Inseparable love

[Romans 9:1-13]

We have already meditated on Romans 8:31-39. In particular, I thought of the third and last of the three assurances, “Assurance of love.” I personally shared verses 38-39 with you: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Even death cannot separate you and me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. In the midst of this, as we read Romans 9:1-3, we can see a glimpse of Paul's heart of loving the Israelites with God's inseparable love. An example of this is Romans 9:3 – “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” As I meditated on these words, I thought that Paul's heart for Israel was inseparable love. And I came to realize that Paul's inseparable love for the Israelites was God's inseparable love for Paul. In other words, Paul was loving the Israelites with God's inseparable love. Today, while meditating on Paul's inseparable love for the Israelites under the title of "Inseparable love," I hope and pray that we all imitate Paul's heart and love our neighbors with inseparable love.

How was Paul's inseparable love for the Israelites?

In the heart of Paul's inseparable love for the Israelites, there was “great sorrow” and “unceasing anguish”.

Look at Romans 9:1-2: “I speak the truth in Christ--I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit--I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” Why did Paul have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart? Why? The reason, in a word, was Israel's unbelief. In other words, the reason Paul had great sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart was that his brothers, the people of Israel (v. 3), want to be justified by their works rather than by their faith in God (v. 11). In particular, Paul, seeing the Israelites, who had the privilege of knowing and believing in God (vv. 4-5), but were not able to enjoy that privilege, he had great sorrow and unceasing pain in his heart. What was the privilege given to the Israelites? In Romans 9:4-5, Paul speaks of the privileges of the Israelites in six ways:

The privilege of the Israelites was to have an adopted relationship to God [(v. 4) “… Theirs is the adoption as sons …”].

In the Old Testament times, the nation of Israel had an adopted relationship with God. This is by no means a relationship to any individual among those peoples. The entire nation was nurtured in its relationship with God. Soon Israel was a theocracy. The Israelites were the people ruled by God (Park). In that way, the Israelites were privileged.

The privilege of the Israelites was to see the glory of God [(v. 4) “… theirs the divine glory …”].

For example, considering the glory of God (God manifesting Himself) that the Israelites witnessed and experienced at the time of the Exodus, we cannot deny that the Israelites were truly a privileged people.

The privileges of the Israelites were “covenants” [(v. 4) “… the covenants …”].

Covenants here are the covenants that God made with Israel, which have been repeated since Abraham (Park). It was never because the Israelites did something well in God's eyes that God made a covenant with them. Because of God's sovereign love, God made a covenant with the Israelites. This was a great blessing and privilege for them.

The privilege of the Israelites was to receive “the law” [(v. 4) “… the law …”].

God gave the law to the Israelites through Moses. This is a great privilege to them.

The privilege of the Israelites was to receive “the temple worship and promises” [(v. 4) “… the temple worship and promises”].

Only the Israelites had the privilege of worshiping God. And only they had God's promises.

The privilege of the Israelites was that Jesus Christ was born of them according to the flesh [(v. 5) “Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, …”].

Paul had great sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart because the Israelites, who had these privileges (grace), did not believe in Jesus Christ and did not accept the gospel.

Because of the disobedience of the Israelites, Paul had “great sorrow” and “unceasing anguish” in his heart in the midst of his earnest desire to save their souls, but there was something that comforted his heart. It was none other than the word of God’s covenant that cannot be failed. Look at verse 6: “It is not as though God's word had failed. ….” Paul had great sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart because of the unbelief of the Israelites. But even in the midst of that, he held on to the covenantal words of God that could never be failed. What are the words of God's covenant that cannot be failed? Look at verse 9: “For this was how the promise was stated: ‘At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.’” The word of this promise is presented in more detail in the second half of verse 7: “… It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” This is Paul's quote from Genesis 21:12, when Sarah, Abraham's wife, saw that Ishmael, the son of Hagar, her maidservant, was mocking Isaac (v. 9) and told Abraham to get rid of Hagar and Ishmael (v. 10). At that time the word of God's promise that came to Abraham while he was greatly distressed (v. 11). What is the point of this promise? It is God's sovereign choice. Paul knew that not all who are descended from Israel are Israel (v. 6). And he also knew that “t is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring” (Rom. 9:8). In the midst of this, he believed that God loved the Israelites with inseparable love and that there was a true seed of Abraham who was sovereignly chosen among them. And because Paul believed that God would call the true seed of Abraham through the gospel, he held on to the word of promise given to Abraham by God and relied on God's sovereign choice. God chose Isaac among Abraham's seed and not Ishmael (vv. 7-8). Also, God chose Jacob among Esau and Jacob, born between Isaac and Rebekah, and not Esau (vv. 10-13). In particular, in choosing Jacob and not choosing Esau, Paul is saying very important words to the saints in Rome and to us in verse 11: “Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election might stand.” What does it mean? Before Esau and Jacob were born, before they did anything good or evil, God chose Jacob and did not choose Esau. This is absolutely not saying that God chooses some people and calls them through the gospel to believe in Jesus but does not choose others and does not give them faith as a gift. This word means that the selection of Isaac rather than Ishmael and Jacob rather than Esau was entirely within God's sovereign will. It is absolutely not based on human actions. However, the disobedient Israelites were trying to gain salvation through good works without knowing this truth. Therefore, Paul had great sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart toward his own brethren in their unbelief, the people of Israel, his kinsmen according to their flesh. And he loved his brothers, the Israelites, with the inseparable love of God. He loved them, but even though he himself was cursed and cut off from Christ, he earnestly desired that his brothers, the Israelites, hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe in Jesus and receive eternal life (v. 3). Of course, Paul and us who believe in Jesus cannot be separated from Jesus Christ. In the end, the children of God whom God loved and chose, called though the gospel and justified, will be glorified. In other words, God will eventually save those whom God has decided to save, no matter what happens. Therefore, Paul and us who believe in Jesus can never be separated from Jesus Christ. Paul is simply expressing his love for the people of Israel. This is a virtual, not a real possibility (Park). Even if he was cut off from Christ by being cursed for them, he was eager for the salvation of the Israelites to that extent. Do you and I have this earnestness? Especially for the salvation of the souls of our family and relatives who do not believe in Jesus, do we earnestly want them to be saved even if we ourselves are cursed instead and cannot go to heaven and go to hell?

Today's text, Romans 9:1-13, is the word that God gave me through the pastor who was the president of the presbytery when I was ordained as a pastor at Sierra Vista United Presbyterian Church in Arizona in 1998. After receiving that message, as a pastor serving the church, which is the body of the Lord, there are times when I ask myself the question, 'Do I really have such earnestness for the salvation of souls?' Especially when I think of my friends who are still wandering without knowing Jesus, I remember asking this question from time to time. And I couldn't help but confess that I didn't have that kind of earnestness in my heart. After all, it was only a short while ago that I prayed the prayer that Moses had given to God: ‘God, save the souls of my dear friends. Otherwise, please erase my name from the book of life written by the Lord’ (Exod. 32:32). Even while praying, there was a feeling of fear on one side. Of course, the names recorded in the book of life cannot be erased. But I felt a little how difficult and frightening this prayer was. In the midst of that, I thought, 'Even if my life ends today, my death is worth it if God saves the dying souls He loves'. What do you think? Are you willing to trade your life for the salvation of one soul? Do you love one soul that much? I hope and pray that, with God's inseparable love, we can be like Paul, loving the dying souls who do not believe in Jesus whom God sends into our lives during great sorrow and unceasing anguish.