Sermon Notes
Date: 01/28/2024
Preacher: Monty Simao, pastor
Series: Romans
Key Text: Romans 9:10-13
Description:
How does God choose?
Today on Scandia Bible Church Podcast, Pastor Monty Simao continues our study in the book of Romans in which the Apostle Paul confronts us with the profound mysteries of divine sovereignty through the narratives of two prominent biblical figures — two brothers — whose stories transcend time and culture: Jacob and Esau.
And it is through these siblings that questions are raised that have echoed throughout the corridors of Christian history: How DOES God choose?
And what does it mean to be elected by Him?
And, ultimately, where do we find ourselves in this grand narrative of grace and mercy?
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Discussion Guide:
Use of this guide is designed for both individual reflection, as well as group discussions like family worship.
My prayer is that it will allow you to dwell longer, and meditate more, upon God’s holy Word and will be fodder for sanctifying conversations.
— M.S.
Transcript:
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If you would please take your copy of God’s word and turn with me to Romans chapter 9.
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Two Sundays ago, we began looking at Paul’s argument in Romans chapter nine. It is a carefully laid out argument has to be understood in all of its its detail. Paul begins this chapter by expressing his great sorrow, his unceasing grief that so many of his countrymen, the Jews in the flesh.
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have spurned Jesus, their long awaited Messiah, they remain in their sin, they remain under the wrath of God and in light of this Paul knows that the question logically would be brought up, does that mean that the word of God has failed? Being that the promises were given to Israel and now by and large Israel has forsaken God and cannot enjoy those very promises.
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chapter 9, Paul categorically answers the question and he states, but it is not as though the word of God has failed. And the reason it hasn’t failed, he says, is that for they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel, nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants. And so what follows is Paul supporting
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this statement and that the word of God has not failed. That’s his point in this argument. We often think about Romans 9 as just being about divine election but we have to remember that Paul is bringing up divine election in this case because it’s part of a carefully crafted argument showing that the word of God has not failed. And Paul’s first point or really his first example that he touches on is Abraham’s
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sons, Isaac and Ishmael. We’ll touch on that again a bit this morning. We’ll need to refresh ourselves of that argument to see how Paul builds on that in the passage as it follows. Our passage is Romans 9 verses 10 through 13. 10 through 13. I’m going to be reading from chapter, from the beginning of the chapter there in verse 1.
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I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were a curse, separated from Christ, for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory of the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the temple service, and the promises. Whose are the fathers?
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and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. Verse 6. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel, who are descended from Israel, nor are they children, because they are Abraham’s descendants. But through Isaac your descendants will be named. That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of…
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the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise, at this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this, but there was Rebekah also when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac. For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls.
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It was said to her, the older will serve the younger, just as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. And Lord, we ask that you would open our eyes to see your hand at work in history, teaching us to trust in your perfect plan, which we know surpasses our human understanding. And may we be reminded, Lord, that your ways are indeed higher.
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then our, your purposes are grounded in your infinite love and wisdom. And we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
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I want to be careful as we approach this passage this morning as Paul continues his argument. We come to one of the sections that’s rather difficult here in Romans 9 to many people and specifically the words in verse 13, Jacob I love and Esau, but Esau I hated. And these words have triggered various responses among Christians, sometimes emotional responses.
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against the doctrines presented in Romans chapter 9, specifically the doctrines of election and predestination, God’s sovereign choice. Well my hope is that we walk away from this chapter of Romans chapter 9 following Paul’s argument and seeing that it is still the grace of God that pervades this chapter just as it was the grace of God that pervades chapter 8.
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You know, let’s first realize that all Christians must have a doctrine of election. They must have a doctrine of predestination. This is Bible terms. These are terms that we find in the Word of God. So all Christians have to somehow define them. And are we defining them biblically? That’s really the question for us. And if we follow what the Bible says, of course we find that we could define it biblically.
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If not, if you let your emotions run astray, you can be led into gross idolatry by following something that you’ve made up in your mind instead of the Word of God. We’re in the jeopardy in that case of losing the gospel message altogether. Our text here in verse 10 begins by the words, and not only this.
