As Paul begins to conclude his explanation of the doctrine of election, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he feels it is necessary to quote, three times, from the prophet Hosea to further strengthen his teaching on divine election. But why does he quote from Hosea, and what does this mean for us as Christians today?

At the end of Romans 9, Paul narrows his focus on why God has only saved a remnant of the nation of Israel. Paul first explains that God decided to pass by most of Abraham's physical descendants, leaving them to suffer the divine justice that their sins had earned, just like He does with the rest of mankind. And second, God decided to choose only a small remnant of the physical descendants of Abraham that He would spiritually rescue by His grace alone, just as He does with the rest of mankind.

In Romans 9, the apostle Paul sets out to explain why the nation of Israel had largely rejected the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though they are the people of God through the line or seed of Abraham, many of them had not embraced Jesus Christ for salvation but rather rejected Him.

As we conclude our study of Romans 9, we need to ask: Why does Paul spend time developing the doctrine of divine election to Roman churches, most of whom were Gentile? Primarily, because it helps us understand God and elevates our view of Him. Divine election matters and is worthy of study because it reminds us of God, that He stands alone—that He is unlike any of us.

The doctrine of divine election is often misunderstood and caricatured, so much so that its true teaching is often obscured or disregarded. If we aren’t careful, we can allow inaccurate and inadequate explanations of this doctrine to cloud our understanding to the point that we outright reject it altogether.

To build his case for the doctrine of divine election, the apostle Paul goes to the Old Testament for evidence and support. To begin, he demonstrates that God’s plan of redemption, including justification by faith alone, wouldn’t be through Abraham’s son with Hagar, Ishmael, but would be through Abraham’s firstborn with Sarah, Isaac.

Many people think the doctrine of divine election works this way: because God is all-knowing and knows who will and who won’t believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, God elects those whom He knows will believe. But is that what the apostle Paul teaches in Romans 9? Pastor Tom argues from Romans 9 that divine election isn’t like that at all, and he uses the Old Testament to make his point clear: divine election is a sovereign work of the Almighty God.

Is the doctrine of divine election based on the good works of any man or woman? According to the apostle Paul in Romans 9, election isn’t based on works, merit, or efforts but on the sovereign grace of God. Put this way, Paul teaches that election isn’t God’s response to His knowledge or understanding of what any person has done or will do in the future, nor is He coerced by man’s actions or will.

Those who profess to be part of the Christian faith agree that it was God's decision to provide salvation to lost and rebellious sinners. Scripture makes it clear that God has initiated such a plan of salvation. And Scripture is equally clear: not all people believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.