Introduction
For a few years now I’ve had Hebrews 10:23 stuck in my brain. In every up and down of life, in every joy and every hardship, this one verse keeps coming to mind. We read it earlier. It says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
Well, I believe that verse really captures the heartbeat of Romans 9. Paul is not writing Romans 9 to make Christians unstable. He is writing to make Christians steadfast. He is not trying to produce fearful speculation about the hidden decree of God. He is trying to produce enduring confidence in the revealed promises of God. Why? Because He who promised is faithful.
That is really the issue underneath this whole passage. Has God failed to keep His promises? Has Israel’s unbelief somehow overturned the covenant faithfulness of God? Have the promises of God collapsed because many of Abraham’s physical descendants rejected the Messiah?
And Paul’s answer is: absolutely not. “It is not as though the Word of God has failed.”
Beloved, that is not merely a theological statement. That is a life-giving reality for weary sinners like us. Because if the Word of God can fail, then we have no hope. If God breaks covenant, then salvation itself collapses. But Paul says God’s Word has not failed. Not one promise has fallen to the ground. And because God is faithful to His promises in Christ, we are called to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.
And that’s really what this sermon is about. The faithfulness of God in Christ. The certainty of God’s promises in Christ. And therefore the call for us to cling to Christ in persevering faith. So with that in mind, look with me at Romans 9:6-13.
Context
After walking us through the ins and outs of the gospel, Paul took us to the heights of God’s glorious gospel promises in Romans 8. But he immediately followed that in Romans 9:1-5 by showing us his heart in deep sorrow over the unbelief of many of his fellow Jews. Though Israel had received great covenant privileges—the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, the promises, the patriarchs, and even the Christ according to the flesh—many were rejecting their Messiah. Which raises a pressing question: Has God’s Word failed? Have His covenant promises fallen to the ground because so many Israelites remain in unbelief?
If God’s promises in Romans 8 are true, and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, what about Israel? If Romans 8 isn’t true for them how can it be true for us? Romans 9:6-13 begins Paul’s answer to that question. He explains that God’s promises were never grounded merely in outward ethnicity or fleshly descent, because not all ethnic Israelites are a part of the true Israel in Christ. From the very beginning, God’s covenant purpose moved through His sovereign election and ultimately in, through, and toward Christ, the true Seed and Child of Promise, in whom all the elect—Jew and Gentile alike—become true children of Abraham through faith. And that’s what we’re going to take a deeper look at today.
Romans 9:6-13
Again, I know we went through this passage last week, but I thought it would do us some good to go through it again because Romans 9 is one of the most glorious and yet one of the most misunderstood chapters in all of Holy Scripture. I don’t want to rush through it. It is truly glorious because it exalts the sovereign grace of God. It humbles the pride of man and reminds us that salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end. But it is often misunderstood because people can’t get past their pride and see what it’s actually talking about. And it’s misunderstood by others because they read this chapter as though its main purpose were to drive Christians into passivity, or fear and uncertainty about whether or not they are secretly elect.
And yet, if we read Paul carefully, we find that his burden is actually the opposite of this. Paul is not trying to undermine the confidence of God’s people. And he certainly isn’t trying to encourage passivity in God’s people. He is defending the faithfulness of God to His people. The great issue in this passage is not whether God’s promises can be trusted, but whether Israel’s unbelief means God’s promises have somehow failed.
And Paul’s answer comes immediately in verse 6: “it is not as though the word of God has failed.” In other words, the Word of God has not failed. The promises of God have not collapsed. The covenant of God has not fallen to the ground. God remains faithful, even when men are faithless.
This is the heartbeat of the passage. This is the foundation underneath everything Paul says here. And beloved, this matters greatly because every Christian wrestles at times with fears and doubts. We look at ourselves. We look at our sins. We look at our weakness. We look at our children and wonder about their future. And passages like Romans 9 can sometimes become terrifying if we approach them wrongly.
Many sensitive consciences begin asking questions Scripture does not call us to ask. “What if I’m Esau? What if my children are Esau? What if I’m not truly elect? What if the promises are not really for me?”
But beloved, Romans 9 is not meant to drive us into endless speculation about the hidden decree of God. It is meant to drive us to Christ and to confidence in the promises of God.
As Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever…”
God has not commanded you to climb into heaven and uncover His eternal decree. He has not called you to pry open the hidden counsel of His will. He has revealed what He desires you to know. He has revealed Christ. He has revealed the gospel. He has revealed His covenant promises. And He calls us to trust Him.
That is what Paul is defending here: the reliability and faithfulness of God’s Word. And to make that point, Paul brings us back to Abraham and Isaac.
