On natural ancestry or ancestors of the promise:
At times I am accused of thinking too much and I have definitely been accused of not thinking at all. However, this week I have spent a lot of time thinking about the divergent paths of "Christianity". I have seen many acquaintances from my past that have taken different paths in their pursuit of God. Although I can truly say I am encouraged by the choices of many, I also find myself experiencing, in the words of Paul (Romans 9:2 NIV), "great sorrow and unceasing anguish" by the choices of others.
Paul begins this passage by describing his emotions at the spiritual state of the Jews. He describes the difference from natural ancestry and the ancestors of promise. He establishes that they were heirs to the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, temple worship and the promises. He goes on to say that it is not a failure of God's word (9:6) that not all inherit the promise.
Because we have been natural born into great truth or raised in the truth does not give us entitlement to the inheritance. The distinction is not natural bloodline, but the application of the Blood.
I have seen wrong choices made by some and accepted by others as right seemingly because of ties to great things of the past; ex. He/She comes from a wonderful Christian family, that church has been known as a church of miracles, etc. The ancestry seems to point to great things in the future. However, Paul drew a parallel to Abraham's offspring in that it is the ancestors of the promise, Isaac, that are considered the offspring of Abraham. Not all that were born of Abraham gained the inheritance of the promise.
On recognizing the sovereignty of God:
Paul went on to describe the birth of Jacob and Esau. Before they were born, it was determined that the older would serve the younger. Paul refuted the statement that God is unjust by that decision, but Paul reiterated the sovereignty of God by God's statement to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It is not the natural birth order that determines our position or status, but rather it is the sovereignty of God in applying a spiritual birth order.
On righteousness by Faith vs a pursuit of righteousness by the law
Being a preacher's son does not give me inheritance with God. My Mom's and Dad's devotion to God, does not automatically put me in the bloodline of Jesus. Even a pursuit of righteousness/justification does not establish me in the Kingdom of God. However, Paul states that it is by faith that we are righteous or justified. He argues that Israel pursued righteousness by works and they stumbled over the "stumbling stone" of the law. We can not on our own obtain righteousness through a pursuit of established laws. That is what caused the Jews to stumble.
Although the church is predestined, our destiny is only determined by our faith in the promise. If we want to become heirs of the promise, we must set our eyes on the promise, Jesus.
I am so thankful that God in his sovereign power extended the promise from those born of the natural bloodline to those that are made heirs by the spiritual bloodline. I choose to pursue righteousness by faith. Not a reckless faith based on my ancestry, but a faith established in righteousness of God.
My prayer today is:
God give me the wisdom to understand your sovereignty, give me the faith to accept your Grace, and give me the discernment to make the right decisions based on your established principles.
Jeff McGee
