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It is not that God failed to keep his promise to them. But only some of the people of Israel are truly God’s people,[a] and only some of Abraham’s[b] descendants are true children of Abraham. But God said to Abraham: “The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac.”[c] This means that not all of Abraham’s descendants are God’s true children. Abraham’s true children are those who become God’s children because of the promise God made to Abraham.

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Footnotes

  1. 9:6 God’s people Literally, “Israel,” the people God chose to bring his blessings to the world.
  2. 9:7 Abraham Most respected ancestor of the Jews. Every Jew hoped to see Abraham.
  3. 9:7 “The descendants . . . Isaac.” Quotation from Genesis 21:12.

God’s Sovereign Choice

It is not as though God’s word(A) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.(B) Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[a](C) In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,(D) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 9:7 Gen. 21:12