All right, Paul, and I am breaking
in the middle, so we'll fill it in later. Verse 6, chapter
9. Not as though the Word of God
had taken none effect. Now, that's the question that
is to be dealt with here. Has God's Word failed in this
aspect? So, not as though the Word of
God had taken none effect. For they are not all Israel,
which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of
Abraham, or they all children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be
called. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children
of the promise, or counted for the seed. For this is the word
of promise, at this time will I come and Sarah shall have a
son. And not only, but when Rebecca
also had conceived by one, by our father Isaac, 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 calls, it was said unto her, the elder shall serve
the younger, as it is written. Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. Now in the beginning I say that
our premise or our assertion this morning is the question
in both of these studies is that grace is in no way conveyed through
the parents. that grace, saving grace, and
mercy is in no way conveyed by or through the parent. And that
means even if they are Christian, and even if they are genuine
and sincere Christian, For their offspring, they cannot bestow
the grace of God, though the parent be in the grace of God
and have saving grace in their life, even before they are fruitful
and multiply and extend their family. That grace is not produced
from the parent, unto the child, nor if they set the best Christian
example that is possible in the home, and if they catechize their
children in the creeds or in the word of God, if they raise
them in a gospel truth, a church under the true word of God, and
pray for them diligently, and exhort them that they might turn
to the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. It will not assure that they
will become believers. You cannot make your child a
Christian or a child of God. Now granted, These are things
that Christian parents ought to do and are obligated to do. If peradventure, God will grant
them repentance unto believing and the saving of their soul. But at the same time, we must
admit that grace does not run in the blood. And again, we must
admit that a reprobate set of parents actually might propagate
an elect of God, chosen in Christ before the foundation of the
world. In spite of their bad example,
God might grant unto them that they might produce an elect child. An illegitimate one might even
be an elect of God and oftentimes have been. I think we can prove
that from the scripture. Or I think we can probably declare
that the firstborn of the race Cain, in Genesis chapter 4, was
a reprobate, and it turned out that he hated the standard of
God and killed his very own brother over the matter of religion. Abraham's firstborn, and that
would be Ishmael, was also a reprobate. So it was with Isaac and his
wife, their firstborn was a reprobate by the name of Esau. Now, in our text this morning,
yet they were twins, Jacob and Esau, and consider these were
the first and the second generation from Abraham himself, as close
as possible to Abraham, one the very son, the other a grandson,
so close as possibly they could be to the root and the tree even
Abraham. They were the first branches,
if we might say it, in the Abrahamic tree, and yet were they not the
children of God. Now, this is a great concern
to Christian parents. Of course it is, this matter
of their children and of the Lord, that they might pray in
the fashion of Abraham, O Lord God, that our child might live
before thee. And these concerns probably are
heightened by those who have had the revelation of sovereign
grace, who believe in the doctrines of grace. These concerns are
heightened by the sovereignty of God, that there is election
and there is reprobation. and that the both of them run
through the human family. That God is merciful to whom
he will be merciful is the standard of the scripture. Now, with that
in mind, let me, if you would endure a short personal injection
here in this place. But I have preached long enough
in one place and in one church to see the extension of families
under their second and their third and their fourth layer
of those family children that grew up here in these pews, hearing
the Word of God, grew up in church, yet When they were out on their
own, they quit church, they stopped going. When they got married
or they raised their family or moved out on their own. Now these
were not believers, all of them, of course not. They got married,
they quit going to church, some of them don't go even under this
day. were not disrespectful openly
unto me during that time. Oh, I know a few of them sneered
and rolled their eyes and frowned at some things that I preached,
but most of them, if they saw me today, would actually hug
my neck. Some of them I baptized, but
still they left church. They sat under the Word of God,
and they were not converted. not have the faith of their parents. Thank God some of them have come
back into the church. Now as for our first text of
the morning, it was a great offense under the Jew to be told or to
think that any of the seed of Abraham could perish. In light
of the promise, in light of the covenant, it was a thing unthinkable
to many of them that a seed of Abraham could actually perish,
as well as being one of the best texts to show that grace does
not run in the blood, that it is not passed down by physical
