ROMANS

AND THE STORY PAUL WAS TELLING

Jonathan Williams

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Copyright © 2013 Jonathan Williams All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1491034439 ISBN-10: 1491034432

All Scripture quoted is from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted. New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright ©

1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

CONTENTS

Introduction – 1

1 The Historical Setting for Romans 7

2 The Story and the Stories Behind Romans 9 17

3 The Patriarchal Stories 9:6-13 29

4 The Exodus Stories 9:14-18 41

5 The Exile Stories 9:19-29 49

6 The End of the Story Should Match

the Story Being Told 9:30-33

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Postscript – “Yes, But What About…?” 75

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INTRODUCTION

Words are crucial! But I think we would all agree that

as important as words are, we must look at them

within the context of the sentence in which we find

them if we are going to receive their full weight. I know

we would agree that sentences are important, but as

important as they are, we must look at them within

the paragraph in which they reside if we are to receive

their full weight. I think also we would agree that

paragraphs are important, but as important as they

are, if we are going to receive their full weight, we

must understand them in the context of the chapter in

which we find them.

OK! I think you know where I am headed with this, and

I hope you will indulge me one more level in my

opening statement. As important as chapters are, we

must look at them within the context of the story

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being told in the book.

Words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and the story

– if we don’t know the story being told, the chances

are, the deeper we drill from chapter to paragraph to

sentence to word,

the greater

tendency we will

have to isolate

parts of Scripture

and fit them into a

different

framework or a

different story

than the one being

told by the writer, and we run the risk of badly missing

the storyteller’s intent.

Imagine if you had only a page of the Bible. Imagine if

you had only Matthew 2 and you read about this

special baby that wise men worshipped and

egomaniacal kings feared. What would you do with

that information, if that is all you had? You would want

to know the background of the baby’s family and what

happened when he grew up. You would want to know

the storyline into which he was born for clues to

discover why some worshiped and others tried to

destroy him.

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Such, I believe, is the case with Romans 9. This chapter

has often been the center of a stormy debate between

God’s people, some called Calvinists and some called

Arminians, regarding the doctrines of election and

predestination. It has been a favorite passage,

especially for the Calvinist position. I remember

reading an article a few years back by a Calvinist, a

well-educated theologically minded brother with a

website of his own and many theologically rich articles.

He stated that he would probably not be a Calvinist

were it not for Romans 9. But Romans 9 was there, he

said, and he therefore was a Calvinist in his view of

election and predestination.

He is right about at least this – Romans 9 is there! Like

a tall mountain looming suddenly before travelers on a

grassy plain, it beckons people to deal with it. I have

dealt with it through the years. In my early years of

delighting in debate (taking the Calvinist side) and

bludgeoning my brothers with Scripture (in love of

course), it was a favorite weapon, I mean, passage, to

consider. But a funny thing happened as I grew in

character and in my understanding of God’s word. I

discovered that I, along with many others, was using

Romans 9 as an ammunition supply for proof texting

arguments on issues that, frankly, Paul probably wasn’t

talking about. As I continued to learn from my own

reading of God’s word and from the observations of

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others, I discovered that Paul may have had something

completely different in mind. I don’t mean a different

viewpoint on election and predestination. I mean that

those issues were only marginally related, if at all, to

what Paul was trying to say. Once I came to that

conviction, I thought it was a pretty good idea to

continue exploring Romans 9, and chapters 10 and 11,

and the whole book of Romans to discover the mind of

Paul and the reasons for which he wrote.

This small book is my understanding of what Paul wrote

in Romans 9 and why he wrote it. As you begin, I want

to make sure you understand what this book is and is

not. This book is not a detailed verse-by-verse exegesis

of Romans 9. I might do that at another time, joining

the thousands of others who have labored up this great

slope. But that is not what this book is. Instead, it is

more of a helicopter ride around the great mountain

where I point out its interesting features. Periodically,

we rope down to the mountain itself and take a close

look at some words and sentences, but we quickly rope

back up in order to take a long look at them within the

story, the story in which this great chapter with all its

paragraphs, sentences, and words resides. It is like

looking at the countryside and learning about the

geographical features of the whole land for answers as

to why this mountain stands as it does in the midst of

its grassy plain. Once we see how and why the

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mountain sits where it does, then, we can start

exploring in greater detail its more specific features.

So what is the story from which Romans 9 emerges?

That is the subject of chapters 1 and 2, and in those

chapters we will discover that in the great story Paul is

telling, he identifies three smaller, but highly

significant stories in the history of his people – the

story of the Patriarchs, the story of the Exodus, and the

story of the Exile. These form chapters 3-5. We finish

with chapter 6, considering how Paul concluded his

stories. It is important to understand that the end of a

story must match up with the story being told, or we

come to confusion and … endless debates.

I first presented these ideas at the Great Commission

Churches National Pastors’ Conference in 2012. It was

an afternoon-long seminar where four pastors gave

their viewpoints on Romans 9. I was honored to be one

of the four. I have modified that original presentation

into its present form. Whatever your perspective on

Romans 9 has been, and whatever it may become, I

hope this small book will assist you in some way in

understanding God’s Word better, and in

understanding God’s Word better, it will cause you to

love him, his people, and the lost even more.

– Jonathan Williams

Jonathan Williams

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1 THE HISTORICAL SETTING FOR ROMANS

Is there a situational context for the book of Romans?

For centuries, scholars and students have thought

Romans to be purely, or at least, primarily, a

theological treatise. It is as if Paul locked himself in a

room for a few days and hammered out his theology

without much thought of any particulars in any church

that he was overseeing.

We read 1 and 2 Corinthians and see the numerous

problems that evoked Paul’s urgent letters. We read 1

& 2 Thessalonians and see how Paul wrote to these

young believers to help them through some

understandable confusion about the return of Christ.

But Romans? After his introduction in the first 15

verses, he appears to present a treatise of his thoughts

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on the Gospel, sort of like a project he had saved for a

rainy day (or a prison term!) that he could not get to

with the press of urgent matters from the churches he

oversaw. Once he found time, he could turn to the

great theological project of his heart. Not that this

project would be without use. What could be more

useful than explaining the Gospel! But the prevailing

thought for generations was that Romans was not so

much about meeting needs in a local congregation and

more about Paul setting forth his apostolic message.

More recent scholarship does not see Romans in this

way. John Stott said,

The older commentaries tended to assume that Paul was providing in Romans what Philip Melanchthon termed ‘a compendium of Christian doctrine’, somewhat detached from any particular socio-historical context…. Nevertheless all New Testament documents (the gospels, the Acts and the Revelation as well as the letters) were written from within a particular situation. And this situation concerned partly the circumstances in which the author found himself, partly those of his intended readers, and usually a combination of both. It is these which help us to grasp what prompted each author to write and why he wrote what he did write. Romans is no exception to this general rule….” 1

1 The Message of Romans, John R.W. Stott, pp. 31-32.

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If this is the case, it is imperative that we learn why

Paul was writing. It may prove crucial in interpreting

the entire book, and for our purposes, chapter 9.

Several options have been presented to explain the

situational purpose of the book. For example, James

Dunn says that Paul had three purposes in mind,

missionary (his forthcoming trip to Spain), apologetic

(setting forth the true Gospel), and pastoral (uniting

Jew and Gentile in one body). He said, “…all three of

these main emphases and purposes hang together and

indeed reinforce each other when taken as a whole.”2

While these ideas form part of the rationale for Paul’s

writing, the suggestion from N.T. Wright seems to

strike at the heart of what was happening in Rome.3

In the year AD 48 or 49 the emperor Claudius expelled

Jews from Rome due to riots in Jewish quarters of the

city over “Chrestus.” This extreme action, documented

in Acts 18:2 and by the Roman writer Suetonius, shows

indirectly the powerful influence the Gospel was

making in the Jewish community in Rome for

2 James D.G. Dunn, Word Biblical Commentary, Romans 1-8, p. lviii and see the entire discussion on liv-lviii. See also Douglas Moo, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Epistle to the Romans, pp. 16-22 for some helpful comments. 3 N.T. Wright, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume X, Romans, pp. 406-408.

