Ephesians 4:1 - 16 - “Unity for Productivity“

 

From our text we learn that a united church will be a productive church.

The unity we are commanded to maintain will lead to equipping, building, and maturing of the saints for the work of ministry, working properly, making the church grow and built up in love (4:1-16).

As we survey the history of the church, we recognize that church unity has always been a challenge.  Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church in Acts 20:29,30 that fierce wolves would come in among them, speaking twisted things. Satan, the sworn enemy of the church is behind all this, causing division, and therefore we must fight Him in the full armour of God and with the only offensive weapon in our armoury - the Word of God (Eph. 6:10-18 cf. Lk. 4:1-13).

 Context

Ephesians 1-3 contain the doctrinal foundations of the letter to the Ephesians.

In Ephesians 1 we are taught how we become Christians.

In Ephesians 2&3 we learn that Christians are saved to belong to the church. The NT church consists of both, Jew and Gentile, and they are molded into one people. The church is built upon one foundation of which Jesus is the cornerstone - one Lord, who the Head of the church, which is His body (2:20).  

The unity of the church is undergirded by the unity of the Trinity – the three are one!

Ephesians 4-6 follow by way of by practical application. In Chapters 1-3 God says, “I have made you a Christian”, and in Chapters 4-6 he says, “Live like a Christian!” 

We learn much from Paul’s way of thinking and writing. He always lays down doctrinal foundations before he proceeds with practical application.  We cannot be practical unless we know how to be practical. The Bible helps us to be practical.  The Bible is to the church what the skeleton is to the human body.

Doctrine is fundamental. All of life illustrates this. You cannot be a doctor/nurse, a mechanic, a teacher etc. without the relevant doctrine or training which underlies each discipline. Pastors cannot be truly helpful in their preaching and counseling and pastoring without a solid knowledge of Scripture. Likewise, being an effective Christian requires a practical understanding of the Word of God, as it reforms and transforms our mind, leading to fruitful living.  Biblical doctrine does not divide; it unites.

 Chapter 4 begins with an appeal to unity.  

Here we find four important foundations for unity  which lead to productive Christianity:

1. The Grace of Unity (4:1-3)
2. The Ground of Unity (4:4-6)
3. The Gifts for Unity (4:7 -11)
4. The Goal of Unity (4:12-16)

1. THE GRACE OF UNITY (4:1-3)

Here we learn that unity is both, a gift (a grace) from God and a duty (a grace) to be maintained.

Ø  It is a gift from God. We do not create unity. By the grace of God our unity has been provided through the shed blood of Christ (2:13). It is the unity of the Spirit (4:3).  This is a genitive of source or origin—the unity produced or given by the Holy Spirit. It is not something manufactured by human organizational effort.   

Ø  It is a duty to be upheld: “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called “(4:1). From this follows the call “to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace “(4:3).  How do we do that?   4:2 provides the answer: “..with all humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love”. These are some of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Gal. 5:22,23.

This is the productive soil in which unity can flourish.

 2.  THE GROUND OF UNITY (4:4-6)

“There is one body and one Spirit -just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

The key word, “one” (implying unity), is used 7 times in 4:4-6. 

Church unity is  GROUNDED  in the work of the Tri-unity [the Holy Spirit (4:4); the Lord Jesus (4:5) and God our Father (4:6)]. The Trinity is foundational to the church’s existence and spiritual health.  The true church proceeds from God.  No true church exists apart  from the Trinity.

 Four  further  expressions of unity: one body, one hope, one faith, one baptism.

Ø  One body: The purpose of the saving work of Christ is to bring people together - assimilated as one body -the church!  The great picture given in Ephesians 2 is that   God has assimilated for Himself one people (Jews and Gentiles) from among all nations!  He unites! Satan by contrast, persecutes, scatters and divides. Our old nature tends towards divisiveness.  We have a duty to learn and to practice unity.  We learn to put off the old self and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God (see 4:22-24).

Ø  One hope (that belongs to your call): The Church shares one hope: gaining heaven.  In Ephesians 1:13-14 we learn that that the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of this great promise. A believer who has their focus on this ultimate goal is a promising candidate to be a peacemaker and not a troublemaker; a ‘unifier‘ and not a ‘divider’.

Ø  One Faith:  There is one settled body of truth given by Christ to His church. This is the ‘faith’ once entrusted/delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3).  We make it our aim to be of the same mind, the same faith. That produces unity. 