procreation, It does not necessarily run in families, as some might
hope or might think. And before we actually get into
that, let us note another matter in contrast, that though grace
is not produced from parent unto child, common depravity is. Grace is not produced, but common
depravity is produced through them. Though all were not in
Christ, all were in Adam. In Adam, all died. 1 Corinthians
15, verse 22. We have borne the image of the
earthly Adam, 1 Corinthians 15 and 49. By one man sin entered
into the world, and death by sin, Romans chapter 5 and verse
12. Since by man came death, 1 Corinthians
15 and 21. When Adam fathered a child, when
he fathered a first child, we read in Genesis 5 and the third
verse, he begat in his own likeness after his image, unquote. Again, back to Romans 5 and verse
12. By one man, sin entered the world,
and death by sin. That is, death passed upon all. The penal consequences of Adam's
sin passed upon all, and death reigned even from Adam unto Moses,
Romans 5, 14. And even over those who had not
sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression. So Adam,
as Goodman called him, was the father and the root of all mankind. And Paul puts it this way in
Acts 17 and 26. He is that one blood from whom all have descended,
from which God made to be every nation of men, for to dwell upon
the face of the earth and set their habitation, so that all
mankind is derived from a common root or a common set of parents,
and that is Adam and Eve. Now, Adam was the first given
human nature. Human nature was created in Adam
and in Eve, and then it was not propagated to them. They were
not the result of propagation. They were created directly by
the hand of God. God formed Adam of the dust of
the earth and breathed into him the breath of life and scripture
said he became a living soul. Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. But that nature corrupted and
fell in Adam and in Eve, and for the continuous flowing fountain
out of them, the stream of humanity has not purified itself unto
this day, but flows as foul as ever through the human family
in its depravity. Upon the principle each one after
his own kind. So that if the root be corrupt,
so are the branches, the leaves, the tree, and the fruit, and
such like. For they receive, or they derive
the nature as it is passed forward after its own kind. In human propagation, it means
that a corrupt nature is traduced from parent unto the offspring,
to all descendants of Adam, not by him directly, but through
the medium of nature and through that of propagation and parenthood. Now we have an English word that
I've used, and that word is traduce. And in English, the word commonly
means to slander or to speak evil of or to defame or malign
a person or a thing or to vilify. In theology, the doctrine of
tradutionism teaches that the whole person is propagated through
the human parents, and this, of course, includes the corrupt
nature. David endorsed that in Psalm
51 and 5, I was shapen in iniquity, in sin did my mother conceive
me. The Lord told Nicodemus in John
chapter 3, that which is born of the flesh, flesh is. Never will be anything else,
always after its kind. Now Adam's corrupt nature And
not just Adam, but human nature itself. Depraved human nature
would be communicated to all mankind because of the connection. Thomas Goodwin, an old Puritan,
put it like that. Other parents were the means
to derive down this image from Adam. And again he called them,
and I'm quoting, bare instruments to channel and convey it down
by the law of creation to convey the whole image of man." Now
each came forth from the womb depraved. Some call it original
sin. We call it total depravity or
corruption or whatever. And yet By this natural traducement
of depravity, there is not necessarily conveyed the same degree of sinning
from the parent unto the child, whether more or less sinning
is not the issue. For depravity is like the broken
dam of a great lake. in that it seeks its own level
and flows where it will. So it is not the offspring actual
sins match those of the parent. That's not necessarily what is
involved. Does it exceed that of the parent? It may or it may not. Just that
depravity is from and the form of human nature can be carried
to many extremes. Depravity can spread in any and
every direction. Or to say it another way, the
devil, the world, temptation, times, fashion, customs, whatever. the desire of the flesh, have
access to the corrupt nature to work upon. It has the corrupt
nature of us all to work upon and to draw out sin from that
aspect of our nature. So that the winds of depravity
blow in every direction, present behavior confirms that to be
true. You look out upon humanity, and
what do you see? But a sea of depravity. But in the gist of our present
study, while depravity is reduced from parent to child, grace is
not passed through by natural generation or procreation. We take our starting point here
in Romans chapter 9, And verse 6 and following we read. First
of all, let's ask ourselves, what is the context? And then
set the context and put this text in its context. What is
it that Paul is saying, or is proving, or is aiming at, or
is teaching the Jews? And we might answer for that,
that he takes up a discussion of the unbelief of Israel regarding
Messiah. He does that in verse 1 through
3 of this chapter. In spite of their many privileges
that he mentions in verse 4 and verse 5, those privileges did
not save all of them and it did not result in their salvation.