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back to what he has just said. Abraham has two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. Those are the ones that are in view previously. And God said to Abraham, through Isaac, your descendants will be named. And so it is Isaac who is the child of promise. Ishmael is the child of flesh and only the child of promise is a child of God.
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What is it to be a child of flesh? Well, it cannot mean that Ishmael is a child of flesh and blood. Isaac, of course, was also a child of flesh and blood. We know the author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus took on flesh to become a child of flesh and blood in order to save us. So what does it mean when he refers to someone as a child of flesh? What means a child of wrath?
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And it’s in contrast in Romans 9 with the Child of Promise. And specifically we’re talking about the promises of God. These are the good promises that coincide with the Messiah, with the coming of Christ. In Genesis, this is seen as a promise to Abraham and to Sarah, who are of course beyond their childbearing years, that they would have a son.
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level of those who like Abraham are in this family of God who are those that are looking to God in faith to keep His promise, trusting in God to save them. And so a child of flesh is a child whose mind is yet filled with the desires of the flesh, filled with God. And this is the person who is trusting in themselves, trusting in their own works.
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We can think of Paul in Ephesians chapter 2 telling the story of all of us when he says and you were dead in your trespasses in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived, and listen to the language here, in the lusts
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indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” And so those are some of those categories we want to have firmly in our mind as we proceed with this text. A child of flesh is a child of wrath with the desires of the flesh and of the mind still bound in the state of sin, still enslaved to sin.
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Adam’s headship. Ishmael is but an example, which is why even though the singular name of Ishmael is mentioned there in Romans 9, it is children of flesh, not just child of flesh. He represents all those who have not been redeemed. And then conversely, you have children of promise represented again by the singular example of Isaac. Isaac seen here
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of Abraham but a true child of Abraham according to the promise. And so all believers would be in this same category. The children of Abraham, the children of faith, the children of God. One very clear passage that Paul writes regarding this is when he wrote to the believers in the region of Galatia, these Gentile believers.
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Paul says beginning in verse 9, even so Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness therefore be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham saying all the nations will be blessed in you.
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So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham the believer. And then a few verses later at the end of chapter 3, Paul says, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
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As of the question that I want to examine this morning is what makes one a child of promise. Another way to word that is you can ask what makes one a child of God. And in this morning’s passage we begin by examining what doesn’t make us a child of God. And so here you have Paul’s first example of course going back to Abraham the father of the faithful.
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has these two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. And we see that Isaac is a child of promise because God said, through Isaac your descendants will be named and therefore God elected or chose Isaac and not Ishmael to be the recipient of this promise that Abraham would have a son. Now someone could argue against God’s sovereign and divine election.
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from that first example in any number of ways. For instance, someone could say, well look, Ishmael, he was 14 years old by the time Isaac was born. So obviously God could see by that time what sort of man Ishmael was shaping into. And to be frank, most of us, myself included, I do not wanna be judged for eternity on my behavior as a 14-year-old or as a 48-year-old.
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case you’re wondering. That’s not going to work well in my favor against God and His holiness but this is what we see. Let’s just say that God could see Ishmael’s track record and he wasn’t the child of promise kind of guy and he had rejected God and so God rejected him but Isaac was shaping up just fine.
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So God gave Isaac the promise. And of course, shaping up just fine would have to mean that Isaac, who was a baby, when obviously when he was born and Ishmael was 14, hadn’t done anything, Isaac would have been just fine at that age, you know, and God looked at Ishmael and said, you know, if you don’t at first succeed, try, try again, and his election would be rather kind of like the elections that we have in the…
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United States where we’re just electing the lesser of two evils That would be the argument that if that Isaac and Ishmael were either accepted or rejected Based on their character Okay, or perhaps another person? Could could raise an objection that it’s not really based on character. It’s based on parentage And you know Sarah she was Abraham’s wife. He really should never have taken another
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Therefore God wasn’t going to bless Ishmael because you know the marital unit was to be between one man and one woman and That would be an argument that we could make that Isaac and Ishmael were accepted or rejected based on their parents character or status Another objection we could bring up to Paul’s first example would be that somebody could argue that you know what Sarah? She was kind of she was from the right people She’s the right kind of folks. She was after all
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from Abraham’s family being his half-sister, Hagar, well, she was an Egyptian. We all know how God feels about the Egyptians. Of course, Ishmael wasn’t gonna make the cut and be the child of promise. That would be an argument based on parents’ ethnic heritage as a way to be accepted or rejected. Numerous arguments that someone could raise against Paul’s first example. Paul cannot prove by his first example.