Ø   One Baptism:  The ‘church’ is those who have been “baptized in the Spirit“ (by the Holy Spirit who causes us to be ‘born again’ Jn. 3). From  there follows the practice of  believer’s  baptism - an outward testimony and a symbol of that which has taken place in us spiritually.  Only true believers can be united in the church.

 3.  THE GIFTS FOR UNITY (4:7-11)

Ø  Grace filled believers (4:7a): “But grace (Gr. charis) was given to each of us …”. Incidentally, that  ‘grace’ which is given to us  at conversion is the grace which we must give to each other in the body of Christ. It comes in the form of spiritual gifts.

Ø  Believers are gifted in differing degrees (4:7b) “according to the measure of Christ’s gift”[1]. This indicates that Christ gives each believer measured (Gk. ‘metron’) grace.  This is often not understood. All Christian people receive gifts, but all do not receive the same gifts, and neither do all receive them with the same intensity (see also Rom 12:3-6). Our different giftedness is due to an enablement by Christ.  Our Head knows what is good and what is needed to maintain unity in each body of believers.

Ø  Christ is the Giver of the gifts (4:8-10). This is substantiated by an interesting quotation from Ps 68:18. The Psalm is a call to God to come to the rescue of His people. David remembers how God went before His people after the Exodus (v.7) so that the earth quaked (v.8) and kings were scattered (vv. 11-14). Then the king who wanted Mt Zion as his residence (v.16), came from Sinai to his chosen holy place (His sanctuary) (v.17). As he ascended   towards Mt Zion as the conquering King, he led captives and the spoils of war in his entourage. Along the way he generously distributed the gifts (the spoils of war) to the residents of Jerusalem. Paul here applies this picture to Christ. Christ had descended to this sinful earth to die for our sins.  He rose from the grave, triumphing over the power of death, delivering His people, under Satan’s dominion, from spiritual exile.  Christ by His death plunders Satan’s kingdom, robbing him of many of his “sin slaves “, redeeming them to be His own people.  As He ascends   to His glorious throne - the spiritual Mt. Zion, with all His captives for His kingdom, he shares the spoils of that battle won against Satan, by dispensing these former ‘sin slaves’, as His gifts to this world. These gifts from God come to us in the form of people, whom the heavenly King uses to bless His church - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor- teachers.   Pentecost was the primary event when these gifts were given, when the ascended Jesus descended through His Spirit and gave such people to the church in the world.

Ø  Christ has given us foundational gifts to build up the church (4:11-12) This list represents the leading ministries (graces) for the church (the body): apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. I cannot say much about this now. However, since there is much controversy about apostles and prophets in our own day, we must briefly clarify this.  In Eph. 2:19,20 the offices of apostles and prophets are regarded as ‘foundational’ in the church. Foundations do not need to be built continually. We do not need new or more apostles and prophets any more than we need a new Lord Jesus. Their ministries  continue  as we read  and learn from their writings.

 4. THE GOAL OF UNITY (4:12-16)

 We are now coming to our concluding thought. Why does the church need this unity? Why does the church need spiritual gifts? The answer is given in 4:12-16: 

“…to equip the saints for the work for ministry, for building to build them up…”.

All these foundational ministries are very important to the church’s existence and unity, since through these ministries, God’s people  are prepared and perfected  and  equipped.

The word for “preparing /perfecting/ equipping“[2] means ‘fixing something that's broken’ (e.g. torn nets in Matt. 4:21). It can also mean ‘to supply something that is lacking’ (as in 1 Thess. 3:10, "We desire to supply, or equip, what is lacking in your faith").

The work of these foundational ministries is to repair what is broken and to supply what is lacking in and among the members of the church in every generation. 

The members of the church are in the final analysis called "for the work of ministry".  The fixing and supplying what is lacking is meant to make the saints into servants, and in this way the ministering saints contribute to the wholeness of the entire body.

This is unity for productivity. God wants His church to be a unified, healthy body so that His Name can be made known in all the earth.

The more the church understands that she is rooted in the work of the Holy Trinity (the supreme manifestation of Unity) and the more the church works to  understand and apply sound doctrine, enabled by foundational gifts, and the more unity  she  shows  among her members, the  more effective she will be  in her work on earth  as she  fights  this  spiritual war, taking  captives from Satan for Christ’s glory. 

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[1] See also Romans 12:6

[2]  Greek katartizo

ROMANS 9:19 - 33 - THE DIVINE POTTER AT WORK

 

What makes me a Christian?  Is it because I am human that I am automatically  a child of God?  Or is it by descent, the fact that I am born into a certain religious circle - a Christian home, having undergone Christian rites, and being a member of a Christian church? Romans 9 helps us to understand what it takes to become a member of God’s people.  The Divine Potter (9:21) has the last word on this matter.