In the last half of verse 6 and verse 7 Paul says, “For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’”
Now don’t miss what Paul is saying here. Paul is showing us that from the very beginning there was a distinction between mere outward descent and the covenant purpose of God. Not all physical descendants were heirs of the promise in the same way. Ishmael was Abraham’s son according to the flesh, but Isaac was the child of promise.
But even Isaac himself was never the ultimate point. Isaac was a type. A picture. A shadow pointing beyond himself to Christ.
Indeed, Isaac’s very birth proclaimed the gospel. Abraham’s body was “as good as dead.” Sarah’s womb was barren. Humanly speaking, Isaac should never have existed. He was born by promise and by grace. His existence testified that salvation belongs to the Lord who brings life out of death.
And all of this pointed forward to the greater Son—the true Child of Promise—our Lord Jesus Christ. As we sang earlier, Christ is the true and better Isaac. Christ is the true Seed. Christ is the true Israel.
This is precisely what Paul says in Galatians 3:16, “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.”
Beloved, that is crucial. The promises made to Abraham are ultimately fulfilled in Christ Himself. He is the true heir. He is the faithful Son. He is the One to whom all the covenant promises belong by right.
And this means something glorious for us. It means that the covenant was never ultimately about earthly bloodlines, ethnic privilege, or fleshly descent. It was always Christ-centered. Always gospel-centered. Always pointing to union with the promised Seed.
This is why Paul later says in Galatians 3:29, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
Notice the order carefully. We do not first become Abraham’s seed and then somehow attain Christ. No. Christ Himself is the true Seed, and all who belong to Him by faith become children of promise in Him.
Christ is the Elect One. Christ is the beloved Son. Christ is the heir of all things. And all who are united to Christ share in His inheritance.
This is why Romans 8:16-17 says, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”
Fellow-heirs with Christ… Everything comes through union with Him. Outside of Christ there is no inheritance. Outside of Christ there is no sonship. Outside of Christ there is no covenant blessing. But in Christ we get everything. Indeed, all the promises of God find their yes and amen in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Beloved, this is why assurance is not found by staring endlessly inward trying to decode the hidden decree of God. Assurance is found by looking to Christ.
The Father says of Jesus, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And everyone united to that Son shares in that sonship and that pleasure.
This is why the Christian life is not lived by anxiously trying to determine whether your name is secretly written in heaven before the Last Day. The Christian life is lived by trusting Christ, clinging to His promises, walking in repentance and faith, and resting in the faithfulness of God.
Indeed, even Abraham himself inherited the promises only through Christ. Before Christ was ever Abraham’s Seed according to the flesh, Abraham already belonged to Christ by faith. Abraham rejoiced to see Christ’s day. Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
The covenant has always been Christological. It has always been about grace. It has always been about union with the promised Seed. And church, this profoundly shapes how we understand our children and our households.
When God established His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17:7, He said, “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” And because God made that covenant promise, Abraham was commanded to place the covenant sign upon his household.
Now notice Abraham did not first seek to look into the secret decree of God before obeying. He did not wait until he possessed infallible knowledge concerning eternal election. He didn’t wait for some fluffy emotional feeling. He simply believed the revealed promise of God and acted accordingly.
Indeed, Abraham placed the covenant sign upon Isaac and Ishmael alike. Why? Because covenant administration belongs to history, not to the hidden decree. The secret things belong unto the Lord. The revealed promises belong unto us and to our children.
And the same principle remains true today. We baptize our children because God’s covenant promises belong to believers and to their children. We do not baptize because we possess exhaustive knowledge of the eternal decree. We baptize because God has spoken.
The covenant promise remains: “For the promise is for you, and to your children…” And just as Abraham was commanded not only to place the covenant sign upon his children, but also to disciple them in the faith, so we are called to do the same.
The Lord says of Abraham in Genesis 18:19, “For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
Do you see the pattern? God’s sovereignty does not destroy covenant responsibility. Election does not make covenant nurture unnecessary. Rather, God ordains both the ends and the means.
Indeed, one of the chief means God uses to bring covenant children to mature faith is covenant nurture itself. This is why Scripture repeatedly speaks in generational terms.
Malachi 2:15 says, “Did [God] not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.”
To be sure, marriage is primarily about displaying and magnifying the glory of the gospel. But make no mistake, God desires godly offspring. And that too is at the heart of God’s purpose for marriage.
Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…”
And Psalm 103:17-18 says, “But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.”
These are not empty words. These are covenant promises from a covenant-keeping God. And because we believe those promises, we act in faith. We baptize our children. We bring them into the worship of God. We teach them the Scriptures. We pray with them. We sing psalms and hymns with them. We bring them to the Lord’s Table because we believe Christ feeds His covenant people. We discipline them. We disciple them. We raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And we do all of this not in fear and anxiety, but in faith. Not because we presume upon God. Not because we deny the necessity of personal faith and perseverance. But because we believe that God delights to work through covenant households and covenant means of grace.
