According to Paul, in his letter to the Romans, Israel and Israel alone have been given adoption, the glory, the covenants, the Torah, the service, and the promises handed down through the Patriarchs. When Paul states he would gladly be accursed for the sake of his brethren according to the flesh, is he talking about the physical descendants of Israel or does he have something else in mind? When he talks about God’s election, His purposes, His mercy, His choosing even before good or evil occurs in individuals lives, His hardening of men’s hearts, his making some to be vessels of honor and others of dishonor, is this some form of Calvinism or is Paul saying more than we think. I think the latter is the case. Do we have any part in these decisions He makes? Scripture teaches that the ball is in our court when it comes to making these determinations. Study… and perhaps, just perhaps, you’ll gain a fresh perspective on some intense and confusing topics.

Paul closes out Romans 9 with the reason why individuals move from vessels of honor to dishonor, mercy to wrath and it involves the works of the law. What could Paul have meant? Did he mean that the law is not good (Rom. 7:12) or that the doers of the law are no longer justified (Rom. 2:13)? What are the works of the law vs the law of faith? Romans 3:21-31, especially verse 31, which parallels 9:25-29 answers the question clearly. From this day forward, hopefully, no one will ever try to be justified by the works of the law, but by faith we will establish the law for the world to see the true Messiah as vessels of honor.

The works of the Law always lead to a curse! What a strange way for Paul to end Romans 9. Strange or not, it’s true. What could He mean? Is the Law bad? Is the law cursed? Of course not! Sometimes Paul’s language is confusing (2 Pet. 3:15-17). However, when we keep his words in context, we see what is hidden in plain sight. To Israel belongs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the service, the Torah and the promises (9:4) all to which we’ve been grafted into (Rom. 11). History tells us that Israel was a vessel of mercy/honor and by not attaining to the righteousness of the Law by faith, in their rebellion to Yahweh they became vessels of wrath/dishonor. The reality of Israel’s actions is given to us today as a warning to stay away from the works of the Law. Paul has already told us that Yeshua died to destroy sin (transgressing the Torah [1 John 3:4]) so that we might fulfill the righteousness of the Law (Rom. 8:3,4). The righteousness of the Law and the works of the Law are opposites.

Live the righteousness of the Law and be blessed!