26-0705sc - Detailed Summary

Steve begins the class by confirming he is ready and referencing the New American Standard Version for Romans Chapter 9. He explains that he has been trying to piece together the interconnected information in Romans 9, 10, and 11, as they go hand in hand. Steve describes himself as a reader rather than a deep studier, noting that he likes to read and believes he has mastered the skill, though he admits it is not completely perfected. Before diving into the text, he leads the group in prayer.

In the prayer, Steve thanks God for the opportunity to gather as brothers and sisters in Christ to study His Word, provided through the Holy Spirit and the authors. He specifically asks for understanding of Paul’s thoughts in Romans, particularly chapters 9, 10, and 11, seeking insight, wisdom, and blessing for the study. The prayer closes in Jesus’ name.

After the prayer, Steve mentions that he has been ruminating on the material and revisiting chapter 9 for the third time to extract more from it and ask questions along the way.

Steve revisits Romans 9, highlighting Paul’s purpose in describing the plight of the Israelites. Paul expresses deep sorrow for them because, despite great blessings from God—including being used to establish His existence—they are not meeting God’s approval. Paul provides background on them as a group and points out the reason for their failure.

Steve reads and references verses 30 onward, noting that Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness attained it by faith, while Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, did not arrive at it because they pursued it by works rather than faith. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, as written: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and the one who believes in Him will not be put to shame.” Steve sees this as the summary of what Paul wants readers to understand in chapter 9.

Paul is concerned about the Israelites’ lost state and cries out for their salvation, calling for a change in attitude and approach to God. Their previous way of approaching God through works has been wrong.

Steve introduces the concept of God “breeding” a people, drawing from the example of Abraham. When God came to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees, Abraham was like others, worshiping idols in a culture full of idolatry with a massive temple. Abraham had some belief in God but was ignorant of God’s desired righteousness.

God instructs Abraham not to breed just any child, rejecting Ishmael in favor of the promised line. God acts as a breeder or horticulturist, using divine intervention, providence, and preservation to nurture His goal: people who worship Him in faith and come to Him through Jesus. This purpose predates creation, as seen in Ephesians, where God planned salvation through Jesus so people would glorify Him.

God manipulates mankind to prepare a receptive population for Jesus’ message and the gospel. The term “elect” refers not to arbitrary individual picking but to a group with an open ear—receptive to the message of salvation. The elect are those prepared through this breeding process, similar to how the righteous are those who follow God’s will morally and religiously.

Steve shares a theory he heard about a spectrum of people regarding openness to new ideas. At one end are those with closed ears and minds, set in their ways, who refuse to listen (e.g., a farmer unwilling to change methods). Others listen but remain unsure and hesitant. Some are receptive and try new things for a while. Innovators actively seek and adopt new concepts, while observers watch and then implement.

This spectrum existed in Jesus’ time and persists today, illustrated by attitudes toward technology like cell phones—from those who refuse them to eager adopters craving the latest iPhone. God prepares the soil, and Jesus encounters people receptive to the new message. However, the majority of Israelites resist change, refusing to accept Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise. Their concept of the promised Messiah does not match Jesus, so Paul prays they would wake up and recognize God’s preparation.

Steve continues the breeding analogy: God tells the Israelites not to interbreed with other nations, wanting them to remain separate and Jewish only, to avoid being lured away from faith. This ties to 2 Corinthians 6’s warning against being unequally yoked, as a mate can influence one away from God.

Paul is genuinely concerned, speaking truth in Christ with great sorrow and unceasing grief, even wishing he could be accursed for his kinsmen according to the flesh.

Steve reads from the American Standard Version (close to NASB): Paul testifies he has great sorrow for his Israelite kinsmen, to whom belong the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, the promises, the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

These privileges show how God nurtured and possessed them. Steve returns to Abraham, who followed God but was initially ignorant like others, worshiping without full knowledge of God’s morals, values, and righteousness. The average person might claim goodness by not murdering, stealing, or lying, but God reveals the true lifestyle He desires.

