July 1
Romans 9:7-12, “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth

It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.”
I’ve often wondered, why did God choose me? As a believer I wonder, why does God use me? I’m sure Paul must have wondered the same thing. My wondering is rooted in my knowledge of myself, that I was a worthless sinner, that I remain, as the song says, “a sinner saved by grace.” I am very thankful that only God knows how worthless I was, and how worthless I remain. Paul gives us a view of his worth before salvation in 1 Timothy 1:12-16, 25, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” He gives us a view of his inner struggle with sin after salvation in Romans 7:14-20, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
Paul establishes in Romans, that in me (us) there is no good thing, which would cause God to choose us, or that would cause God to accept us if it were possible for us to come to Him on our own. In Romans 9-11, Paul establishes the fact that God chooses us based on His own sovereign will according to election. To establish that fact he uses the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) as examples.
1. Abraham had a pagan ancestry. He was born in Ur of the Chaldees (Mesopotamia). He had no knowledge of the true God, because no one in Ur had knowledge of the true God. In Joshua’s farewell message to Israel, he reminded them of Abraham’s background, “ And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.” (Joshua 24:2) Simply stated, Abraham did not seek God, God sought Abraham.
That unvarnished truth did not suit Israel’s religious scholars. Rabbinic tradition had Abraham being driven out of his native country for refusing to worship idols. It had Abraham leaving Haran because he abhorred the idolatrous nature of its citizens. Abraham was not merely born and bred an idolater (note the entrenchment of idolatry in the family, when you study Rachel and her idol), he was a pagan, “His fathers served other gods.”
Abraham and his family were polytheists, they worshiped several deities. R. Glover says, “Amongst a multitude of silent deities, One spoke to him ...” God called Abraham, called him out of idolatry, called him for His own sovereign purposes, called him with a calling he could not refuse.
I was born into a family that loved and worshiped God, a blessing that Abraham was not privileged with. I was saved at the age of eighteen, another blessing that Abraham was not privileged with. The longer I study the Word, the longer I walk this walk with the Lord, the more convinced I become of the truth of 1 John 4:19, “ We love him, because he first loved us.” Had not God called me, I would never have sought Him.
Now lest I am charged with being a hyper-calvinist, let me close with a quote from MacArthur, “Paul did not have a cold and indifferent acquiescence to God’s sovereign election. He had a compelling, heartfelt longing to bring his physical kinsmen to Christ. His deepest heartfelt desire was that every Jew be saved, and his earnest prayer to God on their behalf was for their salvation. ... Paul was not making a hopeless plea that he did not expect God to answer. He prayed because he fully believed God could save Israel, that, no matter how seemingly unlikely, the people of Israel could be saved if they would place their trust in their Messiah and Savior.”
Paul’s desire and prayer must be our desire and prayer, that is, for the salvation of lost sinners. Romans 9 focuses on God’s sovereign election and on the elect’s response of faith in Him. Romans 10 focuses on Israel’s willing unbelief (man’s free will) and spiritual ignorance. I do not have the mental powers to put God’s choice and man’s free will together, but I do trust God to do what I cannot do.
Tomorrow, Lord willing, Isaac.
Adapted from “Romans” by both Boice and MacArthur.
In Christ,
Dan Todd
[ July 01, 2003, 03:38 PM: Message edited by: Dan Todd ]