Scripture never calls Christian parents to raise their children as little pagans who must someday become strangers to the covenant before entering it. No. Scripture calls us to raise them as covenant children who belong to the visible household of God and who must therefore be taught to believe the promises sealed upon them in baptism.
Now does this mean every baptized child is eternally elect? Of course not. Romans 9 itself makes clear that there is a distinction between the outward covenant administration and the hidden decree of God. And Paul presses this point even further in verses 10-13.
Again he says, “And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though 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 him who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’”
Now church, we must handle these words carefully and reverently because here we are brought into the deep things of God. Here we are reminded again that salvation is not ultimately rooted in man, but in the sovereign grace and purpose of God.
Before Jacob and Esau were born, before either had done good or evil, God distinguished between them. Why? Paul tells us plainly, “in order that God’s purpose of election might continue…”
Salvation is by grace. Jacob was not chosen because he was morally superior to Esau. He was not chosen because God looked down the corridors of time and saw better decisions, better character, or greater worthiness in him. No. The distinction originated in God Himself. And that should humble us all.
For apart from grace, Jacob was a mere sinner too. Jacob was a schemer. A manipulator. A weak and broken man desperately in need of mercy. The difference between Jacob and Esau was not ultimately found in Jacob. The difference was grace.
And yet even here we must not lose sight of Christ. Because ultimately Jacob himself was not the endpoint. Jacob, like Abraham and Isaac before him, pointed beyond himself to Christ.
Christ is the true Elect One. Christ is the beloved Son. Christ is the faithful Israelite. Christ is the One chosen before the foundation of the world to accomplish the salvation of His people.
Indeed, before Jacob was ever born into the world, he was already chosen in Christ. Before Abraham left Ur. Before Isaac was conceived. Before the stars were hung in the heavens, God had set His love upon His people in His Son.
As Ephesians 1:4 says, God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. Notice those words carefully, “in Him.” Election is not abstract. Election is not detached from Christ. Election is in Christ. Christ is the fountainhead of all covenant blessing and saving grace.
And therefore all who are truly united to Christ by faith are eternally secure because God will never cease loving His Son. God has always loved Jesus… and He loves us in Christ. Speaking of this, the old Dutch Reformed theologian, Gerhardus Vos beautifully said, “The best proof that He will never cease to love us lies in that He never began.” In other words, God’s love for us is rooted in eternity past in His eternal love for His Son. It is from everlasting to everlasting. It never had a beginning, and it will never have an end.
This is why Romans 9 is ultimately meant to strengthen the confidence of believers, not destroy it. The God who chose His people in Christ before the foundation of the world will not suddenly abandon them tomorrow. The God who gave His Son for His people will not fail to bring them home. The Word of God has not failed because the saving purpose of God in Christ cannot fail.
And yet at the same time, Paul’s example of Esau reminds us of something sobering and necessary.
Esau was not a pagan outsider to the covenant. Esau was circumcised. Esau belonged to Abraham’s household. Esau received covenant privileges. Esau sat under covenant promises. Esau was outwardly a member of the covenant people.
And yet Hebrews tells us that Esau was “profane.” He despised his birthright. He traded covenant privilege for temporary earthly satisfaction. For a bowl of stew he sold what should have been precious to him.
What ultimately comes down to is that Esau loved the world more than God. He was like Demas, of whom Paul says, “Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:7)… And this reminds us that covenant privilege by itself does not save.
Though there is a sense in which we should believe our children are elect unless they prove otherwise through apostasy… We must also keep in mind that one can truly partake of covenant privileges, truly belong to Christ’s visible body, truly taste the powers of the age to come, and yet later despise those covenant mercies through unbelief. One can belong outwardly to the covenant community and yet despise Christ inwardly. One can receive covenant signs and yet refuse covenant faith. One can sit at the table of blessing and still harden his heart against the God of the covenant. And when that happens, the blame does not fall upon God.
We must never think of God as flippantly condemning innocent people or delighting in wickedness. He doesn’t play Duck, Duck, Damn! Scripture never presents Him that way. God is sovereign over all things, yes. His decree stands behind all of history, yes. Nothing happens outside His purpose, yes. And yet man remains fully responsible for his sin.
Esau’s condemnation was truly his own fault. Esau desired the world more than the promises of God. Esau loved his appetite more than the covenant. Esau despised what was holy.