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“Chrestus” can be none other than Christ and the

impact of the Gospel message in the Jewish

synagogues. As we know from our reading of Acts,

“riots in Jewish quarters” were a frequent occurrence

as Paul took the message of Jesus Messiah to the

synagogues throughout the Roman world.4

We are not talking about heated arguments and hurt

feelings, but civil unrest. This happened among the

Gentiles in Acts 19 when the worshippers of Artemis

felt threatened by this new religion centered around

Jesus and proclaimed their allegiance to her instead of

him. Such was the civil disturbance that the city

authorities feared that if Rome got wind of that day’s

events, the emperor might impose severe penalties

upon the city.

We must remember separation of church and state

was unthinkable in ancient life. Everything in life was

integrated and to challenge one’s religion was to

challenge one’s identity. Thus, civil unrest would not

be unexpected if a new religion threatened to

undermine a community’s life-long, perhaps,

centuries-long political, social, economic, and spiritual

loyalties.

The same was true among the Jewish people. Their

4 See Acts 13:49-52; 14:1-4; 14:19; 17:4-5; 17:13; 18:12-13; 22:22.

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identity as the unique people of God was at stake.

When Paul preached that the crucified Jesus rose from

the dead and was enthroned as Israel’s King and

Messiah in fulfillment of Israel’s promises,5 that all

Jews should embrace him,6 and open their arms to

Gentile believers as equal members in the covenant

and fellow-heirs of the promises,7 they perceived this

as a challenge to their identity, their loyalty to the God

of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their loyalty to the

Law of Moses. It’s not just that Paul stated a few

random prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus, that he was

therefore the Savior of the world and the only way to

heaven. Paul’s message was far broader. He was

stating that Israel’s identity and centuries-long

purposes were now finding their climax in this Jesus.

The Jews understood very well what he was saying

which is why we read of riots in city after city where he

preached and in the Temple precincts8 that nearly cost

Paul his life on many occasions. How could they

embrace a crucified Messiah? How could they embrace

non law-keeping Gentiles? How could their long-

suffering history be fulfilled by a Roman-crucified

5 As in Acts 13:32-37. See also Acts 2:22-36 for the same emphasis by Peter. 6 As in Acts 13:38-39. Peter preached the same in Acts 2:37-39. 7 As decreed in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem Council and expounded upon in Ephesians 2:11-3:6. 8 See Acts 21:27-31 and 22:22-23.

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Messiah when the Romans were still in charge? These

were the questions every Jewish community had to

answer as Paul proclaimed the Gospel. Some believed

in Jesus. Others did not, and Israel was split.

While Paul did not initiate the Gospel in Rome, it is not

inconceivable that social unrest was the experience of

other apostles and messengers who were declaring to

Israel that their Messiah had come and Israel would

find the completion of its story and mission in his

death, resurrection, enthronement and Spirit-

empowered proclamation of God’s kingdom to the

nations.

Would the emperor Claudius involve himself over a

theological debate among Jews about their Messiah?

He would not. The particulars of Jewish theology were

of little concern to him, except when that theology

threatened the social order that the Romans, and any

government for that matter, so highly prized. Thus,

when riots in Jewish quarters broke out over Chrestus,

it was time for him to step in, and the Jews to step out

of Rome.

In addition, we must remember that much anti-Jewish

sentiment existed throughout the Roman empire

because of their high moral and ethical standards and

because of their refusal to acknowledge the gods of

Rome. So Claudius expelled Jews from Rome, but this

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was short-lived for when he died in AD 54, Nero, his

successor, rescinded the decree allowing their return.

Sounds simple enough, but life is rarely so simple. As

the Jews returned home they found that more of their

Jewish brethren, in contact with Jesus followers

scattered throughout the Roman world, were now

believers in Jesus as the Messiah – among them

Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:2; Romans 16:3) – and they

would find that more Gentile god-fearers, who once

attended their synagogues as Gentiles were also

believers in Jesus as the Messiah and claiming

membership with full privilege in the covenant people

of God. The cause of their expulsion from Rome had

not gone away. Rather it had been exacerbated by the

increase in the number of the followers of Jesus!

Paul loved his Jewish brethren – his kinsmen according

to the flesh – and he loved his brethren in Christ, Jew

and Gentile. He greatly desired to have an audience

with those Jews who did not yet follow Jesus as the

Christ and so he stated in Romans 1:15 that he was

eager to preach the Gospel in Rome. He does however,

have an audience with the Jewish and Gentile believers

in Rome and thus he writes the book of Romans – for

many reasons, to be sure – but also to speak into this

historical situation that I have just described.

As Paul writes his book, he wants to address this

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question – What should be the attitude of Gentile

believers toward the returning Jews who still do not

believe in Jesus as Messiah? Well, one thing is for sure,

they must guard against breathing in the atmosphere

of their day, of anti-Semitism, and so Paul in writing his

great letter to Rome must address the issue of Israel in

the plan of God. He must address how to think about

those Jews who do not believe in Jesus Messiah.

But as I said, some returning Jews do believe in Jesus

Messiah, and there is confusion among many about

how these two groups, Jew and Gentile, relate to one

another in the Body of Christ. Often, this confusion

turns into tension and Paul must address this as well.

Thus, for the latter issue – how Jew and Gentile believers

in Jesus Messiah are to relate to one another, especially

because of long-held Jewish practices such as Sabbath

observance and dietary laws, practices that marked

them out as God’s people, – Paul writes Romans 14-15

with the great climactic statement of 15:7-9.

7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written,“ THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING

TO YOUR NAME.”

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For the former issue – how Gentiles are to relate to the

returning Jews who do not believe – Paul writes

Romans 9-11 with his great statement in 11:18

warning the Gentiles – “Do not be arrogant toward the

branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is

not you who supports the root, but the root supports

you!”

The book of Romans then, among its many purposes, is

a detailed theological explanation of how God has

provided a way for Gentile and Jew to live together as

one family with a righteous standing before him, not

on the basis of the works of the Law, but on the basis

of faith in what Jesus the Messiah has done for Israel

and the whole world. He also writes with the hope that

all Jews will come to faith in Jesus. It is, at once, a

pastoral letter urging unity in the Body and an appeal

for an evangelistic heart toward those not yet believing

– worthy endeavors for all of us to imitate, and

perhaps, a prerequisite of the heart if we are to

understand the heart of Paul and the words he wrote

in this great chapter.

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2 THE STORY AND THE STORIES BEHIND ROMANS 9

Most commentators will agree that the key passage of

Romans is 1:16-17 which says:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “ BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

But what is the righteousness of God? We must learn

to think like Old Testament prophets and first century

apostles because the righteousness of God is not just

His moral attributes of which we fall short but also his

faithfulness to his covenants. The prophets in

numerous places say that God will save his people

because he is merciful, but they also say that he will

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save by his righteousness and justice. Consider these

passages from Isaiah. Notice the many times where

righteousness/justice and salvation parallel.

1:27 – Zion will be redeemed with justice and her repentant ones with righteousness.

30:18 – Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

46:13 – “I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; and My salvation will not delay. And I will grant salvation in Zion, and My glory for Israel.

51:5-8 – 5“My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, and My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait for Me, and for My arm they will wait expectantly. 6 “Lift up your eyes to the sky, then look to the earth beneath; for the sky will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not wane. 7 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, a people in whose heart is My law; do not fear the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. 8 “For the moth will eat them like a garment, and the grub will eat them like wool. But My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation to all generations.”

59:11 – All of us growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us.

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Isaiah and other prophets spoke of salvation as an act

of God’s justice or righteousness. What they mean is

that because God is just, because he is righteous, he

will be faithful to the covenant promises that he made

with the patriarchs and that he affirmed through the

prophets. Paul emphasized this covenant faithfulness

in his climactic statement in Romans 15:8 – that Christ

has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of

the truth9 of God to confirm the promises given to the

fathers.

But how does God fulfill the promises? How does God

demonstrate his righteous covenant fulfillment to his

people and to the nations? This is what Romans is

about. In chapters 1-4, after showing that Gentile and

Jew are both guilty before God, Paul explains that God

righteously fulfills his covenant promises to Abraham

through the Messiah Jesus by faith, not through Torah

observance. In chapters 5-8, Paul explains how God

solved the sin of Adam and of Israel, of all people,

through the Messiah’s death and vindicating

resurrection. Those who unite with the Messiah

through baptism/faith move from their status of

condemnation and death to the status of justified

children. They are dead to sin and alive to God.

