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But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel that are of Israel. Neither, because they are Abraham’s offspring, are they all children. But, “your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac.”Genesis 21:12 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs. For this is a word of promise, “At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.”Genesis 18:10,14 10 Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. 11 For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,[a] 12 it was said to her, “The elder will serve the younger.”Genesis 25:23 13 Even as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”Malachi 1:2-3

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Footnotes

  1. 9:11 NU puts the phrase “not of works, but of him who calls” at the beginning of verse 12 instead of the end of verse 11.

Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,”[a] though Abraham had other children, too. This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children. For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”[b]

10 This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins.[c] 11 But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; 12 he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.”[d] 13 In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”[e]

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Footnotes

  1. 9:7 Gen 21:12.
  2. 9:9 Gen 18:10, 14.
  3. 9:10 Greek she conceived children through this one man.
  4. 9:12 Gen 25:23.
  5. 9:13 Mal 1:2-3.