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!

 

---

[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

ROMANS 9:1-5 "Spiritual Privileges Do Not Guarantee Salvation"

 

REVIEW 

Having shown that the whole world is guilty before God (1:18 – 3:20), Paul proceeds to show how people in general are made right (justified) with God. He shows us that all are saved in one way only: through faith in God’s way of salvation – believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (3:21ff).

But what about OT believers? Paul uses an example in Romans 4: How was Abraham saved (justified)? Answer: “Abraham believed God (i.e. all that God is and does) and it was counted to Him as righteousness “[1] (Rom.4:3 à Gen 15:6). Abraham’s faith in God is key! Faith in God, according to Romans 5 produces peace with God through faith in the Lord Jesus.  Through our union with Christ, we experience freedom from sin (Romans 6), whilst Romans 7 points to the reality of our internal struggle between the desire to do good and the persistent pull of sin. But Jesus is a real Saviour from sin (7:25) and therefore a Christian should expect real help in their struggles against sin. This is followed by  Romans 8 the great chapter on Christian assurance. The climax is found in 8:31-39: nothing in all creation  will be able  to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

ROMANS  9

9:1-5: Paul in Soul Agony - the plight of his countrymen – the Jews.

Paul declares as if under oath: “I am speaking the truth in Christ – I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit – that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites…”

Paul has spent a lot of time explaining why we need the gospel. He could move on from there to the practical application (i.e. How then shall we live?) which we shall find in Romans 12 and following. But he doesn’t go there yet!  

He must first unburden his heart concerning an important matter: His own people – the Jews.   

A brief reminder of who Paul was

Paul (Saul see  Acts 13:9) described himself as "of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin" (Phil. 3:5).  Benjamin was the only son of Jacob born in the Promised Land. The tribe of Benjamin produced Israel’s first king (Saul). So Paul came from a distinguished line.  He was born and raised in the Diaspora in Tarsus in the Roman province of Cilicia (modern Turkey) and thus he was also a Roman citizen (Acts 22:25-29). Raised in a foreign culture he never forgot that he was a Jew. He was also raised in the theological framework of the Pharisees. In fact, he was trained by the respected  Gamaliel, a Pharisaic doctor of the  Jewish law  (Acts 22:3). He became a convert to Christ in Acts 9. He became the great apostle  to the gentile people, but he never forgot  that he was a Jew and  he never forgot his own people. 

This brings us to the point.  Paul was concerned about an issue which had confused many people in Paul’s day – namely the rejection of Israel by God, and the salvation of the gentiles.  

• How was it possible that God could forsake His covenant people? 
• Did God not make definite promises to Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation? 
• Had God not favoured Israel above all the other nations (Deut. 14:1,2)?  
• Had He not given them that which is listed here in 9:4 - the law, the covenants, the promises, the patriarchs, the temple … and above all, did He not send the Christ (promised Messiah), the Son of God to be born of Jewish descent?  
• In the light of such an awesome heritage what could be the explanation for God’s rejection of Israel at this time? 
• Why would He include and favour the gentiles at this time? 

It is this matter that Paul addresses in   Romans 9-11

A brief Outline of Romans 9-11 

(i)                      9:1-29: Paul shows that the rejection of the Jews was not a failure of God’s promise to save His people. The problem lies in the interpretation of what constitutes Abraham’s offspring and who the true Israel is. The key verses in this regard in 9:26-28 

(ii)                    9:30-10:21: Here Paul shows the reason why most of national Israel has rejected her God, and why many of the gentiles have received Christ the Jewish Messiah.  Christ became a stumbling block for the Jews, whilst many gentiles believed in Him and were saved.  The Jews, though zealous, were using the law as a standard of righteousness which did not match the righteousness that God requires for salvation. They were looking to the law and not to the gospel (Christ) for salvation. Now remember also that Paul has previously reminded us in Rom.2:28,29 that there is no actual advantage in being a Jew although he admits that the Jews do have an advantage, because this was the nation that God first revealed Himself to (3:2).  But apart from that fact, Jews are no better off than all the rest of the sinners of this world (3:9,10).  “There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”  (3:22,23). Spiritual privileges do not guarantee salvation or favour.  This is all very important background to our understanding of Ch’s 9-11. 