9 Here, truth, has the idea of faithfulness, as in someone being true to his word.

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As we look at the first eight chapters of Romans, we

notice that Paul has hinted at the topic of Israel. He

talked about the Jews in chapter 2 and how they were

as guilty as the Gentiles. In chapter 3 he starts to

answer the question, “if Israel is just as guilty as

Gentiles, what advantage did Israel have in receiving

the Law?” But Paul does not fully answer this question

at this point. He makes other references to Israel and

the Law in chapters 4-8,10 but before he can get into

his full blown explanation of Israel in the plan of God,

he must first explain how the Messiah of Israel brought

salvation to Israel and all the nations of the world

through his death and resurrection and that the

benefits of his death and resurrection come to us not

by the works of the Law but by faith.

Once he has finished that, he is ready to give his full

discourse on Israel. This is the subject of Romans 9-11.

This is the story being told, and here is the question

that Paul will answer when he gets to chapter 9.

If God has been faithful to his covenant with Israel which is the necessary prerequisite for the unfolding of his plan to bring salvation to the nations, why is it that so many Jews do not believe? Why isn’t Israel saved?

I believe these questions and their answers form the

10 4:13-15; 5:13-14; 6:14-15; 7:7-8:12.

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theme of Romans 9-11. But before I unpack this theme

I must make a crucial statement about one of its

phrases. In the theme I state that God’s faithfulness to

Israel was the necessary prerequisite to the unfolding

of his plan to bring salvation to Gentiles. It is important

that we understand this in order to approach Romans

9 correctly. What do we mean by God’s faithfulness to

Israel being the necessary prerequisite for the

unfolding of his plan for the nations? We answer this

question, first, by stating that God, from the time of

Abraham forward, planned on saving the world

through Israel.

God elected Abraham and his descendants, not to

bless them and condemn the nations, but as the

means by which salvation would come to the world.

Tragically, God’s appointed means to bring salvation to

the world failed. Israel became enslaved morally to the

gods of Canaanite fertility religions. Then it became

enslaved politically to the Assyrians, Babylonians,

Persians, Greeks, and Romans. Israel, the light of the

world, lived in darkness. Israel, the chosen means of

salvation for the nations, was in need of salvation

itself. Thus, before the nations could be saved, Israel

had to be saved. What was once a one-stage plan for

the world – the nations through Israel – became a two-

stage plan – first Israel, then the nations.

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To this the prophets and apostles testify abundantly.

Isaiah 49:5-6 present this two-fold sequence:

And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and My God is My strength), 6 He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Notice the sequence, the Servant brings Jacob back to

God. He regathers Israel. But the restoration of God’s

covenant people is too small a task. God has

something much bigger in mind, the nations of the

world! This is the passage along with Isaiah 42:611

quoted by Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13:46-47 in the

ministry to the Jew first, and then the Gentile.

46Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU

MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.’”

11 “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.” Notice the sequence, first “the people” (Israel), then “the nations.”

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Notice in 13:46 that Paul, in his preaching in Pisidian

Antioch said it was necessary for the Gospel to go to

the Jews first. Why necessary? Why did Paul emphasize

in his letter to Rome that the Gospel would go to the

Jew first and then to the Gentiles?12 It is because God’s

plan for the whole world became a two-stage plan,

first, the salvation of sinful Israel, then the salvation of

the world. God would restore his people according to

the promises of the prophets and then use this

restored people to reach out to all the nations, his

ultimate objective. Israel was always the means to the

bigger end – the reconciliation of the nations.

Peter showed the same sequence in the concluding

words of his sermon in Acts 3.

25 It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES

OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’ 26 For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

Notice that Peter appeals to the Jews as sons of the

prophets and sons of the covenant made with the

patriarchs. He wants them to tie their prophetic and

covenant identity and promises with the death,

resurrection, and enthronement of Jesus. He then

12 Romans 1:16; 2:9-10.

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quotes from the first proclamation of these covenant

promises in Genesis 12 and its climax – God using the

seed of Abraham to bring blessing to all the nations.

But blessing to the nations was stage two in God’s

sequence. Stage one was the restoration of his

covenant people. Thus, Peter said, “For you first, God

raised up his Servant, Jesus and sent him to bless you

by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

First Israel, then the nations.

This was also the conclusion of the first Church Council,

in Jerusalem. The debate was about the inclusion of

the Gentiles in the covenant people as Gentiles. The

apostles concluded that this was happening in their

day and that the restoration of his covenant people

was leading to salvation among the nations. James

grounded this conclusion by appealing to the

prophecies of Amos 9:11-12 quoted in verses 16-18.

13 After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. 15 With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD

THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL

REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, 17 SO THAT THE

REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE

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GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,’ 18 SAYS THE

LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO.

Once again we have the two-stage sequence of

salvation, first Israel, then the nations. In this passage,

Israel’s salvation is depicted in the rebuilding of David’s

tabernacle. The rebuilding of the temple or tabernacle

was thought to be an identifier of the Messiah. The

true Messiah would save his people, i.e., he would

deliver them from their enemies, restore them from

captivity, and rebuild the temple.13 James presents the

rebuilding imagery to denote the salvation of God’s

covenant people which led to the turning of Gentiles to

the God of Israel. First Israel, then the nations.

This, then, is why I say in my thematic statement that

God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Israel was the

necessary prerequisite for the unfolding of his plan for

the nations. One does not happen without the other.

Having elaborated on this phrase of my thematic

statement for Romans 9, let me repeat what I see to

be the theme and key question of Romans 9.

If God has been faithful to his covenant with Israel which is the necessary prerequisite for

13 See N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, 481-486 for an insightful discussion on the tie-in between Messiahship and Temple building.

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the unfolding of his plan to bring salvation to the nations, why is it that so many Jews do not believe? Why isn’t Israel saved?

This is what Paul will address in Romans 9-11. With this

background before us, we are now ready to address

the text. Paul, in the opening words of chapter 9

expresses grief and sorrow over Israel’s unbelief.

1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (9:1-3)

He then says that the wonderful blessings that are now

the possession of Gentiles in Jesus the Messiah, the

blessings he has been describing in Chapters 1-8, are

really the blessings he promised to Israel.14

4… who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. (9:4-5)

How can this be? How do we explain this strange

historical situation that the salvation of Israel has gone

14 Paul also states this in Romans 15:27 where he says the Gentiles have shared in the spiritual things of Israel.

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to the nations but Israel itself is not saved? This is what

Paul will answer starting in 9:6 and going through 11:36.

In this book, we will limit ourselves to Romans 9.

Chapter 9 breaks down like this:

9:6-13 tells the story of the patriarchal foundation

and answers the question previously asked in 3:3,

“Does Israel’s unbelief nullify God’s faithfulness to

his promises?”

9:14-18 tells the story of the Exodus and answers

the question already asked in 3:5, “Is God unjust?”

9:19-29 tells the story of God’s judgment that led

to exile and through exile to the fulfillment of

God’s prophetic promises and answers the

question already asked in 3:7, “Why does he find

fault?”

9:30-33 presents Paul’s initial conclusion to his

initial topic, his full conclusion being in 11:25-36.

These sections with their questions and Paul’s initial

conclusion form the next chapters of this book and the

explanation of Romans 9.

I hope you are beginning to see, at least a bit, the

importance of understanding the background story

that Paul had in mind. His background story will

provide the context to understand the chapter, its

paragraphs, its sentences, and its words.

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29

3 THE PATRIARCHAL STORIES – 9:6-13

In Romans 9-11, Paul gives his explicit explanation of

what has happened to Israel. He has hinted at this

subject earlier in his letter, most notably 2:1-3:8. He

begins 9 by expressing his sorrow for the unbelief of

his Jewish brethren, even wishing that he could bear

the curses of the covenant that are drawing near to

them for their unbelief. Then he lists the blessings of

Israel – the adoption, the glory of the kingdom, the

covenants, the Law, the service of the Temple, the

promises, and above all, the Messiah. These things,

this Person, belonged to the Jews but they were in

danger of forfeiting it all. What has happened? It is

obvious the salvation of Israel has gone out to the

nations – stage two in God’s plan for the world. But

stage one – the salvation of Israel doesn’t seem to

have occurred. Why? What has happened? Was God

not faithful to his promises to his historic people?

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We begin with 9:6 – “But it is not as though the word

of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are

descended from Israel.”

