Romans 9:5-13

Romans 9:5-13 (WEB) of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel. Neither, because they are Abraham's offspring, are they all children. But, "your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac." That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. For this is a word of promise, "At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son." Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls, it was said to her, "The elder will serve the younger." Even as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

🔑 Key Points

1. Christ is over all, God blessed forever

Before moving on, Sproul pauses on verse 5 — one of Scripture's clearest declarations of Christ's full deity. Even as Christ came 'according to the flesh' out of Jewish ancestry, Paul affirms he is the 'God blessed forever,' punctuated with 'Amen.' The human and divine natures are held together; we dare not skip over this.

2. The word of God cannot fail

Though Israel largely rejected Christ, 'the word of God has not come to nothing.' The Spirit guarantees the Word's effectiveness — it never returns void. God's promises were never cancelled by human rejection.

3. Not all who are of Israel are Israel

Salvation is not inherited by bloodline. The 'children of the flesh' are not automatically children of God; only the 'children of the promise' are counted as heirs. Sproul connects this to the visible/invisible church distinction — only God reads hearts.

4. Election is not based on foreseen works

The Jacob/Esau example demolishes the idea that God elects based on foreknowledge of human decisions. The twins were chosen before birth, 'not having done anything good or bad,' so that 'the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls.'

5. Romans 9 teaches unconditional election clearly

Sproul argues no passage teaches unconditional election more compellingly than Romans 9. He addresses four common evasion strategies — avoidance, reinterpreting as national blessing, reinterpreting as temporal blessing, and prescience — and shows why each fails to explain the text.

💬 Discussion Questions

Where in your life have you seen the Word of God 'not come to nothing,' even when you or others seemed unmoved?
How does the 'children of the flesh vs. children of the promise' distinction challenge comfortable assumptions about who belongs to God?
What does it mean for your assurance that election rests on 'him who calls' rather than your own performance?

📖 The Passage