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what he wants to prove. Why even mention it? Because like a good attorney, Paul’s leading us somewhere. Paul’s first example really is setting the stage for his second Old Testament example. And so we look at verse 10, Paul begins and says, and not only this, you can hear just by that that something more is coming. Something that would…
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address possible objections that may be raised with this first example. So enter example two as verse 10 continues and I’m gonna break up each step of Paul’s argument to show how masterly he deals with each objection. So he first says but there was Rebecca also. Now remember one of our previous objections was that Sarah was the right kind of person, Haggar was an Egyptian. But then there is Rebecca.
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Also in Genesis 24 Abraham is advanced in years he wants to get a son for his or a wife for his son Isaac and So he takes his chief servant and he makes him swear by the God of heaven and a verth You don’t you don’t take a wife from my son among the Canaanites with whom I live But you go to my country my relatives and you get a wife from my son there and in other words Sarah Was from the right kind of people
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And Rebecca was from the same kind of people. She was from Abraham’s family. And you’ll recall that another of our objections was that Abraham shouldn’t have married Hagar, right? Marriages with one man and one woman. Unlike Abraham, Isaac had only one wife. There’s not even a mention anywhere in scripture in the biblical narrative of Isaac taking a concubine or another wife or anything like that. He stands alone as…
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the patriarch with one wife. And therefore the marital relation is as God directed. You’re starting to see the stage set so far, how masterly Paul is doing this just by these ways that he’s mentioning it. So far the stages you have Rebecca, the one wife of Isaac. And remembering back to Paul’s first example, where do we leave off? We left off confirming that it is Isaac who is the child.
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of promise. Everything was pointing towards the child of promise. That’s the point in Paul’s first argument. And so now we have this child of promise, now grown, who takes a wife, his wife, from his own people, chosen by God. And so, just to put it plainly, to spell it out, whatever Paul is about to say cannot be because there were two women involved.
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or that these two mothers had differences, status, ethnicity, nationality, or anything else that could be viewed as a division between two people. Rebecca stands alone as the wife of Isaac. Paul continues, there was Rebecca also, when she had conceived twins. How badly I wanna say of the same litter, but I won’t do that. Now there was a time gap of
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of fourteen years between Ishmael being born and Isaac being born. No more is there a track record of one son growing up and living before the other son is born. Rather, in Genesis 25 we read, the first son came forth red, all over like a hairy garment. They named him Esau.
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Listen, with his hand holding onto Esau’s heel, no closer birth could be possible. 14 years between Ishmael and Isaac, and now we enter Esau and Jacob and we’re talking 14 seconds. Right? The Canaanite daily at the time reported the OBS saying it was the closest that they had witnessed.
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This race out of the birth canal and the labor and delivery nurses all agreed.
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Paul, he brings up a point that goes without saying, but must be said. He says, she had conceived twins by one man. Okay, why even say that, Captain Obvious? There is not only no difference on the mother’s account, but there’s no difference on the father’s account. That’s why he’s saying what’s obvious.
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Not by one man, not by any man, but by one man, our father, Isaac. Remember this is Abraham’s chosen son. This is the son whom God spared on Mount Moriah. This is a son that Abraham and Sarah had waited for so many years. This is Isaac. Okay. You would assume whoever comes from Isaac is going to be chosen. It’d be your assumption.
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We have two boys, same father, same mother, born at the same time. Look at verse 11. For though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad. You know, Paul is saying that God’s election took place even before they were born. To bring the matter closer to home, to cause us maybe to squirm a bit in our seats, he drives the point.
