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. 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. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all Israelites truly belong to Israel, and not all of Abraham's children are his true descendants; but “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants. For this is what the promise said, “About this time I will return and Sarah shall have a son.” Nor is that all; something similar happened to Rebecca when she had conceived children by one husband, our ancestor Isaac. Even before they had been born or had done anything good or bad (so that God's purpose of election might continue, not by works but by his call) she was told, “The elder shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.”

What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, “I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses.

You will say to me then, “Why then does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who indeed are you, a human being, to argue with God? Will what is molded say to the one who molds it, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath that are made for destruction; and what if he has done so in order to make known the riches of his glory for the objects of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— including us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

-Romans 9:1-24 NRSV

A Disturbance

Paul speaks of a great sorrow and anguish in his heart (vs 2), then goes on to share what it is that disturbs him: if non-Jews are being saved by faith, what does that mean for the Israelites who were promised salvation? Does it mean the whole Old Testament has fallen?

What do you do when God does something unexpected or you experience something unexpected, and the very foundation of your faith washes away? In such times you need an anchor. 

Paul’s Anchor in This Disturbance

Paul could have rejected his experience of seeing the spirit at work by faith among non-Jews in favour of what he understood from scripture, or he could have rejected the scriptures and accepted his experience of non-Jews being saved while Jews were not. But he does neither-- instead, he accepts both scripture and experience, and in rejecting neither, he allows himself to sit in the tension because he is anchored in Jesus.

Rebalance 

Paul finds a balance in the tension by rethinking the scriptural story in light of what Jesus was doing. 

In a traditional reading of Romans 9, you could conclude that:

  • not all Israelites by birth really belong to Israel (vs 6-7);
  • God alone chooses if you’ll be saved or not-- theory of predestination (vs 11);
  • if predestination seems unfair (vs 14), Paul doubles down to so that salvation is all up to God (vs 15-24); God is a potter who can do whatever he wants with the clay (vs 19).

But if the verses are about God choosing people’s destiny, why does Paul later pray that the Israelites would be saved? In Romans 11, Paul even says that Israel will be saved. 

Another reading of Romans 9:

  • it matters how you translate verse 6: "... not all Israelites truly belong to Israel"compared to "... it is not that 'all those descended from Israel, these are Israelites";
  • points to a particular group: being a Jew under Moses is not the same as being a Jew in the new Israel-- you don’t need to be a law-abiding Jew to be part of God's new family;

Paul asks how God’s creation of the Messiah’s people lines up with scripture. In verses 10-13, Paul shows that salvation isn’t about predestination-- the reason that God chose Jacob demonstrates that we are chosen not by works. In verses 15-29, his examples outline that God hasn't broken with scripture, but just as He showed mercy to the Israelites when they made the golden calf, God has mercy "on whomever he chooses" (vs 18).

All of this is Paul working out how this new thing called 'Christianity' fits with the scriptures. What Paul discovered in scripture as he wrestled is a God more gracious than he previously knew. 

What Do We Take from This?

When you experience something that shakes your faith...

  1. Relax-- disorientation has happened before and it will happen again to God’s people.
  2. Hold fast to the anchor of the Good News.
  3. Wrestle with scripture, wrestle with God; you might find your old understanding of God falling away as you learn more about Him and the world that He has made. 
  4. Share your clearer understanding of God with others.
Questions for Small Groups
  1. Can you share an experience that shook your understanding of God and/or Scripture?
  2. In Romans 9:1-5, why does Paul experience such great sorrow? Why do you think this created for him a deep theological problem?
  3. In Romans 9:6-29, there are some key oppositions (v. 8, not by physical descent, but by promise; v. 12, not by works, but by him who calls; v. 16, not by human desire or effort but by God’s mercy). How do these oppositions reflect Paul’s re-reading of Scripture? How do they address Paul’s problem?
  4. Can you think of ways Christians have rethought—or are rethinking—Scripture in light of new experiences and problems?

 

Missed this Sunday's sermon? Watch it here!

 

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