Read Chapter 9

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9:1–5 For more on chosen to be God’s special children (9:4), see Romans 8:15. Paul declared that if it were possible (which it is not, 8:39), he would gladly have traded his own salvation for Israel’s (9:3; cf. Exod. 32:32). Romans 9:4–5 gives more details regarding the benefits of being a Jew.

9:6–13 Being recipients of the promise involves God’s selective will. The “true” Israel had received all God’s promises so far. See 9:13 regarding the continual conflict between the true and false people of God. Romans 9:6 gives the thesis of Romans 9–11. The promise of 9:8 relates to the Abrahamic covenant (cf. 4:13). The Israel spoken of in the Old Testament promises is not identical with the natural and physical descendants of Jacob. In Romans 9:7 Paul quoted Genesis 21:12 to prove the point of 9:6 that physical descent does not in and of itself make one a child of God and a recipient of the promise. Both Isaac and Ishmael were physical sons of Abraham, but Isaac was designated Abraham’s heir. In Romans 9:9 Paul quoted Genesis 18:10, a prophecy of Isaac’s birth. In Romans 9:12–13 Paul quoted from Genesis 25:23 and Malachi 1:2–3 to illustrate that God’s elective purposes are often contrary to human expectation.

9:14–18 The concept of promise (9:8) by divine selection (9:11) leads to the question of 9:14. The source of the selection is God’s mercy (9:15; cf. 12:1). This reveals how good God is to show any mercy at all. What part do humans play? See Exodus 7:3, 14, 22 regarding God and Pharaoh. Romans 9:16 is given in the context of all humans being in Adam (cf. Rom. 5). There is nothing believers could have done to attain their salvation. It would be a cruel trick if God made believers jump through hoops of righteousness in order to gain redemption. In 9:15 Paul quoted from Exodus 33:19 to illustrate God’s sovereignty in the bestowal of his mercy and compassion. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart (Rom. 9:17; Exod. 9:16) was part of God’s sovereign purpose.

9:19–29 The Creator has full rights over his creation (9:20). He is not accountable to his creatures. In 9:22–24 the point is that God’s judgments and decisions are ultimately a display of and context for the riches of his mercy.

The Old Testament quotations support the idea of God choosing some for mercy. Hosea 2:23 and 1:10 in Romans 9:25–26 illustrate God’s call to the Gentiles for salvation. Paul quoted Isaiah 10:22–23 and 1:9 to show that it was prophesied that only a remnant would be saved. Paul quoted Isaiah 1:9 in Romans 9:29. The point is that unbelief, not a failure on God’s part, is what kept Israel from salvation blessings. How this personal unbelief fits together with God’s sovereignty is one of the difficult questions in Christian theology.

9:30–33 This section pits the “stumbling stone” (9:33) of salvation through faith against salvation sought through works of the law. This is based on the Old Testament quotation of Isaiah 28:16 (“believes in him,” Rom. 9:33; 10:11). Paul quoted Isaiah 28:16 to specify Israel’s problem—unbelief in Jesus the Messiah. To summarize: God’s promises relate to those that believe (Rom. 9:6–29), and those who believe will respond in faith (9:30–33). Therefore God has not been unjust with Israel. Israel has simply not responded in faith to God.


Discussion & reflection question
Paul felt strong and grieved deeply for the unbelievers. How about you, do you truly deep down grieve unbelievers? Think about your neighbor, your family members, and your co-workers that do not believe. What is going to happen to them someday? How can you reach them?