Romans 9:14-18, Introduction and Setting of Passage

Why does God save some people and not others? Why doesn’t He base His decision on the actions, desires, or merits of individuals? Is God being unjust in His redemptive plan of salvation? These are extremely difficult questions that we all are forced to ask ourselves in the moments when our faith is being tested. Anyone who has prayed fervently for the salvation of a friend or family member only to experience the silence of God can attest to the binding tension that situation presents to their faith. We confess that God knows best yet we also believe He could be doing things better, He could save more people, He could be more just. Paul addresses these tensions in Romans 9:14–18 and takes it upon himself to show how God’s redemptive purposes have been historically consistent, self glorifying, and impinge in no way on His perfect justice.

So why are these questions being raised in the middle of a chapter in the middle of the book of Romans? To set the context for this passage, Paul begins his letter to the Romans with an introduction of himself and his gospel (1:1–17) followed by an extensive treatment on the doctrine of justification, arguing for the need of it (1:18–3:20), defining what it is (3:21–5:21), and describing how it affects the individual (6:1–8:39)[1]. Specifically, Paul ends chapter eight discussing the assurance and ultimate preservation of the believer. In light of his points concerning the certainty of God’s purpose in salvation, Paul feels compelled to spend this final section on the doctrine of justification (9:1–11:36) examining why Israel, God’s chosen people, rejected it.

Chapter nine can be further divided into three sections as Paul begins his transition from describing the affects of justification to explaining Israel’s rejection of it. The first section (9:1–5) contains Paul’s expression of grief over the unregenerate state many of his fellow Jews find themselves to be in. In the second section (9:6–13) Paul supports the statement he makes in verse 6 that his grief does not imply that the purposes of God in election have failed since His covenant people of Israel are without salvation. Here Paul draws a distinction between the descendants of Israel and the true Israel, between Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, the children of Abraham and the seed of Abraham. All this is to point out that God’s freedom of choice in election has been a characteristic throughout history and His word has been effective in the specific way He desires. So then, the fact that Israel remains outside the salvation offered by the gospel is not proof that the purposes of God or His word have failed.

This argument raises the question then: since God is basing His election of people today the same way in which He dealt with the patriarchs, have God’s ways (though consistent) always been unjust? Paul poses this possible objection in verse 14 and rejects it both immediately and emphatically. He then proceeds to use the remainder of chapter 9 to clarify the reasons for his forceful rejection, with 9:14–18 building the foundational crux of his argument.

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[1] Book divisions taken from David K. Lowery, “Romans” (unpublished class notes in NT105 Exegesis of Romans, Dallas Theological Seminary, Fall 2008), 1.