Romans 6-9: God Chose Gentiles - Jews, Get Over It!

Romans 9 is sometimes taken out of context to "prove" that God chooses individuals for salvation at His whim, regardless of obedience.

God chose Abraham because of his faith (already shown in chapter 4). But not all descendants of Abraham were descendants of promise (9:6). Ishmael, from whose loins came the Muslim people, was not the child of promise - God chose Isaac.

Not all of Isaac's descendants were children of promise, either. God chose Jacob over Esau before they even left their mother's womb. The choice was not based upon righteousness or wickedness (9:11-12).

So, Paul raised the question: Are you going to challenge God's choice on these matters? "No!" the Jew would reply. After all, he was one of the chosen one's, being an Israelite.

But Paul's big point is at the end of the chapter.

Romans 9:22-24
22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Paul's point is this: God has now chosen Gentiles to be included in those who "He had prepared beforehand for glory." Jews need to understand this, and get over thinking they are God's ONLY chosen, special people. Likewise, in chapter 11, Paul will tell the Gentiles not to get a big head just because God has cut off some of the Jews and grafted them in.

I better not get the big head, either, like the Pharisee thanking God that he wasn't like that sinner over there. I'm saved only by God's grace. It's not by any power of my own. It's not because I'm special because of who I am. It's because God is special and He saved me!

God bless,
Nathan

Tomorrow's Reading: Romans 10-13