Romans 9-10 God’s Sovereignty, Divine Election, and the Declaration of Faith

Romans 9

Romans 9:1-5 Paul might have been perceived as loving his enemies in the spirit of Matthew 5:44 because of all the grief that the Jews had caused him, but instead his love for them is that of a grieving relative for family members whose lives have gone off the track.

Romans 9:8 refers back to 4:18-22

Romans 9:11 God’s purpose(s) in divine election remain sovereignly inscrutable to us. He is transcendent. 

Romans 9:15-24 How do we reconcile God’s sovereign choices with either ‘the just shall live by faith’ (chapters 3-4) or life in the Spirit (chapter 8)? It is that we care about this! Jesus offers redemption, but we have to receive it (and Him).

Romans 9:19-24 Paul answers questions with rhetorical questions about God’s sovereign actions. Who are we to resist God’s will, or talk back to Him? (Job 42:2-6)  Cannot the potter make whatever He pleases out of the clay? (Genesis 2:7) How do we respond to His long-suffering mercy?

Romans 9:30-33 Paul asks two more questions as food for thought, and gives answers. What shall we say to God saving gentiles? Why did Israel not get saved by their works of the Law? (See Matthew 23)

 

This chapter is sprinkled with about a dozen Old Testament quotes. There are two major themes that the Old Testament reveals about the coming of Jesus: the essence of faith in God is acting on what He has said; God’s sovereignty is revealed in our faith choices in response to Jesus - we can choose but God’s sovereignty cannot be manipulated by us.

• Romans 9:7 quotes Genesis 21:12; children of faith are God’s children, not necessarily the physical descendants of saints. Those raised in the household of faith have the advantage of a godly upbringing, but they must choose for themselves.
• Romans 9:9 quotes Genesis 18:10 & 14 - in between which Sarah laughed; Sarah’s laughter did not nullify God’s promise to give Abraham a child by her. He delivers what He promises on His timetable, not ours. He is not constrained to our understanding of reality.
• Romans 9:12-13 quotes Genesis 25:23 and Malachi 1:2-3. Some might interpret this as saying Esau never had a chance, because God’s mind was made up before he and Jacob were born. But from God’s eternal perspective, outside of time, He knew that Esau would despise his birthright, the first-born’s privilege of being God’s advocate to others, but choose instead to grasp the heel of his brother and to focus on worldly things.
• Romans 9:15 quotes Exodus 33:19; God’s mercy and compassion on some is not unjust. He transcendently knows and does what is best, based on His merciful heart. If we have free will to accept or reject His love, how much more does He have freedom to show mercy to whom He will?
• Romans 9:17 quotes Exodus 9:16; Pharaoh similarly was given the opportunity to know God as Moses did, growing up in the same household, surrounded by Hebrews, and could have joined in displaying God’s power as Joseph’s Pharaoh had, but instead chose paranoia and domination, which God foreknew from an eternal perspective.
• Romans 9:20-21 refers to Isaiah’s discussion of God as a potter (Isaiah 29:16, 45:9). This alludes to God’s sovereignty over all the He has created. What can a character in a play say to the playwright who wrote the script to question why it is written a certain way?
• Romans 9:25-26 quotes Hosea 2:23 and 1:10. Although God called the Jews His chosen people, He now chooses to do the same for gentiles who will respond to Jesus’ invitation. Being called is not the same as being chosen; although God loves them all, they must reciprocate to be included, both Jews and gentiles.
• Romans 9:27-28 quotes Isaiah 10:22-23, where he prophesied that although Israel might prosper numerically, the day will come when only a fraction of them will remain His, and that separation will happen quickly and irreversibly. That day was when the gospel was preached to them, and only a few received Jesus.
• Romans 9:29 quotes Isaiah 1:9, repeating the theme  of 9:27-28.
• Romans 9:33 quotes Isaiah 8:14 & 28:16. Jesus is a stumbling stone to the Jews who think that having the Law and the Prophets means they have God figured out and are blind to what is in front of them (Jesus). But He will protect and defend those who recognize and receive Him.

Romans 10

Romans 10:4-5 The purpose of the Law was to bring right living to believers, which it could not do; Jesus did. This is the sense in which He is the consummation of the Law. Paul cites Leviticus 18:5 as to the purpose of the the Law - living it. 