To get to this conclusion, let us follow Paul’s logic.

 OUTLINE OF ROMANS 9                                  

9:1-5: Paul expresses deep sorrow and unceasing anguish over the rejection by his people of the Jewish Messiah. Despite their rich spiritual heritage and being the physical lineage of the Messiah, most have missed the gospel. This raises a huge question: Did God’s saving promises to Israel fail? The answer is NO! How so? Paul answers that not all who are descended from Israel belong to the (true) Israel. Not all are children of Abraham because they are his physical offspring.

9:6-29: Here Paul clarifies that being a physical descendant of Abraham does not make you a member of God’s people, God’s covenant family. Using Old Testament examples like Isaac and Jacob (over Ishmael and Esau), he shows that God chooses whom to show mercy, based on His own divine purposes, rather than human effort or birthright. Paul argues that as the Creator, God has the absolute right and sovereign freedom to show mercy to whoever He wills – from the Jews and from the Gentiles.

9:30-33 is a summary and here Paul shows that, while many Gentiles came to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, most of Israel stumbled over the person of Christ. Their system had degenerated into a legalistic framework. They rejected God’s way of saving people – by faith in Jesus. Jesus became a stumbling stone to them (Isa 28:16; Isa 8:14).   “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame” (9:33)

This is a general outline of Chapter 9. We have previously dealt with Romans 9:1-5, describing Paul’s own anguish over the unbelief of His people. We have also considered  9:6-18, the question of election, God’s sovereign choosing of some as His covenant children, saving them from the consequences of his wrath (cf. Romans 1:18ff)) whilst leaving others in their sin.

 ROMANS 9:19- 29

Many have objections to this doctrine on two grounds:

1.  The thought that a person is unable to bring themselves to God by self- effort.

2.  The thought that God chooses to elect some (e.g. Isaac and Jacob) and bypasses others (Ishmael and Esau).

On this account some have called God unfair or unjust (see 9:14).  

Others who read their bibles just glance over such passages and ignore  them as too difficult to understand, or perhaps pretending that this doctrine does not exist. That is not helpful at all. The Bible requires us to think, ponder, meditate, enquire, study, pray.

Still others try to explain this doctrine by saying that God’s election is based on His foreknowledge, in that He foreknew who was going to choose Him. This argument cannot be sustained because of Rom. 9:11. There we learn that God sovereignly reserves the right to choose or reject whomever He wills: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated “ (9:13). “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion (9:15). “So, then it does not depend on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy“(9:16). “He has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills (Case Study: Pharaoh - 9:17,18).  

The Bible clearly teaches that people become Christians not because they choose, but because God chooses His people. [See also John 1:12,13]  

 OBJECTION

Once again Paul anticipates an objection (as in 9:14) : “You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who can resist his will?” (9:19). 

To this Paul answers: see 9:20-21.

Who are you to answer back to God? How dare you, a created being, made from the dust of the earth, an earthen vessel, a claypot, put the eternal, uncreated, self-sustaining, glorious, holy, righteous Creator of the Universe on trial?  God is the Great Unanswerable![1] Who are you to stand in judgement over the One who made you?  Paul puts it like this: He is the Potter, you are clay!  And as such He has the right to make from that clay whatever He chooses. Some vessels are made for honourable use; others for dishonourable use.  

9:22-24: “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 

Here is a sobering assessment: since the fall into sin all people have become marred clay pots (Rom. 3:23). There is only one thing a potter can do with a spoiled vessel. Throw it away! Every person (every lump of clay,  disfigured by sin) deserves to be thrown out on to the cosmic rubbish dump.

But no! This is not what the Divine Potter does. He endures these vessels with much patience.  How true!  How patient God is with this world!   

• How patient He was with Adam and Eve.  Following the fall they were   thrown out of the garden of Eden, but they were not consumed  by the fiery wrath of God. On the contrary,  God made a  covenant of grace with  them.
• Think also of  the Canaanites.  Abraham is told that his descendants are going to be in Egypt, away from the promised land of Canaan, for four hundred and thirty years. Why? Because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete (Gen. 15:16). The Amorites (Canaanites) were godless, child sacrificing pagans.  By rights God could have wiped them all out, and He would have been just in doing this. But He endured their sin for four hundred and thirty years that they might have the chance to turn to the one true God. His wrath did finally come upon them in the days of Joshua.
• Think also of  how Jesus dealt with Judas. Jesus knew the heart of Judas whom He chose to be His disciple. He lived with him for three years. He knew that he was going to be His betrayer and yet He knelt to wash his feet that He might open the gate of repentance to him. But of course Judas would not, because his natural unconverted inclination  would not lead him to do that.   But it illustrates the point God is very patient with sinners. This is a display of His grace and mercy.

