Romans 9:6

‘But it is not as though the word of God has come to nought. For they are not all Israel, who are of Israel,'

Paul is here concerned to demonstrate that the word of God has not come to nought in the failure of Israel to be what they should be, and it is on the basis that God never intended His word to apply to the whole of physical Israel. It was rather addressed to a spiritual remnant within Israel. To put it in simple terms, ‘they are not all Israel who are of Israel'. Here we have clearly expressed two meanings of the word Israel, one referring to the outward nation (including both believers in the Messiah and unbelievers) and one referring to the true spiritual Israel, the Israel within Israel (consisting at this time of believers in the Messiah, that is, of Christ). We should note in this regard that even the concept of the physical nation of Israel was fluid, for the Jews were scattered around the world, and large numbers had made themselves at home among other nations, of whom some would be careless of their ‘privilege'. But the point of Paul's statement is that within what anyone might claim as representing Israel, were a spiritual inner core who were in God's eyes the true Israel. Thus the fact that some of Israel had proved unworthy would not mean that God's word concerning Israel had failed, and this was because God had always intended that what He had said only applied to the ones whom He chose, the true Israel, as he will shortly further demonstrate both here and in Romans 11:1.

That Paul is speaking of election to salvation is made clear, firstly by the terminology used (‘children of God' - compare Romans 8:16; ‘reckoned' - compare Romans 4:3; ‘children of promise' - compare Galatians 4:28; ‘called' - compare Romans 1:6; Romans 8:28; Romans 8:30; ‘not of works' - compare Romans 3:27; Romans 4:3; Ephesians 2:9; all terms used elsewhere of those who had been accounted as righteous through the righteousness of God), and secondly by what follows. He has in mind those who were ‘prepared unto glory', in contrast to those ‘fitted for destruction' (Romans 9:22).

‘The word of God.' Here this must mean His word as given through the prophets (including Moses) and therefore through the Scriptures. It is ‘the word' in which the promises were made, and Paul will justify his position precisely in terms of the Scriptures (e.g. Romans 9:25; Romans 9:33 and continually).

‘Israel.' We should note that this is the first statement concerning Israel in the three Chapter s, and as such might be seen as defining ‘Israel'. Indeed we might say that Paul is going out of his way to define it. And his definition of ‘Israel' is that it consists of the elect of God. Thus while he uses the term Israel in three ways, 1). as referring to the whole of Israel, including both believers in Jesus the Messiah and unbelievers; 2). as referring to unbelieving Israel only; and 3). as referring to the elect of Israel, it is only once specifically defined, and that is here. Thus when it comes to definition Paul defines ‘Israel' as primarily meaning ‘those in the nation who are elect'. This might be seen as important when deciding the meaning of ‘all Israel' in Romans 11:26.