What does Paul mean by his statement it is not as

though the word of God has failed? Paul is saying that

even though Israel has failed and missed out on its

blessings, God’s word, God’s promises to Israel have

not failed. Instead, as he will say later in 15:8, Christ

has confirmed the promises made to the fathers. The

problem is, it looks different than everyone thought it

would look. But Paul is not daunted by appearances

and from this point he will tell several stories to show

how God worked in the history of his people. This

ancient work formed a paradigm for the apostolic work

occurring in his day in Israel. These stories will help

unseeing eyes see and answer perplexing questions

that formed stumbling blocks for many.

He begins by saying this: they are not all Israel who are

descended from Israel. This is a shocking statement for

our sensitive post-holocaust ears but it was not an

uncommon thing to say in the first century. For

example, the Essenes in the wilderness said the same:

“We are Israel. The rest of those people living in

Jerusalem and Galilee are apostate. We are Israel.”

Sects within Israel would lay claim to being the true

Israel while other so-called brands of Judaism were

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under the curse of God. Just because a person was a

physical descendant of Abraham did not guarantee

status in what the sect regarded to be the “true

Israel.”15

Paul says the same. “Look around at Israel. Not all of

them are really Israel. We have to define what Israel

really is to God.” This was not the first time for Paul to

speak like this. Already, in this letter he talked about

this strange reality. In 2:28-29 he says “he is not a Jew

who is one outwardly but he is a Jew who is one

inwardly.” He will now in chapter 9 fully explain that

provocative statement in chapter 2 and he ties them

together with the equally provocative statement,

“They are not Israel who say they are Israel.”

Paul gives several examples from the patriarchal

history to prove his point. In 9:7 Paul says, “nor are

they all children because they are Abraham’s

descendants but through Isaac your descendants will

be called.”

Abraham had two sons – Ishmael by Hagar and Isaac

by Sarah – but according to 9:8, Ishmael is regarded as

a child of the flesh and is therefore not regarded as

Abraham’s true descendant and a child of God. He

15 See N.T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God, The Essenes: Spotlight on a Sect, pp. 203-209.

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says, “It is not the children of the flesh who are

children of God….” Instead, “the children of the

promise are regarded as descendants.” Paul then, in

verse 9, quotes Genesis 18:10 which was the word of

promise from God to Sarah and Abraham, “At this time

I will come and Sarah will have a son.”

Taking inventory of verses 6-9 we find these contrasts.

Israel 9:6 Not Israel

Children 9:7 Not children

Isaac 9:7 Ishmael

Children of God 9:8 Children of the flesh

Promise 9:8-9 No promise

The point of these contrasts is this: not all of

Abraham’s physical children were considered “children

of promise.” As it was in Abraham’s time, so it was in

Paul’s day – they are not all Israel who are descended

from Israel.

By this time, some of you may be thinking – “Wait, this

is supposed to be a book on Romans 9 and its

relationship to election and predestination, but you

seem to be talking about something different.”

Exactly!

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33

This will be my point for Romans 9. Most scholars and

theologians talk about election and predestination,

Calvinism and Arminianism, and beat a path to Romans

9 with its various words and phrases to support their

positions. They are off point. Paul in Romans 9 is not

talking about what they are talking about. They are

talking about abstract theological issues that

peripherally, if at all, entered Paul’s mind as he wrote

these words in 9-11. This will become more apparent,

at least to me, as we continue.

Paul continues with Example 2 from the patriarchal

story in verses 10-11.

10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,

He speaks about Rebekah who gave birth to two boys,

Esau and Jacob, from Isaac. Paul then says that God

chose one of them and not the other. His choice was

not based on works but it was made before either of

them had done anything good or bad. His choice was

made by grace. It was his sovereign choice. Ah – now

we are getting to election! Or, or are we? Notice that

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the verse does not say that God’s salvation according

to His choice would stand but God’s purpose according

to His choice might stand.

What was God’s purpose? We have a choice (no pun

intended) at this point! We can read our theological

frameworks into it or we can go back to Genesis and

let the Patriarchal Story inform us about God’s

purpose. When we go back to Genesis, we discover a

story about God’s work in history to bring salvation

through some of the descendants of Abraham for the

sake of the whole world, not a story about how God

limits his salvation to a select number. Remember, the

exclusive covenant with Abraham was that it might

one day be inclusive for all the families of the earth

(Genesis 12:3).

The election of God to use Jacob rather than Esau is

underscored in 9:12-13, a quote from Genesis 25:23

about who gets the birthright and blessing and who,

therefore, advances the purpose of God for the

salvation of the nations. “It was said to her, “THE OLDER

WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I

LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”

The older (Esau) serves the younger (Jacob). But when

we read the Patriarchal story, we discover this did not

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happen in the lifetime of these two men.16 Esau never

served Jacob. Instead, we see this purpose worked out

in their descendants for, as it says in 9:13, “JACOB I

LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.” Though the names of two men

are used, God is talking about two nations.

In this verse, at least, Paul is thinking corporately and

nationally, not individually. We know this because

Paul’s words in Romans 9:13 are a quote from Malachi

1:2 which is not a statement about God loving one

man and hating the other, predestining one to

salvation and the other to damnation. This is a

statement showing how God worked out his purposes

in history long after Jacob and Esau died! God loved

Jacob, i.e. Israel, because his saving purposes for the

nations were advancing through them. God hated

Esau, i.e., Edom because they were working against

God’s saving purposes. The quote from Malachi shows

God’s attitude toward Jacob’s nation and Esau’s

nation. God will build up Israel but tear down Edom.

God is therefore speaking of the election of nations,

not of individuals. God is speaking of his purposes to

bring salvation to all the families of the earth as he

promised to Abraham in the covenant. This includes

16 I am indebted to Pastor Dave Bovenmeyer of Stonebrook Community Church in Ames, Iowa for this insight.

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the nations not chosen to advance God’s plan. God’s

love for Jacob and hatred of Edom included salvation,

ultimately, for the Edomites – the very ones he says he

hates! We know this because the prophecy of Amos

9:11-12 is about the Edomites. This is the passage

James quoted in Acts 15:15-18 as the theological basis

to bring salvation to the nations – the ones God says

he hates! The ones who are supposedly not elected to

salvation!

To summarize 9:6-13 – God works through Isaac and

not Ishmael, Jacob and not Esau, Israel and not Edom.

Even though all are descended from Abraham, all are

not really his “children,” that is, children of promise.

Even though they all are descended from Abraham, all

are not considered Jews or part of Israel whose

purpose and identity was to be a blessing to the

nations. What Paul said earlier in 2:28-29 – “he is not a

Jew” and now in 9:6, “they are not Israel,” he

illustrates from the Patriarchal Story, not all of

Abraham’s physical descendants are really his

“children.” They are of the flesh.

At this point, I must make some mention of 9:11, a

much quoted verse in the Calvinism/Arminianism

debate.

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For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls…

Here we have an explicit statement about God’s

sovereign choice for one and not the other, for Jacob

and not Esau. Yet, is this about salvation? I mentioned

earlier that some have a tendency to read-in the word

“salvation” rather than let the text stand. Some read

in, “God’s salvation according to his choice.” But the

text says “purpose” and the story of Genesis is about

God’s purpose in electing some to make salvation

available for all.

Why, then, did Paul write these words? Paul’s

statement that God chose Jacob and not Esau without

any reference to their works would serve his purpose

of dealing a glancing blow at the legalists who said

they were the elect nation because of their physical

connection with Abraham and because of their

adherence to the Law of Moses. But Paul said God

sovereignly chose Jacob and not Esau with no

reference to their works, thus undercutting the

presumption of basing one’s elect status on Torah

observance. Paul used a similar line of argument in

Romans 4 when he stated that Abraham became an

heir of the promises before he was circumcised, a

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requirement of covenant membership according to the

Law. This is one of Paul’s strategies in the book – to

use Old Testament pre-Law stories as a paradigm to

explain his current ministry and to combat the

opponents to the Gospel, those who tenaciously held

onto law-keeping as their badge of membership rather

than faith in the crucified and risen Messiah.

