Romans 9:22-33 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Romans 9:22-33. Let’s go!
Romans 9:22-23 (NIV)
22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath–prepared for destruction?
23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—
On verses 22-23: According to Paul, God doesn’t wipe out instantly those whom He didn’t choose for salvation (“the objects of his wrath”); rather “with great patience” (v22) God bears with them and allows them to live for a while. Why does God do that? Paul suggests God does this “to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy”; in other words, somehow by bearing with those who are not His people for a while, God is showing to those who are His people how great and glorious He is. How so? Maybe it’s that by not coming down in wrath right away on those God has not chosen, God is showing His people that He is patient, tolerant, not in a rush, and still willing to use those who are not chosen for at least some good, so that their existence is not completely for naught.
What can we learn from this? While we often show our wrath quickly, God shows His wrath slowly. He is willing to delay the expression of His wrath if it can result in a greater good. Whereas we might be inclined to cancel people out the moment they offend us, incredibly God bears with offensive people for a long, long time. In this way God has the longest fuse of anyone. As the Scriptures say repeatedly, God is slow to anger, abounding in love. Likewise if you and I can relent from showing our wrath quickly and like God try too extract some good out of those situations that make us angry, we can teach others something valuable while learning something valuable ourselves.
Romans 9:24-26 (NIV)
24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
25 As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
26 and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.'”
On verses 24-26: What is Paul doing here? In verse 24 Paul emphasizes that the objects of God’s mercy – i.e. those that God would have mercy on and call His own – were from among the Gentiles as well as from the Jews. Then to show that a multicultural family was God’s plan all along, Paul quotes from the prophetic book of Hosea to show that God, in the Old Testament, was pointing to when His family would consist not only of Jews but Gentiles too (v25-26).
Romans 9:27-33 (NIV)
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”
29 It is just as Isaiah said previously: “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.”
30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.
32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone.”
33 As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
On verses 27-33: How could Israel go from being a nation specially chosen by God to a nation where only a remnant would be saved? To explain this, Paul first quotes from the prophet Isaiah to show that even from the Old Testament this was already part of God’s plan (v27-29). Second, Paul says that the reason why a lot of Israelites would not be saved or deemed righteous in God’s sight is because (recalling the big theme of Romans 3-4) they tried to earn their way to righteousness rather than receiving it by faith. In other words, they thought that they could get to God on their own merit rather than trusting in God to save them. As Paul says, “they pursued it [righteousness] not by faith but as if it were by works” (v32).
Finally, Paul paraphrases two verses from the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 8:14 and 28:16) which talk about God laying down a stone. This stone would make some people stumble, and at the same time, be a cornerstone on which other people would build their lives. Paul is effectively saying that the stone Isaiah is referring to is Jesus. For if you try to get around Jesus and get to God on your own merit, you will stumble and fall. But if you trust in Jesus and build your life on him, you will live in safety and never be put to shame.
What can we learn from this? The spirit of religion tries to earn its way to God, thinking that “if I just do enough good, I can reach heaven.” But Christianity is the anti-religion because it’s not about people reaching for God; it’s God reaching for people through Jesus Christ. Christianity is recognizing that there is nothing I can do to reach God on my own; I am a sinner who needs a Saviour and thank God for providing me with the Saviour I need. His name is Jesus. If we trust in ourselves and in our own ability to get to God, we will not only be disappointed; we will die, stumbling and falling over the rock that is Jesus. But if we would trust in Jesus and His ability to save us, we will live in safety and never be put to shame.
Let’s build our lives on the mountain that is Jesus Christ.
Father, thank You for being so patient in Your wrath. I pray that I would be more like You, not being so quick to destroy those who offend me, but willing to be patient so I can extract as much good out of a tough situation as possible. Jesus, thank You for being the rock on which we can build our lives and thank You that those who trust in You will never be put to shame. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
