As Paul begins this important section in Romans, he is speaking the truth in Christ and with great compassion for his people: “I am speaking the truth in Christ–I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit–I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart”. These are remarkable words coming from the heart of Paul; he carries a personal burden, but he is also aware that the only one who can relieve him of this burden is God working through the Holy Spirit.
Paul exulted in the thought of God’s salvation, but in his joy recognized again that his own people, whom he loved deeply, knew nothing of the joy that was his. A cloud passed over his sun as he contemplated Israel’s rejection of his Lord. Calling Christ and the Holy Spirit as witnesses, Paul affirms his love for the Jews. His greatest joy in His position in Christ is contrasted by the sorrow and grief he feels for his unsaved Jewish brothers and sisters.
There is a striking intensity in the apostle’s words as he tries to impress on his readers how genuinely he feels about the condition of his own people. He insists he is telling the truth, adds that he is not lying, appeals to his conscience, and adds the testimony of the Holy Spirit as he speaks of heaviness of heart and continual sorrow.
The degree of sorrow is expressed by a thought so extreme that if it had not been introduced in this way would probably have been dismissed as ridiculous. He says that he would gladly be anathema—that is, “cut off” from Christ—if it would help in the blessing of his kinsfolk. When Paul offers to be made anathema, his motivations extend beyond the fact that he loves his people so dearly. Paul also has an unyielding commitment to an understanding of God’s utter faithfulness.
For whose sake did Paul volunteer to be “accursed and cut off from Christ”? For “Israelites,” as he calls them: for the Jewish people, for Paul’s own people. Yet he calls them “Israelites” in Romans 9:4, rooting their identity in more than a vague notion of ethnicity, kinship, or nationality. He’s speaking about people with a long, deep legacy: one established by God and intertwined with the life and history of God.
We must note, then, that Paul’s concerns about his people stem from more than casual curiosity or compassionate piety. These concerns arise out of theological questions–questions about God, God’s intentions, and God’s reliability. Does God’s history (past promises) matter for God’s future (pledges about what lies ahead)?
While Paul was justifiably proud of his Greek culture and his Roman citizenship, it was his Jewish heritage that was dearest to his heart. To be a member of the people of God was, to him, the most magnificent privilege, for the name Israelite was itself a reminder of God’s special intervention in the life of Jacob leading to the identification of his descendants as a unique people. To be Jewish was to be a part of the “adoption,” literally the “placing as sons,” or the special invitation by Jehovah to be His family.
Only when the Spirit controls the conscience can it be trusted-but it remains imperfect and its warnings must always be evaluated against the Word of God. Israel’s rejection of Christ does more than stir deep emotions; it raises profound questions that Paul was continually required to address in his ministry. One question went something like this: “How could Paul’s gospel be true when the Israelites had rejected it? Wasn’t their rejection proof of its falsity?” Alternatively, “How could God be called faithful if He rejected those He had chosen to be His people simply because they rejected Christ?” Calvin summarized the dilemma as follows: “Either… there is no truth to the divine promise, or … Jesus, whom Paul preached, is not the Lord’s Christ who had been promised to the Jews.”
Paul’s wish is the same kind of sincere, selfless gesture as Moses’ prayer in Exodus 32:30-35. The word “accursed” means “to be cursed to perdition, to be cut off from God.” Though Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, he took great pleasure in his Jewish heritage. His pain was so great that he was willing to be separated from Christ if only his people could be in Christ.
Paul is not talking about a “chosen people” as an abstract concept. He means the flesh-and-blood people who, throughout history, have possessed and continue to possess God’s favor. Why do Jews possess this favor? Because God gave it to them. The “Israelites” are who they are because of God’s gift, God’s free choice.
What do they possess? Paul says they possess several things–all of which receive attention elsewhere in Romans, as well. They possess God’s “adoption,” making them children in God’s family. God has shared “glory” with them and made “covenants” by which to bless them. They received and possessed God’s “law,” God’s own for holiness and justice. They “worship” or serve the one true God, who made concrete “promises” with them via their “patriarchs.”