And now in 9:23 we learn that God has determined that not all of these marred clay pots should end up on the cosmic rubbish dump: He is determined “to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory”

RECEIVING MERCY AND GRACE 

Mercy is not getting the punishment you do deserve, while grace is getting the blessings and favor you do not deserve. To illustrate: Imagine you are speeding and get pulled over by the traffic police. The officer has mercy on you by not issuing a ticket. That is mercy: the withholding of a deserved penalty.  Continuing the analogy:  Imagine that same traffic officer not only  has mercy on you by not issuing a ticket, but does so much more for you : he gives  you a gift voucher for a free dinner. That is grace: the granting of an unearned, generous blessing.

The point made here is mercy : God has mercy on you  by  not insisting  to pay the price for your sin. He forgives  you by  imputing Christ’s blood  to cover your sin, and then on top of that He blesses you, because you have become His beloved child.

This undeserved mercy, says Paul, is extended to all those elect, predestined people not only from the Jews, but also from the gentiles.

3 OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLES : GRACE SOVEREIGNLY EXTENDED

In 9:25 -29   Paul quotes three OT texts illustrating how God’s mercy is sovereignly extended on whom He wills- even the gentiles!

1.  9: 25,26.  See Hosea 2:23: “Those who were not my people, I will call my people”. God would do this through Paul’s ministry, because Paul became the great apostle to the gentiles.  Paul sees this text in Hosea as a fulfilment that God had  another people, other sheep not of the fold of Israel (see John 10:16).   These Gentiles were idolaters, they deserved judgment, and yet, like the Jewish people with their own idolatrous background, God in mercy chooses some of them to be His children. Now stop and think again!  Paul teaches us two great truths : a.  Judgment is always just. We get what we deserve. b.  God’s mercy is always undeserved.   So please, do not accuse God of being unfair! Rather be amazed that He has... a.   allowed sinners to live so long under His sun b.       that He has chosen from among these sinners to love an elect bunch of sinners in Christ, redeeming them by the death of His Son! 
2. 9:27,28: See Isaiah 10:22,23. This applies to Israel. Here Paul affirms that along with mercy shown to some gentiles there is also, by God’s mercy, a remnant of Israel   that will be saved!  And again, we affirm that the root of salvation is always the free undeserved mercy  of God. The root of condemnation is in ourselves. Apart from God’s mercy we are hard hearted sinners.The surprising thing then is that God is merciful to  a multitude that no man can number made up of every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages  (Rev. 5:9; 7:9). Marvel  and stop being offended by the fact that God does not choose everybody.   Marvel that He has mercy at all!  Marvel that you are one of His beloved children !
3.  9:29 : see Isaiah 1:9  If God had not intervened,  we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah – total annihilation. So too, if  God had not sovereignly chosen to preserve a remnant among the Jews, they would have  not had any representatives before the throne. As it is, a remnant of Jews are being saved until this very day.

 APPLICATION

1. If we confess Romans 9  to be  an integral part of the inspired, holy Word of God,  this  will cause us to think deeply and more profoundly about the ways in which God thinks of this world,  and deals with this world.  
2. Following a proper  consideration of this doctrine , the primary response for a believer is worship.  We stand in awe of the severity and the mercy of God. He is not a tame Deity in our hands. God is the Sovereign God, not only as Creator - but also as Savior (Re-Creator).As such, believers look at their standing with God with profound thankfulness, realizing they are saved purely by unearned mercy.
3. The next proper response ought  to be  agony over our unconverted countrymen (see Rom 9:1-5). We are now approaching Romans 10 were the importance of preaching the gospel is highlighted. The doctrine of election does not mean that we can abandon evangelism.   Our example is Paul who ‘prayed without ceasing’ (I Thess. 5:17) and who laboured in evangelism ‘harder than any of the other apostles’ (I Cor. 15:10).
4. We will be moved to forsake all confidence in human efforts and cast ourselves in prayer upon God, preaching the gospel wherever we get an opportunity, knowing that in every generation and among all nations God has a people. Evangelism is not dependent on human persuasion alone but is empowered by God's capability to draw hearts.

