MAJOR TOPIC ------ Romans 9:6
Rom 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God hath come to nought. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel:
* Lets take this in two parts. First, Paul says it is not as though the word of God hath come to nought. To actually understand what Paul is saying, this is a key phrase. If you do not get this phrase, you do not get Romans 9. If you do not get this phrase, you will not understand what Romans 9 is saying about election. Now did not Paul just finish two verses on the special blessings upon Israel? He mentioned things like the giving of the law. Gentiles worshiped in the temple, but they had to worship from further away from the Holy of Holies in the court of the Gentiles. Israel had the blessing of being closer to the Holy of Holies when they had temple worship. Of course that is not a direct Abrahamic issue either, but it was important to the list. But blessing would have nothing to do with how the word of God would come to nothing. Even the plurality of the word "covenants" in verses 4-5 do not tell us how the word of God would come to nothing. Remember, it is the term covenants, not the words "Abrahamic Covenant." There are non-soterological aspects to the covenants. The promise not to destroy the world by water had nothing to do with salvation. The land promises of the Abrahamic Covenant is also a non-soteriological promise. But how would any of the non-soteriological promises have anything whatsoever to do with the word of God coming to nothing. God can still literally fulfill those promises. When Paul speaks of the word of God coming to nothing, he is speaking of the salvific aspects of those promises.
So then, even in this key phrase, Paul is speaking of salvation. Paul introduced salvation as the topic in verse 3, and now in the key verse in verse 6, he continues speaking of salvation. Yes, specifically the salvation of the Jew.
* Now for the 2nd part of the verse. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel:
I am going to complain that so many people (both reformed and non-reformed) take the term "Israel" in an overly simplistic way. I take the position that the term "Israel" is used in many different ways in the scriptures and this very verse is strong support. To make sense of this phrase one must realize the term "Israel" is used in two different ways. This is a difficult verse to explain because it stretches the use of language. Paul is saying that there are two different Israels. One we can call "genetic Israel." I would like to call the other Israel "spiritual Israel" but that brings into the discussion preconceived ideas. Lets call the other group, "saved Israel." Now let me redo Pauls statement using that terminology to distinguish between the two Israels.
"for they are not all "Saved" Israel, that are of "Genetic" Israel. Saved Israel and Genetic Israel are not two different groups of people, but neither are they the same. Some Israelites are saved, others are not. Both groups are completely genetic Israelites, but the one group contains only saved genetic Israelites, and that it the point Paul is making. The other group has both saved and unsaved genetic Israelites.
So then, which of these two Israel's are the suppository of revelation and blessings? If the blessings were to genetic Israel (saved and unsaved) then the promises of God came to nothing. However, the blessings of verses 4-5 belong not to genetic Israel, but to saved Israel.
ILLUSTRATIONS OF THIS CONCEPT Romans 9:7-13
Now the next section merely serves to illustrate the main point in verse 6. Paul is going to give two illustrations. One of them relates to Abraham's children, Isaac and Ishmael. The other illustration is going to be the children of Isaac, Jacob and Esau. The point of the two illustrations is to show that within a genetic family, one can be elected to salvation and all the blessings pertaining to salvation, and the other is not saved even though he is of the same "flesh" (or genetically related).
Please notice that the illustrations do not apply directly to the issue of the Abrahamic Covenant, but only indirectly. A very important point would be to ask was Esau circumcised? As a member of the Abrahamic seed, the answer would be "YES." All fleshly genetic Israelites were circumcised. Yet not all genetic and circumcised Israelites inherited the promises, the covenants, the adoption, etc.
Rom 9:7 neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
This is a statement of the principle in verse 6 when applied to the children of Abraham. The first illustration would of course be Ishmael, Isaac, and the sons of Keturah. Out of all those children, all were under the Abrahamic Covenant in some way. Abraham was the "Father of many nations." His children because nations. All would have been circumcised. Of course only Isaac would carry the promises, the covenants, the blessings, the adoption, and only Isaac would be saved. Remember the introducion, and how Paul spoke of giving up his own salvation for the sake of his countrymen.
Rom 9:8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed.
This is the conclusion Paul draws from the previous verse. Notice again the two groups. Within the "Children of the flesh" there are some that are the "Children of God." The point is that Isaac was the child of God, and the rest were not children of God, but only Children of Abraham. Only those who were children of God, or children of Promise are counted or reckoned as the seed of Abraham.
Now let me here stop and note the difference in contexts between Romans 9 and Galatians. In Galatians the Gentiles are children of Abraham by faith. In Romans it is speaking of children of flesh (Jews) who are children of Abraham. My point in a way is irrevelant because when Paul gets to verse 24, he is going to turn Romans 9 upside down and say that the whole thing actually applies to Gentiles anyway. Nevertheless, to keep the context of Romans 9 clear, we must qualify that up until this verse, Paul is still only talking about "fleshly" or genetic Jews. Gentiles are not the suppository of Revelation. In the OT, we had to worship behind the Jew, but now of course Ephesians 2 speaks of the middle wall of partition being broken down and how the two are made one. So after Pentacost, there is neither Jew nor greek, bond nor free. So then, there is yet a 3ird Israel not mentioned in this context, that of the Jewish-Gentile, post Pentecost Church. Paul is here merely contrasting saved genetic Israel, with
Genetic Israel.