Paul’s “opponent” in Romans is not an Arminian! To

assume that and to use this verse in this way would

make the mistake of reading 16th and 17th century

debates (and modern ones!) into the text. Paul’s

opponents17 are those who held onto their physical

lineage, their circumcision, their dietary requirements

17 When we speak of Paul’s opponents we must keep in mind that throughout the book he uses a rhetorical style called diatribe. Diatribe employs fictional conversations and debates, rhetorical questions, and the use of me genoito in order to press home a point with creativity. Dennis E. Johnson states that Paul addresses “debating opponents whom he does not necessarily expect to be in the Roman Christian congregations to whom his epistle is addressed (e.g. 2:1-5, 17-24). He also anticipates, articulates, and answers the objections and false conclusions that have often been evoked by his gospel of grace (3:3-4, 5-6, 30-31; 6:1-2, 14-15; 7:5-7, 11-13; 9:11-14; 10:19;11:1, 9-11),” The Function of Romans 7:13-25 in Paul’s Argument for the Law’s Impotence and the Spirit’s Power, and Its Bearing on the Identity of the Schizophrenic “I”, Resurrection and Eschatology, Theology in Service of the Church, Tipton & Waddington, eds., p. 17, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008.

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– the works of the Law – as the proof of covenant

membership rather than faith in the Messiah. This is

what he is dealing with.

We must also keep in mind the story of Genesis – God

forming a covenant with some in order that he might

bless all. God’s sovereign choice of Jacob was a choice

to use him to advance his plan for the nations. Paul’s

purpose in writing Romans 9 and the entire book must

be in line with this revealed purpose – to include,

ultimately, the Ishmaels, the Esaus, and the Edomites

of this world. Paul is drawing in 9:6-13 from a story of

God’s saving purpose for all the nations, not an

abstract discussion of election and predestination.

But why these examples from the stories of Abraham,

Isaac, and Jacob? We will see shortly, that Paul used

them to establish a paradigm for interpreting what was

happening in his day. Paul will conclude that God was

working in the same way in his time as he worked in

the ancient past of his nation’s history.

We are now ready to move to the next epoch in history

and the next chapter in this book. Paul will now use

the Exodus story to advance the paradigm for what

was happening in his day. This is in 9:14-18.

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4 THE EXODUS STORIES 9:14-18

Paul moves to a new epoch in his people’s history,

from the Patriarchal Age to the greatest event in their

story – the Exodus. Paul provides two examples from

the Exodus Story, the worship of the golden calf and

the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart. It will be a story of

two rebellions and how God met one with mercy and

the other with judgment. But we will see that the

ultimate objective of both was the same.

Example 1 is an episode of Israel’s unfaithfulness

recorded in Exodus 32-34. It is the sad story of the

just-delivered people worshipping a golden calf.

Just at the point where Moses was receiving the Law

and the instructions for the worship of God, Israel was

bowing before a cow! Because of this great sin of

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idolatry, in spite of the fact that the people had already

heard the warning against idolatry recorded in Exodus

20, God set out to destroy Israel, but Moses interceded

for them and God heard his prayer.

God still wanted to punish his people for this quick and

flagrant violation of his law. He told Moses,

“Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2 I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.” (Exodus 33:1-3)

This was heartbreaking for Moses. An angel was good,

but unless God himself was in their midst, Moses knew

there was no chance of success in their journey. So

Moses prayed again, “Lord, you must go with us,” and

again God relented. He said, “My presence shall go

with you and I will give you rest.” When Moses heard

these words he was stirred by such compassion and

mercy. He was overwhelmed with the grace of God in

the face of the rebellion of his people and he said, “O

Lord, show me your glory!” God replied:

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I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion. (Exodus 34:18-19)

It is a moving story, and one from which God’s people

have drawn inspiration for centuries. What does Paul

draw from this story? Why does he include it in this

section about who is a Jew and who is not a Jew? He

draws from it because he wants to establish the first of

two critical points in this new story – God’s saving

purposes for the world go forward through acts of

mercy. God did not strike down the Jews on the spot

even though that is what they deserved. Thus we have

Paul quoting from Exodus 33:19 which says, “I will be

gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have

compassion on whom I have compassion” and then he

concludes this first point with 9:16, “So then, it does

not depend on the man who wills or the man who

runs, but on God who has mercy.” I will comment on

this important verse shortly, but first let me finish the

thought of the section. Paul’s statement in verse 16 is

a concluding statement for his first example from the

Exodus account and a bridge to his next example.

Example 2 pertains to Pharaoh’s hardness of heart and

presents the second critical point in the Exodus story.

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God’s saving purposes for the world go forward

through acts of hardening. Pharaoh initially disobeyed

the Lord, and God judged his rebellion by hardening his

heart further, which literally in the Hebrew means “to

make one’s heart heavy, or strong.” This means that

God strengthened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would be

able to withstand the judgments of God allowing God

to proclaim his superiority over the gods of Egypt18 and

his name to all the earth19 by the plagues. Paul quotes

Exodus 9:16 in verse 17 of Romans 9 and then

concludes this section with verse 18. Here are Paul’s

words.

17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY

PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN

YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

Paul has pulled two stories from the Exodus event; the

worship of the golden calf and the hardening of

Pharaoh’s heart. Why did he use these two and what

was his purpose? It was this:

God advanced his purposes in the world, on the one hand by mercy to his rebellious covenant

18 Against the gods of Egypt – Exodus 12:12; Numbers 33:4. 19 The Canaanites heard of God’s power – Joshua 2:8-11.

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people, and on the other hand by hardening a rebellious pagan king. Yet, it was the same plan of salvation that was advancing. Just as God worked through mercy and hardening in the Exodus event, he was advancing his plan in the same ways in Paul’s time – by mercy and hardening.

With this in mind, we now turn to 9:16 which has

received so much attention through the years. “So

then it does not depend on the man who wills or the

man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”

The mistake we make in this verse is that we think the

word, it, refers to salvation. But it does not. In fact, the

word, it, is not even in the Greek. A literal, rough

translation of the Greek is – “so then, not the willing,

not the running, but showing mercy, God.” Our

translation smooths the Greek into readable English,

but the mistake of many has been to read a theological

topic into the verse, such as unconditional election.

Such topics are foreign to Paul’s immediate purposes.

The mistake has been to pour theological content into

the word, “it” that is foreign to Paul’s carefully

constructed conversation dealing with first century

issues. I suggest we let Paul’s purposes in Romans 9, in

the whole book, and the Old Testament framework

determine the meaning of the verse. The story, then

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the chapters, paragraphs, sentences, and words.

Let’s review this framework. Paul has now quoted from

Genesis 21:12; 18:10; 25:23; and Malachi 1:2-3 in the

Patriarchal Story and Exodus 33:19 and 9:16 in the

Exodus Story. What is the story being told in these two

epochs? The story is threefold.

First, it is a story of God using some and not all

to advance his purposes for all. This is the point

of the Patriarchal story.

Second, it is the story of God showing mercy to

advance his purposes. God uses Israel in spite

of Israel’s sin. Look at Jacob’s sin. Look at

Israel’s sin! God has mercy upon them for the

sake of the world. This is the first point of the

Exodus story.

Third, it is the story of God using pagan rulers

to advance his purpose. He hardens them in

their rebellion and uses their hard hearts to

proclaim his name among the nations. This is

the second point of the Exodus story.

God has had mercy upon some and hardened others,

according to his matchless wisdom. He knows what is

best for each situation. But each situation of mercy or

hardening in the Exodus story was not to individual

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salvation or judgment but to nations or to

representatives of nations in order to advance His

saving plan for all.

This is the story being told in the Old Testament. I

suggest it is the story in Paul’s mind and the story he

was telling in Romans 9 as he observed God giving

mercy to some sinners who repented and hardening

others who disobeyed. Paul uses these stories of his

people’s history as a paradigm for what was happening

in his day and to set up his main points. Remember,

Romans 9 is primarily answering the question,

If God has been faithful to his covenant with Israel which is the necessary prerequisite for the unfolding of his plan to bring salvation to the nations, why is it that so many Jews do not believe? Why isn’t Israel saved?

The Exodus stories answer the question this way:

no matter what man throws against God, whether

idolatry in Israel’s case or stubbornness in Pharaoh’s,

God’s purposes for the world will prevail. On the one

hand he meets the rebellion of his covenant people

with mercy. On the other hand, he meets the rebellion

of a pagan ruler with judgment. But in either case,

God’s covenant promises and plans go forward. They

went forward in the Exodus Story. They were going

forward in Paul’s time. He was meeting the rebellion of

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repentant people with mercy. He was meeting the

rebellion of unrepentant people with hardening.

