2/11/07

The Unbending Nature of God’s Sovereignty

 ¹ I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? ³ “Lord, They have killed Your prophets; they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left; and they are seeking my life.”  But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knew to Baal.” ⁵ In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. ⁶ But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
⁷ What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; ⁸ just as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not, down to this very day.  ⁹And David says, ‘let their table become a snare and a trap, and a stumbling block and a retribution to them.  ¹⁰ Let their eyes be darkened to see not and bend their backs forever.”  ¹¹ I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. ¹² Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! ¹³ But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, ¹⁴ if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too. ¹⁷ But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; ²¹ for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. ²² Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 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. ²⁴ For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

 Last week we looked at the way that God has persevered with His people.  His longsuffering spirit with His creation gives each of us hope.  Though man continues to please God in his own strength, righteousness and goodness, God is not moved away from mankind, but shows great grace and mercy.  The Spirit moved Paul to continue this theme in the passage we will look at today.  We will get a little closer glimpse into the way God’s grace has moved to us, the Gentiles.

 The thesis in Romans gives us clear understanding of God sovereign plan:

·        The Gospel is key to salvation… Romans 1:16

·        Man rejected God’s wisdom and understanding in favor of his own… Romans 1:22ff

·        God placed all mankind under the curse of sin and death…Romans 3:10ff

·        Man cannot please God through the law… Romans 4

·        Christ came as the fulfillment of the law and brought grace and justification through faith… Romans 5

·        Because of the salvation brought to us in Christ, we are under obligation to live righteously…Romans 6

·        Even the ability to live righteously is by God’s sovereign grace…Romans 7

·        Though we cannot live perfectly in the Christ-life because of sin, we are not condemned; we have the grace of God that is stronger than our sin; we have the benefits of grace (the riches of Christ); we have the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit who gives us eternal hope…Romans 8

·        We are ever secure in Christ, not by what we have done, but by the eternal purpose of God in choosing us in Christ…Romans 9

 The concluding of chapter 10 poses the question of God's longsuffering spirit.  The stretching out of His hands "to an obstinate people" leaves room for some to ask, "they did not respond, so does that mean that God has rejected them?"  No, not as a people...to the degree that we would suppose that He has displaced His "chosen nation" where there are not individuals out of that nation that He has not chosen.  Paul uses the example of Elijah to show that truth.  But, if there are those who will be saved, it will not be because of their choice, but because of God's gracious choice. 

 In verse seven, Paul unpacks, again, th issue of salvation is God's work of choosing.  You cannot escape the biblical truth that man cannot obtain that which only God can provide.  It is His choice. 

 God's purpose for a time was "national" in scope.  He had chosen a people to be His people.  But within that "nation" there were those who were not chosen.