Dear Evangelist Joe,
Im currently studying this very chapter, and a friend of mine from work is translating it just a little off.
He believes in what’s called the doctrine of the elect…Which obviously the elect is mentioned in Romans ch. 9, but I am pretty sure he is not reading it in the context that Paul was speaking of….
Any input would be greatly appreciated……
From,
— Gearnut
Dear Gearnut,
Thank you for writting me. The elect are God’s Chosen people, the jews… we (christians) are adopted in. The bible uses the phrase graphed in for Christians. We find this in the book of Romans. This means that we were added as being part of His children, however, we are not the chosen people(Jews). Those graphed in were the Gentiles.
I know what I am about to type is very long so I suggest printing it out and reading it a little at a time Also I hope this helps you
— Evangelist Joe Collins (Also you can find what im typing in a book called Jerusalem Countdown by Pastor Hagee)
Who is a Jew?
The raging controversy of ‘Who is a Jew?’ has been a hot button issue among the seed of Abraham for more than two thousand years. Modern Israel, with its Zionist principle of the right of return, offers to any Jewish person in the world the privilege to live in Israel and creates the heated debate, Who is a Jew?
For they are not all Israel who are of Israel. — Romans 9 6
In the old testament, when ancient Israel went after other gods, every Jew in Israel was aware of the contrast made by the prophets between the nation as a whole and the remnant (Rom. 11:5). When Christ was born in Bethlehem, the nation of Israel as a whole was going about its business with little true faith. It was only a few, like Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zacharias, who looked for redemption in Jerusalem (Luke 2:38)
When Jesus began His public ministry and saw Nathaniel for the first time, He said, “Here is a true Israelite…”(John 1:47, NIV). This is exactly the distinction Paul is making in this chapter.
Paul’s prime example of a true Israelite was Abraham. Abraham was not saved by circumcision, because he was declared to be righteous before God in Genesis 15:6, which was years before his circumcision. Abraham was not saved by keeping the Law, because the Law was not given until the time of Moses, which was four hundred years after Abraham’s time.
How did Abraham become a “true Israelite”? It was by faith, not works, as indicated in Genesis 15:6: “And he [Abraham] believed in the Lord [faith], and He [the Lord] counted it to him [Abraham] for righteousness.”
Paul writes: “They are not all Israel who are of Israel” (Romans 9:6).
Paul is saying there’s a difference between all those who claim to be “Abraham’s descendants” and those who constitute Israel as “the people of God”.
Paul Demonstrates, first, that Israel is a matter of election rather than birth (Rom. 9:6-11). Not all those called “children of Abraham” (natural descendants) are actually his “seed” as demonstrated in Genesis 21:12, which states, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.”
Remember that Abraham has two sons. His first son was Ishmael, born to the Egyptian maid Hagar. (See Genesis 16.) But, says Paul, Ishmael, though physical descendant of Abraham, was not of the “seed” (Greek word sperma) that produced Isaac, the spiritual child.
Ishmael was reproduced when Abraham was able to have children in his own sexual strength. Isaac was born by a supernatural act of God, since both Abraham and Sarah were well past the age of childbirth.
In Romans 9:8 Paul shifts from “children of the flesh [Abraham]” to “children of God”. The Shift is subtle but very significant. If Abraham’s spiritual seed comes through God’s promise and power, the Jewish people are not simply Abraham’s seed, but quite literally God’s children.
The Controversy Of Divine Election Romans 9:7-12
…nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” that is, those who are the children of the flesh , these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. For this is the word promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (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 Him who calls), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hatred.” – Roman 9:7-13
The doctrine of divine election is, without doubt, the most controversial concept in Scripture. It is far more complex and controversial than the prophecy matrix of Daniel through Revelation or the prophetic explanation of Ezekiel’s war to be led by Russia and its Arab coalition of nations as they invade Israel in Ezekiel 38-39. That coalition will be decimated by the hand of God on the hills of Israel, killing 82 percent of Israel’s enemies.
