Romans 9:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.”

NIV: For this was how the promise was stated: 'At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.'

NASB: For this is the word of promise: 'AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH WILL HAVE A SON.'

CSB: For this is the statement of the promise: At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.

NLT: For God had promised, 'I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.'

KJV: For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.

NKJV: For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”

Paul is pulling examples from Israel's history to show what distinguished a "true" Israelite from one who is merely born into the nation. He wants to show, in the end, that God will keep His promises to Israel through those who are truly children of the promise. Mere biology is not the key; what ultimately matters is whether or not a person has the right relationship with God. Paul will use this line of thought to explain why Gentiles, and not only Jews, can be part of God's plan of salvation.

He points here to one of the promises given by God to Abraham. After many years of promising that Abraham and Sarah would have a son, God now promises that Sarah will give birth in one year's time (Genesis 17:21; 18:10, 14). Only that child, Isaac, was the child of a promise. Abraham's other children, born before and after Isaac, were not born as the result of a promise of God.

Romans 9:1–18 finds Paul heartbroken over the rejection of Christ by his people the Jews. They have been given so much as God's chosen people, and Paul insists that God will keep His promises to Israel. Not everyone born to Israel is truly Israel, though, Paul writes. Specific examples are given to show that God does, in fact, choose those who will receive His blessings. The following passage tackles whether this choice, by God, is fair.

Romans 9 begins with Paul describing his anguish for his people Israel in their rejection of Christ. After describing all the privileges God has given to the Jewish people as a nation, Paul insists that God will keep those promises. However, not every person born to Israel belongs to Israel, he writes. God reserves the right to show mercy to some and not others, as Paul demonstrates from Scripture. God is like a potter who creates some vessels for destruction and others for glory. God has called out His people from both the Gentiles and the Jews to faith in Christ, the stumbling stone.

Romans 8 ended with Paul's grand declaration that nothing can separate those who are in Christ Jesus from the love of God. Romans 9 turns a sharp corner and finds Paul heartbroken that his people, the Jews, have rejected Christ. He insists that God will keep His promises to Israel, but that not everyone born to Israel is truly Israel. God will show mercy to whomever He wishes, calling out His people from both the Jews and the Gentiles to faith in Christ. Romans 10 will find Paul discussing how Jewish people can be saved.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.

Accessed 4/29/2024 12:50:46 AM