[Linux4christians] Wednesday - Romans 9:1-29

Tue Nov 22 22:03:17 EST 2011

    Wednesday

      Romans 9:1-29

9:1 Israel's Rejection Considered

I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience 
assures me in the Holy Spirit -- 9:2 I have great sorrow and unceasing 
anguish in my heart. 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed -- 
cut off from Christ -- for the sake of my people, my fellow countrymen, 
9:4 who are Israelites. To them belong the adoption as sons, the glory, 
the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the 
promises. 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, by human 
descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever! Amen.

9:6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those 
who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, 9:7 nor are all the 
children Abraham's true descendants; rather "/*through Isaac will your 
descendants be counted*/."

9:8 This means it is not the children of the flesh who are the children 
of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants.

9:9 For this is what the promise declared: "/*About a year from now*/ 
/*I will return and Sarah will have a son*/." 9:10 Not only that, but 
when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our ancestor Isaac -- 
9:11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so 
that God's purpose in election would stand, not by works but by his 
calling) -- 9:12 it was said to her, "/*The older will serve the 
younger*/," 9:13 just as it is written: "/*Jacob I loved*//, //*but Esau 
I hated*/."

9:14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not!

9:15 For he says to Moses: "/*I will have mercy on whom I have mercy*//, 
//*and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion*/."

9:16 So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God 
who shows mercy.

9:17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh: "/*For this very purpose I have 
raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you*//, //*and that my 
name may be proclaimed in all the earth*/." 9:18 So then, God has mercy 
on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden.

9:19 You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who has 
ever resisted his will?"

9:20 But who indeed are you -- a mere human being -- to talk back to 
God? /*Does what is molded say to the molder*//,/ "/*Why have you made 
me like this?*/" 9:21 Has the potter no right to make from the same lump 
of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?

9:22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known 
his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath prepared 
for destruction?

9:23 And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on 
the objects of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory -- 9:24 
even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the 
Gentiles?

9:25 As he also says in Hosea: "/*I will call those who were not my 
people*//,/ '/*My people*//,/' /*and I will call her who was unloved,*/ 
'/*My beloved*//./'"

9:26 "/*And in the very place*/ /*where it was said to them*//,/ '/*You 
are not my people*//,/' /*there they will be called*/ '/*sons of the 
living God*//./'"

9:27 And Isaiah cries out on behalf of Israel, "/Though the number of 
the children/ /of Israel are as the sand of the sea/, /only the remnant 
will be saved/, 9:28 /for the Lord will execute his sentence on the 
earth completely and quickly/."

9:29 Just as Isaiah predicted, "/*If the Lord of armies*/ /*had not left 
us descendants*//, /*we would have become like Sodom*, and we would have 
resembled Gomorrah."

      Prayer

Lord, You provided the law to the Israelites, the subset of humankind 
descended from Issac. The law convicted them of sin and provided a 
ritual-covering for them but it was never possible for them to earn 
salvation in their fallen-flesh through works but only through faith -- 
as had Abraham -- prior to the law. May I be grateful to be free from 
the law, to be in-Christ through faith, and be found grateful through 
thankfulness and righteous living.

      Summary & Commentary

This section of Romans 9 describes the Lord God's relationship with 
humankind under the law. the final few verses of Romans 9 (discussed in 
the next section of this Study) addresses the sovereignty-altered 
relationship under the grace of the Cross.

Paul explains God's rejection of Israel, because God's promise to God 
was not inclusive of all in the tribes of Israel but only a remnant - 
for faith not tribe - Jew and Gentile alike.

Israel's repeated rejection of the God made both the nation and 
individuals culpable.

God chooses, based on the standard described in Romans 8, whom He will 
bless and whom He will not and no man or tribe may correct Him.

God testifies to His sovereignty from the enforcement of His holy 
decrees, mercy as He sees fit, hardening the already hard also as He 
sees fit, all according to His perfect plan.

      Interaction

Consider

Those who were born Israelites were blessed with a unique relationship 
with the Lord God, yet because of their generations of rebellion only a 
remnant was preserved, and their special earthly-relationship lost.

Discuss

Isn't it amazing how God's standard of a faithful-surrender to His 
Lordship has never changed?

        Reflect

The descendants of Israel have always shared access to a faith-based 
salvation with the "gentiles" but they lost sight of that due to their 
unique earthly relationship in the past.

Share

When have you experienced or observed a person imagining that their 
membership in a unique job, religious organization, or social circle 
makes them more valuable to the Lord God?

      Faith in Action

        Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place in your fellowship, or one 
one elsewhere in your community (perhaps a cult of some sort) where some 
may be confusing membership and performance/works with salvation through 
faith-alone.

Action:

Today I will pray in-earnest for those who are confused, and if the Holy 
Spirit provides an opportunity, I will gently, patiently, and 
respectfully share with them the truth of salvation through faith-alone.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

    Thursday's text will be:

      Romans 9:30-33

-- 

Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you,
Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day!
David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Savannah-Statesboro needs a Bible College/Seminary!
Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com
Bible Resources: http://bible.org
Teacher's Verse: John 7:16
I don't google I SEARCH! Yippy.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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