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home about what this would mean. What does it mean that God chose these twins before they were born? It means that God’s sovereign choice took place before either of these twin boys had done anything, either good or bad. That means that God’s election cannot be based on something good.
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that anyone does because as we see here it occurred before they were even born or had the capacity to do anything much less good and God’s rejection cannot be based on something bad. Even at this point people would read this and there those would say yes but you know God he elects or he rejects before they were born but he does so by looking down the corridor of time
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to see what these guys were gonna be like. And then he will base his election based off of their character later on in life. That’s what some argue. And many of you have heard, some of you perhaps have said, some of you may still believe that. First of all, if you are elected based on something you do, then you would be saved by something you do, which would be the same as being saved
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by works and you’d have a works-based salvation which is no gospel at all. And we’ll get there as the chapter continues but for now let’s just examine this example as we do with God looking down the corridor of time as an objection. Now let me say that I understand the temptation to go down that road especially with this example that Paul gives.
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You know, we often look at a baby and we see innocence. We hold our little darlings. We don’t see corruption. Just a week ago, I held my weak old granddaughter. And I thought, well, look at her little cherub face. And, you know, I’m sure there were angels looking on that said, seriously, I don’t look like that, right? You know.
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But we view children as innocent. I shouldn’t say children. We view babies as innocent. The older you get, we’re convinced that kids are guilty. But babies, we look upon babies as innocent, right? And you know, you fast forward a year and parents start to see some signs that their little angel is perhaps not as angelic as they once had thought. And if we look at Paul’s example, we see the foolishness of suggesting that God
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Look down the corridor of time to select Jacob over Esau. Even if we go back to Abraham, God calls Abraham when he’s a pagan, false God worshipper, out of Ur of the Chaldees. Right, it’s not like he’s there as a priest of God worshiping God all of his life, or God called him from the womb. Abraham has problems, okay? But while he has problems, Jacob…
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Jacob’s a scoundrel. Right? Let’s just be, his first notable act is, you know, refusing his starving brother food unless he part with his birthright. Okay, it might have been a situation that would hold up in law, but I mean what kind of act of love takes advantage of his brother’s need? And then of course he deceives his father Isaac to obtain the blessing that Isaac had meant.
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for Esau at the behest of his mother, Rebecca. This incident angers Esau to the point that what does he wanna do? He wants to kill Jacob. So Jacob, basically they have to come up with another lie that he really needs a wife, so he has to go back to Rebecca’s land instead of staying there. So he runs away from his brother because he ended up doing that. And on the way there, God meets him right outside the city of Luz.
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And you guys know the story there. God speaks to Jacob and he says to him, I am the Lord. This listen to the language here. Okay. Just put yourself in Jacob’s place. I am the Lord, the God of your father, Abraham and the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth and you will spread out to the West and to the East.
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to the north and the south, and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” What an incredible moment in Jacob’s life.
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He’s the promises of the day, Bramber being reiterated upon him and even more. And how does this guy respond to this incredible experience of the God of the universe giving him these beautiful promises? Well, he vows this is what he says. If God will be with me. And will keep me on this journey. I take it will give me food.
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and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God.
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Abraham believed God and was credited to him as righteous as Jacob. Not Jacob. God speaks to him. He makes these promises and Jacob says, yeah, you know, if it all turns out, you can keep up with your side of this. And I walk away with some grub and some garments. Yeah, I’ll let you be my God. That’s Jacob, right? I mean, John the Baptist’s dad would have been struck dumb. Others would have been struck dead.
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God fulfills in His grace, He fulfills His promises to this pillar of faithfulness we call Jacob. So much for looking down the corridors of time. Jacob’s probably what, 40 by this point? Option two doesn’t look any better either, right? We talk about looking down the corridors of time.
