The Remnant of Israel: Romans 9:19-29-Only a Remnant of Jews Throughout History Will Be Saved Lesson # 5

The fifth paragraph in Romans 9 appears in Romans 9:19-29.

In Romans 9:19, Paul addresses those who would contend with him by posing the rhetorical question as to why does God still find fault with those who reject Him since who can ever resist His sovereign will?

Romans 9:19 In reply, you will contend with me, “Why does He still find fault? For who does resist His will?” (My translation)

In Romans 9:20, Paul responds to the rhetorical questions he presented in Romans 9:19 by implicitly rebuking the attitude of those who would pose these questions and would thus presume to judge the ways of their Creator.

Romans 9:20 In fact, on the contrary, who are you-a mere human being-to contradict God? The object formed will not contend with the one who forms the object, “Why did you make like this?” (My translation)

In Romans 9:21, Paul continues to respond to the rhetorical questions he presented in Romans 9:19 that might be posed by his opponents by implicitly rebuking the attitude of those who would presume to judge the ways of their Creator.

Romans 9:21 Or does not the potter possess authority over the clay in order to make from the same lump, on the one hand a vessel, which is for honor while on the other hand that which is for dishonor? Absolutely! (My translation)

In verse 21, Paul employs a rhetorical question that is related to the one in verse 20, which demands a positive response from the reader that the potter who is analogous to God does have authority over the clay, which is analogous to Israel.

Remember, although this is true of the Gentiles as well, Paul is speaking in the context of Israel’s rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah.

In verse 21, he is continuing to demonstrate his premise in Romans 9:6 that even though Jesus of Nazareth was rejected by the nation of Israel as her Messiah, this does not imply that God’s promises to the nation have been nullified since not all racial Israel is considered by God to be spiritual Israel.

In verse 22, Paul teaches that because God does choose to demonstrate His wrath and to make known His power publicly and explicitly through the gospel, He endured with much patience unsaved Israel in his day who are destined for eternal condemnation.

Romans 9:22 In fact, if-and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that because God the Father does choose to demonstrate His righteous indignation and in addition to make known publicly and explicitly His power, endured with much patience vessels destined for righteous indignation which are prepared for destruction. (My translation)

Then, in verse 23, Paul teaches that God endured with much patience unregenerate Israel in his day in order to make known through the gospel His infinite glory to vessels destined to be the objects of grace, which He prepared in advance in eternity past for glory.

Romans 9:23 And we agree that He has done so in order to make known publicly and explicitly His infinite glory upon vessels destined to be the objects of grace, which He prepared in advance for glory. (My translation)

Romans 9:24 teaches that these objects of grace, which God elected in eternity past, were also effectually called by Him, not only from the Jews but also from Gentiles.

Romans 9:24 Whom He also effectually called, namely us, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles. (My translation)

In Romans 9:25, Paul cites Hosea 2:23 to support his teaching in Romans 9:24 that the Scriptures predicted that like the Jews, Gentiles were to be effectually called by God to be the objects of His grace for all of eternity.

Romans 9:25 In fact, as He says in the book of Hosea, “I will effectually call those who were never My people to be ‘My people’ and in addition those who were never divinely loved to be ‘divinely loved.” (My translation)

In Romans 9:25, Paul is quoting freely from Hosea 2:23 (MT and LXX 2:25) and reverses the order of the two clauses he cites from it and uses different wording from both the Septuagint and Massoretic Text.

The apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:10 quotes from this passage as well.

The major difficulty involved with this quotation is that Paul is using this quotation to support his teaching in Romans 9:24 that Gentiles are also included in the plan of salvation, when originally, Hosea was addressing the Northern Kingdom in Israel and not Gentiles.

This problem is resolved by taking in account that this quotation from Hosea 2:23 is rather “free” in that the order of the clauses is reversed by Paul in Romans 9:25 to fit the application to the Gentiles.

The order of the clauses in Hosea 2:23 are reversed by Paul in Romans 9:25 in order to make this quote apply to Gentiles.

