Romans 9–11 is written to reconcile the grace of the gospel which goes out to all the world with the special promises made to Abraham and his descendants. The apostle Paul begins with illustrations from Israel’s history.

First, we are told that “not all are Israel which are of Israel” (9:6). He uses the illustration of Isaac and Ishmael. We are reminded of Jehovah’s word to Abraham: “In Isaac shall a seed be called to thee” (v. 7). Not Ishmael, but Isaac, was chosen.

The second example involves the children of Rebecca and Isaac. We are reminded that before the children were born, before they had done anything bad or good, God chose Jacob and not Esau, by saying that the older shall serve the younger. This is the context of our verse. The purpose of God, His sovereign choice and the resulting call to blessing, did not depend on the works of either Jacob or Esau. The call that reached Rebecca concerning her twins was not based on man’s works, but according to God’s sovereign purpose and choice.

This is important in application to believers today. There is an idea sometimes heard that God knew who would choose Him, and then He chose that individual to salvation. This is not correct, and actually robs God of His glory in salvation by making it dependent on the works of men. As our verse says, it is not of mankind’s works but of God who calls.

We do have our responsibility in relation to salvation; in other words, we must believe the gospel when it is presented to us. However, all the glory belongs to God! We may not understand how God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility go together, but the Scriptures teach both ideas. Today’s verse teaches that the initiative begins with God, His choice and His calling.