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[1] Stuart Olyott:  Romans, “The Gospel as it really is”, Evangelical Press , p.88

ROMANS 9:14-23 “TWO OBJECTIONS TO THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION ANSWERED"

 

Previously, in Romans 9 we have seen,

(i)                9:1-5 Paul’s anguished heart for his own people, who had rejected Christ as God’s Messiah.(ii)                    9:6-13 Has God’s word to the Jews then failed? No! 

• Not all that are descended from Israel belong to Israel; 
• not all are true children of Abraham simply because they are his physical offspring. Abraham’s spiritual offspring did not propagate through Ishmael but through the son of the covenant - Isaac. 
• This gets even more profound in the next example, illustrating that a distinction is even made between Isaac’s twin boys: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (9:13 cf.  Mal.1:2,3 à Gen. 25:23). Jacob is chosen to be the son of the covenant. He is not chosen on merit. They had done neither good nor bad. The choice is based on God’s purpose of election (9:11).

The doctrine of divine election is easy to understand. It is clearly taught in God’s Word, but it is not easy to accept. It raises objections. Paul knows that this doctrine will provoke some. Therefore, in Romans 9:14- 23 Paul anticipates and answers these objections. 

Before we continue it may be helpful to understand why you may have an objection to this biblical doctrine.

(i)                       You have not yet understood the message of the Bible.  And perhaps you ignore/gloss over/ do not think about or doubt what the Bible plainly says. 

(ii)                     You are strongly influenced by the Zeitgeist (spirit of our age) which makes God subservient to human reason.  You have fallen into a trap that makes you the judge of God and His Word. And you want to make Him say what you want to hear.  In so doing you must redefine or twist the meaning of the doctrines of the Bible to conform them to an “acceptable” level.  Many plain Bible doctrines have been redefined by so called liberal theologians. They say, “the Bible is not the Word of God- the Bible contains the Word of God”. 

In so doing they subtly  separate God from the Bible. 

God’s literal creation of all things becomes impersonal evolution.  

God’s creation of male and female becomes fluid; 

Gender becomes suspicious. 

Male headship is written off as patriarchal and toxic; 

The doctrine of marriage between one man and one woman becomes fluid and can include same sex unions etc.  

But the Bible is clear on these issues and strongly challenges modern society in these and many more areas.   

And so too,  the doctrine of God’s election of a people for Himself has come under intense fire in the church. It has been described as unfair, unloving and even demonic. Dare you call demonic what God has clearly said?  Few doctrines in the Bible have been more assaulted that this one. The integrity of God  has been  severely tested in  the assault of this plain doctrine.

 ROMANS 9:14-23: THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION CHALLENGED AND DEFENDED

1.        FIRST OBJECTION: Romans 9:14-18 - Is it fair for God to choose some and not others?  

If Paul had said, "the reason that Jacob was saved is because he chose God, and the reason that Esau was not saved is because he rejected God” then you could not accuse God of being unfair.  

But this is not what Paul said in 9:11,12.  Read this text again in your Bible!

Jacob was not chosen on merit. 

Esau was not rejected because he had done anything bad.  

This is why the question is asked: “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? “…to which Paul responds, “By no means!” (lit. may it not be! How can you even think like that?).  You may think it’s unfair. 

But stand back and listen! The problem with not listening thoroughly, and worse still – rejecting it because it does not ‘feel right’ is that you may miss out on a huge lesson on learning good theology – by learning who God is.  When you react in kneejerk fashion and say, “unfair!” or “God is not just”, or “God is arbitrary or unloving”, you are accusing the God of perfection, holiness and perfect justice. You accuse Him of things that you have not yet understood. Few doctrines test more clearly whether we are judging God. 

So, listen! Let Paul finish his sentence: “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.  So, then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (9:15 & 16). Paul doesn’t respond to the charge of  “It’s not fair. God is unjust!”. He says nothing about God’s justice. He only speaks about God’s mercy.  Why does he do that?   

Because  the salvation of anyone is not about fairness; it is about mercy! 

If God were fair, He would have thrown the lot of us on to the cosmic rubbish dump. That’s fair. But God’s salvation is not about getting what you think you deserve. Salvation is about mercy. If you wanted justice, you would get eternal hell!  If we think that our salvation is based on something that we have done or deserved,  we  have missed the point. Instead, God gives us mercy. Mercy is grace given to an undeserving sinner. 

