Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

Paul says there is a mystery regarding some things of God, but one thing is an absolute, guaranteed certainty: God is faithful to generations. “...as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers” (v. 28). God is going to choose some people who don’t choose Him. God is going to love some people who don’t love Him. God is going to pursue some people who don’t pursue Him. Why? Because He made a promise to their ancestors.

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (v. 29). This verse is so encouraging. When God gives you something, He doesn’t take it from you. When He gives you love, He doesn’t take His love away. When He gives you forgiveness, He doesn’t take His forgiveness away. When He gives you Jesus, he doesn’t take Jesus away. There are many human relationships in which people take back their love, devotion, and commitment. But God is different. You can absolutely, 100 percent believe that His commitment to you is irrevocable. God has never betrayed anyone.

Paul says God still has hope and a future for the nation of Israel because He made a promise to their forefather, Abraham. Abraham was a pagan, godless, Gentile, and God chose to love Him. That’s how we all begin, by the way. If God picked the good people, then no one would get picked. We all begin as sinners, and God is the one who seeks and saves. This is the whole context of Romans 9–11: God predetermines and pursues. God loves. God chooses. God elects. We choose to sin, and God makes His choice to save.

God promised Abraham to be faithful to his offspring for generations, and God’s gifts and callings are irrevocable. The King James Version says, “without repentance.” We repent because we’re wrong; God never repents because He is never wrong. This is where you need to be very careful. Some people will say, “You just need to be like Jesus.” Well, there’s one thing Jesus never did that we need to do: repent. Jesus was never wrong, but we were wrong. Jesus never had to change because He was perfect. We’re imperfect, so we need to change.

God doesn’t change His disposition toward us. He doesn’t change His mind toward us. The problem is that God loved people, but people didn’t love God. Today, Christianity is filled with Gentiles but very few Jews, though some are part of the remnant. So, the question is, If the people are unfaithful, will God still be faithful? The answer is a resolute, resounding yes! We are ruled by a God who is faithful. God is faithful to every single one of His people because He is faithful to every single one of His promises. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”

If you are a Christian who has walked away from God, then God is still faithful to you. God is still faithful to you if you’ve had a season of wandering, rebelling, or being the prodigal. If He loved you once, then He never stopped loving you. If He pursued you once, then He never stopped pursuing you. If He has forgiven you, then He will never stop forgiving you. If He has adopted you, He will never stop being your Father. This is our God.

Today’s Reflection

How can you thank God for His faithfulness?