Romans 9:1-8 – Children of Abraham

Topic: Children of Abraham

Reading: Romans 9:1-8

Introduction and Overview

God’s promises to inherit the world was given to Abraham. Abraham was called the friend of God and God promised that Abraham and his children would inherit the earth.

But it was not specifically his physical descendants who were to inherit the earth, and these scriptures today give us insight into who are the children of Abraham.

In many things and examples in the Bible we see both a physical process and a spiritual parallel. For example, the children of Israel going through the Red Sea parallels the process of baptism. The way Jesus was put to death and when we look to Him we receive life parallels the time where Moses nailed an effigy of a bronze serpent high up on a pole so that if anyone was bitten by the serpents in the camp, they could look up at the serpent on the pole and not die (read: Numbers 21:4-9). And there are many other parallels in the Bible.

This inheritance works in the same way. The physical children of Israel received the inheritance when they went into the Promised Land. But the promise of receiving the inheritance of Abraham does not come through physical means only. It is not just the twelve physical tribes of Israel to whom the promise to inherit the world will come. Rather, it is those who hold the same faith in God as Abraham held who will be the true children of Abraham. We are the children of Abraham when, like him, we believe the power of God who raised Jesus from the dead.

These scriptures today discuss this matter and show that we are the children of Abraham because we hold the faith that he had in God.

Key points from reading:

1. All the promises of God given to Abraham were to come to the children of Israel.
2. But the physical children of Israel failed again and again, as is recorded in the Old Testament, which opened the way for the rest of the peoples of the world to become the children of Abraham.
3. Not all who are physically descended from Israel are true children of Abraham, and in fact the physical genealogy is unimportant as it is by faith we are the children of Abraham and thus offered the promises of God.

Discussion:

1. Scripture: Romans 9:1-3
   • Paul is showing how sorrowful he is because the people of physical Israel had failed with respect to the worship of God. Over and over again they went astray and Paul describes his deep and abiding anguish because they refused to listen to God.
   • He even goes so far as to say that if they would turn to God he would put up with being separated from Christ. This is quite an amazing display of national pride and patriotism on Paul’s behalf. That he would be willing to be cut off from Christ if only his brethren in the flesh, the Israelites, would repent and turn back to their God shows Paul’s love for his people.
   • But they did not repent. And while that is a sad thing for them, it became good news for the rest of the world who are not directly descended from Israel. Their loss and their rejection is what has given us the opportunity to become the children of Abraham through Jesus Christ. And we will see in a later study, when we get into Romans 11, that even though they rejected God, they can still repent and return to Him in Jesus Christ.
2. Scripture: Romans 9:4-5
   • Consider these words and look at the blessings and promises God gave to the physical descendants of Israel. It says in these words,
     
     “…to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ.
   • The many blessings of God were given to the nation of Israel, who were the physical children of Abraham. And these are but a few of the blessings they were given. They have been described as being, “the apple of God’s eye” (see: Zechariah 2:8, Deuteronomy 32:9-10)
   • But despite having the favour of God and all of the blessings, Israel rejected God. Consider how they rejected Him in the desert as they wandered for forty years. God set before them a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of smoke during the day to lead them. He fed them manna from heaven and even the clothes they wore and shoes on their feet did not wear out during the forty years of their sojourn. And despite seeing the presence of God every day and in every part of their lives, they still rejected Him.
3. Scripture: Romans 9:6
   • When it comes to the question of who are the real children of Israel and heirs to the promises of God to Abraham, this scripture is the key. It says:
     
     “But it is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Romans 9:6)
     
     From this we see that it is not necessarily those who are physical descendants of Israel who are the the children of Israel. We are the children of Abraham and regardless of our genealogy, in Christ we too receive the promises of God given to the children of Israel and the children of Abraham.
   • The Bible speaks elsewhere of us being adopted as God’s children. We are brought into His family as a child is adopted. (Read Galatians 4:3-7) The process of adoption under Roman law, which those reading the letters in those days fully understood, is much more powerful than adoption today. Under Roman law an adopted child cannot be rejected or un-adopted. They have full rights of inheritance, and sometimes even greater rights than natural children. Under Roman law a natural child could be disowned and disinherited, but an adopted child could not be disinherited. And adopted child was considered more highly because they were chosen.
   • It is the same with those who come to God in Jesus Christ. We too are adopted into the family of God and thus become heirs to the inheritance promised to Abraham and his offspring, who is Jesus. (Read Galatians 3:13-19) And in the process of adoption we are the children of Abraham and children of spiritual Israel.
4. Scripture: Romans 9:7-8
   • What we see in these last verses is the key to this section. It specifies that it was through Isaac that the descendants of Abraham, who would receive the promises of Abraham, were to be named.
   • The key point about Isaac is that he was not a child conceived under normal circumstances. God promised a child to Abraham and Sarah, even though Sarah was barren, unable to conceive, and well past her menopausal years. Despite these limitations, Abraham believed God would provide the child, and Isaac was born.
   • Isaac was a child of promise. It was a promise made by God to Abraham. And Isaac was also a child born on the basis of faith. He was a child of faith. So, in the same way, we who believe in God as Abraham did are also children of faith. This is why it says that it was through Isaac that Abraham’s descendants would be named. And it is why and how people from all walks of life, nationalities, and genealogies can be part of the children of Abraham and children of promise.

Key Takeaways:

1. God promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the earth. And that promise was made to Abraham and his offspring, referring to Jesus.
2. Because we enter into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we become the offspring of Abraham. We become the children of Abraham and thus we are eligible to inherit the promises to Abraham.
3. It is the children of the spirit, the children of faith who will inherit with Christ all of the promises of God. And some of the fleshly descendants of Abraham who trust only in their physical genealogy will miss out.

Prayer Points

1. Thank the Lord God for the offer and the promises He has given to you and all who call upon and believe in the name of Jesus.
2. Thank the Father because He has seen fit to open His promises made to Abraham to all mankind, if they will believe and have faith in Jesus Christ.