The key to understanding how Paul could apply Hosea 2:23 to Gentiles when it was directed towards the Northern Kingdom in Israel specifically is the expression “not My people.”

Unsaved Jews and Gentiles are both not the people of God simply because of their unregenerate status.

So in Romans 9:25, Paul took the expression “not My people” that appears in Hosea 2:23 and applied it to the Gentiles as well since by ethnic or racial heritage and more importantly, their unregenerate status the Gentiles of course were not God’s people.

Therefore, he was led by the Spirit to apply these verses to Gentiles even though it was originally directed towards the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

When Hosea says to the Northern Kingdom that they are not God’s people it was because of their unregenerate state, which placed them on the same status of unregenerate Gentiles.

Next, in Romans 9:26, Paul cites Hosea 1:10 to support his teaching in Romans 9:24 that the Scriptures predicted that like the Jews, Gentiles were to be effectually called by God.

Romans 9:26 “Furthermore, it will come to pass in the very same place where it was said to them, ‘you are by no means My people,’ there they will be effectually called sons by the living God.” (My translation)

In this passage, the apostle continues to apply passages in Hosea to Gentiles that were initially directed towards the Northern Kingdom.

He does this since through the Spirit, Paul saw an analogy between God’s present rejection of Israel with His past rejection of the Gentiles.

Therefore, Paul quotes both Hosea 2:23 in Romans 9:25 and Hosea 1:10 in Romans 9:26 because he wants his readers to see this analogy.

In Romans 9:27, Paul cites Isaiah 10:22 to teach that only a remnant of Jews throughout history will be saved, which supports his premise in Romans 9:6 that not all racial Israel is considered by God to be spiritual Israel, children of the promise and spiritual descendants of Abraham.

Romans 9:27 However, Isaiah cries out over Israel, “Though the number which is the posterity descended from Israel is like the sand, which is by the sea only the remnant will be delivered.” (My translation)

In the first century, as is the case in the twenty-first century most Jews have rejected Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah.

Some in Paul’s day reasoned as they do today that if Jesus was indeed the Messiah, then, why didn’t Israel accept Him as such?

Therefore, Romans 9:27-33 explains why they rejected Him through the Old Testament Scriptures.

So in Romans 9:27-33, Paul instructs his readers that the prophets of Israel had foretold this rebellion against the Lord and that only a remnant would be delivered from eternal condemnation in the lake of fire.

That a remnant has always been preserved by God in Israel is demonstrated during the church age where only a small percentage of Jews have trusted in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah.

There will only be a remnant that will be saved during Daniel’s Seventieth Week and at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, in Romans 9:27-33, Paul continues to demonstrate his premise in Romans 9:6.

Romans 9:27-33 reconciles the promises of God to Israel with the small number of Jewish Christians and serves to substantiate the premise found in Romans 9:6.

So the doctrine of the remnant taught by Paul in Romans 9:27-29 serves to support his premise in Romans 9:6.

By doing this Paul is actually defending his gospel since its failure to attract the majority of Jews in his day to trust in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah was undoubtedly used to discredit it.

Just as Israel was at fault in the past for rejecting her prophets sent to her by God, so during Paul’s day Israel was at fault for rejecting the greatest of her prophets, Jesus of Nazareth as well as Paul’s gospel.

Then, in Romans 9:28, Paul quotes from Isaiah 10:23 to warn unregenerate Israel of eternal condemnation in that the Lord Jesus Christ will execute this judgment thoroughly and decisively.

Romans 9:28 “In fact, the Lord will execute judgment upon the inhabitants of the land thoroughly and decisively.” (My translation)

In Romans 9:29, Paul quotes Isaiah 1:9 to teach that if the Lord had not been merciful by leaving a remnant in Israel that it would have become like Sodom and would have been make like Gomorrah in that not only would the nation have been destroyed but all its citizens would have suffered eternal condemnation as well.

Romans 9:29 So that just as Isaiah predicts, “If the Lord over the armies had not left to us descendants and He has, we would have become like Sodom and in addition like Gomorrah, we would have been made like.” (My translation)