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Doctrine of Sovereignty: Romans 9:1-33
Sovereignty of God Expressed in:
I. God’s Blessing (9:1-5)
II. God’s Choice (9:6-13)
III. God’s Mercy (9:14-33)
God’s
sovereignty is expressed through
vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath.
Study Questions
1. About what does Paul’s conscience
testify with him in the Holy Spirit? (9:1-2)
2.
For whose sake does Paul wish that he himself were accursed, separated
from Christ? (9:3-4)
3. What 6 things belong to the Israelites? (9:4)
Give a brief description of each.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
4.
To whom belong the promises? (9:5a)
Who descended from the fathers? How is He
described? (9:4-5)
(A)
What do you learn about Jesus from Rom 9:5?
5.
What has not failed? (9:6a) (A)
What assurance does this give to you?
6.
Who is not all Israel? (9:6b) Who
are not all children? (9:7a)
7.
Who of Abraham’s descendants are considered Abraham’s children? (9:7b)
(C) Explain the historical context of
Ishmael, Abraham’s son from Hagar, his wife Sarah’s maid (cf. Gen 16:1-16), and
Isaac, Abraham’s son from his wife Sarah. (cf. Gen 17:15-22).
With which son would God establish His
covenant? (Gen 17:21)
8.
Who are not the children of God? Who are regarded as descendants? (9:8)
9.
What is the word of promise? (9:9)
(C) Briefly describe the context for when
this word of promise concerning the birth of Isaac was given. (Gen 18:1-15)
10.
Before they were born and had done anything good or bad, which one of
Isaac’s twins from his wife Rebekah did God choose to establish His covenant?
(9:10-13)
Explain the historical context of Isaac’s
twins, Jacob and Esau. (Gen 25:19-26)
11.
How does Paul respond to his rhetorical questions, “What shall we say
then? There is no injustice with God, is there?” (9:14).
(O) Why do you think that
Paul asked these questions?
(DOC) Explain what it means to say that God is
just?
12. Explain why Paul quotes Exodus 33:19 (9:15).
(cf. Exod 33:12-23)
Upon whom does God’s mercy NOT depend?
(9:16)
Upon whom does God’s mercy depend? (9:16)
(A) How has God shown mercy to you? Why
do you think that God has shown mercy to you in this way?
13.
What does the Scripture say to Pharaoh? (9:17)
Explain the historical context of these
words of Pharoah. (Exod 9:13-21)
14.
Upon whom does God have mercy? Whom does He harden? (9:18)
(A) What do
you learn about God in Rom 9:18? How could you explain this to others?
15.
Why does Paul anticipate the following questions from his readers:
·
“Why does He still find fault?” (9:19)
·
“For who resists His will?” (9:19)
16.
List four questions Paul raises in response to those who question God.
(9:20-22) Briefly explain each response in your own words.
(9:20-22) Briefly explain each response in your own words.
·
1.
·
2.
·
3.
·
4.
17. Explain how the following passages
demonstrate God’s plan to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of
mercy, which He prepared beforehand, even those whom He also called, not from among
Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. (9:23-33)
·
Hosea 2:23 (Rom 9:25-26)
·
Isaiah 10:22-23 (Rom 9:27-28)
·
Isaiah 13:19 (Rom 9:29) (cf. Deut 29:23;
Jer 49:18; Jer 50:40; Amos 4:11)
·
Isaiah 28:16 (Rom 9:30-33) (cf Isa 8:14)
Why did the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attain righteousness,
even the righteousness which is by faith, but Israel, pursuing a law of
righteousness did not arrive at that law? (9:31-32)
18.
What do you learn about God in Rom 9:1-33? How could you apply this
truth to your life?
Write a prayer response to Rom 9:1-33.
TEXT (NASB)
Rom 9:1 I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Rom 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. 9 For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.” 10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; 11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, 12 it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” 13 Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”
Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
Rom 9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
25 As He says also in Hosea,
“I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’
AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”
26 “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’
THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”
Rom 9:27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED; 28 FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY.”
29 And just as Isaiah foretold,
“UNLESS THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT TO US A POSTERITY,
WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE RESEMBLED GOMORRAH.”
Rom 9:30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
33 just as it is written,
“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