(iii)                 11:1-36   Here Paul explains that Israel’s rejection is not total. Some Jews were being saved. Thank God that Jews in our own day are still coming to their Messiah- not in great numbers, but they are coming. We thank God for the work of the  Grace and Truth congregation in Israel[2], a vibrant Reformed Baptist congregation.  We have every reason to hope, expect, pray and labour to the end that many Jews will yet come to Christ before His coming.   

Back to 9:1-5

With that in mind we see Paul displaying his heart for his own people. And we want to learn from him.  Here is a man   who deeply loves his own people. He sees their plight. He understand their privileges and he desperately longs for their salvation. And so he wrestles in his heart before God, and he will help us to work through some profound theological issues in the process.

As we begin to work through Romans 9 we will have to deal with a range of significant questions.  

• We will learn something about developing a real heart for lost people (9:1-5).  
• We will work through issues such as, "Can God’s covenant promises fail?” (9:6-8). 
• A major matter we need to settle in our minds is this:  “Is God unfair by choosing some and by bypassing others in salvation?” (9:9ff).   

These are all matters dealt with in Romans 9. 

Paul asserts that God is utterly able to keep His people. 

• But what about Israel, the Jews as a whole?  
• Howcome the nation to which   God has shown so much favour has gone so horribly astray? 
• Why have they, by and large, not embraced Jesus the Jewish Messiah?

In fact, hasn’t this been a longstanding problem regarding national Israel?   The OT prophets had a similar problem in this regard. God promised Abraham to be the God of his descendants forever! However, many of Abraham’s offspring became faithless. What offspring is he referring to?  God promised Abraham that He would settle his descendants in a promised land – Canaan, forever, but the truth is that Israel could never really keep their country’s boundaries due to compromise.

And what about David? God promised David that he would never fail to have one of His offspring reign on His throne forever (e.g. Psalm 132:11,12.)  But then came the big split between Northern and Southern kingdom following Solomon’s death, and then the eventual collapse and exile of  both kingdom.   

Have God’s promises failed? 

You hear prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and some of the minor prophets like Habakkuk complaining, "How can God punish us by using our enemies?” 

Have God’s promises failed?  

The answer is this: “No, God’s promises have not failed. They are all answered in Jesus Christ the Messiah; and the question of the promised  land is all settled  in looking for that  better country and city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”(Hebr.11:10). This is the  ultimate homeland  for every true believer. 

That being said,  this doesn’t lessen Paul’s agony as He thinks of His own people. May this burden be multiplied to us. Paul says, 

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (9:1-3)

O the love Paul has for his people. He is so much for them, that he somehow wished that he could take their place as the accursed of God - for this is what they are without Christ – ACCURSED!  He wished that they might occupy his place in Christ and he theirs!

Paul of course knows that this is hypothetical.  He knows that this cannot happen. He cannot take their place, but it does show the intensity of his love for His own people – a people with unsurpassed favour from God. Again, I refer you to  a list of  eight remarkable privileges the Israelites were granted  in 9:4-5:

• Adoption: Chosen as God's special children.
• Glory: Experiencing the visible presence of God (the Shekinah).
• The covenants: The binding promises God made to their ancestors.
• The Law: Receiving God's righteous standard at Sinai.
• The Worship: The sacrificial system designed to approach God.
• The Promises: Prophecies pointing to the Messiah.
• The Patriarchs: Descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
• The Messiah: Jesus Christ, who came from their physical lineage.

…but  they  are lost because they have failed to embrace the Messiah whom God has sent as the ONLY means of salvation. And because  of  THAT Paul's heart is in agony. 

Oh, for a heart like Paul. How did he get that heart?  