And in spite of their Abrahamic ancestry, in verse 6 through
verse 8, many did not believe and many of them were perishing. So we jumped in here at verse
6, that in spite of these things, it does not follow that the Word
of God has failed or fallen down to the ground. You have that
in verse 6. Not as though the Word of God
has failed. Now what does Paul bring up that
might suggest that the word of God has failed. It is not that
God's word of promise or prophecy has failed because some of the
seed of Abraham are dying in their unbelief. It would, if
the promise included every single offspring of Abraham without
exception, like the Armenian view of salvation, that it is
intended for every member of the human race. But Paul, in
verse 6, verse 7, and verse 8, we'll look at it now, he tells
why the unbelief of many Jews in no way impugn the faithfulness
of the Word of God or consider it a failure in any part. And notice with me, Paul puts
a threefold emphasis, that is, a threefold ground of denial,
why such unbelief some children of Abraham does not mean a failure
of the Word of God or of the promise or of the covenant let's
look at verse 6 again for or because the Word of God has not
failed for or because they are not all Israel which are of Israel
there is an Israel in national Israel There is a spiritual Israel
in national or natural Israel. As Paul said in Galatians 6 and
16, he speaks of there the Israel of God. In John 1 and verse 47,
listen to what our Lord said. to a man, where the Lord calls
Nathanael truly an Israelite, an Israelite indeed, an Israelite
in the true sin. Then Paul, in Romans chapter
2, verse 28 and 29, describes a Jew by contrasting outward
and an inward Jew by outward and inward circumcision. And he tells which is a Jew and
which is not a true Jew. So verse 6, because they're not
all Israel which are of Israel. Then In verse 7, the second confirmation
that God's Word in regard to Abraham has not fallen, neither
because they are the seed of Abraham are they children. That's
another reason why. Note the contrast between seed
and I think the word is the word sperma, offspring, descendants,
and extension and children. That's the contrast in that verse. By the way, the Lord in John
chapter 8 and verse 33 through 39 made about the same contrast
between the seed of Abraham and the children of Abraham. Not
all seed are children. Not all seed of Abraham are children
of Abraham. So the fact is that from the
beginning of God's covenant and God's promise unto Abraham, it
was never God's intention to save every individual descendant
of Abraham. But there was a purpose according
to election, Romans 9, and verse 11. And that stands, that remains,
that abides, that cannot be shaken, that cannot fall, cannot fail,
cannot come unto naught. Now the third one is in the eighth
verse, which I read again. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh, These are not the children of God, but the children
of the promise are counted for the seed. Now here's the contrast
between the children of the flesh and the children of promise as
signified by Isaac. Isaac was the son of promise. And as Paul says, we Galatians
4, 28, brethren, are as Isaac was the children of promise. We are the children of promise
like unto Isaac. Now, not only so, but in these
three verses, verse six and seven and eight, there is, if I may
say so, a part A and a part B in each one of the verses to help
distinguish the thoughts which Paul is developing and the contrast
that he wishes to make that not all Israel who are of Israel,
verse seven, in Isaac, shall your seed be called and in verse
8 the children of promise are counted or reckoned for the seed
not mere children of the flesh Ishmael was a shield a child
of the flesh now from this history of Abraham's family we clearly
see that grace does not run on in the blood or through the flesh. It is not produced from the parent