These history lessons form an important piece of his

argument – what happened in the ancient history of

his people was happening again in his time. The Exodus

story was a paradigm for interpreting the strange

events happening in his day. Mercy was being

extended to some and hardening to others just as in

the days of Moses. Yet, through it all, God was working

in Israel for the sake of all the nations.20

It is noteworthy also that in both stories, we find great

concern for the name of God in the world. In the story

of the golden calf, the story of mercy, we find Moses

interceding to spare Israel for the sake of God’s name

among the nations.21 In the story of the hardening of

Pharaoh’s heart we find God stating that he did this

that he might proclaim his name among the nations.22

Thus, in both stories we find the same purpose

advancing, God’s desire to reach the nations of the

world.

20 I find it interesting that God’s ultimate plan for Egypt was their salvation. See Isaiah 19:23-25 for the prophecy of Egypt’s salvation. 21 See Deuteronomy 9:26-29. 22 See Exodus 9:16.

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5 THE EXILE STORY 9:19-29

We come to the final story section of Romans 9, verses

19-29. Here, Paul invokes images from the prophets

and tells the story of judgment and exile. He begins

with a question based upon his previous story from

Israel’s history, the Exodus – if God advances his plan

by showing mercy upon some rebellious people and by

hardening other rebellious people, then is not

everyone advancing the plan of God, the rebellious as

well as the righteous? Here is the text of verse 19. “You

will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For

who resists His will?”

Who does resist his will? His will advanced in spite of

Israel’s idolatry and Pharaoh’s stubbornness. If such

was the case, why even try? Why not be stubborn, or

to put this in the words of a previous issue Paul

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addressed, “why not sin so that grace may abound?”23

and “why not do evil so that good may come?”24 For

the third time in his book Paul will show this to be

foolish thinking. In 3:8, he answered this foolish

question with “Their condemnation is just.” In 6:1-2 he

answered with, “God forbid.” Now in chapter 9, he

answers with, “Who are you O man who answers back

to God?” After his quick retort in 9:20, Paul then

alludes to the image of potters and clay from Old

Testament prophets. Paul puts it this way in 9:19-21.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

What are Paul’s primary sources for this imagery? I

have discovered these four:

Isaiah 29:16 – You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

23 Romans 6:1 24 Romans 3:8

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Isaiah 45:9-10 – 9“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker— An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’? 10 “Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’” Jeremiah 18:6 – “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 19:10-11 – “Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you 11 and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Just so will I break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place for burial.”

These passages would be familiar, of course, to Paul

and formed the pictorial background to his statement.

They make this point: God is in charge of Israel and he

will judge Israel’s rebellion. He will also advance his

plan in spite of Israel but this does not give Israel a

right to keep on sinning for he will judge and they have

no right to speak in this manner to God. He is the

potter and they are the clay. God can make one vessel

for honor and one vessel for common use. He can do

what he wants in the arranging of people and nations

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to advance his purpose. He is sovereign.

What has God done to advance his purpose? God has

endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared

for destruction. Paul says it this way in 9:22-24.

22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

God has been willing to judge, Paul says, and his

judgment would show his power in the world, but he

has withheld judgment upon Israel. He has endured

with great patience these vessels of wrath prepared

for destruction. He withheld judgment in the

wilderness when his people deserved it. He was

withholding judgment in Paul’s time when his people

deserved it again. He withheld it that he might show

mercy to the world.

The phrase, vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,

could take a whole chapter in itself but for the

purposes of not losing the thread of my argument, I

will say only these few words. One of the themes in

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the Old and New Testaments is that God prepares

people for judgment, not by some judicial decree

before time began, but he prepares them in history

through their choices and historical events, as he did

with Pharaoh.

The word prepared means to knit together or to set a

broken bone. This is word used in Mark 1:19 for the

apostles mending their nets and is the word used in

Ephesians 4:12 that God gives gifted men to equip the

saints. The idea in Romans 9 is that God prepares, knits

together the circumstances and choices of life in

disobedient people to move them toward judgment.

This is a theme found frequently in the prophets where

God rewards rebellion with hardness of heart causing

more sin leading to judgment.

The premier passage on this is Isaiah 6 where God

commissioned Isaiah to preach to the half-hearted

covenant nation in order to harden them, so they

would go further in rebellion and come under the just

judgment of God. We find it also in Isaiah 63 and

Lamentations 3.

Why, O Lord, do you cause us to stray from Your ways and harden our heart from fearing You? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. (Isaiah 63:9)

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You will recompense them O Lord, according to the work of their hands. You will give them hardness of heart, your curse will be on them. You will pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:64-66)

But we must see that this is the way God dealt with his

covenant nation, Israel. He hardened them, ironically,

as he did with the pagan Pharaoh in order to advance

his plan through them. Once again, we must safely

assume that Paul was familiar with the ways of God

with his covenant people in ancient times and that he

was using this familiar imagery to connect those events

with what was happening in his time.

Thus, Paul is now talking about Israel, his covenant

nation, being fitted for judgment because of its

continued rebellion and apostasy toward God. Israel

deserved the judgment of God, but God was patient,

holding off his judgment and extending mercy to those

who believed but preparing the rebellious for

judgment by hardening them further in their wicked

choices.25

But we ask again, “why was God continuing to be

patient? Why was he holding off his judgment against

these vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?” Paul 25 Yet, as we shall, holding out hope even for these hardened ones to be grafted back in.

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answers in 9:23 when he speaks of God making his

riches known upon vessels of mercy. God was holding

off judgment until he finished his work of extending

mercy to the remnant, those who believed in Jesus the

Messiah. Paul also says that these vessels of mercy

were prepared beforehand for glory, showing that this

was God’s original plan, even before the foundation of

the world, that his people would be glorified. Paul had

already talked about him foreknowing his people in

8:29, about their foreordained destiny of being

conformed to the glorious image of the Messiah. He

alluded to it in 9:4 when he spoke of “the glory” as one

of Israel’s possessions. This was God’s design for Israel!

Indeed, this was God’s design for the world –

glorification and conformity to the image of Christ.

But as Paul speaks of this foreordained glory in 9:23 it

is noteworthy that he does not lead into a discourse on

election and predestination. Instead, Paul speaks of

God’s saving purpose for the nations. He does not go

into an emphasis on an excluding unconditional

election, but a work of God that includes Gentiles as

well as Jews. Paul points out that this was God’s plan

all along. Let’s look at verses 25-26 and see how Paul

develops his thought. In these verses Paul quotes from

Hosea 2:23 and 1:10.

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25 As He says also in Hosea, “I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE

NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’ aND HER WHO WAS NOT

BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’” 26 “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE

WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’ THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”

What are these verses about? They are about God

showing mercy to his people on the other side of

judgment! God had become so disgusted with his

people for their idolatry and immorality that he said,

“You are no longer my people!” God said he would

pour out his wrath upon them. But on the other side of

his wrath, God promised to restore them and those

who were “not my people” once again became “my

people.”

Paul’s purpose in quoting from Hosea was to show that

God’s plan in Hosea’s day and in his own day was to

bring salvation to his rebellious people who had been

fitted for judgment. Some were responding in the

present to the Gospel and were receiving mercy. These

were the vessels of mercy prepared for the glory God

had decreed for his people before the foundation of

the world – to be like his Son Jesus. Others were

responding with hardness of heart and were being

further hardened (fitted for destruction) but the goal

with them was not eternal judgment. After their

judgment they could repent just as God promised in

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Hosea that those who were “not my people” would

become, once again, “my people.”

Interestingly, Paul also applies these prophecies of

Israel’s salvation to Gentiles as he says in 9:24, “Even

us, whom he also called, not from among Jews only,

but also from among Gentiles.” It was God’s plan all

along that his people not be limited to ethnic Israel,

but that it be a family of nations. God was always after

all the descendants of Adam, and not just the

descendants of Abraham, for that, after all, was why

he elected Abraham – that he might be a blessing to all

the nations.

This, then is the Exile Story. A story of sin, of God

hardening most of the nation, of his mercy advancing

through a few, but on the other side of judgment the

promise of restoration. Paul finishes this judgment,

exile, and restoration story in 9:27-29 where he quotes

from Isaiah 10:22-23 and 1:9 to finish his argument. His

purposes are crucial and climactic for his argument in

Romans 9.

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved; 28 for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.” 29 And just as Isaiah foretold, “Unless the Lord of

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Sabaoth had left to us a posterity, We would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah.”