First, it is obvious that divine election is taught in Scripture. (See Romans 9:27; 11:5, 7, 28.) The question is: To whom is divine election offered? In my opinion, divine election is offered only to the nation of Israel.
Consider what divine election actually means. It means that a loving and gracious God has elected to save some and elected to allow others to be lost for eternity in the fires of hell. Now you can understand the gravity of the controversy.
How can divine election be true if God has given to all men free moral agency, which is the power to choose to accept or to reject God’s offer of salvation? Free will, or free moral agency, means the ability of an individual to make his or her personal choice for or against God, and it is an indisputable fact in Scripture.
Bible Reasons Supporting Free Will
Consider the following ten Bible reasons validating the fact that God gives each individual the right to choose good or evil. Moses said to Israel, “I have set before you life and death…choose life (Deut. 30:19, emphasis added).
John 3:16 is the champion verse of free will: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him [which is an act of free will] should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Ten Bible Reasons Supporting Free Will
1. Romans 2:6-16 – To say that God saves some and sends the others to hell would make God a respecter of persons, which the Bible declares He is not.
2. Malachi 3:6 – Adam was given a choice in the Garden of Eden, The choice was to eat or not to eat the forbidden fruit. He chose to eat it, and angels with flaming swords drove Adam and Eve out of the garden to live under the Genesis curse.
If God left it up to Adam to choose in the beginning, then it is the same for every man today, for the Word declares, “I am the Lord, I do not change.”
3. Romans 9-11 – There is not one verse in the Bible, outside of Romans chapters 9 through 11, that states exclusively God’s position on the Jewish people, which is that [Jewish] man is not a free moral agent all the days of his life either to serve God or Satan.
4. Joshua 24:15 – There are Bible verses to prove that [Gentile] man is a free moral agent: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”
5. Psalm 119:30 – “I have chosen the way of truth.”
6. Isaiah 7:15 – “Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.”
7. Isaiah 66:3 – “…they have chosen their own ways.”
8. Matthew 16:24 – “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself [free will], and take up his cross, and follow Me..”
9. 1 Corinthians 7:37 – “…has power over his own will.”
10. Revelation 22:17 – “Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
If divine election is true for Gentiles, as some major denominations teach, why go to church? Why witness? Why evangelize? If God has already determined who is going to go to heaven and who is going to go to hell, why pray? Why read the Bible?
If divine election is true, how can you say, “God is love”? How can the Holy Spirit write in John 3:16 that “God so loved the world…” if He is still going to send most of you to an everlasting hell? (See Matthew 7:13-14.)
Divine election is a fact for some of the Jewish people who are a “remnant according the election of grace” (Rom. 11:5). Divine election simply is not so for Gentiles.
God Begins With Abraham
Now, allow me to make the case for God’s divine election of Israel exclusively. God’s election concerning Israel begins with Abraham, whom God selected out of paganism (Josh. 24:2). Abraham was chosen to become the “father of all who believe.” At the time of Abraham’s election, he had no knowledge of God; therefore, he could not choose God.
It is clear in Scripture that God sought Abraham; Abraham did not seek God. Seeing that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth…his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5), God chose a man to be the physical and spiritual father of a people (the Jews), one word of the Bible, birth Jesus Christ, and bring the light of God to a world living in total darkness.
Abraham’s election is easy — God had to begin somewhere. God began in Genesis 12 with the father of all who believe, saying, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”(v.3).
Isaac And Ishmael
Saint Paul presents his case for election with the birth of Isaac and Ishmael. When years passed and Abraham and Sarah did not have a son, Sarah suggested to Abraham that perhaps he should have a baby with her Egyptian handmaid, Hagar. Abraham said, “That sounds like the will of God to me, sweetheart” (HAGEE REVISED VERSION). He-he
Abraham and Hagar had Ishmael thirteen years before Isaac was born. His birth was the beginning of a family feud between Jews and Arabs that has endured until this day, dragging humanity toward a nuclear conflict in the Middle East.