Steve explains that God picked Abraham and gave him the promise: “I will look after you, and I will curse those who curse you, and I will bless those who bless you.” God works to build on Abraham’s faith, but Abraham does not fully believe at first. Steve compares this skepticism to politicians who promise much but fail to deliver. Abraham lacks complete trust in God.

Through various experiences, such as passing his wife off as his sister, God intervenes and protects Abraham, proving He keeps His word. This builds Abraham’s confidence in God. Steve believes God does the same for believers today, allowing them to see His hand in their lives where outcomes were not of their own doing, thereby building confidence.

What pleases God is belief that He exists and rewards those who diligently seek Him. God aims to bring Abraham to full belief. When the time comes for the promised child, Abraham challenges God, lacking 100% confidence because he has no son yet (this is before Hagar). God promises a son through Sarah, not through natural means.

Steve uses the analogy of careful breeding versus barnyard experiences. God rejects natural or casual outcomes, insisting on the specific promise through Sarah. He rules out “barnyard experiences” where things happen casually, like a farmer letting cattle breed freely. Instead, God carefully oversees the process like a selective breeder.

Steve shares a personal story about taking over a registered Samoan dog that was accidentally misbred when another dog got to it. The vet called it “misbreed.” God similarly ensures the right breeding for His purposes and rejects anything that deviates.

This is why Jesus’ lineage is carefully recorded in Matthew and Luke—to appreciate God’s breeding and purpose. God brings Abraham from nothing to a 100% believer, demonstrated in the offering of Isaac on the altar. This shows God succeeded in creating a man of complete faith. The account is for our learning, not just Abraham’s. God is breeding believers today to reach that level of trust.

After bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, God offers them a covenant: if they will be His people, He will be their God. They accept, and He provides the Mosaical Law. Perfect obedience to the law would have made them perfectly righteous, but they could not achieve it.

According to Paul, the reason is they approached it by works rather than faith. Paul compares this to the Gentiles. God has bred Israel to this point and now plans to make them jealous (referenced in chapter 10 or 11). Steve reads Romans 11:11: Israel did not stumble to fall completely; instead, their wrongdoing brought salvation to the Gentiles to provoke jealousy. Their failure enriched the Gentiles, and their future fulfillment will be even greater.

Paul magnifies his ministry to Gentiles to provoke his own people to jealousy and save some. Their rejection meant reconciliation for the world; their acceptance will mean life from the dead. If the first piece of dough or root is holy, so are the lump and branches.

Steve asks what jealousy means. God declares Himself a jealous God in the Ten Commandments. Jealousy is the fear of being displaced. He gives examples: a wife fearing her husband’s roving eyes might replace her, or a husband feeling the same about his wife flirting.

The Israelites know God has nurtured, blessed, and provided for them uniquely. They live in a land they did not fight for, receiving everything hand-fed by God. Suddenly, things change: their faith, religion, and valued practices are altered. God no longer holds them up as the ideal worshipers in the same way. This shift breeds jealousy.

Steve illustrates with a family on a block receiving $2,000 monthly from a stranger with no strings attached. They grow accustomed to it. When the giver starts giving to another house, the original family feels jealous, wondering why the blessing went elsewhere. This mirrors Israel: God blessed them for centuries, but now includes Gentiles in His grace, provoking jealousy.

God has not withdrawn grace from Jews but changed the worship method. The priesthood changes from Aaron and the Levites to Jesus, necessitating a change in the religion (per Hebrews). Israel sees they are no longer the exclusive avenue to God. The qualification for God’s blessings is now belief that He exists and rewards seekers, coming through Jesus as the new High Priest. Worship shifts to spirit and truth, as Jesus told the woman at the well—neither on this mountain nor that one.

The Israelites are upset because they sought righteousness through the law by works, not faith, and failed to attain it. God changes everything to direct people through faith in Christ. Steve plans to continue with chapters 9, 10, and 11 next week, hoping the discussion helped, and notes that time is up.

Steve does not do a full verse-by-verse exposition of all of Romans 9 in this session. He focuses on the opening (Paul’s sorrow) and the closing summary verses (9:30-33), using them to frame the broader themes of God’s sovereign breeding/providence, Israel’s failure through works, and the provocation of jealousy in chapters 10–11.