ROMANS 9:1-16 The reason Jesus came is so that the world may see how He lives and rules.
ROMANS 9:1-16
A
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.
B
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.
C
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.”
D
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.
BACKGROUND
The Israelites, though blessed by Abraham’s promise, failed to set themselves to become a blessing to the world. Instead, they turned inward, becoming self-serving and looking down upon the nations around them. As a result, they forfeited their standing as heirs and the privilege to rule with God.
Indeed, an heir is not determined by natural descent or human expectations, but by God’s choice. God examines the heart and judges the works that flow from it. No one can earn God’s acceptance by lineage, achievements, religious observances, or knowledge alone. Just as the ground receives rain that produces both fruit to be harvested and weeds to be burned, so too can a person partake of God’s grace and either grow in righteousness or sink further into sin.
The Jews, having experienced God’s grace and offered the privilege to rule with Him, became self-serving and lost their inheritance. Likewise, if believers today do not persevere in emulating the life and ways of Jesus, we too risk forfeiting our inheritance.
In today’s devotion, we are reminded: The reason Jesus came is so that the world may see how He lives and rules.
OBSERVATION
A
Paul was deeply grieved because many of Abraham’s descendants had forfeited their calling to inherit what is eternally and infinitely glorious. If we feel sorrow when our own siblings lose an earthly inheritance, how much greater the anguish when one forfeits the privilege of sitting with Christ at God’s right hand for all eternity.
Here, Paul speaks of the descendants of Abraham who—though called to adoption as God’s sons through the covenant of circumcision and entrusted with the Law, including the temple worship and all its sacred privileges—ultimately failed to receive their inheritance. The very people who had known God for generations and long awaited the Messiah missed the fulfilment of what had been offered to them. In contrast, the Gentiles, who neither knew nor expected such an inheritance, received in full what had originally been offered to the Jews.
B
Paul then explains why many of Abraham’s physical descendants failed to inherit the offer. When God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, He entrusted him and his descendants with the mandate to establish God’s righteous and compassionate rule on earth. The name Israel means “one who rules with God.” What God extended to Israel was an offer, not an unconditional guarantee. Therefore, Israel’s failure does not imply that God has withdrawn His word; rather, it reveals that not all who descend from Israel belong to the true Israel. The same principle applies to Abraham: not all of his natural offspring are his true children.
Thus, Scripture distinguishes between an Israelite (a natural descendant of Abraham) and a true Israelite (one chosen by God and walking in the faith of Abraham). Jesus Himself highlighted this distinction when He commended Nathanael as a “true Israelite”—one genuinely called to inherit God’s blessing and to become a blessing to the world (John 1:47).
Who, then, inherits the privilege of ruling with God? Paul corrects a common misunderstanding: it is not the children of the flesh who inherit the offer, but the children of promise. In other words, the calling to rule with God is given to individuals who respond in faith and whom God recognises as His own—not automatically to the entire physical bloodline.
C
Paul reinforces his point—that the offer is not the same as the promise—by citing the example of Isaac, who was chosen while Ishmael was excluded. Scripture says, “Through Isaac your descendants will be named,” showing that the Abrahamic inheritance of ruling with God is not obtained by natural descent (“the flesh”) but by God’s sovereign promise. Thus, to be a true Israelite, one must be found worthy of God’s choosing.
Paul then deepens the argument by appealing to Isaac’s own sons, Esau and Jacob. Even though Esau was a natural descendant of Isaac, he was set aside and excluded from the promise. While the twins were still in the womb, God declared to Rebekah, “The older will serve the younger,” and later affirmed, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” This demonstrates that the inheritance is not granted by birthright but by God’s sovereign selection of those who will fulfil His purpose.
D
God’s choice of Jacob while the twins were still in Rebekah’s womb does not make Him unjust. God saw their hearts and the kind of men they would become. According to His foreknowledge and righteous judgment, He revealed His choice of Jacob to Rebekah. Isaac, their father, favoured Esau because Esau appeared—by human standards—more capable of carrying the family legacy. But God overturned Isaac’s preference and appointed Jacob as heir to Abraham’s promise to rule with Him. Truly, God does not judge as humans judge—by outward appearance, natural ability, or visible accomplishments, nor by “the one who wills or the one who runs.” A man may appear righteous to others, but God sees the motives and intentions of the heart. Therefore, God grants mercy to whomever He deems acceptable according to His own righteous standards—standards far beyond human comprehension. To receive mercy is to receive divine favour, enabling a person to prosper and to reign.
However, we must keep clearly in mind the context of Israel’s calling: it concerns reigning with the Messiah in God’s kingdom. We must not conclude that Ishmael, Esau, or others who were not chosen for this particular calling are therefore destined for hell or eternal destruction. Jesus came primarily to gather, train, and commission those who will rule with Him at His return.
Consider Jesus’ response to Peter, who asked about the reward for those who had left everything to follow Him:
Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.” – Matthew 19:27-30
In His answer, Jesus distinguishes between two groups:
1. Those who rule (“you also shall sit upon twelve thrones”), and
2. Those who are ruled (“the twelve tribes of Israel”).
Jesus affirms that not all are called to the same office or level of authority in the coming kingdom. The calling to rule is given selectively, according to God’s foreknowledge, wisdom, and righteous purposes.
