THE PAST ELECTION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE:
IMPLICATIONS OF GOD’S SOVEREIGN CHOICE

The opening verses of the ninth chapter of Romans are weighty words with serious implications.

1 I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,
4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;
5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,

That’s heavy duty stuff!

We hear PAUL’S PASSION in verses one through three. Like a sudden thunderstorm brings an end to a sunny picnic, the Apostle goes from singing a doxology at the conclusion of chapter eight to commencing chapter nine with a dirge. He goes from the heights of hallelujah to the depths of distress. As he has considered the marvel of God’s grace to the believer, he recalls that most of his kinsmen—the Jews—were rejecting the Gospel.

His burden is strong and steadfast (v.2). The heart of this soul-winner is the heart of God, inspired of the Spirit (v.1). Paul suffered so much to get the Gospel out—beaten, battered, in bonds—a hair’s breadth from death. Yet, he insisted on first going into the synagogues. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, emphasis added). He was ready to die, if it came to that.

Paul wasn’t just ready to die, but to spend eternity in hell if that would have saved Israel (v.3). There was another man, thousands of years before, who prayed similarly—another Jew named Moses. Israel had turned to idolatry, worshipping a golden calf. God proposed to Moses that He would destroy those sinners and raise up from Moses a chosen people. The response of Moses was remarkable, “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” (Ex.32:32). This is the heart of God for a lost world. We know because He sent another Jew who would alone qualify to be a substitute for sinners—separated from God in order to include the penitent. Though the plea of Moses and Paul was sincere, only One could pay the price: this is what Jesus literally did.

Recognition of the love of God for sinners is of such importance that we will miss the meaning if we lose that focus. Some have taken the truths of this chapter and taken them beyond where they were meant to go, and infer that God predestines some for heaven and some for hell. He chooses and we have no choice. There is some kind of a Divine lottery and some have their number called and others—lose out. There must be a balance where truth is seen in its context. Chapter nine must be interpreted in the light of the rest of the Word of God. In Romans 5:8, Paul previously wrote, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (emphasis added). Clearly, God loves the lost—do we? Where is our burden for lost souls? Where is our concern about those who have never heard of Jesus? What kind of intense passion do we have to reach our family and friends who aren’t prepared to meet God? Paul’s passion is convicting.

We consider ISRAEL’S POTENTIAL (v.4-5) In His grace, God had chosen Israel to be a special people to Him. What special blessings they had which were exclusive to them—and they are enumerated here. The question becomes, why? The answer is given in Deuteronomy 7:6-10,

6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.
7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples;
8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
10 and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.

Why did God choose Israel? BECAUSE! Just because He loved them! It was undeserved. It was all of grace. But, that is true of each of us—I don’t understand why God would pick such unlikely candidates as I am and as those I know. How could we possibly merit such love when we deserve hell? No wonder they call grace, “Amazing!”

These concepts are important to remember as we go on. We might have the idea that we are chosen because we are better than others, when the opposite is true. One could wrongfully conclude that one who is chosen means that another is rejected. But, it is evident that God didn’t choose Israel to exclude other nations, but set them apart to reach other nations. They were chosen to be a Kingdom of priests that would bring God to the nations and lift the nations to God. This was their potential. Yet, they failed miserably. They had so many privileges, so much potential, but Israel rebelled against God. That is the sad saga of the Old Testament in a nutshell.

Yet there is GOD’S PERSISTENCE (v.6) A gracious God gave Israel another chance. The Lord had sent prophet after prophet, servant after servant. They rejected them, even killed some. So, He said, “At last, I’ll send my Son, perhaps they will listen to Him.” (the thrust of Christ’s parable in Mark 12:1-11). But no, God sent His Son, “He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11). Paul saw their position hardening, but here and there some, like him, received Christ and this is what he means here. These were the true Israelites—not just those who had Abraham’s DNA, but his faith! Paul had already spoken to this in Romans 4:16, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” Lest we conclude that the rejection meant that God’s Word had failed, Paul emphasizes that it wasn’t God’s Word that failed. It never does. The failure was in those who rejected Christ. The Word of God always brings results. The same sun that melts snow, hardens clay.