Romans 10:6-8 Paul cites Deuteronomy 30:12-14 to make a parallel to Christ. Just as the Law is not far from them, so Jesus, the incarnate Word of God (John 1:1), is near us. We can read the Law any time we have a Bible in our hands, we don’t have to hunt for it, and so with Jesus.  It was not so in the times of Josiah (2 Kings 22). But even in Paul’s time, before the printing press, the Torah was in every synagogue. How much more is Jesus in every person’s life all the time.

Romans 10:9-10 Our verbal confession of faith is important both for us and for those around us. Heart-belief  results in justification (legal right-standing), and mouth-confession results in salvation (rescue, an action by God). 

Romans 10:11 is a bit of a mystery. The Scripture Paul apparently quotes Isaiah 28:16, but that verse doesn’t seem to quite match his quote of it. In Isaiah, talking about the precious cornerstone He will lay in Zion, the sovereign Lord says, “the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic”, or maybe “…shall not hurry.” How does this relate to shame? But Paul’s point is that Jesus provides the covering for our exposed sin before God, so that we will not be ashamed to be with Him. 

Romans 10:13 Quoting Joel 2:32, Paul simply says whoever calls on the Lord by name will be saved. 

Romans 10:14-15 The purpose of life, and the purpose of the church, is to declare the gospel, the good news of Jesus. Beyond purpose, it makes our feet beautiful. In John 13:4-17, Jesus washed the disciple’ feet in anticipation of their taking His message to the whole world. His point was that service to others is the kingdom lifestyle. 

Romans 10:16 quotes Isaiah 53:1 which is the lead-in to Isaiah’s famous messianic prophecy, and supports Paul’s famous statement that faith come from hearing the declaration of the word concerning Christ. Paul does not, in this passage, review the fulfillment of particulars of Isaiah’s prophecy in Christ, because Paul’s point is related to the impetus for preaching the gospel. But …

• Isaiah 53:2 Jesus’ appearance must have been unremarkable because those who rejected His message saw only a troublemaker or false prophet, not God incarnate.
• Isaiah 53:3 In the garden of Gethsemane, the Jewish priests and guards bound Jesus, then took Him to stand trial before the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate. Peter denied Him three times. 
• Isaiah 53:4-6 During His scourging and on the cross, Jesus suffered for our sufferings, paid the price for our sins, and the crowds jeered and cheered. 
• Isaiah 53:6-7 Jesus was the good Shepherd and gave His life for us, His sheep. YHWH supernaturally allowed our sins to be placed on Him, so that He could atone for them Although Jesus was the good Shepard, He took the role of a sheep, to be sheared and slaughtered.
• Isaiah 53:8 The people of Jesus’ time saw Him die. We know He went to Sheol to rescue those who had died in faith because their transgressions were paid for.
• Isaiah 53:9 Jesus was crucified between two thieves, and Joseph of Arimathea took His body and buried it in his tomb, not knowing Jesus only needed to borrow it for three days, because He was innocent.
• Isaiah 53:10 YHWH was pleased with Jesus’ offering of Himself, raised Him from the dead, and gave Him all believers as His inheritance. They would become His bride.
• Isaiah 53:11 Jesus paid the penalty for sins of many, many people, a vast multitude, providing them the legal status of justification.
• Isaiah 53:12 summarizes the plan of redemption and its outcome.

Romans 10:18 Paul quotes Psalm 19:4 that the heavens declare God’s truth to the entire world. It is hard to see how the plan of salvation is declared in the stars, but some say that the constellation names show a picture-book rendering of the gospel.  Perhaps the virgin (Virgo) provides the pathway for the Lion (Leo) of the Tribe of Judah to satisfy the requirements of the scales of justice (Libra). These are all preceded by twins of human and divine origin, Castor and Pollux (a.k.a. Gemini).

Romans 10:19 Paul quotes from the song of Moses, to show that it was prophesied that Israel would be jealous of the gospel going to the gentiles. (Deuteronomy 32:21)

Romans 10:20-21 quotes Isaiah 65:1-2 to reinforce that because of God’s disappointment with Israel’s response to Christ, and their overall lack of obedience to Him, He would reveal Himself to the gentiles.