God's sovereign choice. Romans 9: 1-14. Part one of two.

The NASB entitles this section, God's sovereign choice.

Romans 9:1-2 NASB I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, (2) that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.

What a peculiar thing to say, "I have great sorrow and unceasing grief, especially for a man who understood that we are to count it all joy when we fall into tests and trials.

Why does he feel this way?

Romans 9:3-5 NASB “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, (4) who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, (5) whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen”

Paul is deeply concerned for the lost sheep of Israel, his kinsmen in the flesh.

Romans 9:3 NLT  “for my people, my Jewish brothers, and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.”

I do not believe that would help bring them to the Lord.

Paul goes to explain more about his “kinsmen.” Keep in mind that Paul is talking to a primarily Jewish audience.

Romans 9:4-5 CJB,  the people of Isra'el! They were made God's children, and the Sh'khinah has been with them, the covenants are theirs, likewise the giving of the Torah, the Temple service and the promises;  (5)  the Patriarchs are theirs; and from them, as far as his physical descent is concerned, came the Messiah, who is over all. Praised be Adonai forever! Amen.

Most non-Jewish oriented translations merely say something like what we see in the NET reading, “the glory, the covenants.” Contrast this with the Complete Jewish Bible translation, which says, “ the Sh'khinah has been with them, the covenants are theirs.” The difference is like looking at the same picture in black and white and then viewing that picture in color. There is a world of difference.

That simplistic word glory, which the CJB translated as “Sh'khinah,” is the Greek word doxa and conveys splendor, brightness, magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace, and majesty. All these things, though difficult to see, emanated within all these ways set before God's people.

Romans 9:4-5 Williams  For they are Israelites; to them belong the privileges of sonship, God's glorious presence, the special covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, the promises,  (5)  the patriarchs, and from them by natural descent the Christ has come, who is exalted over all, God blessed forever. Amen!

Israel, in general, could not and will not see clear to find this salvation.

Romans 9:6 CJB,  But the present condition of Isra'el does not mean that the Word of God has failed. For not everyone from Isra'el is truly part of Isra'el;

Another version.

Romans 9:6 NASB But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;

Where did Paul get the idea that the Word of God had failed? Perhaps this is one of Paul's stylized writing moments?

We should by now know that Paul said nothing without purpose. Since he was writing to a majority Jewish community, then it is safe to assume that he is speaking in terms they understand, so let's pursue that idea for a moment.

The underlying theme of Paul's conversation is tied to Abram.

Genesis 12:1-3 NASB Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house to the land which I will show you; (2) And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; (3) And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed."

What are the goals and purposes here?

• Abraham and his descendants will go to a land that God will show them.
• They will become a great nation
• They will be blessed
• Have a great name.
• Be a blessing.
• And, through Abram, all the families of the earth will be blessed.
  This last statement carries the connotation of Christ's redemptive work on the cross.

What else speaks to the future of Israel?

Genesis 49:10 NIrV  The right to rule will not leave Judah. The ruler's rod will not be taken from between his feet. It will be his until the king it belongs to comes. It will be his until the nations obey him.

In many ways, and for a long time, Judah did not rule. Is that the case today? Perhaps, if we only focus on the physical evidence. The obvious factor is that Israel did become that prophesied nation in 1946. But Genesis 49:10 is not merely speaking about some prime minister; it is talking about Jesus when it says, “until the king it belongs to come.” That King/Messiah was Yashua, and He rode into Jerusalem, just as the prophecies about Him declared.

Zechariah 9:9 NIrV  "City of Zion, be full of joy! People of Jerusalem, shout! See, your king comes to you. He always does what is right. He has the power to save. He is gentle and riding on a donkey. He is sitting on a donkey's colt.

So the promise and guarantee were made. It had to come to pass, for God had sworn it, and Abraham carried out his end of the agreement by NOT withholding his only son as a sacrifice. And, we know that God does not and cannot lie.

Numbers 23:19 NIrV  God isn't a mere man. He can't lie. He isn't a human being. He doesn't change his mind. He speaks, and then he acts. He makes a promise, and then he keeps it.

