The Strand Study Bible

Written From Corinth During Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

ROMANS 8:31 - 8:9

1862

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 1 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, 2 who is even at the right hand of God, 3 who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, 4 For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than 5 conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor 6 principali- ties, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other- creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1. Jn 3:16 2. Psa 110:1

Romans 9 God 7 elects Israel to bring us the MESSIAH Date Written - AD 57 1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and con- tinual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, 8 and the cov- enants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh CHRIST came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. 6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, 9 In Isaac shall thy SEED be called. 8 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. 9 For this is the word of promise, 10 At this time will I come, and Sarah shall

3. Heb 7:25 & 9:24 4. Quoted from the OT - Psa 44:22 5. I Cor 15:57 6. Eph 1:21 & 6:12 7. that is, “He uses who He chooses” 8. Acts 3:24-26 9. Quoted from the OT - Gen 21:12 ( See - Heb 11:18 & Gal 3:16) 10. Quoted from the OT - Gen 18:10

Romans 9 Subject Head The entire context of Romans 9 deals with the “election” of Israel to bring forth the MESSIAH , not salvation. To include the election of salvation within this chapter is to “overextend” the metaphor just to make it fit Calvinism ( Mt 28:19 a ). God chose the physical nation of Israel in order to bring forth the Messiah, so that He could bless every nation and provide Himself a “spiritual” Israel (Rom 4:9-18 and Gal 3:14,26-29). 8:39 Since nothing in the universe is outside of God’s control, nothing can separate us from His love (vs 39). 9:3 Paul couldn’t lose his salvation, even if he wanted to ( For I could wish - Exo 32:31-32 and Heb 6:1 c ). However, he was willing to be forever damned ( that myself were accursed from Christ ) if that meant saving his people. 9:4 Paul identified ( to whom pertaineth ) seven features which separate the Israelites from all other peoples: 1. adoption (people whom God made His own – Exo 4:22, Deut 7:6 and Isa 43:20-21) 2. glory (the glory of the Lord – Exo 40:35) 3. covenants (Abrahamic Covenant – Gen 12:1-3, Palestinian Covenant – Deut 30:1-10, Mosaic Covenant – Exo 19:5, Davidic Covenant – II Sam 7:12-16, and the New Covenant – Jere 31:31-37) 4. the Law (the Word of God – Exo 19:5) 5. service of God (the priests, Levites, and the ritual of the Temple – Exo 19:6) 6. promises (over 3,000 of the 3,870 promises in the Bible deal with Israel) 7. the promised OT MESSIAH ( of whom as concerning the flesh CHRIST came - Jn 1:41 & 4:25) John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck in The Bible Knowledge Commentary note: Because the Jews were God’s Chosen People (11:1), the custodians of God’s revelation (3:2), and the people through whom Christ came (9:5), they have a preference of privilege expressed historically in a chronological priority. As the Lord Jesus stated it, “Salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). 1 9:5 The SAVIOR of the world ( OT MESSIAH - Jn 4:42) came through Israel (See PSALMS “MINI” SERIES). 9:6 Paul reminded his readers that the Jews, though chosen to bring forth the Messiah, were rejected because they rejected the MESSIAH ( For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel – Jn 3:36 and I Jn 5:12). The Gentiles on the other hand, having no religious background whatsoever, were accepted because they accepted CHRIST as the promised OT MESSIAH (Rom 9:30-33, Acts 10:34-35 and Gal 3:7-9,29). 1 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary , USA, Scripture Press Pub., 1983. Print.