What are these prophecies about? They tell us that

God’s saving purposes in the world would not go

forward through every Jew but only through a portion

of the nation known as the remnant. Only some of the

descendants of Abraham would advance the plan of

God for the salvation of the world, not all.

Paul’s argument has now come full circle. He started

by using the Patriarchal story showing that God chose

some and not all to make salvation available to all.

Ishmael, Esau, and the Edomites were not chosen to

advance the purpose of God. Isaac, Jacob, and Israel

were. Though Ishmael, Esau, and the Edomites were

physical descendants of Abraham, God did not

consider them children of promise.

What God did in those events and what he promised

through the prophets – that God would work through

some (the remnant) and not all – was happening again

in Paul’s day. He and others were surrounded by the

descendants of Abraham who were not embracing

Jesus as the Messiah. Some were embracing him,

indeed many thousands were, but multitudes still were

not. Israel was divided. Paul said those who did not

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believe in Jesus were not the children of promise. They

were not Israel. They were not the true children of

Abraham. Ironically, in a strange turn of history, they

had become Ishmael, Esau, and the Edomites. They

had become Pharaoh, the object of God’s hardening

work!

What God did in ancient times by using Isaac and not

Ishmael, Jacob and not Esau, Israel and not Edom, was

the paradigm for what he was doing in Paul’s time by

using the remnant, and not the whole nation to

advance the plan of God. Just as God had mercy upon

Israel in the golden calf incident and hardened

Pharaoh’s heart leading to the destruction of Egypt

and its army, so in Paul’s day God was having mercy

upon those who repented and hardening others who

rebelled. But through it all he was advancing his

purpose for the whole nation of Israel and, indeed, for

the whole world. Thus, Paul, in 9:6 says the word of

God, his promises, have not failed. Quite the opposite!

The promises of God have been fulfilled as he states in

15:8.

Christ has become a servant to

the (true) circumcision (Romans 2:28-29)

on behalf of the truth (faithfulness) of God

to confirm the promises (Genesis 12:1-3; 22:18; 26:24; 28:13-14)

given to the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob).

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It’s time to come back to the theme I have proposed

for Romans 9.

If God has been faithful to his covenant with Israel which is the necessary prerequisite for the unfolding of his plan to bring salvation to the nations, why is it that so many Jews do not believe? Why isn’t Israel saved?

Here is the answer. God’s saving plan for the nations

that he advanced throughout the Patriarchal story, the

Exodus story, and in the prophets before and after the

Exile story was going forward through some of God’s

people and not all in Paul’s day. It was going forward

through the remnant of Israel, just as the prophets

said.

God’s two-stage plan was intact – first Israel, then the

nations. But stage one did not advance through all the

physical descendants. It advanced only through those

who embraced the promises through Jesus the

Messiah. It advanced through the remnant. Stage one

was the salvation of Israel, not the whole nation, but a

portion, a remnant. Jewish believers in Jesus as

Messiah were Israel. As the remnant took shape, the

Gospel could then go to the nations.

This is exactly what Paul experienced in city after city.

He would go to the synagogues first and preach to the

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Jewish people. Some would believe. They became the

remnant, the true children of Abraham, Israel, the true

olive tree. Those who did not believe were cut off

(Romans 11:17) and were no longer constituted as his

covenant people. Then, with the remnant saved, Paul

would turn to the Gentiles with his preaching. Notice

this sequence in these Acts narratives.

Acts 13:46 – Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. Acts 18:6 – But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Acts 19:8-9 – And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. Acts 28:23-28 – When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to

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persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. 24 Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. 25 And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, 26 saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, “YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; 27 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE

HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY

HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY

MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.”’26 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”

As Paul went to his people throughout the Diaspora in

the Roman world, preaching in synagogues, he sought

to discover the remnant through whom the plan of

God would go forward. Once the remnant was

identified and established, the Gentiles would be

gathered in, just as the prophets foretold. Paul

elaborated on this in Romans 15 which is the climax of

his overall argument and the reason why Jew and

26 Paul quotes from the classic hardening passage in Isaiah 6 about God hardening his people for their unbelief.

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Gentile should accept one another in the Body of

Christ.

Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, “THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE

GENTILES, AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME.” 10 Again he says, “REJOICE, O GENTILES, WITH HIS

PEOPLE.” 11 And again, “PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU GENTILES, AND LET ALL THE PEOPLES PRAISE HIM.” 12 Again Isaiah says, “THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF

JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE.”

Romans 15:7-12 repeats the classic pattern of God’s

saving work – first Israel, then the nations. The

promises to the fathers – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob –

were going forward in spite of disobedience by so

many in Israel and because of faith by some in the

faithful work of the Messiah! God, therefore, was

faithful to his promises to those Jews who became the

Israel of promise. As a result, the families of the

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nations were being gathered into the one family of

God as elaborated on in 15:9-12. This was the goal of

the original covenant promise in Genesis 12:3 – “in you

all the families of the nations will be blessed.”

Paul has now completed his initial arguments. We have

seen that they are formed around the stories of his

people. But what initial conclusion does he draw from

these stories? This is the topic of our final chapter.

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6 THE END OF THE STORY SHOULD MATCH THE STORY

BEING TOLD 9:30-33

You may not agree with my interpretation of Romans

9. That’s OK. I hope though, at least, you will

acknowledge that we must not bring our theological

arguments to a passage, but we must let the passage

form our theology. I hope you will also notice the

extensive number of references to the Old Testament,

that Paul was not proof-texting but creating a

paradigm through which he and others could

understand the work of God in their time.

I hope also that you will see that we must understand

the context of the Old Testament stories. Not just the

context, but the story that was unfolding in history. We

must see that Paul was quoting from a storyline, and

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not a book of abstract theological propositions. He was

using examples from the story of his people to explain

what was happening in his day, the same story

unfolding in his time and in his ministry because the

Messiah had come.

Two more observations will conclude this book. When

Paul concludes this initial section of his full argument

in 9-11, his story-theology to help the believers in

Rome understand God’s work among his covenant

people in Judea, throughout the Mediterranean world

of the Diaspora, and specifically in Rome, he doesn’t

conclude by saying, “And so we see that God can do

anything he wishes in the area of election and

predestination. He can choose one and overlook

another. Praise God who is sovereign.”

Instead, in 9:30-33, Paul talks about the inclusion of

Gentiles into the people of God, the exclusion of some

of God’s ancient people who are “not Israel,” and he

reinforces it by saying this inclusion/exclusion is based

upon faith in the Messiah, not the works of Torah. He

said:

30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not

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arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING

AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

Paul did not say anything in his conclusion about

predestination and election the way that Calvinists and

Arminians talk about it. He was talking about how the

plan of God and a right standing with God among his

covenant people were gained by faith in the work of

the Messiah and not by the works of the Law, an

argument he makes throughout the whole book.

I find it interesting that in the 90 verses of chapters 9-

11, we find the word elect only 4 times (9:11; 11:5;

11:7; 11:28). Three of these four are the national

election of Israel. The other is the election of Jacob

instead of Esau which could be considered the election

of Israel for we saw that Paul applied this to the

Israelites and Edomites.

We also find two phrases that could speak of some

type of predestination (11:22-23 – prepared for

destruction; prepared beforehand for glory) although

we found in context that Paul did not have an eternal

decree in mind for those prepared for judgment but

spoke in the language of Old Testament prophets who

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spoke of God preparing his people for judgment within

time, a judgment that would lead ultimately to

salvation.

However, we find the word, faith, and faith words such

as confessing and calling upon the Lord 23 times! Why

then is Romans 9-11 not the great passage of personal

responsibility to believe which Paul himself will

emphasize in 11:23, that the rebellious, hardened

Israelites who were cut out can be grafted back in, if

they believe?

But I am once again getting a bit ahead. Let me get

back to my point. For our proper interpretation of this

passage, I believe it is important that we follow Paul’s

train of thought and not impose our own train of

thought or someone else’s train of thought.

Another way of approaching this is that we must let

the topic of Paul’s conclusion help us understand and

determine the topic of the arguments that led to his

conclusion. If the conclusion in 9:30-33 is about some

believing and others not believing, about the

relationship of Jew and Gentile, and about the

prophecy of stumbling being fulfilled upon unfaithful

Israel, why do we make 9:6-29 about predestination

and election? That would be like telling the story of

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Goldilocks and the Three Bears and having the

conclusion be about Jack and the Beanstalk. Try that

with your children or grandchildren and see what kind

of response you get.