Consider 9:16 again. Many people think that salvation begins with man’s free will- a free act of choosing God. That is not what the Bible says here: "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy”. Salvation does not begin with us but with God - Our salvation begins with God’s mercy! John says the same thing in John 1:11-13.  Our salvation is all of God; it is rooted in His mercy.

Now consider this:  Do you still wish to accuse God of being unfair, because He chooses (elects) some to a salvation that they don’t deserve, whilst He gives to others precisely what they do deserve?  Remember again, if God were just, all of us would only deserve eternal hell.  But no! He has mercy on whomever he wills to have mercy.  

If then you want to accuse God, then accuse Him of being too kind, too generous, but don’t accuse Him of injustice!

Paul is not done yet. He takes his argument further: “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So, then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills (9:17-18). This is a quote from Exodus 9:16 (7^th plague). Here Paul is still responding to an objection about God’s justice. But again, he says nothing about justice!  He only speaks about God’s purpose. God is after all God and as God He has a purpose with Pharaoh: “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you.”  The Egyptian Pharaoh thought of himself as a god and master of Israel’s people. He was in fact an arrogant, sinful man, who mocked the God of Israel whenever Moses came into his presence. But Pharaoh in truth had no power. Quite on the contrary, and unbeknown to him he became a tool in the hands of Almighty God, to demonstrate His power…"that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth."  Fathom this!   God’s sovereign, powerful deliverance of Israel from Egypt from a man who thought he had god-like powers.  But in the end God got the glory – just like on the cross!

And then notice again the emphasis: "So then He has mercy on whom He wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” It is God’s prerogative to do with His created beings whatever He will, and Paul does not try to downplay this fact. He does not have to defend God. This is God’s prerogative.  That’s the way it is.  God’s mercy. God’s hardening – God’s purpose.  Let the earth be silent!

We are not done yet.

SECOND OBJECTION:  Romans 9:19-23 - How can God condemn if we can’t resist His will?

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” (9:19) At the heart of this question is the assumption that because God chooses some and rejects others, we have been robbed of free will. We therefore cannot be held responsible –This thought is at the heart of the rejection of the doctrine of election.

Now humbly listen once again to Paul’s response to this objection: “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—

If ever there was reality therapy in Paul’s argument, here it is. Now he is bringing out the big gun, by which he silences all our  arguments!  He reminds us of   a few important realities.

(i)                      We are mere creatures! He reminds me that I  am a created being. I am not God Almighty. My thoughts and abilities are very limited, and therefore I must be very careful about my deductions, conclusions and presuppositions.  How can I possibly understand God’s infinite mind?  

So, Paul reminds us, “who are you, O man, to answer back to God?  Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? (9:20-21). 

He reminds us that there is a distinction between the Creator and the creature. 

He reminds us that  God, as Creator, has the right to determine what He will do with His creation (9:20,21). In support Paul uses an Old Testament illustration (e.g.  Isa. 29:16; Jer. 18) of a potter and the way he uses clay. God is the potter. Human beings are clay. The sovereignty of the Potter is indisputable. The clay does not tell the potter what he must do. In the same way it is not given to you and I to tell God what to do.  Clay doesn’t talk back to the potter. God cannot be managed by us.  He will manage us! 

(ii)                    No created being has a right to call into question God’s mercy or God’s purposes. What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.(9:22-23).

You cannot put God’s mercy on trial. 

Consider the  severity of God’s mercy :  The tragedy is that  even though God sent His Son, nobody  wanted to receive Him  (see John 1:11)  (that’s the meaning of  “ God…has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction”) -  

EXCEPT FOR HIS MERCY – those to whom it was given to receive Him (See John 1:12,13). These were the sheep who could hear the Shepherd’s voice – John 10.    

God’s mercy is indisputable. It’s not up for discussion. Get a grip on the mercy of God! God has endured us stubborn clay- pots with so much patience. God is merciful to wicked clay-pots everyday!  How patient and long suffering God is with sinners.  Paul is drawing your attention to the graciousness of God with the wicked. 

• Marvel that God is merciful against the background of our collective stubbornness. 
• Marvel that you have not also become a vessel of wrath. 
• Marvel that   you, contrary to your hardness of heart,   have experienced the riches of His glory in becoming a vessel of mercy.  
• I marvel that I am a VESSEL OF MERCY?  It remains a mystery to know why God chose me and not another.  Why did He do this?  This we know : He did this in order to show his mercy to His chosen ones. 

You may not be able to take that in right now. But on the day of the revelation of the children of God it will all be very clear! Right now, all we can do is to believe it, because God’s Word says it.   