He certainly had received apostolic giftings  and  privileges, along with much suffering. But in all this Paul has experienced so much love and grace and mercy from God, that it has become a part of his being.  That is the wonderful thing about growing in grace. And the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ overflows in him, in particular for his people. And so he loves them, and he prays for them, so much that we find him repeating this desire  in Romans 10:1 “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”

Where do we begin to have such a heart? 

• We must go to God and ask Him to increase and deepen our desire for the salvation of our countrymen.  
• We must deepen that desire as we learn this from the Bible, as we learn from Jesus Himself, and as we learn from the apostle Paul, who himself followed Christ.

APPLICATION

• Pray  for South Africa; pray for your own people groups. 
• South Africa has had a strong Christian heritage, but one is afraid  that we have lost  our first love. We pride ourselves in Christian things  and culture, but our love for  God Himself is dim.
• We need to  develop a heart for those thousands and thousands of  professing Christians who warm the benches of our churches, but who have no living and real attachment to Christ; they are convinced but not converted. Don’t lose your heart for the nominal Christian. I have often thought that the church must get saved first! The central warning of this passage is that spiritual privilege does not guarantee salvation. A life can be filled with every religious, cultural, and moral advantage, but if it lacks personal faith in Jesus Christ, it ultimately misses the mark. The tragedy of Israel serves as an enduring reminder that heritage and outward participation cannot replace the inward reality of knowing the Messiah.

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] See also Gal 3:6; The nature of Abraham’s faith is discussed in Hebr. 11:8-10;17-19.

 

[2] https://graceandtruth.org.il/en/

ROMANS 8:33 -39 “WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF JESUS”?

 

Romans 8:31 is one of the most comforting verses in the Bible: “If God is for us who can be against us”?   It is a powerful statement on Christian assurance.

Why do we need assurance? 

We need assurance when we are unsure or insecure. Insecurity is a huge human problem. A massive industry has been spawned to help our insecurity or lack of assurance. 

Why?

The Bible says that our identity is derived from God, who has created us in His image (Genesis 1&2). Furthermore, the Bible says that the fall of man into sin (Genesis 3) has severed mankind from their Creator. Like Cain  we have become restless wanderers (Genesis 4). We have become unsure of ourselves, because our true identity, our true purpose, our  true origin is obscured.  We are no longer sure who we are.  Our soul (which is a God-shaped vacuum) cries out, Who am I? What am I here for? Where am I going?  

Our fallenness generally causes us to look for answers in the wrong areas, and while we may find temporary relief in that guru’s teaching, or in various wellness strategies, and in various therapies, the ultimate questions won’t leave us alone. Augustine (AD 354-430)   the North African Church father correctly  concluded , “Oh Lord our hearts are restless until they are found in you[1].”

Ultimate assurance can only come from God, the One who  has made you and I. 

Following Paul’s great exposition on the nature of the fall and the effects of sin upon us (that which produces disconnectedness and ultimately lack of assurance / lack of hope/ purpose), he provides us with the remedy - the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel restores assurance, by restoring us to a God centered view of life.  This is a process called sanctification.  

One great reason (there are others) why many Christians lack assurance is that they do not take the Bible, and the gospel in particular,  to heart. Their  hearts may be saved, but the mind is not engaged, and the  soul is not fed on the richest of foods. They do not meditate on  the  precepts of Scripture. They have not learned to preach the gospel to themselves. The gospel takes us into the arms of  Jesus, and once you are with Jesus, you are safe!  His presence and  His Word is  a balm to our soul.  

If you want to learn about Christian assurance get to terms with Romans 8.  Romans  8:31-39 in particular   is  very affirming.   In summary we learn: 

i.                         8:31 Who can be against  God’s people?  ANSWER: No conceivable power can stand against God

ii.                       8:32 If God gave us His very best – Christ (Is that enough?)  ANSWER: will He not give us all things?  

iii.                    8:33,34 Who can bring any charge against, or condemn God’s people: ANSWER – If you are justified by God no one can bring any charge against you. 

iv.                    8:35-39 Who can separate a believer from the love of Christ? ANSWER: “nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. (repeated in 8:39)

By means of these 4 questions and affirmations Paul summarizes the main teachings of his letter and in so doing he is dealing with the doctrine of assurance of salvation.  

