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Chapter 9 God's Sovereign Choice 1I speak the truth in Christ–I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit–2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race,4the 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.5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!Or Christ, who is over all. God be forever praised! Or Christ. God who is over all be forever praised! Amen.6It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”Gen. 21:128In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.9For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”Gen. 18:10,14 10Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac.11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad–in order that God's purpose in election might stand:12not by works but by him who calls–she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”Gen. 25:2313Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”Mal. 1:2,3 14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!15For he says to Moses, 16It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”Exodus 9:1618Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. 19One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?”20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”Isaiah 29:16; 45:921Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? 22What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath–prepared for destruction?23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory–24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?25As he says in Hosea: 26and, 27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: 28For the Lord will carry out 29It is just as Isaiah said previously: Israel's Unbelief 30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.”33As it is written:“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”Isaiah 8:14; 28:16 Chapter 10 1Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.2For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.3Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.4Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.5Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: “The man who does these things will live by them.”Lev. 18:56But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’Deut. 30:12” (that is, to bring Christ down)7“or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’Deut. 30:13” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).8But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”Deut. 30:14 that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.11As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”Isaiah 28:1612For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”Joel 2:32 14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”Isaiah 52:7 16But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”Isaiah 53:117Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.18But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: 19Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, 20And Isaiah boldly says, 21But concerning Israel he says, Hide Notes
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