Is There Unrighteousness with God? By No Means

Paul grieves that his own people are not saved, and declares that he would be willing to be accursed himself if only they might be saved. They were a nation God himself had chosen and called; to them belonged the covenants, the law and the promises, and from their line came Christ.

He says that while Jacob and Esau were still in Rebekah’s womb, before either was born, one was loved and the other hated, apart from anything they had done. This is not a matter of individual salvation; it speaks of God’s sovereign choice concerning Israel and the Gentiles. Just as a division appeared even within a womb that had received grace, so among the chosen people, and among the Gentiles as well, the remnant is set apart from those who are not.

As a potter shapes vessels from clay, God loves each person according to the purpose for which he made them, and there is no unrighteousness in his choosing. Just as it was not all Israel but only the remnant that was saved, so today, within a single family and a single church, who will stand as the remnant rests with each one. Those who persevere and remain within God’s fold will be justified and glorified on the last day.