If  Romans 8 is that great majestic mountain, called Assurance, then 8:31-40 is the mountain peak.

THE 4TH QUESTION CONSIDERED: WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST?

It is useful to consider the times in which this letter was written. The letter was written in AD 57.  Very soon, in AD 64 (7 years later) these Roman Christians were going to face a severe persecution under the Roman emperor Nero.  

In AD 64 Rome suffered a terrible fire that burned for six days and seven nights, destroying  almost three quarters of the city.  Rome then was densely populated and not prepared to effectively deal with large scale disasters, including fires. Such an event was inevitable. Rumour also had it that Nero may have set fire to the city, because he wanted to rebuild the city.    According to Tacitus[2], a Roman historian, Nero then blamed the Christian community for the fire. This began the first large scale persecution of the Roman state against Christians.  Many Christians were  put to death in the most horrific manner, and even for the amusement of the citizens of Rome.  Their dead bodies were covered in pitch and used as human torches.

You will appreciate that people who suffer such trials need strong assurance that God indeed loves them!

3  ASSURANCES  ABOUT THE LOVE OF GOD IN TIMES OF TRIAL

1.       8:35 No tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword will separate us from the love of Christ.

The emphasis here (and in the rest of the text) is on Christ’s love (which is synonymous with God’s love – cf.  8:31,32) for His people.   Truly, if our assurance, or our faith depended on our love to Christ, I should very much doubt whether I could withstand any of those circumstances described here. I remind you that Peter did not manage to withstand the temptation to disown Christ, while He was interrogated by the Sanhedrin (Jn 18:15ff).To his credit, it grieved him bitterly (Matt 26:75; Lk. 22:62; Mk 14:72), and Jesus spend good time with Peter in John 21 to reassure  Peter of His love for him. 

In fact, none of the disciples stood up for Jesus when He was on trial. They all had deserted Him Christ in His hour of trial (Matt. 26:56). But Jesus loved them to the end. 

Paul experienced desertion – see 2 Timothy 4:16. In response to strong opposition to the gospel, probably in Ephesus, Paul says, “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me… but the Lord stood by me and strengthened me…”.  At that time  Paul received an inner assurance that His Lord was with him in this forsaken moment.

The point is this. We are being kept by virtue of His love for us, and on the basis of this fact we continue; it is on the basis of Christ’s love for us that we are secure.  Nothing   can separate Christ’s sheep from His love (see John 10:27-30 & 17:12). His keeping power is real.     

Paul reminds us here of seven difficult situations in which Christ's love is sufficient to keep us:  tribulation (outward pressures), distress or inner turmoil (inward pressures); persecution; famine, nakedness, danger, sword. Paul himself knew about all these experiences. For a catalogue of his sufferings see 2 Corinthians 11:23ff. 

According to early Christian tradition and historical records, Paul was killed by beheading in Rome during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero around AD 64.  It is this same Paul that says that none of these things can separate us from the love of God. Even death, our worst enemy cannot do that.  Death will usher the believer into God’s presence. Christ – His love - is ours in life and death. That is the first thing that Paul wants us to understand.

2.           8:36 -37 Christians are more than conquerors in all these things

We begin with 8:36 : “for His sake we are being put to death all day long. Like sheep we are being led to the slaughter."  This is a quotation from Psalm 44:22. This Psalm reminds us that God’s people always have suffered much in every generation.  When Paul wrote in AD 57 this would soon (i.e.  within 7 years) be true of himself and many Christians he was writing to.

I remind you that persecution with death as a consequence is not a past thing for most Christians in our world. According to Open Doors[3], a Christian monitor of current persecution, 1 in 7 Christians experience persecution in the world.1 in 5 Christians in Africa experience persecution!  North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and Eritrea are the top 5 persecutors of Christians. Nigeria is #7. Five of 10 persecuting nations are on African soil!  Remember your brothers and sisters who are currently sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings.

