Romans 9

a warning of the stumbling stone

It is difficult to have a cohesive and coherent discussion through Romans 9 without knowledge of previous sections and the inclusion of Romans 10. In fact, it is probably not generally beneficial for believers to have Romans 9 stand alone as its own section. Regardless, the basic principles of Biblical interpretation still apply: use Bible to interpret Bible and read in context. We should also consider that the evangelistic heart of Paul is laid bare at the opening of this chapter; he sees those who are stumbling in the dark, ignorant of their doom, and offers his very body and soul in the hopes of their redemption. Paul is mourning for the lost, but the lost are not those ignorant of God.

“I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” (Romans 9:2)

When read out of context, this portion of Paul’s correspondence to the church in Rome, Romans 9, appears to be, and has been used as, an argument supporting the theological concept of predestination. This ideology, prevalent in reformed churches, states that God chose certain people for salvation and that the redeemed are only so because they were selected to be His elect; some even go further, following the obvious and logical path, that if there are some who are chosen for redemption then there are those who are selected for damnation—this is the conversation of double predestination. To support this position, Romans 9 is often quoted.

“What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory.” (Romans 9:22-23)

It is true that, if God so desired such a direction, we would not be in position to argue against Him; Paul even states this almost exactly. We, the created ones, are not able to oppose the will of the Creator regarding his creation.

“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (Romans 9:14-16)

However, and very thankfully, this is not the emphasis of the passage. Despite what many believe, Paul is not making a theological argument on the character of God—that will be made plain in Romans 10. Instead, Romans 9 should be read as serving two purposes: first as a means of preparation for the bold statements soon coming regarding the character of God, and second as a warning to anyone who has up to this point continued to argue against and reject Paul’s teaching on salvation by faith and not by works.

The seriousness and dire nature of the warning cannot be stressed enough; again, Paul stated that he was willing to forgo his own salvation if it would benefit those who continued to stand in opposition to his message, the truth of the gospel.

“For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers.” (Romans 9:3)

But, we are still left considering what the specific warning is; and, here, the argument of predestination looses traction. It would be illogical for Paul to wish self-sacrifice if those doomed to die do so by the will of God which cannot be argued against. Instead of rambling through theological theories, we should look to the specifics of the passage. The warning stands against two specific groups (and perhaps one more than the other).

The first group are those who assume that they are children of God from their bloodline. It was common thought that the Jewish people were God’s select by birth rite, God’s chosen through heritage; this still exists today, not only within the Jewish community, but maybe even more prominently within the Christian community in which individuals claim a religion to be their own because it was the religion of their parents: “I’m catholic because I grew up catholic and my parents are catholic,” “We’re Christians because we go to church on Easter as a family tradition.” Paul made it clear that Christianity is not a passive faith in which some elite are given access to God while others are shunned and rejected. And, it is ironic that verses that are typically used to defend doctrines of predestination come from a passage that warned against assuming predestination.

“For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring.” (Romans 9:6b-7a)

“It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” (Romans 9:8)

The second group, based on the context of previous passages, is the more emphasized of the two. Paul again returned to his primary message of salvation by faith and not by works; the warning, then, is to any who would consider themselves children of promise based on religious piety. Paul specifically stated that those who pursued righteousness by adherence to the law failed to reach the standards of the law as well as the standards of righteousness; he called this perspective a stumbling stone.

“They did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone.” (Romans 9:32)

Today, many of us stub our toes or find ourselves falling flat on our faces because of this stumbling stone; this is perhaps because it does not present itself as a snare or barrier—it shows itself to us as a logical requirement and praiseworthy prize. And, the temptation is simple: “If I can only present myself well…” “If I can only get myself together…” “If I can only live a worthy life…” “If I can only prove myself to be worthy…” “If I can just get it right…” “If I can just be devoted enough…” “If I can just be generous enough…” “If I can just do better…” “If I can just be better…” This line of thinking always results in the same outcome: “Why can’t I just…?” Faithful believers restrict their church involvement, cripple their involvement in ministry, hide in the shadows when opportunities arise, lie to cover shame and regret, continually confess as though forgiveness was never granted, and forcefully limp through life as though healing never came. This is the picture of those who have stumbled over legalism. And, the pain of this path never ends. “Why can’t I just earn their trust?” “Why can’t I just make everyone around me comfortable and happy?” “Why can’t I just get it together and keep things perfect?” “Why can’t I just erase the past?” “Why can’t I just heal and resolve everything I know I must be responsible for (including the reactions of others)?” “Why can’t I just heal myself?” “Why couldn’t I just have been perfect every moment of my life?” “Why can’t I just be perfect now?” Within our stubborn and deceived hearts, we find this path of shame, regret, masochism, and self-flagellation to be praiseworthy and in pursuit of righteousness.

The book of Romans, the apostle Paul’s heartfelt letter to the church in Rome, stands in opposition to this path, and, instead, invites us to the freedom of living by faith. Paul warned the believers that all attempts to pursue righteousness by the efforts of our deeds will result in death; and, there is no better description than death for the definition of shame. As stated for previous sections, deeds are still required; we must live a life of response to the grace bestowed upon us by faith. But first always is grace. First always is the gift of the gospel. Only from the power of the gospel of Christ and the outflowing of the Holy Spirit can the fruit of Kingdom living grow and be enjoyed. And, this is good news. Within the church, nothing else should be tolerated. Our joy is that Romans 9 rushes forward to the triumph of Romans 10.

“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Romans 10:13)