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Maybe we need to relook at option one, God says. Go back to East-South, see how he’s doing. I mean, this doesn’t work. What is the cause of God electing one brother and not the other? That’s the question. Now that we know that it wasn’t because one was wicked and the other was righteous, or for any other human consideration, this is what Paul says in the middle of verse 11. So that God’s
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purpose according to His choice would stand. Or your translation may read, so that God’s purpose in election might stand. Remember that beloved verse, Romans 8.28, and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God who are called according to His purpose. And that purpose of God is seen here.
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There is mystery here. We’re not told the hidden things of God. We’re not told God’s reasons. Paul tells the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 1, 11, also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose, who works all things after the counsel of His will. God’s purpose is mentioned everywhere. It’s mentioned elsewhere as His good pleasure.
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We read in Philippians 2.13, For it is God who is at work in you, both the will and to work for his good pleasure. Paul exhorts Timothy, Join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with the holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose. The bottom line is that while we may not understand,
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Or be enlightened as to God’s purpose why he brings things about his purpose is not in any way Conditioned on human will human effort work human righteousness anything else in humanity or throughout creation God’s purposes is not conditioned by anything outside of God Himself and it’s not based on the creature
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Ephesians 1, 5, and 6. He predestined us to adoption of His sons through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the kind intention of His will to the praise of the glory of His grace which He freely bestowed on us in the beloved. After asserting this positively or plainly.
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in verse 11, Paul expresses it negatively. He says, so that God’s purpose according to his election would stand not because of works. God removes every aspect of a works-based salvation. Years ago in a conference on world religion, a bunch of these scholars and whoever else, this was in Oxford, were debating about what makes Christianity unique among
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world religions and some participants argue that well it’s because Christ became man and others objected it says other teach other religions teach similar doctrines of God becoming man and somebody else would say it was because of the resurrection and some says no other religions teach that their dead will rise again and the discussion grew heated and heated and in in walks CS Lewis late to the meeting as usual and he sits down and he’s
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watching all the argument he says what’s all the rumpus about and they and when he learned that it was a debate about what makes Christianity unique he immediately commented oh that’s easy grace grace makes it unique that really is the difference between Christianity and every world religion every religion tries to earn its way to salvation or enlightenment or Nirvana or whatever they want to call it they want to earn their way
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to God. Christianity alone says this can’t be done. God is perfect. You are sinful. It will not work. And that’s why Paul starts his letter examining the doctrine of sin so carefully in those first three chapters. Just to remind you of some of his statements according to the Old Testament, Paul said that both Jews and Greeks are under sin. He says there is none righteous, not even one.
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None who understands, there is none who seeks for God, all have turned aside, together they have become useless. There is none who does good, there is not even one.” And then he later says, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. In Romans chapter 4, beginning of verse 2, he says, for if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say?
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Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. Just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works.
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have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered, blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” That’s how someone is blessed of the Lord. God does not take your sins, my sins into account. He charges it to the account of Christ. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
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not as a result of works, so that no one will boast. Paul tells Titus, he saved us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace, we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Right?
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So that’s what Paul’s saying, when he’s saying negatively, not of works. And then affirmatively, Paul says, but because of him who calls. And what was said, look at verse 12. It was said to her, the older will serve the younger. And of course, in ancient near Eastern culture, the firstborn, he held a special place within the family, a primal janitor.
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The firstborn was entitled to a double portion. The firstborn was the one that held the position of leadership within the family. So it was Esau, the firstborn, who was expected to carry the family lineage and blessing. But God chooses Jacob, the younger son. God’s choice subverts the cultural norm because divine election is not bound by human tradition or expectations.
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home of course you have this culture influenced by the Greek philosophy and all you know let’s just nerd over ourselves and Paul tells the Corinthians you know for consider your calling brethren there are not many wise according to the flesh not many mighty not many noble but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen
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the things that are not so that he might nullify the things that are so that no man may boast before God. And then finally here in Romans Paul gets to our troublesome wording in this text and he quotes from the book of Malachi in the Old Testament. It says, just as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. Again that’s a quote from Malachi 1. I want you to turn there.
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and will end, will close in the book of Malachi. Last book of the Old Testament. So go to Matthew and flip left.