down unto the child. A godly parent does not guarantee
a godly child or an elect one. A covenant parent does not guarantee
a covenant child will be born that union so Paul speaks here
of the children of the flesh in verse 8 what does he mean
since we are all in that sense children of the flesh born by
natural procreation we are flesh because born of the flesh originally
John chapter 3 in Romans 9 They which are the children of the
flesh." Ishmael, born according to the ability and the energy
only of the flesh. Nothing supernatural about it,
as was the case with Isaac, who was supernaturally, if I may
use that expression, born. No supernatural power was needed. to bring forth Ishmael, but Isaac,
yes. Now secondly, mere carnal descent
from Abraham, yet says Paul, these are not the children of
God, in verse 8. And again, let us note the closeness
to Abraham of the two examples here in Romans chapter 9. Abraham
begetting of his firstborn Ishmael by a surrogate wife and mother
chosen by Sarah and accepted by Abraham. Hagar, an Egyptian
slave woman and Abraham went in and no miracle was needed
for the conception and the birth of Ishmael. Ishmael was not a
son of promise as Sarah had hoped and imagined and was cast out
of the house of Abraham for good. Now there are some that might
contend the reason for the difference between Ishmael and Isaac was
that they had different mothers. One an Egyptian, the other an
Israelite. And again, they were born years
apart, probably at least 13 years apart were they born. And only
after Ishmael mocked Isaac was he cast out of the family and
sent away. All alone, the promise stood
in the promised son, Isaac. Not the son of a slave woman,
but the son of the true wife, even Sarah. says, Paul, there
is the case of the first children of Abraham in which no such distinctions
are found. You might find those distinctions
between Ishmael and Isaac and make you an argument that their
actions caused the difference. But Paul says, I'm going to tell
you about another example out of Abraham's house, and that
is Isaac. and his wife, Rebecca, having
the twin sons. Jacob and Esau, one wife, one
conception, twins in the womb, in fact. They were twins, had
the same father, they had the same mother, conceived at the
same time, and even Esau was the firstborn of the two. Esau came out first, and yet
it had been revealed under their mother, Rebecca, before they
were born in Genesis chapter 25 and verse 23. A, two things. A, two nations
are in your womb. Two manner of people shall be
separated from your inwards. And B, The elder shall serve
the younger. Now, here they are. Two nations
are in your womb as they struggle together, and the elder shall
serve the younger. And Paul quotes Malachi, chapter
1. Verse 1 and 2, as it is written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Now let's hear
and see what Paul tells us in verse 11 of Romans chapter 9. 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. It was said to their mother,
the elder shall serve the younger." Now, you might notice, if you
have King James, that they have put this in brackets or parentheses
It's also that in the Geneva King James Version, we could
go from verse 10 to verse 12 without missing any truth concerning
that. But in verse 11, we read of the
purpose of God according to election. And this has to do with the twin
children of Isaac and Rebekah. As we read, the children. These in verse 10, which Rebecca
conceived by one, that is by her one lawful husband Isaac,
twins, two sons in her womb, Genesis 25-24, Paul attributes
the choice and the favor of Jacob to election,
the purpose of God according to election, to sovereign election. This says Paul was the thing
that was done and worked out in Rebekah. and in her children. And the words of God to her,
the elder shall serve the younger. Paul, therefore, is very clear.
