Romans 9:1–5

God’s Righteousness in Dealing with “Israel”

Paul closed chapter 8 with the firm assurance that nothing can separate the believer in Christ from God’s love. Christians may rest secure knowing that they are the objects of God’s loving care, chosen by him from eternity for eternal life.

As comforting as that truth was for Paul’s Roman readers, it was also bound to raise a serious question. Paul’s mixed readership of Jews and Gentiles was certainly aware that, in general, the Christian church was growing through the addition of gentile converts. The Jewish nation tended to stay aloof from Christianity or to be openly hostile toward it. One needs only to look into the book of Acts to see the vigor and persistenceof Jewish opposition. Peter and the Twelve experienced it in Jerusalem (Acts 5:17,18), as did Paul and his coworkers in their worldwide mission outreach (Acts 9:23-25; 13:6-8; 17:5-14).

But if the Jews in their rejection of Christ were largely outside of the Christian church and its blessings, what about their status as God’s chosen people? What about his Old Testament promises to them? Paul addresses that issue in his next major section, chapters 9 to 11.

God’s free choice

When Paul proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, the Promised Messiah, he was preaching a message that was not at all congenial to the Jewish way of thinking. Viewing Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, with its carefully prescribed rituals and ceremonies, seemed to pose a threat to traditional Jewish ways and customs. In fact, when Paul returned to Jerusalem after completing his third missionary journey, James and the Christian brothers in Jerusalem warned Paul of the danger to his life from his Jewish enemies. Paul was perceived by the orthodox Jewish community as being hostile to Jewish customs and virtually anti-Semitic (Acts 21:17-21). Actually, nothing could have been farther from the truth, as the apostle himself strongly asserts.

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit—2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

Far from being anti-Semitic in his dealing with the members of the Jewish race, Paul suffers “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” in his heart because of their rejection of the Promised Messiah. Paul emphasizes that thought with a triple assertion: I am speaking the truth; I’m not lying; the Holy Spirit has instructed my conscience.

But the real proof of his love for the Jewish nation comes in his next statement. Recall that after the incident involving Israel’s worship of the golden calf, God threatened to destroy the rebellious Jewish nation and make a great people from Moses (Exodus 32:9,10). Reminiscent of Moses’ offer (Exodus 32:31,32), Paul now says, “I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” If it were possible, Paul would prefer that he himself would be eternally lost and condemned if only the “brothers” of his own race, the people of Israel, might be saved. So earnestly Paul longed for their salvation.

Nor is their salvation an unrealistic hope. Look at all the advantages God gave them. 

For example, “Theirs is the adoption as sons.” Of all the nations on earth, it was only regarding the Jewish people that God declared, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1).

“Theirs [is] the divine glory.” Paul seems here to be referring to the glory of the Lord, that unique phenomenon whereby God made his presence known among theIsraelites. This glory of the Lord is referred to in numerous places in the Old Testament. A representative example occurs in Leviticus chapter 9. There, after prescribing which animals were to be brought for sacrifice, Moses tells the people, “Today the LORD will appear to you” (verse 4). Then theaccount continues: “They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the LORD. Then Moses said, ‘This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that theglory of the LORD may appear to you.’ Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown” (verses 5,6,23,24). Among no other nation did the “glory of the LORD” appear in this way.

“[Theirs are] the covenants.” God struck numerous covenants with his chosen people—with Abraham (Genesis 15:17,18), with Moses (Exodus 19:5,6), with David (2 Samuel 7:8-16), through Jeremiah (31:31-40), through the prophet Ezekiel (34:25-31). By their very nature these covenants made a special people of Israel.

“[Theirs is] the receiving of the law.” Israel had the advantage of knowing precisely what God expected of them, both through the Ten Commandments given on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:1-17) and through the five books of Moses (Deuteronomy 31:24-28). 

“[Theirs are] the temple worship and the promises.” Other nations followed the natural knowledge of God within their hearts to devise ways of worshiping their gods. Israel not only had divinely given, God-pleasing forms of worship, but their worship had true content! It offered the comfort that only the promise of a Savior from sin could give.

“Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!” Other nations had their philosophers and sages, but only Israel had heroes of faith like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, and Solomon, who not only believed and proclaimed God’s promises but were themselves bearers of the Promised Seed. Jesus was born a Jew according to his human nature, a direct descendant of the patriarchs. But he was also more, much more! He was the promised Christ “who is God over all, forever praised!”

Paul is not biased against his own kinship, the members of the Jewish race. Far from it! Rather, he accords them a premier place in the world. They are, in reality, the nation that is at the center of all world history by virtue of their being the bearer of the promised Messiah. But with all this national prestige and with all these God-given advantages, why are so few of them in step with what is happening through the worldwide spread of the Christian church?