Romans 9:27-33
27 “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel may be like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved; 28 for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.” 29 And just as Isaiah foretold:
“If the Lord of armies had not left us descendants,
We would have become like Sodom, and would have been like Gomorrah.”
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but the righteousness that is by faith; 31 however, Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though they could by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
And the one who believes in Him will not be put to shame.”
What shall we say then?: This is the summation of Paul’s entire point in Romans 9. The Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness, or rather, who did not have a covenant, have now attained righteousness by faith. God chose the Gentiles for salvation. This means that God has created a new people for Himself, comprised of both Jew and Gentile. Israel did not arrive at righteousness under the Old Covenant because they did not pursue it with faith. Were they chosen? Yes, but salvation is not about being chosen. Salvation is about having faith in Jesus.
