Its Not in the Genes

God Instructs the People of God

God's People Learn from Prosperity:

God's Promises Fulfilled


Romans 9:6-12 (The Message)

 ^6-9Don't suppose for a moment, though, that God's Word has malfunctioned in some way or other. The problem goes back a long way. From the outset, not all Israelites of the flesh were Israelites of the spirit. It wan't Abraham's sperm that gave identity here, but God's promise. Remember how it was put: "Your family will be defined by Isaac"? That means that Israelite identity was never racially determined by sexual transmission, but it was God-determined by promise. Remember that promise, "When I come back next year at this time, Sarah will have a son"?
 ^10-13And that's not the only time. To Rebbecca, also, a promise was made that took priority over genetics. When she became pregnant by our one-of-a-kind ancestor, Isaac, and her babies were still innocent in the womb—incapable of good or bad—she received a special assurance from God. What God did in this case made it perfectly plain that his purpose is not a hit-or-miss thing dependent on what we do or don't do, but a sure thing determined by his decision, flowing steadily from his initiative. God told Rebbecca, "The firstborn of your twins will take second place." Later that was turned into a stark epigram: "I loved Jacob; I hated Esau."

For Reflection
One of the significant arguments in the early Church dealt with the necessity to become a Jew before accepting Christ as the Messiah.  Here Paul explains eloquently that it was not the human linage that defined Godly people.  It was God's promise.

To what extent have you accepted God's promise?  Are you Christian just because your parents were?  Are you a Christian because you accepted God's promise?  I suspect that all Christians born into the faith or not fit the latter category.

Pray
for those who have not accepted God's promise.  Pray that they hear the word and see God's promise in action.