The Privileges Given to Israel
A Sermon on Romans 9:4-5
Originally preached Nov. 9, 1962
Scripture
4Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God …
Sermon Description
It is significant for the Christian to know how to approach God, to enter His presence, to take petitions and prayers to Him, and how to render service to the true and living God. Unlike the Gentile nations, Israel was given specific instructions on this. God had shown them special favor, despite their small number and unimpressive abilities. Moreover, God gave them promises. Through the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David), the children of Israel were children of promise. Unlike their pagan neighbors who worshipped idols, the apostle Paul says they were brought into a covenant. Why is the apostle Paul emphasizing this unique privilege of the children of Israel and what is his purpose? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer this question in this sermon on Romans 9:4–5 titled “Children of the Promise.” There is a tragedy in the story of the Jews, one that the Christian must acknowledge. They were a people of such hope and promise and yet they missed it all. Despite that, Christ’s coming was abundantly clear in the Scriptures, most of the Jews could not see it. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones traces the promises made to Old Testament Israel and the tragedy that followed.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul shows the tragedy of the Jews rejecting Jesus as the Messiah.
- Paul lists the privileges of the Jews to show why they should have recognized Jesus.
- The first privilege is that they are Israelites, God's chosen people.
- The second is the adoption as God's children.
- The third is the glory, the presence of God.
- The fourth is the covenants, God's promises to them.
- The fifth is the giving of the law, God's revelation.
- The sixth is the service of God, the tabernacle worship.
- The seventh is the promises of future blessing.
- The eighth is the patriarchs, the fathers of the faith.
- The greatest privilege is that the Messiah came from them.
- There is controversy over how to translate Romans 9:5.
- Some translations make it say Jesus is not God.
- The issue is whether "who is over all, God blessed forever" refers to Jesus or the Father.
- The context and Paul's writings suggest it refers to Jesus.
Sermon Q&A
Key Questions from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Romans 9:4-5
What were the special privileges of Israel mentioned by Paul in Romans 9?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that in Romans 9:4-5, Paul lists the special privileges of Israel to highlight the tragedy of their rejection of Christ. These privileges include: the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, the promises, the fathers, and finally that Christ came from them according to the flesh. These privileges demonstrate that God had dealt with Israel in a uniquely intimate way, making their rejection of the Messiah all the more tragic.
What does Paul mean by "the service of God" as a privilege of Israel?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "the service of God" refers to the divinely instructed worship system God gave to Israel. Unlike other nations who were "feeling after God" in ignorance, Israel received detailed instructions from God Himself about how to approach and worship Him. This included the tabernacle, the priesthood, sacrifices, and all the ordinances of divine service described in Leviticus. God taught Israel precisely how He was to be worshipped, making it clear that "it is God who decides how He is to be worshipped, not man."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones distinguish between "the covenants" and "the promises"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that while related, the covenants and promises differ in this way: "It is the difference between a general announcement of something and the giving of certain particulars with respect to the thing that has already been announced." The covenants revealed God's great plan of salvation, while the promises refer to "the particular blessings which are going to result from this great plan and scheme and purpose of salvation." The promises specifically relate to the blessings and glories of the Messianic age.
Who were "the fathers" that Paul mentions, and why were they significant?
"The fathers" primarily refers to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and likely includes Joseph, Moses, and David. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul mentions them not merely because they were great men, but because "these men had had unique experiences of God." They were men who had intimate dealings with God, were sensitive to His will, and received clear revelations concerning the coming Messiah. Their faith and relationship with God stood in stark contrast to the blindness of Paul's contemporary Israelites who rejected Christ.
What controversy surrounds Romans 9:5 and why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones consider it important?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones addresses the controversy over the phrase "who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen" in Romans 9:5. The debate centers on whether this description applies to Christ (affirming His deity) or is simply a doxology to God the Father. Modern translations often separate this phrase from Christ, making it a doxology to the Father instead. Lloyd-Jones views this as critically important because it relates to the deity of Christ, noting that we live in an age with "a very marked and obvious and devilish tendency to detract from the glory of the Son of God and to rob him of his unique deity." He warns against translations that undermine this crucial doctrine.
Why does Paul emphasize these privileges of Israel in his epistle to the Romans?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul emphasizes these privileges to show that Israel, of all nations, should have recognized Christ as the Messiah. Each privilege was preparing them for His coming. All the previous privileges (adoption, glory, covenants, law, service, promises, fathers) were leading to the ultimate privilege: that from them, according to the flesh, Christ came. This makes their rejection of Him all the more tragic and incomprehensible. Paul is "working up his argument and leads to his climax" with Christ as the fulfillment of all Israel's privileges.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.