The doctrine of election is not a doctrine to be argued about or against. If you are a Christian then this is a doctrine to be enjoyed. It is a doctrine that will lead you to profounder worship. It is a doctrine  that teaches you that you are truly loved with an everlasting love.

If you are not a Christian, let this doctrine be your  wake-up call. Fall on your knees. Repent, and flee to Jesus, NOW.  Don’t say – you are not elected.  I answer, ALL who come to Christ  with a broken contrite heart will be received by Him,  unless of course, you refuse  to  enter at the narrow gate, through Christ the Saviour … unless you receive the gospel like a child ...,  then you will finally understand that  you  are a reprobate, left in the stubbornness of your  will, left to bear the eternal wrath of God.  

 

ROMANS 9:6-13 “CAN THE WORD OF GOD FAIL?”

 

The Bible answers the 3 most fundamental questions that every human being asks: “Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?” Once we understand that we are God- created beings we will also begin to ask this question: “What is the nature of the God who has created us?”  We will also ask this question: “What is wrong with this world?”  Paul in this letter has told us what is wrong: “All are under sin!” (Rom.3:9-12). This also begs the question: “How will I stand before my Creator”?  Romans  Chapters 1 - 8   deal with the doctrine of salvation and the nature of the gospel, answering the question, How will I stand before my Creator? In the gospel  God’s way of justifying sinners is revealed

In Romans Chapters 9 -11 Paul pauses to consider the plight of his own people - the Jews.  The Jews, by and large refused to believe the gospel. The gospel is not simply a message. It is a person. They refused to hear the Christ (the Messiah) when He came among them. In so doing they refused God’s gift of salvation. Although they were a religious people, and although they considered themselves as children of Abraham, the love for the God whom they claimed to worship was absent. They were merely religious. Although in possession of the  holy Scriptures they twisted the Scriptures given them by Moses and the prophets to make it conform to their human standards[1]. Their hearts have grown dull. Their ears can barely hear. They have closed their eyes (Matt. 13:15à Isa 6:9,10). And very often in their history, they left the God sanctioned worship and worshipped the gods of the surrounding nations.   When, in the fullness of time, God came in the flesh (Gal.4:4,5), they hated His teaching. They rejected Him and conspired to kill Him[2]. Then they hated   His disciples.

Paul, before his conversion, was one of them. He became a persecutor of those that loved Jesus.  But when Jesus sovereignly met him on the road to Damascus (cf. Acts 9), he became one of Jesus’ most eloquent and outspoken disciples. Wherever he went, he preached to the Jew first, and only then to the gentiles (Rom.1:16).  That was his pattern everywhere he went in Asia Minor[3] – wherever the Jews had been scattered among the nations. When they refused to listen, he went to the gentiles.  

In Rom. 9: 1-5 we see how the hardness of the hearts of his Jewish compatriots grieved Paul. He tells us of his desperate desire for his own people to be saved from the wrath of God. Paul’s heart is genuinely broken by the general lack of response of the Jews to the gospel.

The time has now come for him to talk about the theological perspective behind this rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Jews.

OUTLINE

1.       9:6a - Assurance: The Word of God has not failed

2.       9:6b-7a - An astonishing assertion:  Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.

3.       9:7b-13-Amazing grace rather than ethnic heritage: Two Old Testament illustrations

(i)          9:7b-9 - Isaac vs. Ishmael: Both were physical sons of Abraham. Isaac (and not firstborn Ishmael) was chosen by God as the child of the covenant promise.

(ii)            9:10-13 - Jacob vs. Esau: Paul narrows the argument by using the example of twins born to Isaac and Rebekah. Before the twins were even born, or had done anything good or bad, God declared, "The older will serve the younger"- “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”. God’s choice is not based on human merit, but entirely of God’s grace and calling.

1.  9:6a ASSURANCE - God’s word has not failed! 

The people of whom everything in 9:4-5 is true are those who have by and large rejected the gospel about Jesus.  Humanly speaking this causes Paul unceasing anguish- so much that he wished that he could take their curse upon himself. The Lord God has endowed them with so many privileges – and look at the meagre returns! So, if most Jews reject God’s Messiah and God’s salvation, does it not mean that God’s word has failed?  Paul answers: No! It is not as though the word of God has failed, and then he makes this astonishing remark: 

2. 9:6b “For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel”. This is an astonishing statement. What is he saying here?  Simply this: The true definition of an Israelite is not linked to those belonging to a certain race group or to a certain religious group. To be sure, there is such an entity as political Israel, BUT within that realm there is a true Israel - a spiritual Israel.  