If Israel has become so blind that it cannot see that Jesus is the awaited Messiah, it is certainly NOT God's fault.

Look at what the NLT says about this.

Romans 9:6 NLT  Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people!

Paul had already made this crystal clear early on in the fourth chapter of his letter to the church in Rome by stating, our relationship with Christ is based on faith.

Romans 4:13 NLT  Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.

Therefore, Paul can say, in response to his question,

Romans 9:7-8 NLT  Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too.  (8)  This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children.

Paul explains.

Romans 4:11 NLT  Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.

We, who have faith in Jesus Christ, are also counted as righteous through our faith, as this faith-filled theme of hope and adoption runs throughout the NT.

Galatians 4:5-7 NLT  God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own children.  (6)  And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”  (7)  Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

How did all this begin?

Romans 9:8-13 Moffatt NT (8) meaning that instead of God's children being the children born to him by natural descent, it is the children of the Promise who are reckoned as his true offspring. (9) For when God said, I will come about this time and Sara shall have a son, that was a word of promise. (10) And further, when Rebecca became pregnant by our father Isaac, though one man was the father of both children, (11) and though the children were still unborn and had done nothing either good or bad (to confirm the divine purpose in election which depends upon the call of God, not on anything man does), (12) she was told that the elder will serve the younger. (13) As it is written, Jacob I loved but Esau I hated.

Don't get all worked up over this idea of God hating one over the other. The Greek word miseō can also mean merely to love less. This entire theme comes from Malachi.

Malachi 1:2-3 NASB "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; (3) but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness."

The Hebrew word for hated is śânê' and also means to be an enemy or foe. The name Esau takes its origins back to a Hebrew word asah, which also means to hinder or fight with.

Genesis 27:39-40 NASB Then, Isaac, his father answered and said to him, "Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above. (40) "By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve, But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck."

The trouble began quickly,

Genesis 27:41 NASB So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and Esau said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."

Esau's descendants became the enemies of Israel.

Obadiah 1:8-9 NASB "Will I not on that day," declares the LORD, "Destroy wise men from Edom And understanding from the mountain of Esau? (9) "Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman, So that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.

Still focused on Esau and another rhetorical question.

Romans 9:14 Williams  What are we then to conclude? It is not that there is injustice in God, is it? Of course not!

God's everlasting love. Romans 8:31-39

We ended with this:

Romans 8:30 NASB and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

• Predestined
• Called
• Justified
• And Glorified

And thus begins our next foray into Romans.

God's Everlasting Love

“Since” He has done all this for us,

Romans 8:31 NASB What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

After what we have learned concerning how God feels about us and who we are now, why throw out a word like "if"? When in fact, at this point, in my journey through Romans, I am deeply aware that God is for me, just as He is for you. Another translation read like this:

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us.” (ERV) 

The word “if” is merely expressive style on the part of Paul and doesn't require an answer. [Some would say, it is a rhetorical question.] We find Paul writing like this frequently.

Against is the Greek word katá and indicates motion meaning down from a higher to a lower place. However, my immediate response to the word does not strike me like that; it comes across like an enemy's attack. The Dictionary tells us it is something in opposition, a contradiction, or aversions, such as a decree against law, reason, or public opinion. Since we know that God tests no man (James 1:13), then it is not reasonable to think that it would be God coming against us. I can see where this type of thinking comes from, as we tend to perceive God as up in the heavens; therefore, any perceived judgment or test from Him would be coming down.

What else could “come down”? Since our enemy originated in the heavens, then perhaps any work or word that comes against us from him, or his cohorts, could be perceived as coming down.

Let's address our rhetorical question, “If God is for us,” for a moment. Since we know that God is for us, then Paul continues in his efforts to respond to such a challenge with a logical approach as he points out:

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Romans 8:32 NASB

Think about this, how or why would God, “who did not spare His own Son,” for a purpose, NOW, not also freely give us all things”? How about one other version?

