CORPORATE AND INDIVIDUAL ELECTION IN ROMANS 9: A RESPONSE TO BRIAN ABASCIANO

It is gratifying to know that someone is still reading my article on Romans 9 more than ten years after its publication! Of course, it would be even more gratifying if Brian Abasciano agreed with me!1 He does signal his agreement with my claim that Romans 9-11 "concerns the salvation of Israel," but he differs with me regarding corporate election. I will argue below that Abasciano's argument is flawed because the connection he draws between corporate election and the participation of individuals is unpersuasive both logically and biblically. Before I respond specifically, I would like to sketch in some elements of my previous article, for it will serve as the necessary background for my reply.

I. THE ISSUE IN ROMANS 9 IS SALVATION

The issue that concerns Paul in Romans 9-11 is the salvation of Israel, or more precisely, the fact that most Israelites in his day were unsaved. It is clear from Romans 8 that the promises originally given to Israel belonged to believers in Jesus Christ, and it seems that the majority of those who believed in Christ in Rome were Gentiles.2 The eschatological gift of the Spirit had been given to Gentiles, signifying that the age of promise had arrived (cf. Rom 8:9-10). The new covenant promise that God's law would be kept was being fulfilled in Gentile Christians (Rom 8:4; cf. Ezek 11:18-19; Jer 31:31-34). Believers in Jesus Christ are "sons of God" (huioi theou, Rom 8:14,19),3 God's children (tekna, Rom 8:16, 17, 21), and adopted (huiothesia, Rom 8:15, 23). They are God's elect (eklektoi, Rom 8:33) and heirs (kleronomoi, Rom 8:17) and are assured of future glory (doxa, Rom 8:17, 18, 21).4 Those who believe in Jesus Christ are foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified (Rom 8:29-30).

What is striking about these various terms is that they represent the promises that the Lord had given to Israel as his chosen people. In Romans 9-11 Paul answers the question as to whether God's saving promises made to Israel will be fulfilled. Have God's promises been exhausted in the Church of Jesus Christ, composed mainly of Gentiles? What happened to the promises that Israel would be God's elect son, the children of the Lord, his adopted one, and the heirs of the promise with the assurance of future glory? We see from the connection between Romans 8 and 9-11 that Paul does not digress from his argument in Romans 9-11 as some previous commentators claimed. Instead the salvation of Gentiles, which is so beautifully described in Romans 8, naturally raises the question that Paul answers in Romans 9-11. If the Church of Jesus Christ, composed mainly of Gentiles, has inherited the promises made to Israel in the OT, will God fulfill his saving promises to Israel?

We see, then, that the question Paul answers in Romans 9-11 is whether God's saving promises to Israel will be realized. He is not merely speaking of the historical destiny of Israel, if one severs Israel's historical destiny from its salvation. We have compelling evidence that the issue in Paul's mind throughout Romans 9-11 is the salvation of Israel, and he affirms emphatically that God will fulfill his saving promises (Rom 9:6). When Paul says that he is almost willing to be cursed for the sake of his fellow Israelites (Rom 9:3), the word "cursed" (anathema) refers to being cut off from Christ, that is, experiencing eternal judgment (cf. Gal 1:8-9).5 The reason Paul could almost wish to go to hell is because so many of his fellow Israelites were unsaved. Paul specifically informs the reader in Rom 10:1 that his longing is for the salvation of Israel. Paul's grief cannot be traced to Israel's political misfortunes, for Paul would not wish to be separated from Christ forever simply because Israel was suffering politically at the hands of the Romans or because Israel was not blessed with material prosperity. He is grieved because most of ethnic Israel was separated from Christ, and hence headed for destruction and final judgment (Rom 9:1-5).

The remainder of Romans 9-11, however, explains that God will fulfill his saving promises to Israel, as the thesis statement in Rom 9:6 clarifies: "But it is not as though the word of God has failed." The issue that Paul tackles in Romans 9-11 is the salvation of Israel, and he does not depart from answering that question in Romans 9! Instead he picks up the argument from Romans 8, arguing that the true seed of Abraham are the children of God (tekna tou theou, Rom 9:8), and the children of the promise (tekna tes epangelias, Rom 9:8). When Paul refers to "the children of God," he always has in mind those who are saved (Rom 8:16, 21; Phil 2:15; Gal 4:28). So too, in Rom 9:11-12 Paul argues that God's election is not "by works but by him who calls." Elsewhere in Paul works are a soteriological issue (Rom 3:20, 27-28; 4:2, 6; 9:32; 11:6; Gal 2:16; 3:2, 5, 10; Eph 2:9; 2 Tim 1:9; Tit 3:5). In the same way, calling in Paul relates most often to the call to salvation (e.g. 1 Cor 1:9; Gal 1:6, 15; 5:8; 1 Thess 2:12; 4:7; 5:24).