TRUTH
The reason Jesus came is so that the world may see how He lives and rules.
Why couldn’t the Jews inherit the offer given through Abraham?
The law records how Abraham lived. And how his life of faith moved God to grant him the promise to rule with Him. But when the Jews read the law, they accentuate the promise of blessing while glossing over Abraham’s exemplary life of faith. Because of their fixation on the promise, the law did not lead them to faith but to self-indulge religion. Religion is self-serving being fixated on one’s personal salvation and benefit. But faith is about serving others, it moves one to be true and to do all things without asking for anything in return. The Jew has been told from his youth of his right (as Abraham’s descendant) to possess the promise. Thus, it is hard to tell a Jew that he cannot inherit the promise unless he gives up everything to follow Abraham’s way of life. They did not see Abraham’s act of sacrificing Isaac (his most precious possession) as an example to follow. Instead, they revel in their right as descendants of Isaac to inherit the promise.
Why couldn’t some Christians inherit the offer given through Christ?
The gospels record how Jesus lived and how God grants Him the promise to rule creation. But when some Christians read the gospels, they focus on the promise of salvation while glossing over how Jesus lived. Like the Jews in Jesus’s time, they were fixated on the promise which led to self-indulge religion. Thus, they revel in their exuberant worship services, opulent buildings and promise of salvation. They became self-serving and neglected the poor among the nations. Although they were taught the finished work of the cross, they were not properly discipled in the way of the cross. Thus, it is hard to tell one who has been baptised in his youth that he cannot inherit the promise unless he is ready to sell everything to follow Jesus. Indeed, they did not see Jesus’s act of sacrificing His own life as an example to follow. Instead, they revel in having obtained salvation at the cross even though they did not walk in the way of it.
Religion veils man from seeing his true self. It causes him to arrive at a false conviction with regards to the promise. Indeed, a man looks at the outward appearance of achievement and righteousness, but God sees into the heart.
The role of the Jew and the Christian in God’s salvation plan
God appointed Israel (the nation of Jews) through which He rules the world with righteousness and compassion. God wanted Israel to show the world who He is through the way they live. God did not instruct Israel to gather blessing for themselves, but to exemplify God by serving others through divine love, wisdom and power. Regrettably, the divine privileges that Israel enjoyed did not transform them. Instead, Israel became rebellious, self-serving and oppressive even towards their kinsmen. Similarly, Jesus did not intent for Christians to keep the gospel to themselves but to love and serve the community through divine wisdom and power. But many Christians are self-indulged and distracted. And they touted themselves as having unparalleled favour with God and exclusive access to Him.
Jesus’s mission to Israel
God showed Israel His mercy by sending Jesus into their midst. Throughout His time on earth, Jesus was calling them to observe and emulate how He lived. He showed them how He dealt with people who are lost; How He healed the sick and delivered many from the curse of sin and darkness; How He stood firm preferring to die than to recant the truth; How He forgave those who persecuted Him without cause. Through Jesus’s exemplary life, God provided them a model to live the eternal life and fulfil their calling.
In Luke 10:25-37, a teacher of the law asked Jesus, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Here, he was inquiring how he could inherit Abraham’s promise. Jesus answered him saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Sensing that Jesus was referring to him, he justified himself by saying, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus responded with the parable on the Good Samaritan. In the story, the Samaritan showed mercy to a wounded man without regard to his race or religion. He extended his help purely out of love and goodwill.
The reason Jesus came is so that the world may see how He lives and rules.
There are signs that Christendom is quickly falling into the pattern of the Jews. The nations have become increasingly skeptical of Christendom. Although we preach Jesus, we did not call people to emulate how we live. Instead, we shamelessly proclaim to the world that they should follow Jesus, not the church. Thus, we hide behind a veneer of self-righteousness and religiosity. Although we preach about Jesus’s healing power, few can operate in it. Although we preach the gospel, we often compromise on the truth. Although we taught our members to seek the things above, we are preoccupied with earthly concerns. We praise Jesus passionately for His sacrificial love, but will not sacrifice our time and resources to help others. We invest much effort into packing people into churches but do little to transform the individual. We give money to the poor, but we do not go down to their level to walk with them.
Jesus spent most of His time on earth calling people to follow Him. Before He ascended to the Father, He instructed His disciples to do the same. Therefore, believers must ultimately draw people not to the church, but to God by exemplifying Jesus. The reason Jesus came is so that the world may see Him by the way we live. Hence, we must repent from our misguided and self-serving agendas. For many in Christendom did not follow Jesus’s way of life. Instead, they see Him as the means to receive healing, blessing and pardon from eternal punishment. If we do not repent, we will follow in the footsteps of the Jews and lose our inheritance.
APPLICATION
Practise self-reflection through the following questions:
- Are you more concerned with knowing and doing God’s will or to have your desires fulfilled?
- Do you know for sure if God is pleased with you today?
- Do you give others the permission to tell you about your weaknesses?
- Do you think that Christians have monopoly over the secrets of abundant life?
- Do you depend on your reasoning on a certain matter as opposed to hearing God’s voice?
Dear Lord, I thank you for calling me your son and giving me the opportunity to rule with you. Help me to know you more so that I may emulate your ways. Open my senses so that I may commune with you deeply and clearly. Cause me to be the Jesus that the world will ever see. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.