·       This is not the first time that Paul has said this - see Rom. 2:28-29 ! 

·       This distinction is also made by Jesus when He deals with the Jews of his time – see John 8:31-47. We will return to this shortly.

·       Historically, following the great divide under Rehoboam’s reign, the apostate part- the northern 10 tribes were called Israel. They had become an apostate nation worshipping at false altars.

This may be an appropriate moment to draw a parallel to the NT church. There are those who belong to the church and for them it is simply a tribal affiliation. They are cultural Christians because they are not Hindu or Moslem. And then there are those who truly love God and trust in God. They abide in His word (Jn 8:31). This is the true church.  

What makes them to be the true church?

3. Two Old Testament illustrations

(i) 9:7-9  “… not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but through Isaac shall your offspring be named…”

Abraham’s first physical offspring was Ishmael. He was conceived by Sarah’s servant, Hagar.   And then he had another son, Isaac, born according to promise and in a miraculous way to his covenant wife, Sarah, who had been barren.  Not all the children of Abraham would be godly offspring. 

Now remember the text in John 8:31-47. The Jews prided themselves in being sons of Abraham. They saw themselves favoured by God on this ground. But Jesus told them in 8:44 whose seed they were: You are of your father the devil...  He is saying in effect, “You may be physical descendants of Abraham, but you are not   his spiritual offspring- if you were his offspring, you would be doing the works Abraham did… (8:39) . You are not trusting God. You are not trusting me; you are the devil’s offspring!  You have no grace in the soul !

9:8 “This means that it is not the children of the flesh (i.e. physical descendants) who are the   children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring”. The Kingdom of God is not inherited by virtue of physical decent.  Growing up in a Christian culture, having Christian family attachments, church membership, baptism does not make you a member of God’s kingdom.  You must be born again from above – flesh gives birth to flesh – the Spirit gives birth to the spirit. You must be born again (John 3:1-8)!  

So, have the promises of God failed in regard to the Jews as a whole? No, because God had never planned to include every Jew in His saving purposes. This becomes even more apparent in the next (second) illustration, regarding the offspring of Isaac and Rebekah.

(ii)9: 10- 13:  Here we find that  not all are children of God, even if they come out of the same womb, even twins  (the example  of  Esau and Jacob)-   “though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

God chose Jacob in order that God’s purpose and election might stand. Even before birth God predestines (cf. 8:29,30) those who will receive His saving grace. Jacob was chosen. Esau was not. Therefore ultimately, because of God’s choice, His Word cannot fail. That is the logic of Paul’s argument.

Now for many this is a hard teaching.  But this is the plain teaching of Scripture.  This is Jesus’ teaching in John 10 (the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep) and in John 17 where He prays for all those whom the Father has given to Him out of the world. This is also the pattern of the Old Testament. There is a clear doctrine of election that runs like a golden thread through the Bible.  

If you must disagree with the doctrine of election, you must argue with God’s Word. I remember that I did argue with Him, and God won! My heart was settled in this doctrine in 1987, in my second year at Seminary. I am fully convinced that my depravity is so deep that if God had not chosen me to believe, I would never have believed myself. NEVER! I can now truly sing of amazing grace that saved a wretch like me

Paul knows that this is hard doctrine for you and so he gives you proof from Scripture that the subjects whom he saves  are  weak.  Abraham was not a great man of faith to begin with. He was a pagan moon worshipper from Mesopotamia. By grace God called him, and He was given grace to believe. Isaac  was chosen against all   odds. Jacob and Esau had the same mother. Yet before they were born, before they had either done good or evil, God chose Jacob. Period!

Paul’s meaning is unmistakable.  God’s election is not based on anything in the elect themselves, but on the free mercy of God.  You may think this is unfair, and  Paul anticipates objections in 9:14 and 9:19 and so I must ask you to be patient and humble as we pursue this biblical doctrine in greater   detail next time.

The principle is this:  Salvation is by Grace, and not by Race: Membership in God's family is never an automatic inheritance through bloodlines. It is a gift of free grace. 

This  grace extended to undeserving sinners is the finished work of Jesus. This is  what we celebrate now as we come to the Lord’s table!

 

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[1]  Matt 15:1-9;16:11-12; Matt 23 Jesus called them evil : Matt. 12:34,39,45 ; 16:4

[2] Matt 12:14

[3] E.g. Acts 13:46