Is Israel Still a Part of God’s Plan? Israel’s Past.

Introduction

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In answer to the question, “Is Israel still a part of God’s plan or has God been unfaithful to his covenant with Israel?” Paul deals with Israel’s past, present, and future.

Israel’s past: , Romans 9

Israel’s present: , Romans 10

Israel’s future: , Romans 11

It is good to remember before we start in these chapters that Paul has already addressed Jewish people and the Jewish Law in chapters 1-4.

Romans 1-4:

have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, both and .

The wages of sin is .

By the works of the law is made righteous.

Jesus died for us so that his righteousness could become ours .

Righteousness through faith alone was what , the Father of Israel, experienced.

Romans 9: Israel’s past

Paul’s deep concern for his people, 9:1-3

Paul’s agonizes for the salvation of his fellow Israelites.

Paul seeks to counter any claim that he is anti-Jewish, 1

in verse 1 he vouches for his own truthfulness about this.

Paul laments for his people, 2-3

Paul is ready to be from God if that would lead to their salvation.

Israel’s rich blessings, 9:4-5

God greatly blessed Israel in the past.

• • Adoption
  • The glory
  • The covenants
  • The giving of the law
  • The worship
  • The promises

In addition Israel possessed:

The patriarchs

The human ancestry of Christ

God is , 9:6-13

Question: What about now? Has (his promises) failed?

Let’s get straight these promises were made to. All the descendants of Israel or someone else?

True Israel is not all those descended from Abraham. The true children are those in the lines God chose. Both Ishmael and Esau were descended from Abraham but are not in that line. Isaac and Jacob were.

God’s election (choice) of Israel was his sovereign . It had nothing to do with what they did.

Answer: God’s promise hasn’t failed just because all the fleshly descendants of Abraham have not been saved.

God is , 9:14-18

Question: Is God ?

God is free to offer mercy however and to whomever he pleases. No one deserves his mercy, and they cannot earn it, but he extended mercy to Israel in the past. He withheld mercy from Pharaoh. He can choose who and under what conditions he offers mercy to anyone.

Answer: God’s actions are not based on , so there can be no injustice in what he does. He makes choices about to whom and when he will have mercy and why, but those choice violate his holiness nor his complete justice.

God is , 9:19-29

Question: How can God if everything is determined by his will?

God is also free to anything he creates . We have no right to question God. 19-21

Suppose (What if) God did make some people simply to refuse to show them mercy so that when he has shown mercy it would demonstrate his glory? (Note, Paul doesn’t assume that God has done this nor say that he has. In fact, he leaves this statement hanging. If…then.) 22-23

What God has done is show mercy to both . This is in accordance with what he said ahead of time through the prophets. Many who were never called God’s people now are and a remnant of Israel has been saved. This is only due to God’s great mercy. 24-29

Answer: . None of us has the right to respond to God this way. That said, God does show mercy and there are many who can testify to this.

The problem of Israel, 9:30-33

Question: what shall we say then? If God has not failed in his promise, is not unjust, and is not unfair, why hasn’t Israel ?

Answer: God’s way of providing mercy to sinners is that they , not work to get right with God. The Gentiles have done this, and many of the Jews have not. Instead, many of the Jews have tried to use to obtain righteousness. That doesn’t work. They’ve stumbled over the stone of stumbling and the rock of offense, Jesus. They have so they have God’s mercy.

Note that here Paul introduces human responsibility in salvation.

God is sovereign and he makes sovereign choices about who to show mercy to, but he has how to obtain his mercy. We are called to as our Savior, not to try to save ourselves. That is the channel to receiving God’s mercy.

(MULTILINE)

At this point our concern should not be about , but should be much more personal. We should be concerned about whether or not we have in God’s Son, Jesus, to be our savior. won’t get people in heaven nor will it keep them out. or lack of faith in Jesus is what makes the difference.

CONCLUSION

God has not been to his promises. Nor is God . He is sovereign. While no one his mercy, he can determine who and how anyone can obtain his mercy. have obtained it. Among those are some in Israel, a believing remnant, and many Gentiles. The difference between those who have had mercy shown to them and those who have not is due to each has made. Some pursued righteousness and others . That made and makes an eternal difference.

As Paul said elsewhere:

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)