Romans 9:6

4 who are Israelites, ^ato whom pertain the adoption, ^bthe glory, ^cthe covenants, ^dthe giving of the law, ^ethe service of God, and ^fthe promises;

5 ^aof whom are the fathers and from ^bwhom, according to the flesh, Christ came, ^cwho is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Israel’s Rejection and God’s Purpose

6 ^aBut it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For ^bthey are not all Israel who are of Israel,

7 ^anor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, ^b“In Isaac your seed shall be called.”

8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but ^athe children of the promise are counted as the seed.

9 For this is the word of promise: ^a“At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”

10 And not only this, but when ^aRebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac

11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of ^aHim who calls),

12 it was said to her, ^a“The older shall serve the younger.”

13 As it is written, ^a“Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

Israel’s Rejection and God’s Justice

14 What shall we say then? ^aIs there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!

15 For He says to Moses, ^a“I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”

16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

17 For ^athe Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ^b“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”

18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He ^ahardens.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For ^awho has resisted His will?”

20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? ^aWill the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”

21 Does not the ^apotter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make ^bone vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering ^athe vessels of wrath ^bprepared for destruction,

23 and that He might make known ^athe riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had ^bprepared beforehand for glory,

24 even us whom He ^acalled, ^bnot of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

25 As He says also in Hosea:
^a“I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”

26 “And^a it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Romans 9:6 Mean?

Paul addresses the silent question of what has become of Israel, since God appears to be setting Israel aside. It might seem that God failed in His dealings with them—He gave them the Covenant, but the people did not want to keep it. Yet Paul argues that Israel is not being set aside and that this situation is misunderstood. The word of God has not failed. The key is understanding who truly belongs to Israel: only those whose heart has been circumcised (Romans 2:29). Being physically descended from Israel does not make one part of true Israel. Even a Gentile who is circumcised in the heart is, in God's eyes, an Israelite.

Romans 9:6

"It is not that the word of God has taken no effect" must be understood in light of why he is writing this. The silent question is, "What about Israel?" as God seems to be setting Israel aside. It appears as if God has been a failure in His dealings with Israel. He gave them the Covenant, but the people did not want to keep it. But Paul argues that, no, Israel is not being set aside. He is saying, "No, you don't really understand what's going on." It is not that the word of God has taken no effect.

"For they are not all Israel who are of Israel." Who is a Jew? Who is really part of Israel? Only those whose heart has been circumcised (Romans 2:29)! If a Gentile is circumcised in the heart, in God's eyes he is an Israelite!

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Eleven)

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Romans 9:6:

Genesis 35:10-11
Matthew 10:5-7
Luke 16:22
John 3:7
Galatians 4:24-26

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Romans 9:7 >>

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Israel’s Rejection and God’s Purpose

Israel’s Rejection and God’s Justice

What Does Romans 9:6 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

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