Romans 9 Study Notes

9:1-11:36 Many interpreters have been puzzled by this section of Romans. Anti-Jewish interpreters argue that God is finished with the Jews (9:1-29), while other interpreters view these chapters as a digression from Paul’s exposition of the gospel. But K. H. Rengstorff of Germany recognized otherwise in 1949: “During the years of its sufferings, the Confessing Church learnt that Romans 9-11 held the key to the understanding of the NT.”

This is because these chapters help answer tough questions about how Jesus could be the Jewish Messiah and yet suffer rejection by the majority of Israel. Was the glory of the Davidic Messiah not supposed to excel the glory of David himself? Also, the Jewish expectation was that when Messiah came, Israel would be delivered from Gentile oppression and would hold priority over the nations. Since these things had not happened, many people assumed either that Jesus was not the promised Messiah or else that God had broken his promises to Israel. Furthermore, if Jesus really was the Messiah and yet God had not delivered Israel, how could anyone trust him to keep his gospel promises? And so the trustworthiness of God seemed to be on the line.

Paul overturned these doubts by answering from three perspectives: (1) from the viewpoint of divine sovereignty (chap. 9), (2) from human responsibility (chap. 10), and (3) from God’s final purpose (chap. 11).

9:1-3 Far from being a traitor among the Jews, Paul insisted that he felt great sorrow and unceasing anguish over Jewish national unbelief and would willingly forsake his own salvation if it could save his brothers and sisters, his own flesh and blood.

9:4-5 Paul began in 3:1-2 to list Jewish national benefits. Now he returns to list their privileges, the greatest of which is the incarnation of God in Jewish flesh.

9:6 It is a basic misunderstanding of the OT promises to think that all who were in the nation of Israel were guaranteed to receive God’s spiritual blessings. Paul provides examples in the following verses.

9:7 Abraham had children by Hagar and Keturah, but the promised line was through Sarah’s son Isaac.

9:8-9 Ishmael was a physical son of Abraham, but Isaac was the physical son with the spiritual promises.

9:10-11 The case is clearer with Rebekah because she had twins. God’s choice of the younger twin before their birth showed his gracious election and indicated again that God’s blessings are his to hand out and that they were not an automatic birthright of all ethnic Jews; see note at v. 6.

9:12-13 The divine purpose was revealed from the beginning of the Hebrew nation when God chose one twin over the other. The prophet Malachi traced God’s differing treatment of two nations to this divine choice (Mal 1:1-5). Both nations were punished for their sins, but only one received grace. I have loved Jacob means God chose or elected his descendants (the nation of Israel), whereas I have hated Esau means that God rejected the nation that stemmed from him (Edom).

9:14-15 Is there injustice with God? is a rhetorical question, inspired by the fact that it is difficult to grasp the fact that God does not need to treat all sinners the same in order to be just. Jesus taught the same truth in the parable of the vineyard workers (Mt 20:15: “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine?”). In his first sermon in Nazareth, Jesus pointed out that God gave grace to a widow in Sidon and healed only Naaman the Syrian when there were many needy people in Israel (Lk 4:24-27). His comments enraged the audience, but careful consideration reveals that a just God is perfectly free to make such choices. If you forgave one debtor but not another, would you be unjust? Of course not. You chose to be gracious to one when you could have justly chosen to be gracious to none. God does not owe mercy to anyone. Paul quoted Ex 33:19 to this effect.

9:16 Salvation does not depend on human will or effort. Salvation is based on God’s mercy. The situation is not that people want to be saved but cannot be (2Tm 2:25-26), or that they are running after God but cannot find him. Apart from God’s drawing them, none is seeking the one true God—not a single one (Rm 3:11-12).

9:17 God raised up Pharaoh as ruler of Egypt and used him as a foil to proclaim his name and reveal his power so the one true God would be known. Pharaoh believed himself to be the epitome of Ra, the sun god. He hardened his heart and rejected God’s revelation (Ex 7:3; 8:15).

9:18 God hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness as he progressively rejected the plagues that revealed “the finger of God” (Ex 8:19). Exodus points out that Pharaoh hardened his heart many times before God punished him by hardening him.

9:19 Paul declared that the Judge of the earth is always just. “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?” (Jb 40:2). Humans cannot judge God.

9:20-22 Hebrew Adam (man) is from the Hb adama (ground) (Gn 2:7). In pronouncing punishment for Adam and Eve’s sin, God said, “For you are dust, and you will return to dust” (Gn 3:19). The image of the village potter is common in the OT (Is 41:25; 45:9; Jr 18:1-12) and is used to illustrate different lessons. Here the clay represents fallen humanity. Much as a potter, God works this material into shapes that fulfill his desires (Is 64:6-9). Some pots he chooses to be for honor; others he patiently endures until he displays his justified wrath against sin.

9:23-24 God desires to display his grace on objects of mercy, the ones on whom he has set his redeeming love. These come from both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds.

9:25-26 Drawing from Hosea’s marriage, Paul compares Gentile salvation to mercy bestowed on an undeserving adulterous wife (see the book of Hosea).

9:27-29 Paul also cited the words of Isaiah to show that God will save a remnant of Israel that he “calls.” Unless God had been gracious to the remnant, the whole nation would have been justly wiped out like ancient Sodom and Gomorrah.

9:30-10:21 Chapter and verse divisions in the Bible are modern inventions made for the convenience of readers. Chapters 9-11 are one unit of thought, and they must be understood together to get a complete picture of Paul’s argument.

9:30-33 Gentiles, who were not seeking righteousness, were granted it by grace through faith. They did not work for it or earn it. But Israel missed it by seeking righteousness through the law and by their works. They stumbled over the Messiah and did not believe in him (Is 8:14; 28:16). Jesus himself warned Israel that they missed the “stone” (Mt 21:42-44; see Ps 118:22-23).