Two sons…two choices
Ishmael was Abraham’s physical descendant, yet he was not chosen. The child of promise was Isaac. He was chosen to be the patriarch of “the children of the promise”(Roman 9:8).
There is a point to be considered in the births of Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was born when Abraham had the natural ability to produce a son. Isaac was born when both Abraham and Sarah were well past the age of producing children. Therefore, Isaac was born by the supernatural power of God.
This is the division between the natural children of Abraham (Arabs from Ishmael) and the “children of promise” (the Jews from Isaac).
Jacob And Esau Romans 9:9-13
For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.” and not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (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 Him who calls), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” – Romans 9:-13
The Case of Jacob and Esau is the pinnacle of divine election. Each was a pure-blooded Jew. In the case of Isaac and Ishmael, one could argue that the ancestry of Isaac was better than Ishmael’s; therefore, Isaac was chosen. One could also argue that Ishmael had lived fourteen years and had the opportunity to sin, and this was rejected by God.
Not so with Jacob and Esau. They had the same mother and father and were conceived in the same act of sexual intercourse. The Greek word koite confirms this.
God’s decision contradicted the rules of Eastern society in which the younger brothers serves the older. God reversed the rule – saying the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob). Paul makes it very clear in Romans 9:11 that this was done “that the purpose of God according to election might stand” (emphasis added).
Then God makes a statement that reverberated like thunder: “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated” (v.13). What a brutal statement for a loving God to make. Why did He do it?
He did it because God knows the end from the beginning. God knew that Esau would be a wild man who would, in part, produce that Edomites, who would attack the children of Israel as they came out of Egypt bound for the Promised Land. Because the Edomites attacked the children of Israel on the way to the Promised Land, God promised to be at war with the descendants of Esau and Amalek forever, until their remembrance was stricken from under heaven. (See Exodus 17:8-16.) Esau’s descendants would also produce a lineage that would attack and slaughter the Jews for centuries. Esau’s descendants included Haman, whose diabolical mind conceived the “final solution” of the Old Testament – the extermination of all Jews living in Persia. It was Esau’s descendants who produced the half-breed Jews of history who have persecuted and murdered the Jews beyond human comprehensions.
Adolf Hitler was a distant descendant of Esau. Pulitzer prize – winning author John Toland, in his book Adolf Hitler, records that Hitler was part Jewish.1 Toland traces his genealogy, which Hitler had destroyed when he came to power as the demonic leader of the Nazi barbarians.
It is no wonder God said, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” Four thousands years after God made the statement, we have some comprehension as to why He said it. Yet the point bears repeating: it was “that the purpose of God according to election might stand” (Rom. 9:11)
Divine Election And The Jews
Now let’s examine the reasons why I believe divine election applies exclusively to some of the Jewish people.
A condicil intended for the jews
I have made the case that Romans 9-11 is intended exclusively in verses 4-5. Romans was written to the believers in Rome, except for the codicil of Romans 9-11. When correctly interpreting Scripture, you must remember who wrote it, to whom it was written, and for what purpose. The doctrine of election in Romans 9-11 concerns only the Jewish people.
An elect nation
The Bible speaks of Israel as an elect nation. Isaiah writes: “For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name” (Isa. 45:4).
When giving His prophecy digest to His twelve disciples on the crest of the Mount of Olives, Jesus said, “And unless those days were shortened [days of the Great Tribulation], no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake [the Jewish people] those days will be shortened” (Matt. 24:22, emphasis added).
For those who believe “the elect” in this verse are Christians, please understand that during the Great Tribulation, Christians will already be in heaven at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Two nations
There is no question that when God spoke to Rebekah before the birth of Jacob and Esau He referred to nations – not individuals. Genesis 25:23 records:
And the Lord said to her;
“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people [Israel] shall be stronger than the other [Edomites],
And the older [Esau] shall serve the younger [Jacob].”
Later in the Book of Genesis, a considerable amount of Scripture is written to describe the nation that Esau founded, and the remainder is about the nation of Israel.
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