Romans 9:10-13, The Purpose of God According to Election

Romans 9:10-13 (KJV) ¹⁰  And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; ¹¹  (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) ¹²   It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. ¹³  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

Commenting on verse 12-13, Roger Ellsworth observes well, “By placing Jacob, the second child, over Esau, the Lord was driving home the essential nature of salvation. He was showing that it is entirely a matter of His doing. Jacob had done nothing to deserve being set over Esau. Esau had done nothing to being set aside. Jacob was elevated solely because it pleased God to do so. It was sheer grace. There was absolutely nothing for which Jacob could take credit. He could not explain his elevation by saying he was stronger than Esau. He was not. He could not explain it in terms of being wiser than Esau. He proved to be, but God placed him above Esau while the two of them were still in the womb. We cannot attribute wisdom to Jacob at this stage. God has always liked to act in this particular way. He has always delighted in elevating the weak and foolish over the strong and the wise. When Israel needed a king, God bypassed all the more impressive sons of Jesse and settled on unimpressive David (1 Sam. 16). When God sent His Son into this world, He bypassed Jerusalem, the religious, cultural and political centre of that region, and settled on tiny, unimpressive Bethlehem. When Jesus chose His twelve disciples, he by-passed the movers and shakers of the day, the elite of society, and settled on some fishermen, a tax collector and a political zealot or two. The Apostle Paul affirms that God operates in the very same way in this matter of eternal salvation. As a general rule, he bypasses the wise, the mighty and the noble, and settles on the foolish, the weak and the base (1 Cor. 1:26-28).

1 Corinthians 1:26-28 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

He further explains, “You can be sure that salvation is the result of God’s grace just as much as Jacob’s elevation. It is not a matter of our meriting it or our working for it. It is all the product of God’s grace. It is God who chooses, calls and grants repentance and faith. If we love Him, it is because He first loved us. There is not one shred of credit that a saved person can take for himself. All glory goes to the Lord. How sinful nature resists this teaching! But while we resist, the Bible insists. Just as the Lord God chose Jacob, so he has chosen each of His people.

The Apostle Paul affirms in these breathtaking words: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-6)

We have here the fact of election: “He chose us.” Here we have its time: “Before the foundation of the world; its basis: “according to the good pleasure of His will”; and its vehicle: “in Christ”. Here also is its purpose: “that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” And here is the proper response to it: “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” We may quibble all we want about why the Lord would operate in this way, but whether we like it or not, this is His way, as He made abundantly clear in His revelation to Rebekah.” Amen.