Romans 9
9
1 I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit 2that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh 4who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises; 5of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen.
6 But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel that are of Israel. 7Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.”#Genesis 21:12 8That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. 9For this is a word of promise: “At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.”#Genesis 18:10,14 10Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. 11For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,#9:11 NU puts the phrase “not of works, but of him who calls” at the beginning of verse 12 instead of the end of verse 11. 12it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.”#Genesis 25:23 13Even as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”#Malachi 1:2-3
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be! 15For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”#Exodus 33:19 16So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”#Exodus 9:16 18So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.
19 You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?” 20But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”#Isaiah 29:16; 45:9 21Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honour, and another for dishonour? 22What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory— 24us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says also in Hosea,
“I will call them ‘my people,’ which were not my people;
and her ‘beloved,’ who was not beloved.”#Hosea 2:23
26“It will be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”#Hosea 1:10
27 Isaiah cries concerning Israel,
“If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea,
it is the remnant who will be saved;
28 for he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,
because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”#Isaiah 10:22-23
29 As Isaiah has said before,
“Unless the Lord of Armies#9:29 Greek: Sabaoth (or Hebrew: Tze’va’ot) had left us a seed,
we would have become like Sodom,
and would have been made like Gomorrah.”#Isaiah 1:9
30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; 31but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness. 32Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33even as it is written,
“Behold,#9:33 “Behold”, from “ἰδοὺ”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection. I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offence;
and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.”#Isaiah 8:14; 28:16
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Romans 9
9
The tragedy of Israel’s unbelief
1I’m speaking the truth in Christ—I’m not lying, as my conscience assures me with the Holy Spirit: 2I have great sadness and constant pain in my heart. 3I wish I could be cursed, cut off from Christ if it helped my brothers and sisters, who are my flesh-and-blood relatives. 4They are Israelites. The adoption as God’s children, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the worship, and the promises belong to them. 5The Jewish ancestors are theirs, and the Christ descended from those ancestors. He is the one who rules over all things, who is God, and who is blessed forever. Amen.
Israel and God’s choice
6But it’s not as though God’s word has failed. Not all who are descended from Israel are part of Israel. 7Not all of Abraham’s children are called Abraham’s descendants, but instead “your descendants will be named through Isaac.”#9.7 Gen 21:12 8That means it isn’t the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children from the promise who are counted as descendants. 9The words in the promise were: “A year from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son”.#9.9 Gen 18:10, 14
10Not only that, but also Rebecca conceived children with one man, our ancestor Isaac. 11When they hadn’t been born yet and when they hadn’t yet done anything good or bad, it was shown that God’s purpose would continue because it was based on his choice. 12It wasn’t because of what was done but because of God’s call. This was said to her: “The older child will be a slave to the younger one”.#9.12 Gen 25:23 13As it is written, “I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau”.#9.13 Mal 1:2-3
14So what are we going to say? Isn’t this unfair on God’s part? Absolutely not! 15He says to Moses, “I’ll have mercy on whomever I choose to have mercy, and I’ll show compassion to whomever I choose to show compassion”.#9.15 Exod 33:19 16So then, it doesn’t depend on a person’s desire or effort. It depends entirely on God, who shows mercy. 17Scripture says to Pharaoh, “I have put you in this position for this very thing: so I can show my power in you and so that my name can be spread through the entire earth.”#9.17 Exod 9:16 18So then, God has mercy on whomever he wants to, but he makes resistant whomever he wants to.
19So you are going to say to me, “Then why does he still blame people? Who has ever resisted his will?” 20You are only a human being. Who do you think you are to talk back to God? “Does the clay say to the potter,” “Why did you make me like this?”#9.20 Isa 29:16; 45:9 21Doesn’t the potter have the power over the clay to make one pot for special purposes and another for garbage from the same lump of clay? 22What if God very patiently puts up with pots made for wrath that were designed for destruction, because he wanted to show his wrath and to make his power known? 23What if he did this to make the wealth of his glory known toward pots made for mercy, which he prepared in advance for glory? 24We are the ones God has called. We don’t come only from the Jews but we also come from the Gentiles. 25As it says also in Hosea,
“I will call “my people” those who aren’t my people,”
“and the one who isn’t well loved, I will call “loved one.””#9.25 Hos 2:23
26And in the place where it was said to them,
“You aren’t my people,”
there they will be called “the living God’s children”.#9.26 Hos 1:10
27But Isaiah cries out for Israel,
“Though the number of Israel’s children will be like the sand of the sea, ”
“only a remaining part will be saved, ”
28“because the Lord does what he says completely and quickly.”#9.28 Isa 10:22-23 LXX
29As Isaiah prophesied,
“If the Lord of the heavenly forces had not left descendants for us, ”
“we would have been like Sodom, ”
“and we would have become like Gomorrah.”#9.29 Isa 1:9
Israel and God’s righteousness
30So what are we going to say? Gentiles who weren’t striving for righteousness achieved righteousness, the righteousness that comes from faith. 31But though Israel was striving for a Law of righteousness, they didn’t arrive. 32Why? It’s because they didn’t go for it by faith but they went for it as if it could be reached by doing something. They have tripped over a stumbling block. 33As it is written:
“Look! I’m putting a stumbling block in Zion, ”
“which is a rock that offends people. ”
“And the one who has faith in him will not be put to shame.”#9.33 Isa 28:16; 8:14
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