ADDRESSES ON ROMANS I know of a man whose father was used of God to touch the world; but the son has embraced modernism, and has for~ saken the faith of his father. That son can not be saved because of his father's faith. Sons without faith are not really sons at all, according to God's reckoning. There is a lesson here for children of godly people who have been baptized and confirmed while yet young but who are still unconverted. "They are not all Israel. which are of Israel ... They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God." 3. Goo HAs EvER AcTED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF Sov~ EREIGN, ELECTING GRACE. If He chooses to set aside the Jews for a time and give the Gentiles His blessing, He is only acting on the principle of sovereign, electing grace, as He always did in Old Testament days. Through sin both Jews and Gentiles have forfeited all right to blessing, insofar as personal merit is concerned. All alike are ·guilty. And all blessing must come from the God of grace. As we saw in chapter eight, foreknowledge precedes fore~ ordination; and if God, foreknowing that some will receive His grace, elects them to eternal blessing, then is that not His sovereign right? (a) The Illustration of Ishmael and Isaac Again. Now in Rom. 9:6~9 Paul has just referred to Abraham's two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Even before they were born, God had said that Sarah should have a son, the child of promise. And after the children were born, God testified further, saying to Abraham, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Gen. 21: 12; Rom. 9:7). This was according to the principle of sovereign, electing grace. (b) The Illustration of Jacob and Esau. To bear out the point further .- that God has always acted on the prin~ ciple of sovereign, electing grace .- Paul uses the illustra~ tion of Jacob and Esau, also familiar to every Jew. Note the words of the text in verses 11 and 12: " ... the children being Page 182]
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online