ROMANS CHAPTER 9: _ OUTLINE AND COMMENTARY-MARK DUNAGAN_ I. INTRODUCTION: 'From the first, Paul had been writing with his Jewish kindred in mind. He had declared his gospel to be "the power of God unto salvation..to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). He had demonstrated how much... [ Continue Reading ]
__ Romans 9:1. say the truth in Christ,. lie not, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, 'I say the truth in Christ' -'I am telling the truth' (NASV). 'Paul really takes. triple oath here so strongly is he stirred. He makes. positive affirmation in Christ,. negative one (not lyi... [ Continue Reading ]
__ Romans 9:2 that. have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 'Great sorrow' -3601. odune od-oo'-nay; from 1416; grief (as dejecting): -sorrow. Some derive it from the root 'ed eat', as indicating consuming pain. (Vincent p. 99) Old word for consuming grief. (Robertson p. 380) Paul was. m... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR. COULD WISH THAT. MYSELF WERE ANATHEMA FROM CHRIST FOR MY BRETHREN'S SAKE, MY KINSMEN ACCORDING TO THE FLESH: 'I could wish' -'I was on the point of wishing' (Robertson p. 380). 'So strongly did he feel for his people that he had found himself (at times) in the past, and even yet, musing with... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO ARE ISRAELITES; WHOSE IS THE ADOPTION, AND THE GLORY, AND THE COVENANTS, AND THE GIVING OF THE LAW, AND THE SERVICE OF GOD, AND THE PROMISES; 'Israelites' -a name of distinction, 'Israel goes back to Jacob whose name God changed to "Israel" (Genesis 32:28) ("Contender with God") in honor of hi... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOSE ARE THE FATHERS, AND OF WHOM IS CHRIST AS CONCERNING THE FLESH, WHO IS OVER ALL, GOD BLESSED FOR EVER. AMEN. 'fathers' -the three pre-eminent 'fathers', were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Exodus 2:6; Exodus 2:13; Exodus 2:15; Exodus 2:5) 'The greatness of its ancestry (not to mention the 'heros... [ Continue Reading ]
__ Romans 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God hath come to nought. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: "word of God hath come to nought" -'has failed' (NASV); 'It doesn't mean God failed to do what He said' (Beck). The fact that millions of Jews (when Paul wrote) stood outside... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER, BECAUSE THEY ARE ABRAHAM'S SEED, ARE THEY ALL CHILDREN: BUT, IN ISAAC SHALL THY SEED BE CALLED. Here is Paul's first proof that inheriting the promises of God, were never based on 'sole physical descent'. For even the Jewish people accepted this fact. Abraham had other children (Ishmael-on... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT IS, IT IS NOT THE CHILDREN OF THE FLESH THAT ARE CHILDREN OF GOD; BUT THE CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE ARE RECKONED FOR. SEED. 'children of the flesh' -i.e. Ishmael and other children of Abraham (Genesis 25:1). 'It signifies that not mere bodily descent from Abraham makes one. child of God--that wa... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THIS IS. WORD OF PROMISE, ACCORDING TO THIS SEASON WILL. COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE. SON. 'this is' -'this is what the promise said' (Gspd). (Genesis 18:10) Indicating that the 'child' of promise was Isaac.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND NOT ONLY SO; BUT REBECCA ALSO HAVING CONCEIVED BY ONE, EVEN BY OUR FATHER ISAAC-- 'And not only so' -'Nor is that all' (TCNT). 'Paul had said plenty already but there was more to come. Suppose it were possible to get around the Ishmael rejection by claiming he was illegitimate, what of the two... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE CHILDREN BEING NOT YET BORN, NEITHER HAVING DONE ANYTHING GOOD OR BAD, THAT THE PURPOSE OF GOD ACCORDING TO ELECTION MIGHT STAND, NOT OF WORKS, BUT OF HIM THAT CALLETH, 'being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad' -'Nor is the Jew able to claim that Esau was rejected beca... [ Continue Reading ]
IT WAS SAID UNTO HER, THE ELDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER. (Genesis 25:23)... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN AS IT IS WRITTEN, JACOB. LOVED, BUT ESAU. HATED. (Malachi 1:2) POINT TO NOTE: We are making. grave mistake if we take this section of Scripture as teaching that God predestined Esau to be. God-hated, eternally dammed man, without any choice of his own. 1. The 'hate' of Malachi 1:2. is to 'lo... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN? IS THERE UNRIGHTEOUSNESS WITH GOD? GOD FORBID. 'What shall we say then? -five times already in this Epistle he has asked this question. (Romans 3:5;Romans 4:1;Romans 6:1;Romans 7:7;Romans 8:31) Paul anticipates an objection here. The objection might be that those of. Jewish... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE SAITH TO MOSES,. WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM. HAVE MERCY, AND. WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM. HAVE COMPASSION. 'For he saith to Moses' -'His argument rests on. double assumption; first, that God is truly represented in the Scripture, and, second, the Scripture everywhere represents him as just,... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THEN IT IS NOT OF HIM THAT WILLETH, NOR OF HIM THAT RUNNETH, BUT OF GOD THAT HATH MERCY. -'it is not. question of human will or effort' (Mof), 'not on human wishes or human efforts' (TCNT). Again, don't get the idea that you don't have to obey God. The stress here is that receiving God's mercy i... