Telling the Story of God's People (Chapter One of Romans 9 and the Story Paul Was Telling)

God is faithful! His word has not failed! 

These are the foundation-laying, faith-building, and heart-warming words the Apostle Paul gave us in Romans 9. Poetically penned, symmetrically styled, structurally solid, and passionately proclaimed, Romans 9 presents Paul's masterful answer to his opponents who cried, "How can you say that Jesus is Israel's    Messiah when so many of our people do not believe?" He answered, "God is faithful. His word has not failed. Let me show you how." But the beauty of Romans 9 has been lost in a centuries-long debate, and many have used it as an arsenal for theological weapons for the battle. Is it possible to hear afresh the story Paul was telling? Is it possible to relearn what Paul was teaching? 

This paper is Chapter One in the new edition of Romans 9 and the Story Paul Was Telling. It puts Romans 9 in its historical context and shows that Paul was telling the story of his people to explain something very different from the Calvinist/Arminian debate of later years.