant of Christ. Instead of being part of this great new Temple, they stumbled over it and chose to build a hovel somewhere else. But those who built on the Cornerstone of Christ would celebrate His glory poured out on them.