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE SCRIPTURE SAITH UNTO PHARAOH, FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE DID. RAISE THEE UP, THAT. MIGHT SHOW IN THEE MY POWER, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PUBLISHED ABROAD IN ALL THE EARTH. 'For' -'Paul goes further, and explains the contrary phenomenon--that of. man who does not and cannot receive mercy.' (Gr.... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THEN HE HATH MERCY ON WHOM HE WILL, AND WHOM HE WILL BE HARDENETH. God chose the message of salvation (it's conditions and contents). Mercy will be extended to those that exercise obedient faith in Christ (Mark 16:16); all that can't handle that, or don't like it, will be 'hardened'. And how doe... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU WILT SAY THEN UNTO ME, WHY DOTH HE STILL FIND FAULT? FOR WHO WITHSTANDETH HIS WILL? 'Why doth he still find fault?' -this seems to be an argument that is raised that says, 'If God is glorified by our disobedience, if His will is still accomplished, then how can he blame us or hold us accounta... [ Continue Reading ]
__ Romans 9:20 Nay but,. man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus? 'Nay but,. man' -'Nay, but who are you,. mere man' (Wey) 'REPLIEST AGAINST' -lit., to contradict in reply; to answer by contradicting, the spirit of... [ Continue Reading ]
__ Romans 9:21 Or hath not the potter. right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part. vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? 'As clay belongs to the potter so people belong to God. And God has. right to work with men as he sees fit.' (McGuiggan p. 297). Note this illustration is... [ Continue Reading ]
__ Romans 9:22 What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction: 'Willing to show his wrath' -i.e. against sin, God isn't indifferent to sin! (Romans 1:18) 'ENDURED WITH MUCH LONGSUFFERING' -'bore most pa... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THAT HE MIGHT MAKE KNOWN THE RICHES OF HIS GLORY UPON VESSELS OF MERCY, WHICH HE AFORE PREPARED UNTO GLORY, "AFORE PREPARED UNTO GLORY" -no predestination here. Glory is only for those that 'endure' (Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12) "PREPARED" -when. accept the gospel call (Romans 9:24);. become. v... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN US, WHOM HE ALSO CALLED, NOT FROM THE JEWS ONLY, BUT ALSO FROM THE GENTILES? 'even us' -Christians are people that have experienced God's mercy. 'WHOM HE ALSO CALLED' -i.e. through the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14);. call sent to all (Mark 16:15). But only those that 'accept' this call becom... [ Continue Reading ]
AS HE SAITH ALSO IN HOSEA,. WILL CALL THAT MY PEOPLE, WHICH WAS NOT MY PEOPLE; AND HER BELOVED, THAT WAS NOT BELOVED.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT SHALL BE, THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID UNTO THEM, YE ARE NOT MY PEOPLE, THERE SHALL THEY BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD. Paul quotes from Hosea 2:23; Hosea 2:10 : 1. Here is proof from the very Scriptures that the Jewish people possessed which had said,. 'not my people', would beco... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ISAIAH CRIETH CONCERNING ISRAEL, IF THE NUMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BE AS THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT SHALL BE SAVED: 'Crieth' -an impassioned utterance (Vincent p. 109). Isaiah cries in anguish over the outlook of Israel, but sees hope for the remnant. (Robertson p. 385)... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD UPON THE EARTH, FINISHING IT AND CUTTING IT SHORT. 'finishing it and cutting it short'. (Isaiah 2:22), 'thoroughly and quickly' (NASV); Bringing that to an issue, winding up (Lenski p. 631) 'Because of their unbelief, God would cut off his people, exercising shar... [ Continue Reading ]
AND, AS ISAIAH HATH SAID BEFORE, EXCEPT THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT US. SEED, WE HAD BECOME AS SODOM, AND HAD BEEN MADE LIKE UNTO GOMORRAH. 'as Isaiah'. Isaiah 2:9 'SABAOTH' -4519. sabaoth sab-ah-owth'; of Hebrew origin [6635 in feminine plural]; armies; sabaoth (i.e. tsebaoth),. military epithe... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN? THAT THE GENTILES, WHO FOLLOWED NOT AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS, ATTAINED TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, EVEN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF FAITH: 'followed not after' -people who hadn't made righteousness their chief concern in life (in the past).(Isaiah 2:1 'I permitted myself to be sought by... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT ISRAEL, FOLLOWING AFTER. LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, DID NOT ARRIVE AT THAT LAW. 'law of righteousness' -'seeking justification by law' (Nor); 'righteousness which is based on law' (RSV); 'a Law that could give righteousness' (Wey). Here the mentality of the Jewish nation is stressed. Many Jews were... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE? BECAUSE THEY SOUGHT IT NOT BY FAITH, BUT AS IT WERE BY WORKS. THEY STUMBLED AT THE STONE OF STUMBLING; 'Wherefore?' -'Why was this' (Knox) 'BECAUSE THEY SOUGHT IT NOT BY FAITH' -'Because their efforts were not based on faith' (NEB) Their whole religious attitude was that they thought t... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN AS IT IS WRITTEN, BEHOLD,. LAY IN ZION. STONE OF STUMBLING AND. ROCK OF OFFENCE: AND HE THAT BELIEVETH ON HIM SHALL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME. 'as it is written'. Isaiah 2:16 This failure to trust God, had manifested itself in the rejection of the Son of God. 'When Jehovah manifested himself in Ch... [ Continue Reading ]