Hi Mondar,
The passage is not about God choosing who will be saved or individual election. If you follow Paul's argument he states plainly that Christ came concerning the promises made to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I've laid out what that promise is. The promise was not, I'm going to choose who will be saved, it was that Abraham would be the father of many nations and that through his Seed, all nations would be blessed. You make mention of the Gentiles. Am I correct in assuming that you understand the verse 24 as referring to the Christian Gentiles of Paul's day? If so. le me suggest another idea. God used Gentiles prior to Christ to fulfill the promise to Abraham. In Paul's argument he argues that the promise to Abraham is "not" to the physical seed of Abraham, but rather to Christ and those who are in Christ are Abraham's seed. To make his point he points out that God is also the God of the Gentiles and not the Jews only. Abraham was a Gentile, so was Isaac. God called both of these men and used them for his purpose.
This passage does not require the idea of individual election and I would argue that individual election is contrary to the context of what Paul is saying. Also, Keep in mind that from chapter 2 verse 17 through chapter 13 verse 11 Paul is addressing the Jewish believers at the church in Rome. It is in chapter 13 verse 11 that he turns his attention to the Gentiles. So, Romans 8 is addressed to the Jewish believers and as such should be understood from a Jewish perspective.
The passage requires the election of individuals, and that is what Paul is talking about when he mentions his giving up his own salvation for the sake of his brethren, his countrymen.
Rom 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren's sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
Then he continues talking about salvation in his list of the benefits given to those of Israel in verses 4-5. Paul mentions the "covenants" in verse 4.
Rom 9:4 who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Of course you have already mentioned this, what you fail to realize is that the covenants do in fact relate to salvation. This is so very clear in a text like Galatians 3:8.
Gal 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all the nations be blessed.
Of course the phrase "In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," is strait from Genesis 12 and the the Abrahamic Covenant. The concept of the blessing of Abraham to the Gentiles is so completely about salvation that Paul that aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant, "The Gospel" in Galatians 3:8. Paul says God "preached the gospel." So if you say the Abrahamic Covenant does not relate in any way to salvation, how then could you explain Galatians 3:8. We both would agree that it is the seed (singular---Christ) of Israel that blesses the gentiles, but that blessing certainly does include salvation.
Of course this is not to deny that the Covenants also relate to Israels national blessings also. I do not deny that the Covenants relate to Israel, and that Romans 9 also has issues concerning the national blessings for Israel in it. We both agree concerning that issue. Where we differ is that you see no salvation issues included in those covenants and national issues of Romans 9. So then, to continue pointing to the national blessings in the covenants and the context of Romans 9 is non-sequitur argumentation. For you to demonstrate that there are no salvific issues in Romans 9 or the Covenants, you must address the evidence I offered that salvation is a part of the issue of election in Romans 9.
There are other issues where I see we disagree. When you say " In Paul's argument he argues that the promise to Abraham is "not" to the physical seed of Abraham, but rather to Christ and those who are in Christ are Abraham's seed." If you are alluding to Romans 9:6, then we have disagreement. What Paul is speaking of in Romans 9:6 is not the gentiles, but he is speaking of an Israel within Israel. Elect/saved Israel (those saved national brethren of Paul's is the true Israel who receives the blessings. The rest of the unsaved Israel does not receive the blessings. Paul says it in this way... "For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel:" Those who are "
of Israel" are the saved and elect Israelites, those who are "
not all Israel" is the unsaved/non elect Israelites. This is apparent if you look at Pauls illustrations in verses that follow (verses 7-11). Isaac was of the elect seed of Abraham, and while Ishmael was not named in Romans 9, he would be from the unsaved, non-elect seed of Abraham. Yet both were of the seed of Abraham. They were both sons of Abraham, but one was elect, and the other individual, Ishmael was not. The other illustration is Jacob and Esau, who were both of sons of Isaac, yet while one was elect and inherited the promises, the other was not elect, but both were sons of Isaac. That is Pauls point in Romans 9:6. While some Israelites are saved, and elect, others are not. It is the elect sons that are saved and they are "true Israel" who receives the promises and covenants (vs 4-5). So then, when you say "
the promise to Abraham is "not" to the physical seed of Abraham" and relate that to Romans 9:6, you are not following the context.
On the other hand, had you made that statement with reference to verse 24, then you might have a better point. While verses 1-23 could be said to be about saved/elect individual people within Israel, Pauls point in verse 24 is that this whole thing also applies to Gentiles.
Rom 9:24 even us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles?
Gentiles may not inherit the land promises given to Abraham and his seed. We did not inherit to be in the linage of the Messiah referred to in the covenants. The "Fathers" were not Gentiles. Neither did we inherit the Mosaic Law, or the Temple Service, but we did inherit the same salvation. We have the same process of election as those Israelites Paul spoke to in verses 1-23.
SUMMARY-----
Many readers may not understand the previous post, but can understand that for Gentiles in Galatians 3:8, the gospel is inseparably bound to the Abrahamic Covenant. That Gospel saves. Its the only Gospel that saves, there is no other. And so, when Paul put covenant concepts into Romans 9, he did not avoid subjects of salvation in election, he is speaking exactly about salvation in election.