This was before they were born, and it was before and without
any consideration of their works, either good or evil. Robert Haldane, Reason. Even
if some claim that something about Isaac and Ishmael was the
reason for preferring Isaac as Ishmael's half-breed status because
of his birth mother or of his mocking Isaac, yet, as Haldane
wrote, In this parenthesis, the apostles show that the preference
was given to Jacob independent of any ground of merit because
it was before they were born and before they had done any
good or evil. Neither can foresight of their
deeds be argued since not according to works. good or evil, but of
him that calls, effectual calling, election and calling. Thus grace is not produced from
parent to child, neither is the covenant in a spiritual sense
produced from the parent to the child. How can it be? when so many true Jews were not
believing and were perishing. They were not covenant children
of Abraham. They were not spiritual children
of Abraham. Now, it is not parentage or circumcision
or observance of carnal ordinances or nationality that puts one
in the grace of God or in the covenant of God. Rather, it depends
on election, the sovereign purpose of God, what Paul called the
purpose of God in accordance with election. And note the words
there in verse 11, might stand, that it might stand, that it
might abide, that it might remain, that it might not be shaken,
that it might endure. Still there is this to consider
in this equation, that Israel was a chosen nation or people
to be special unto God above all others upon the face of the
earth. Deuteronomy 7 and 6. God made
covenant with them. He gave them the law of ordinances
and of worship. Even the oracles of God were
deposited with them. Now, a point of emphasis from
the premise, they are not all Israel, which are of Israel,
in Romans 9 and 6. And let us recall the various
distinctions which Paul has made, and this is important in a coming
distinction that we will mention. It all summed up in the premise,
the Word of God has not failed due to Israel's unbelief, since
they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Now the distinction,
Romans 2, 28, 29, outward Jew and inward Jew. Now these could all be descendants
of Abraham, ancestors of Abraham, but Paul distinguishes clearly
between an outward Jew and an inward Jew. And the next thing
he does is distinguish between circumcision outward of the flesh,
circumcision inwardly of the heart. and the inward shoe and
the inward circumcision are the true ones. An inward shoe is
a true one and true circumcision is that of the heart. Romans
9 8 children of flesh children of promise seed of Abraham children
of Abraham Just in verse 6. They're not all Israel which
are of Israel So they are not all elect who are out of elect
Israel that is as Murray put it a distinction between the
elect of Israel and elect Israel. Between the theocratic election
of the nation and the individual election to salvation of people
of that nation. And if you'll consider Galatians
6 and 16, the Israel of God. And if we flip to Romans chapter
11, let me read verse 5 in our hearing. Even so then at this
present time there is a remnant according to the election of
grace. Now let me read verse 7 of Romans
11. What then? Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded." Now, the remnant was owing to the
election of grace. And among Israel, the chosen
people, there was both the elect who, like Noah, found grace in
the eyes of the Lord, but the rest were hardened. Romans 11
and verse 7. Again, the election obtained
it and the rest were blinded or hardened as we have it in
the margin. And why? The elect found what
they sought. What they sought probably is
justification and righteousness by faith. The rest obtained it
not, for they sought it not by faith, but by the works of the
law. Romans 9, 30 and 32. So let's close with a look at
Jacob and Esau. in verse 10 through verse 13
of Romans 9, that in addition to Ishmael and Isaac and God's
disposition of their situation, there was the case of Jacob and
of Esau, in which the difference between Ishmael and Isaac did
not exist. since Jacob and Esau each had
the exact same relationship unto Abraham and Sarah, and both had
the same father and the mother, conceived at the same time, lay
in the same womb together until the day of their birth. Esau,
as I mentioned, was firstborn, and that bestowed a privilege
in Israel, but it was taken from Esau and given unto the younger. Lee lost that birthright. He
gave it away. He sold it. And there was an
omen twofold in the birth of these two boys in the womb of
their mother. And that is, number one, we find
that they struggled together in the womb, an unusual phenomenon,
foreboding things that were to come. And secondly, another unusual
thing, as they were being born, Jacob lay hold of the heel of
Esau, his brother, as they were coming out one and two. See,
and this is 25, 26, Hosea 12. three and four, a sign of things
to come. Both of those things, their struggling,
Jacob laying hold on the heel of Esau, were signs of things
to come according to God's purpose of election, as we learn from
Paul. And the greatest distinction
found in verse 13, Romans 9, Jacob I loved, Esau I hated,
for it is written, and that Malachi chapter 1, 1 through 3. These
things have suffered much at the hands of Arminian and modern
evil men to do away with the sovereignty of God. But Paul
is clear, too clear to be misunderstood, and they stand. The purpose of
God according to election might stand, and stand it did, and
stand it does, and stand it will. The purpose of God according
to election.