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in this area, this section, God is expressing his love for Israel. And although this is dealing with Israel as a nation, the point is made through God’s choosing of Jacob. And here in Malachi, Malachi is making the exact same point that Paul is making in Romans 9, which is why Paul quotes it. Okay. So we’ll just start in verse one, chapter one.
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The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi. And this is what God says to Israel. I have loved you, says the Lord. But you say, how have you loved us? Listen to the answer. Was not Esau Jacob’s brother, declares the Lord, yet I have loved Jacob. Right, you hear that? In other words, there’s no difference between Jacob.
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And Esau, Jacob is the father of Israel. Esau is the father of the Edomites. And God is saying, two brothers, twins, without distinction. And yet I chose Jacob. I set my love upon Jacob, right? That’s the question, how have you loved us? Verse three, but I have hated Esau. Now, before we go any further, these terms are, they’re hard terms to read. How do we make sense of them?
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These terms are a Hebraic idiomatic expression. In Hebrew, to love and to hate often signify preference or choice rather than how we would think of emotional feelings of affection or animosity. So that’s when Paul quotes Jacob, I love, but Esau, I hate. It’s an expression of God’s sovereign choice of Jacob over Esau in the fulfilling of his redemptive.
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plan. You can think of Jesus who speaks this way in Luke chapter 14 when Jesus says, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Jesus is not saying you need to hate your family. Right? When Paul says, husbands love your wife, it’s not going against what Jesus said when he says you need to hate your wife. Jesus, it would be ironic that he said you need to hate your family and love your enemies.
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That’s not what Jesus is saying. He’s saying we must love Him more than our families. And here God’s love for Jacob is seen in His choosing Jacob and His hating of Esau. It’s seen in His not choosing Esau. And we see more of what this rejection looks like of Esau here in Malachi in the next couple of verses. Look at verse 3.
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And I’ve made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness. Though Edom says, that’s Esau’s people, though Edom says, we have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins. Thus says the Lord of hosts, they may build, but I will tear down and men will call them. Listen, the wicked territory.
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and the people toward whom the Lord is indignant forever. Their rejection by God also means that they continue and further their wickedness. This is not God rejecting the righteous who are desirous of following after Him. Now, I know we’re out of time here, but I want to… Let me just land the plane quickly.
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You may still have concerns, that might be a nice way to put it, with this passage here in Romans. And I’m going to be honest with you if that describes you. Romans 9 is going to get harder before it gets better if you’re struggling through this. This is an uphill theological climb. This is something I want you to hold on to and keep firmly planted in your mind.
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and it will bring you comfort as we slowly make our way through this chapter. Listen, God has never rejected the righteous. There has never been a righteous man or woman that God has rejected ever. The biblical support for that is Romans chapter 3 verse 10.
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God has never turned away anyone who desired to follow after him. Not once has God done that. Biblical support, John 6 37.
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God has never rejected someone who has cried out to him for help, not once. All who cry out to God, trusting in Christ’s work to save them, will be saved. Matthew 11, 28-30.
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You have to hold those pillars in your mind. That’s categorical truth. When you finally understand Romans 9, what once may have seemed harsh and unfair will actually become to you the very source of assurance and the very thing that convinces you more than anything else of God’s grace.
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as the essential framework of the gospel. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, as we reflect on your word in Romans 9, particularly the story of Jacob and Esau, we’re humbled. We’re humbled by the mystery of your sovereign will. We’re humbled by the fact that we are no better than Esau.
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no better than all those who continue to reject you. We praise you Lord for your wisdom that far exceeds our understanding, for your just and righteous ways. We thank you for the grace that you have extended to us, not because of our works, but because of your mercy. And we ask that you would help us, O God, to trust in your sovereign plan, to find peace in the knowledge that you do all things well.
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to respond in faith and obedience. We ask that you would guide us in your truth and teach us to love as you have loved us unconditionally and sacrificially and may our lives reflect your grace to those around us that we would bear witness to the hope that we have in Christ and we ask all of these things in His precious name. Amen.
Scandia Bible Church 