Much Is Expected

Meditations on Romans

September 1, 2021

Much Is Expected

This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.

Romans 9:11b-12a

Read Romans 9: 6-13

In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul continued to address how his Jewish heritage fit into the New Covenant community established by Jesus. This is the continuing issue addressed in chapter nine. We could be tempted to gloss over this chapter as though it didn’t pertain to the modern era church, but we want to resist that temptation; there is good stuff here!

In reading this passage, I am reminded of the Apostle Peter’s statement that God shows no favoritism. (Acts 10:34) God has chosen to work through humankind to complete his plan of redemption, and he has chosen whom he wants to work with and through. When God chooses a person, there is a temptation for that person to get puffed up and think, “God got a pretty good deal when he got me.” Such thoughts are not of God. As the Prophet Isaiah noted, ““My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). People are chosen by God simply because God sees something that can be useful in fulfilling his plan. I suspect most of the time the people so chosen are completely oblivious to what God sees. That’s OK. They just must be faithful and obedient. By the way, all who have been saved by God’s grace have been chosen by God to be his instruments of grace to a fallen world.

My Takeaway: Take a moment to recall all that we learned in chapter eight about what God has given to the disciples of Jesus. There is so much, it will take longer than a moment to recall all the blessings. When you do, remember much is expected from those to whom much has been given.   

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.