God's Effective Purpose
Excerpt
If the word Israel is understood in a mechanical sense it cannot be disputed that the majority of Israel have, to all appearance, set aside God’s Word, which has accordingly (at least for the present) failed. But Israel is not a term like Ammon, Moab, Greece, or Rome. ‘Israel’ cannot be defined in terms of physical descent, or understood simply ‘on the human side’ (v. 5); it is created not by blood and soil, but by the promise of God, and therefore exists within the limits of God’s freedom. If he were bound by physical descent, he would be un-free, and no longer God. But he is not so bound, as Scripture itself proves—a vital point to Paul. Consider first Abraham, the father of the race.
Barrett, C. K. The Epistle to the Romans. Rev. ed. London: Continuum, 1991. Print. Black’s New Testament Commentary.
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