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Romans 8:32 TLV 

This verse demands that you analyze what it is saying to you.

• He did not spare his own Son.
  Jesus, the physical representation of God, voluntarily put himself on that cross. When talking about God sparing His own Son; we are talking about the gut-wrenching decision to restrain Himself, from rescuing His only child from the horrors of what is to come. When Jesus cried out in the garden, isn't there any other way? He knew there wasn't.
• “but delivered Him over for us all,”
  There was a higher purpose, and that was to save all of humanity if they would accept this great salvation. [Obviously, many don't.]
  There it is, God had to restrain himself from rescuing His Son so that you and I could be redeemed, saved, and given a new life with the Father in eternity.
• “how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?”
  First off, this comes across as though we are to take for granted that this will happen. Fortunately, God has never worked that way. So Paul is not making this stuff up as he hopes that presently, or in the future, the Father will give us all things. You see, God first demonstrated how this would all play out, through Abraham.
  Genesis 22:16-18 TLV  and said, “By myself, I swear—it is a declaration of Adonai—because you have done this thing, and you did not withhold your son, your only son,  (17)  I will richly bless you and bountifully multiply your seed like the stars of heaven, and like the sand that is on the seashore, and your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.  (18)  In your seed, all the nations of the earth will be blessed—because you obeyed My voice.”
  We, effectively, get a word for word imagery as to how what He did through Abraham, would play out through Jesus on the cross. So the things that the Father will give us are this:

• I will bless you
• and bountifully multiply your seed,
• your seed will possess the gate of your enemies
• In you, all the nations of the earth will be blessed
The word bless, as we see in Genesis 22, is not as vague as it seems, it is the Hebrew word bāraḵ and suggests the bending of the knee in blessing. Its derived meaning is to bless someone or something and indicates that God will give us such honor, in time. The Greek word for “how” that we find in Romans 8:32 is an interrogative that also means” in what way or manner.”
All things? As I began this study, I could not honestly define what that looks like. Peace was one of the words that echo in my mind as I ponder what “all things” would look like. This word peace is especially important, seeing as I only have rare moments of it.
I just realized that I, too, have PTSD; I think we all do to a degree. Doesn't admitting that I have PTSD imply that something came against me, and I lost the battle? How can that be when Romans 8:31 contend that nothing can stand against us? Ah, but coming against, taking quick shots at us, and going into a prolonged, full-scale war, are two different things, for when the enemy comes against us, we typically don't recognize it immediately. Moments later, you realize that you have been hit; you can tell by your physical and emotional reactions, some of which are less than neighborly.

Our mutual understanding of the next verse typically reads like this.:

Romans 8:33 NASB Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies;

Even though we struggle frequently with the concept, you, as a follower of Jesus Christ, are one of God's elect. Let's try the Message and see if it comes across any clearer.

And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Romans 8:33 MSG 

That is significantly clearer; however, it still doesn't answer the question that many ask, how do I know that I was chosen?

Deuteronomy 10:15 NLT  Yet the LORD chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today.

Even if you cannot claim Jewish heritage, you are a descendant through adoption. We find references to this adoption in Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:5, and Ephesians 1:5. We were adopted through Christ Jesus.

Since, in theory, no one should dare to tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen, then Paul can also say,

Romans 8:34 NLT  Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

You need to know this; people and Satan will try to condemn you. Try as they may, it has no effect, because “Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.” Oh, how I long to tattoo this on your brain so that you never forget it. Do you understand that amid the voices, Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father, speaking to Him on our behalf? The Complete Jewish Bible does a pretty good job of making this point.

Romans 8:34 CJB  Who punishes them? Certainly not the Messiah Yeshua, who died and—more than that—has been raised, is at the right hand of God and is actually pleading on our behalf!

It is hard for some to picture, but this is an inexpressible love. No human has ever done this for me, but Jesus did. Now, with someone like this on your side, Paul addresses his next question.

Romans 8:35 CJB  “Who will separate us from the love of the Messiah?

Trouble? Hardship? Persecution? Hunger? Poverty? Danger? War?”