The supreme privilege of Israel and their gift to the world is that the Messiah, Christ, came through the lineage of the patriarchs-at least, according to the flesh. But beyond the flesh comes an ancestry Israel cannot claim; this Messiah is the eternally blessed God.
Paul states this thought, as if it were from the Jews: “If we have been chosen by God as a people, and according to you, we have missed the ultimate plan of redemption, does it not follow that God, now, was unable to carry out His plan for us?” It looked as though the word God spoke concerning Israel’s purpose had taken no effect. Paul once again anticipates his readers’ objection to Paul’s theology: If God were to choose some people for salvation and pass over others apart from their merits or actions, that would make God arbitrary and unfair.
John Flavell, a Puritan, said, “If Abraham’s faith be not in your hearts, it will be no advantage that Abraham’s blood is in your veins.” God’s elective purpose does not depend on physical ancestry, but on His grace. The national and racial promises made to Abraham did not include every one of Abraham’s descendants but only those who came through Sarah’s son Isaac. Only Isaac’s descendants could truly be called the children of the promise. God chose Jacob before either Jacob or Esau performed deeds to developed character. The fact that Jacob was not a pleasing person shows that God’s choice was not due to Jacob but to God Himself-a choice based on grace.
God’s choice of Jacob, instead of Esau, to continue the physical line was not based on Jacob’s personal merit or demerit. Rather, God’s choice of Jacob resides solely in His own sovereign plan, a perfect example of election unto salvation. God has chosen some Jews—and some Gentiles—but not all, for salvation, not because of works but because of Him who calls. The fact that God made His choice of Jacob before the boys were born and apart from personal merit demonstrates that election unto spiritual life is unrelated to any human effort, and is based only on the prerogative of God who makes His selection.
A covenant is a legally binding promise, agreement, or contract. Three times in the NT the word “covenants” is used in the plural. All but one of God’s covenants with man are eternal and unilateral—that is, God promised to accomplish something based on His own character and not on the response or actions of the promised beneficiary. The 6 biblical covenants include:
1) the covenant with Noah
2) the covenant with Abraham
3) the covenant of law given through Moses at Sinai
4) the priestly covenant
5) the covenant of an eternal kingdom through David’s greatest Son
6) the New Covenant
Paul reminds his readers that even the racial and national promises made to Abraham were not made to every physical descendant of his, but only to those who came through Isaac. Only Isaac’s descendants could truly be called the children of Abraham, the inheritors of those racial and national promises
Paul’s question about God being unjust is the theme of chapters 9-11. His answer “Certainly not!” rings loud and clear. If God is unjust then He cannot be God, for God is perfect justice in and of Himself.
Paul also affirms that the word he announces comes forth from an anguished conscience for his people. In addition, the scriptures that he will cite extensively are words through which the Holy Spirit bears witness to the truth of God’s revelation in Christ Jesus. Paul’s conscience is clear; he can do no other than bear witness to words that cut to the heart.
Paul now goes to the wall for the sake of his own people, the Jews: “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh”. In the Galatian letter Paul bore witness that it is Christ who bore our curse, citing Deuteronomy 21:23 in his argument: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Is Paul actually saying that if he could put himself on the tree as Christ, bearing the curse of God, he would do so for his own people? Yes. These are words that can only come from Paul’s anguish for the sake of Christ crucified and the people of the covenant promise of God.
(An audio version of this message can be found by clicking this link: Romans 9 verses 1-13 God Chooses His Chosen People)
Bibliography
- Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1556-1557)
- Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 182-187
- Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
- MacArthur, J.F., Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
- Matt Skinner, “Commentary on Romans 9:1-5.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
- Paul S. Berge, “Commentary on Romans 9:1-5.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
