CALLED!: Romans 9-11 Bible Study
About
Called! Romans 9–11 is the third book in the Romans small-group Bible study series by Gary R. Uremovich and Viveca R. Yoshikawa. Following Justified! Romans 1–4 and Redeemed! Romans 5–8, this six-week study enters some of the deepest and most challenging chapters in Paul’s letter. Here Paul wrestles with difficult questions: Has God’s promise to Israel failed? What does it mean to be chosen by God? How do divine sovereignty and human response fit together? What place do Israel and the Gentiles have in God’s redemptive plan? Can God still be trusted when His purposes are difficult to understand?
Paul does not begin as a detached theologian. He begins with tears. His heart aches for his fellow Israelites. Called! invites readers to approach Romans 9–11 in the same spirit—not with easy answers, but with humility, compassion, and reverence.
Participants explore Paul’s sorrow for Israel, God’s freedom and mercy, Israel’s stumbling over Christ, the assurance that God has not rejected His people, the olive tree, and the mystery of mercy. It places election, calling, hardening, faith, and grace within the story of God’s covenant faithfulness.
A central question runs through these chapters: How can Gentiles be included among the people of God without denying God’s promises to Israel? Paul’s answer is both challenging and hopeful. Gentile believers have been welcomed by mercy, like wild olive branches grafted into a cultivated tree. They do not replace the root, and they have no reason to boast. Jewish and Gentile believers alike stand before God on the same ground—dependent not on ancestry, religious achievement, or human merit, but on the mercy of God.
Christians have long disagreed about the relationship between election and free will. Rather than turning Romans 9–11 into a theological battleground, Called! encourages thoughtful discussion while keeping Paul’s larger purpose in view. Election should never make believers cold, superior, or careless about others. Paul’s own example shows that confidence in God’s calling should be accompanied by grief for those who do not yet believe, gratitude for grace, and a desire to proclaim the Gospel freely.
Each session includes an opening prayer, a conversational Growth Paraphrase of the biblical passage, accessible narrative commentary, integrated discussion questions, key themes, reflection, and a closing prayer. The Growth Paraphrase helps groups hear Paul’s argument more clearly while encouraging comparison with a trusted Bible translation.
Called! is written for small groups, Bible classes, church groups, and individuals who want to engage Romans 9–11 without avoiding its difficult questions. It does not pretend that every mystery can be neatly resolved. Instead, it invites readers to listen carefully, think deeply, discuss honestly, and trust the character of God.
Paul ends these chapters not with a tidy theological formula, but with worship. God’s wisdom is deeper than we can trace. His mercy reaches farther than we expect. His purposes are faithful even when we cannot fully understand them. His gifts and calling are irrevocable.
Called! Romans 9–11 leads us into the mystery of a God who chooses, calls, shows mercy, keeps His promises, and welcomes people from every nation into His redemptive story. We are called not to pride, but to humility; not to certainty about every mystery, but to trust; not to superiority, but to gratitude.
We are called by a faithful God.