Newsletter Vol.2, #15—April 9, 2006

Matthew 8 ¹⁵He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve Him. ¹⁶That evening they brought to Him many who were oppressed by demons, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.

Romans Nine

¹I am speaking the truth in Christ--I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit--²that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. ⁴They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. ⁵To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

1. Israelites descendants of the man who was a prince with God {Israel means A prince who prevailed} Their God was the God of Jacob!

2. Adoption as Sons they were children of God Chosen from all the nations of the earth.

3. Glory God for long ages appeared among them by the visible glory–Sinai, …over the ark of the covenant.

4. Covenants those made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

5. Law To them also was given the Law, the Sinaitic covenant, a law regulating everything, promoting, when observed, the highest domestic and national happiness, keeping them separate from the abominations of heathenism, and making them a peculiar nation

6. The {temple} Service the grandest ritual ever known on earth, with its priests, altars, sacrifices, feasts and splendid temple.

7. Promises all of God’s blessings, promised first to Abraham.

8. Fathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

9. From Whom is the Christ According to the Flesh the greatest of all the promises, the Messiah

Romans 9:⁶But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, ⁷and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." ⁸This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. ⁹For this is what the promise said: "About this time next year I will return and Sarah shall have a son." ¹⁰And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, ¹¹though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad--in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his call-- ¹²she was told, "The older will serve the younger." ¹³As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." ¹⁴What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! ¹⁵For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

Does Paul mean to say that God chooses individuals for salvation without any say-so on the part of those individuals? That, as the consequence of Calvinism demands, two babies who die in infancy will go different places if one is God’s choice (elect) and the other is not? no! When one goes to the original text, we learn that God is speaking of nations, not individuals!

Genesis 25:²³ And the lord said to her,   "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger." ²⁴When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. ²⁶Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

“Rom 9:12 - The elder shall serve the younger - … That these words are used in a national and not in a personal sense, is evident from this: that, taken in the latter sense they are not true, for Jacob never did exercise any power over Esau, nor was Esau ever subject to him. Jacob, on the contrary, was rather subject to Esau, and was sorely afraid of him; and, first, by his messengers, and afterwards personally, acknowledged his brother to be his lord, and himself to be his servant; see Gen.32:4; 33:8,13. And hence it appears that neither Esau nor Jacob, nor even their posterities, are brought here by the apostle as instances of any personal reprobation from eternity: … (Adam Clarke)

“To be a lineal descendant of Abraham no more proved that an Israelite would be saved than that an Ishmaelite would be saved, for the latter [Ishmeal] also had Abraham to his father.” (Plumer, p.469)

Concerning children of Abraham, John the Baptizer said to the Pharisees and Sadducees: “and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” (Matt.3:9)

Other passages: John 8:39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham.” Gal.3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

No, God does not arbitrarily choose individuals to be saved or lost! God chose Israel through whom to bring Christ to the world and when this was accomplished He chose to include the Gentiles in the body of Christ, the church. The Jews didn’t like this! They thought salvation was theirs alone and Paul was showing them that God’s choice stands! The Jews have no legitimate argument against God!

“Vacation”

My wife and I plan on leaving tomorrow (April 10^th) and going to Bowling Green ky. We plan on leaving ky April 17^th and going to Garland tx. Our original plans were to come on home from Garland the 18^th but a step-grandson is to have radical surgery Thursday the 20^th in Dallas (because of Cancer) so we will stay for that and hopefully come home the 21^st. If things go as planned, Barry Williams will be coming back with us and will stay with us awhile until he has worked enough to get his own apartment. (He is scheduled to begin work May 13^th at the Wal Mart close to our home.)