Romans 9 — has God kept His promise to Israel? (and what election means)

Through Romans, part 14 · Romans 9

After the mountaintop of Romans 8, chapter 9 turns to a question that would have been burning for every Jewish reader — and that a Gentile church in Rome needed answered too. If the gospel is true and most of Israel has rejected it, has God broken His word? Paul's answer walks through six questions.

What did the Jew have? (vv. 1–5)

Paul opens with real grief — he'd be willing to be cut off himself if it would save his people. Then he lists what Israel was given: the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the law, the temple worship, the promises, the patriarchs — and, most important of all, the Messiah, "who is God over all, praised forever." God chose Israel to bring these things to the rest of the world. Notice the direction: they were chosen to bless, and everything on that list came to us through them.

Has God revoked His promises? (vv. 6–8)

"Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel." The promise of salvation never ran through pedigree or works; it always ran through faith. That's the key to the whole chapter. God promised that blessing would come through Israel — not that every Israelite would receive it. And every promise God made to Israel has, in fact, come to pass. "It is not the children by physical descent who are God's children, but the children of the promise."

What was the promise? (vv. 9–10)

That Sarah would have a son (Genesis 18:10). But there's more in that passage than Isaac's birth — Genesis 18:18 says "all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him." God promised to make a great nation from Abraham so that every nation would be blessed. Those who belong to Abraham are people of faith, not just people of his bloodline. We often say the Jews are "God's chosen people." Chosen to do what? Chosen to bless the nations — with everything in verses 4 and 5. The choosing of Israel was always for the world's benefit, never its exclusion.

What is election? (vv. 11–12)

Election simply means picking out, choosing. The question is: chosen for what? For salvation? We never see Scripture teaching that God elects some individuals to be saved and, by implication, others to be lost. For sanctification? Yes — God chooses us to be holy, "predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29). For service? Yes — God chooses people for specific purposes. Paul was chosen. The prophets were chosen. Jesus Himself was chosen. In this passage, Jacob was chosen over Esau to carry the promise forward — "not from works but from the one who calls." That's about the line of the promise, not about which twin would go to heaven.

Does God hate unborn babies? (v. 13)

"Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." Look at where Paul is quoting from: Malachi 1:2–3, written more than a thousand years after the twins were born. Malachi is talking about the nation of Edom — Esau's descendants — who had attacked Israel, Jacob's descendants. God promised Abraham to bless those who blessed his seed and curse those who cursed it (Genesis 12:3), and Edom cursed it. So Paul isn't talking about Esau as an unborn individual; he's talking about a nation that set itself against God's promise. And there's a warning inside it: even people closely related to Abraham, if they oppose the promises of God, will be judged. God will work out His promises even against opposition from inside the family.

Is God unjust? (vv. 14–18)

Paul's answer is that God will work His purpose with us or in spite of us. He uses Pharaoh as the example — a man who hardened his heart against God repeatedly, and whom God then used, hardened heart and all, to display His power and spread His name across the earth. That's a pointed word to the hard-hearted Jewish reader Paul is addressing: God will accomplish His plan through a calloused heart if He has to. The kinder path is to soften.

Why this matters for us

Romans 9 isn't a chapter about God arbitrarily choosing who gets in. It's a chapter about God keeping His word. He promised to bless the world through Abraham's seed, and He did — the Seed is Jesus. He chose a nation to carry that promise, and He carried it through them despite their unbelief. The way in was always faith, for the Jew and for the Gentile, for Abraham and for you. And God's chosen plan for everyone who believes is to make them like His Son and use them for His purpose. He's chosen you for that. The question is whether you'll go willingly.

The post ends on the right question — whether you'll go willingly. But there's a question underneath it that has to get settled first. God is going to accomplish His plan either way. What's not settled is whether you're in Christ when He does. Pharaoh got used and Pharaoh got lost; those are two different outcomes and they happened to the same man. The way in has never changed for anybody. Abraham had it, the Jew had it offered, the Gentile had it offered, and it's in front of you now: the Seed God promised is Jesus, He died for your sin, He rose, and He saves whoever believes on Him. Believe on Him. Don't spend another day hardening. The kinder path is to soften.

Now for those already His. He chose you to be made like His Son and used for His purpose, and He's going to do it. So find the place you're going along but not willingly. The serving you do while resenting it. The person you've kept at arm's length for two years. The prompting you've been sitting on since spring. Pick one, do it this week, and do it glad. He'll accomplish His purpose with you or in spite of you. Being part of it is better than being in the way of it.

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Through Romans: ← Part 13 · Part 14