God did not force Esau to hate the covenant. Esau willingly rejected it. And this is important because some people wrongly imagine the doctrine of election as though God were playing some cruel game with humanity—as though He simply says, “You may come,” and “You may not,” while sincere seekers are turned away.
But Scripture never speaks that way. Again, God does not play Duck, Duck, Damn.
The Lord commands all men everywhere to repent. Christ freely offers Himself in the gospel. The invitation is genuine. The mercy is real. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus says, “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).
No one who truly desires mercy in Christ will ever be rejected. And yet if anyone comes, it is only because grace first came to him. Jesus says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me” (John 6:37)… If anyone repents, it is because God granted repentance. If anyone believes, it is because God opened blind eyes and raised the spiritually dead. Salvation is all of grace.
And this means that the Christian life is lived in full dependence upon God while still embracing full responsibility before God. We do not say, “Well, if God has decreed all things, then my choices do not matter.” No, Scripture never reasons that way.
Rather, because God is sovereign, our labor is meaningful. Because God ordains the ends, He also ordains the means. Because God saves sinners, we preach the gospel. Because God works through covenant nurture, we disciple our children. Because God preserves His saints, we persevere in faith.
We are called to repent. We are called to believe. We are called to mortify sin. We are called to pick up our cross and follow Christ. And we are called to do all of this while knowing that every ounce of spiritual life and faithfulness ultimately flows from the grace of God.
Church, this should produce neither pride nor despair. It should produce worship. For what do we have that we have not received?
If we are in Christ, it is because God loved us before the foundation of the world. If we persevere, it is because Christ holds us fast. If we believe today, it is because the Spirit opened our hearts. If we love God, it is because He first loved us.
And therefore all glory belongs to Him. The vessels of mercy magnify the glory of His grace. The vessels of wrath magnify the glory of His justice. And in all things, God glorifies Himself perfectly in His Son.
So we must not respond to Romans 9 by staring endlessly into the hidden decree of God. We must respond by looking to Christ. We must trust His promises. We must cling to His gospel. We must raise our children in the faith. We must receive His covenant gifts with joy. We must put sin to death. We must walk in repentance, persevere in faith, and rest in this glorious truth: The Word of God has not failed.
Not one promise has fallen to the ground. Christ is the true Child of Promise. And all who belong to Him by faith are heirs according to promise. Therefore trust Him. Trust Him for yourself. Trust Him for your children. Trust Him enough to obey Him. Trust Him enough to raise your household in the faith. Trust Him enough to come to His table with joy instead of fear. Trust Him because He cannot lie.
As the Lord says in Psalm 89:34, “I will not violate my covenant or altar the Word that went forth from my lips.”
Church, that is our hope. Not our strength. Not our worthiness. Not our ability to pry into the hidden decree. Our hope is the faithfulness of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
And therefore let us cling to Christ. Let us trust His promises. Let us walk by faith. Let us teach our children to do the same. Let us receive His gifts with thanksgiving and joy.
For the steadfast love of the Lord is indeed from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto children’s children.
Conclusion
So church, what should Romans 9 produce in us? Not pride. Not passivity. Not terror. Not endless obsession with the hidden decree of God.
It should produce faith. It should produce worship. It should produce steadfastness. It should produce humble confidence in the faithfulness of God.
Paul’s point is not that God’s promises are weak and uncertain. His point is that God’s promises are so certain that they stand even when men fail, nations crumble, and generations wander. The Word of God has not failed because the saving purpose of God in Christ cannot fail.
And that means Hebrews 10:23 is not wishful thinking when it says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
Beloved, He who promised is faithful. So hold fast to Christ when your conscience accuses you. Hold fast to Christ when you feel weak in your faith. Hold fast to Christ when you are burdened by your sin. Hold fast to Christ when you fear for your children. Hold fast to Christ when the world pulls at your heart like it pulled at Esau’s. Hold fast to Christ when suffering comes. Hold fast to Christ when doubts arise. And do not merely hold fast privately. Walk faithfully before God publicly.
Repent of sin. Mortify the flesh. Love your spouse. Disciple your children. Pray with your family. Sing with the saints. Come eagerly to the Lord’s Table. Raise your children to love Christ and His church.
Do not despise your birthright like Esau. Do not trade eternal glory for temporary comfort. Do not love this present world more than the Kingdom of God.
And yet as you strive to walk faithfully, never forget this: your hope is not ultimately found in the strength of your grip on Christ, but in the strength of Christ’s grip on you.
The Father chose His people in the Son before the foundation of the world. The Son purchased His bride with His own blood. The Spirit opens blind eyes and preserves the saints. The Triune God is faithful from beginning to end.
And therefore, church, hold fast the confession of your hope without wavering. For He who promised is faithful. And because He is faithful, He will hold fast to you.
Amen.