Paul continues:

 “As it is written, “For Your sake, we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”  (37)  But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:36-37 TLV

Paul may be referencing multiple passages in the same sentence. For example:

Jeremiah 12:3b NASB Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter And set them apart for a day of carnage!

As yet, this next passage is not so prominent in the United States, but I see it coming in my spirit, and it grieves me.

2 Corinthians 4:11 NASB (11) For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

And finally,

Psalms 44:22 NASB But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

Jesus himself told the Jewish crowd of followers that tribulations would be a way of life for His disciples – that includes us. Just remember that it was the elders and Chief priests that put Jesus on the cross that day, so the majority of tribulations will come from religious zealots.

Regardless, the thing to keep in mind is that:

“But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37b TLV

Almost as if Paul was saying “so what” he continues with this:

Romans 8:38-39 NASB For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, (39) nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul creates an extensive list of things that WE think can strip God's love from us.

• Death??
  In the case of my mother, my father asked, where do you think mom is? One thing I knew for sure about mom was that she loved the Lord and was, therefore, in heaven at that very moment. Yes, many of her concepts were embedded in legalism and imagination, but you could see Jesus in her actions and life patterns.
  “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”(Hebrews 2:14-15 NASB)
• Life??
  Merely discussing life seems like a crazy sentiment to many, as they think that living your best life, is being able to spend several days a week at Disneyland or on the river skiing. Life, on these terms, is in total opposition to God's ways and plans.
  You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4 NASB)
• Angels
  Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, (Colossians 2:18 NASB)
  Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? (1 Corinthians 6:2-3 NASB)
• Principalities
  - This is the Greek word arche and means the first place, principality, rule, magistracy. Often includes references to angels and demons. Spoken of as the princes or chiefs among angels (Eph_1:21; Eph_3:10; Col_2:10); among demons (1Co_15:24; Eph_6:12; Col_2:15); the powers of the other world (Rom_8:38; Col_1:16
• Things present
  Each day has its own set of trials; these are the present things.
• Nor, things to come.
  It would be future events. While this is a broad spectrum statement, it does apply to us as well since we have no clue what the future holds, as far as our personal lives look like. Sure, many of you think you have life under control, but your life can end in mere seconds. Now, as to future events scripturally, we are not in the dark that we should not know what God has planned. Do we know everything with precision? NO, but much like the baseball world series, we know when the season will come, and that the series can go for four or seven games. We know that there will be a winner. Prophecy and the Revelation is not so different, for scripture has spelled all that out for us. We are in the season, and the series is being played out before us. We also know that the winner will come riding in on a white horse and shut the mouths of all those who choose to fight with Him.
• Height
  My attempted definition is far too dull and simplistic, as the Lord and His throne is always thought of as being up. There are many references to God being in the high places. So what if we thought of God as being against us? Then could we fear the heights, yes, we could. Perhaps the idea is that we have nothing to fear if we are in Christ Jesus.
  The floods have lifted up, O LORD, The floods have lifted up their voice, The floods lift up their pounding waves. More than the sounds of many waters, Than the mighty breakers of the sea, The LORD on high is mighty. Your testimonies are fully confirmed; Holiness befits Your house, O LORD, forevermore. (Psalms 93:3-5 NASB)
• Depth
  The depths are always associated with hell, Satan, death, and destruction. Since our spirits live forever, then death should be directed at any potential separation from God.
  And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him. (Revelation 12:9 NASB)
• Nor any created thing.
  A quick rundown on how many things were created. EVERYTHING. This includes man, stars, plant life, animals, and angels. All will be subject, in their entirety, to God once again. In the meantime, they cannot separate you from the love of God.

Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which IS IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD; however, this doesn't mean that they won't try. Again, I know that this will discourage many, and they will not put out any effort to learn or change. Here is where the understanding of James comes into play because James speaks toward these constant attempts to take us out of the ball game.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, (3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (4) And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (5) But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:2-5 NASB

If we stand against these attacks, whether it looks like we are victorious or not, we still receive all that God has in store for us, because He loves us.