Finally, I come to the point that has been trying to

make itself known in this chapter. Even though this

short book is about Romans 9, we must look ahead to

some statements Paul makes in chapters 10-11 to help

us make a final observation about chapter 9. In

Romans 9, many have made much over the concept of

God’s hardening work and preparing vessels of wrath

for destruction. A pre-existing eternal decree has been

read into this, that God chose some for salvation and

others for damnation.

But when we look at the end of Paul’s story in chapters

10-11, we find Paul praying for their salvation and we

discover that the ones in chapter 9 who are “not

Israel”, who are hardened, and who are heading for

judgment are seen as salvable! Paul said a partial

hardening has happened until …! (11:25)

This is in line with the Old Testament prophets who

spoke of God hardening his people so they would be

judged and that through their judgment they would be

restored! The hardened ones, the non-elect ones,

could become elect again! This kind of thinking is

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based upon the words of the prophets in ancient Israel

when they said that God would again choose

Jerusalem and his people!

When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. (Isaiah 14:1) Again, proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “My cities will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”’” (Zechariah 1:17) The LORD will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. (Zechariah 2:12)

Why the prophetic emphasis on “again choosing

Israel”? It is because in their apostasy they ceased to

be his people, his beloved, his chosen ones. To use

Hosea’s terminology that Paul quotes, they ceased to

be “my people.” But in the restoration, they were

restored to their status as God’s elect nation. They

once again became “my people.” The judgment led to

their restoration.

Paul has this thought in mind when he says in 11:31-32

“so these also now have been disobedient, that

because of the mercy shown to you they also (the

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hardened, disobedient ones) may now be shown

mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that

He may show mercy to all.”

The non-elect, hardened, disobedient, Pharaoh-like

Jews who stumbled over the Stumbling Stone can once

again become elect, soft-in-heart, obedient, and god-

like if they will believe as Paul says in 11:23, “And they

also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be

grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.” This

has always been the way of God. Isaiah, among many

others spoke of such mercy that sifted Israel in order

to restore.

24 Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares, “Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries and avenge Myself on My foes. 25 “I will also turn My hand against you, and will smelt away your dross as with lye and will remove all your alloy. 26 “Then I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful city.” (Isaiah 1:24-26)

The hardening then is a temporal hardening that

advances the plan of God for the Jew and for the

Gentile to fulfill the covenant with Abraham to bless all

the nations and once that purpose is fulfilled the

hardening is lifted (11:25) so that the hardened ones

can come back into the family of God if they believe!

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This is no hardening from before the foundation of the

world to damnation! This is a partial and temporary

hardening for the sake of all people. What happened in

Old Testament times was happening in Paul’s time –

the same story and the same method – for the sake of

all mankind.

This, then is Romans 9 and the story Paul was telling. It

is a story of God’s work with his people Israel through

apostolic preaching. It is a story that had been

unfolding for centuries in Israel’s history through the

patriarchs, the Exodus, and the prophets and the exile.

It is a story of God’s elect nation and God using them in

spite of them to bring salvation to the nations. It is a

story of God advancing through some his purposes for

all, of God showing mercy and hardening according to

his infinite wisdom to advance his plan for the world.

As Paul concludes this masterful exposition of God’s

work in history to bring salvation to his people and the

nations, he contemplates how God works out his

purposes in history. He is moved to worship and says,

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For WHO

HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS

COUNSELOR? 35 Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT

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MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

May our hearts be so moved!

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~POSTSCRIPT ~

“YES, BUT WHAT ABOUT …?”

OK – I know some of you are thinking, “Yes, Jonathan, I

see your point about Romans 9 and how we must be

true to the story as Paul saw it and to the line of

thinking and purposes in which he was engaged. I

agree we must not impose our current debates or

theological frameworks upon it but let Paul’s agenda

form the interpretive grid. But you have failed to

consider many topics and verses related to the

Calvinism/Arminian debate. What about Acts 13:48?

What about Ephesians 1:4? What about the doctrine of

Total Depravity? How can people believe if they are

dead in their sins? What about John 6:44 and the

doctrine of Irresistible Grace?”

These are good questions and important verses. Many

other good questions and verses are standing in line to

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be heard. But my purpose in this brief overview of

Romans 9 was not to answer every question related to

Calvinism and Arminianism. It was only to explain what

Romans 9 is about and is not about. Perhaps Paul did

believe in the unconditional election of individuals to

salvation. Perhaps this thinking was foundational to all

of his thinking. But we would have to go elsewhere to

prove that. Romans 9, alone, does not prove it for Paul

believed that the non-elect, the hardened ones could

be grafted back in and become elect.

There are also only incidental references to these

topics as I showed in chapter 6. Surely there would be

an outcry if I, or anyone, used Romans 9-11 as the

basis to prove some type of doctrine of free will. Yet,

there are four times as many references to faith as

there are to election and predestination. No, we

should not go to Romans 9-11 for proof-texting a

theological argument about some type of free will.

That would miss the point of Paul’s essay. In the same

way, we should not go to Romans 9-11 for proof-

texting a theological argument about election and

predestination.

It is my belief that in our debates, we have blinded

ourselves to the times in which Paul was living and the

story he was telling. In missing his story and the

burden he was carrying for his people, we have also

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missed his passion and his heart.

1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (9:1-3)

Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. (10:1)

We have also missed Paul’s hope.

And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. (11:23)

30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. (11:30-32)

Yes, there are many other good verses to explore. There are

many “But what about this …?” type questions. I hope to

write about them some day. Until then, I pray all of us will

read Romans 9 with an eye to understand the story Paul

was telling and live with the passion for which he gave his

life as a living sacrifice and then paid the ultimate price.

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About Jonathan Williams

Jonathan Williams served as a teaching pastor in Great

Commission Churches for over 30 years. He is now the

founder and president of Word of God, Speak (WGS).

His conviction is that one of the Church’s great needs is for

the clear teaching of Scripture. Using the truth of God’s

word, the purpose of WGS is to accelerate life change, build

a biblical worldview, and connect people to God’s Story.

WGS features Jonathan’s writings and worldwide

broadcasts with two radio programs. The Heaven and Home

Hour is Jonathan’s daily expository teaching program. Check

out www.heavenandhomehour.com to learn more.

Stories of the Master is his weekly storytelling program

where he tells the story of Christ and the stories he told,

bringing in cultural and historical details which make the life

of Christ come alive. You can learn more about these stories

at www.storiesofthemaster.com.

Bring Jonathan to one of your events, for expository

teaching or as a storyteller to help your people discover

Jesus in a fresh way.

Word of God, Speak! PO Box 90047

San Antonio, TX 78209 210.717.6617 or 1.800.248.4687

www.WGSministries.org Email: jonathan@WGSpeak.org

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Also by Jonathan Williams

The Church faces a deadly and

double-edged sword – unholy living

on one side and biblical illiteracy on

the other. Dead Men Rising provides

a clear presentation of Paul’s

teaching in Romans 6 and practical

steps for the believer to live in a

God-glorifying way. It combines excellent biblical study

with sympathetic and warm appeals to present

ourselves to God for holy living.

“I highly endorse this fresh look at Romans 6. Dead Men Rising challenged my thinking about what I had been taught all my life. Very seldom does something new come along that better matches the whole of Scripture and thus influences me to change my perspective.” – Greg Van Nada, National Campus Director, Collegiate Churches

The Dead Men Rising Study Guide

contains over 100 questions to guide

you in thinking through this pivotal

passage of Scripture.

Order Dead Men Rising and the Study

Guide at www.deadmenrising.com.

81

In this retelling of Jesus’ timeless

tale, Jonathan Williams reveals who

the true prodigal in the story is,

explains why forgiveness can be such

a hard gift to give, and how you can

experience forgiveness in all its

dimensions. The rich cultural and

historical insights from the first

century make the story come alive for readers today.

Why did Jesus rise from the dead?

Jonathan Williams examines the ten

reasons for the resurrection which

will equip you to make a strong

defense for the Gospel and build up

your own faith in the Lord.

The grace of God – it is for more than

salvation. The grace of God is

available to help us grow daily and to

take us all the way home with the

Lord. But how do we get grace? How

can we experience it every day? Learn

how in this Core Value Developer.

Order at www.WGSpeak.org/Resources