Back to Paul. He had been involved in the persecution of Christians. When the ascended Lord Jesus had met him on the road to Damascus, He did not say, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute my Christian people? “He said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"  The persecution of believers was ultimately a persecution of Christ. Believers are in Christ and therefore they are united to Him. Their sufferings are His sufferings, and His sufferings are our sufferings. Suffering persecution is a result of our union with Christ. Even in countries like ours where we are not physically killed, we suffer when we stand for the truth as it is in Jesus. In my calling as a pastor I  have experienced that, and have suffered in my soul on account of  numerous hard-hearted men and women. 

Be that as it may.  Paul wants us  to know that  in our resisting of sin and temptation and of many adversaries  we are conquerors, in fact,  MORE than conquerors. 

We are not simply survivors.  We are more than conquerors.

Polycarp (69 – 155 AD) the  bishop of Smyrna (now Izmir in Turkey), had been a disciple of the apostle John. In the reign of the Roman Caesar Marcus Aurelius he was arrested for being a Christian.  He was 86 years old. The Roman officials urged him to save his life by denying Christ and confessing Caesar as god. He famously replied, "Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" He was sentenced to be burned. His death and the surrounding circumstances were a remarkable testimony. His was the death of more than a conqueror.  Like the martyr Stephen in Acts 7 he exhibited the glory of God in death.  It is not  his remarkable courage  in the face of death;  he was  a man in God’s hand and the grace of God worked in His trial. Nothing separated him from the love of Jesus. In death he conquered the grave. He is with Jesus. 

It is true that not every person responds like this.  We know people who have gone through terrible trials, and these trials have made them bitter, angry and cynical.  Trials do not always make us better people. But here is the assurance - for those who rest in Christ, and who keep His word – those He will also keep from (or in)  the hour of trial (Revelation 3:10 – Philadelphia).  He makes them more than conquerors.

3.        8:37-39: Not death nor life, not angels nor rulers etc. can separate us from God’s love. 

No time bound event (death/life), no heavenly powers (angels/rulers/things present/ things to come/ powers) no distance (height/depth), nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God, which is ours in Jesus Christ.  He repeats what he has said before,  in 8:35. Paul expresses here a strong, unshakable confidence in Christ’s love. He says, “I am sure of it”!  

Dear Christian, 

The Word of God teaches us that there is more to life than meets the eye. 

Looking at life at face value can be intimidating, but it is not reality. Looking at life through the lens of Scripture is reality.  The book of Job confirms that. The book of Daniel and Ezekiel and the book of Revelation confirm that. Jesus confirms that in the gospels.   

How do you evaluate reality - your life events?  A pastor once he talked to a man, and he wanted to see if he had any spiritual realities. They were sitting in a church building.  He asked him:  "What you see in this room?" The man said, "I see hymnals, pews, a communion table, a pulpit." 

"What else do you see?" "I see an organ, windows, a balcony." The pastor asked, "Is that all you see?" And the man said "Yes!".  The pastor said, said, "I’ll tell you what I see. I see powers and principalities and forces in high places at work.  And I see a man  not at peace with his realities..."  In so doing he was reminding the man that there are greater realities at work – and they are as real as the chair you’re sitting on! Many things we do not see do in fact exist.    God's love exists. And this love is able to keep you in all situations, even worst case scenarios, such as Polycarp experienced.  Of that you may be sure.

Dear believer, may God with the help of His Word and the Holy Spirit give you new  eyes to see true reality. That will provide you with a new level of assurance, which you shall need as you face your unique trials in the world. May your confidence be rooted in the love of Christ for you. May you be helped by the Holy Spirit Himself as you look to Jesus. 

Rest in Him.  

Let Him be your ultimate assurance. Amen

 

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[1] Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, 1,1.5

[2] Publius Cornelius Tacitus,( c. AD 56 – c. 120) was a Roman historian and politician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. SOURCE – Wikipedia

[3] https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/