14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH." 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
Message: Grace and Reprobation
Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Romans church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.
What the Lord is Saying:
God rescues us
Man is forever fooling himself to think that he can earn his own salvation. This again is the way of the world in which we live. We work hard, continually improving and along the way our hard work pays off. It merits dividends. Even when it comes to eating or taking care of our bodies, we are focused on the idea that what we eat and the exercise we do pays off by living in a healthier manner. Thus, we are trained over and over in life in this kind of living and this living resulting in good outcomes.
Yet, God's salvation does not work like this. Over and over in scripture is the reminder that we are saved by grace. This grace does not have anything to do with our performance. Man does make choices in life but is incapable of choosing righteousness as a sinner. He needs to be rescued by God.
Paul responds to a question
In this passage, Romans 9:14-24, Paul is addressing an objection that is not said but implied or he thinks the objection is coming. The objection is - "Is God acting in a righteous manner when He chooses one over another?" This sounds quite familiar to what we hear all to often from people in this world. They say, "God would not let that happen because God is love and God being love wants all people to have good outcomes." Those are not the exact words that are spoken by people but it is something that is mentioned over and over that a good God would not allow suffering; a good God would not allow a person to hurt or have pain. When we ask these questions, are we not asking the same question that Paul is responding to here? The question is: Is God acting in a righteous manner when He chooses one over another?
In essence, God is being God and we don't like it and because we don't like it, then there must not be a God.
God has mercy
Paul wants to make it very clear that God is always righteous. He starts with a quote from Exodus 33:19 - And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." Paul is speaking to the Jewish people and his responses or His arguments go back to the text of the Old Testament. God will be gracious to whom He will be gracious. As man, our role is to not be judge or jury of God. Yet, most of us have a God given compassion for others, and we hurt for others, for ourselves. We see some people living seemingly good lives while others don't and it saddens us that everyone can't be equal. Yet, we are the ones that have defined what is a good life. But, there is also injustice in this world because people are sinners and they act in a sinful manner. But, God is not the one who is acting in an injustice way. Paul says (verse 16) - it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. It does not depend on man's hard work. Paul is simply making a natural conclusion here. The Lord will have mercy on whom I have mercy....it does not depend on the man.
If it depended on man, then man would get the glory. It is one or the other. It cannot be a two-way thing where man does a little, God does the rest. This goes back to the earlier discussion that man is incapable in his fallen state to do even a little.
Demonstrates His Power
Paul continues his response and once again goes back to Exodus with the following quote from Exodus 9:16 - But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. Paul states - FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH. God is to be glorified. God acts the way He acts so His name might be proclaimed. We have a jealous God. Albert Barnes states - "The design is to show that God has a right to pass by those to whom he does not choose to show mercy; and to place them in circumstances where they shall develop their true character." God has this right. Again, it is the character of man to take care of only himself. It is the character of God to try to think man is the one that solves life's problems. This passage in Exodus is Paul taking his audience back to Pharaoh to show that even the most mighty and wicked monarchs are in God's control. The true character of man is selfishness, of seeking out his own self interests and God placed Pharaoh in circumstances where this character is further developed. While others he chooses for salvation.
Once again, this is an idea about God that I don't think we like. The reality is God does choose some for salvation, but most he does not. And the selfish way of man is pleased with this.
Don't Ask Why
Thus, what follows next is man's natural response to all of this - The Question: "Why?" But, the issue I think of the "why" question can be better understood in the idea that man lives in a fallen condition. This is the basis of man. This is the intent of man. This is the predominant way of man. I think in the United States and even throughout the world, for a time, leaders were Christians, and the notion of right and wrong prevailed in human thought. Many today think we need to return to the founding of our country. And it is true religious life was more predominant in leaders early in our history. But as time has gone by, this notion slowly evaporates. It is like a pot boiling. After a while the water leaves and there is no more water. There is just steam. And over time this is what we are seeing is the way of man is becoming more and more the way of man.
Paul speaks here that we are all simply lumps of clay. In my daily reading through the Bible that I began recently, I came across these words in Isaiah 29 that I now see Paul was quoting in this passage. The Lord speaks these words (Isaiah 29:16) - You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? We are lumps of clay and we think we have the right to now speak to the potter. I think this language is used to show the absurdity of the situation. The makeup of man and God is completely different. And here we see it is difference by looking at a piece of clay that the potter has formed. Clay is an object. The potter is a man. Man and God have a similar relationship. Yet, we question God all the time. The clay speaks.
Paul echoes this sentiment in these words recording in Romans 9:20-21 - On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
Thus, here is the conclusion. Don't ask why? It is foolishness for us to ask why. Clay does not speak. But we do ask and we ask over and over and though we don't hear answers, we make up our own answers to the questions. And suddenly the clay thinks it has arrived at the correct conclusion regarding life and everything in it. It is absurdity and yet we sit back and define it as reasonable. We are pots. We are clay. Let the potter be the potter. Let God be God.
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
And now Paul will take us back to the chief problem and that is man is fallen. Man had what he wanted in the garden - nothing but good outcomes, but his problem was he wanted to be the potter and so he ignored the plan of God and took matters in his own hands. The result was a roadway to wrath. Paul makes this clear. What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known. Man has this insatiable desire to be in charge and he gets this from God. Think about some of the great dictators - Stalin, Hitler, Mao Zedong. We watch them carry out their wicked ways as they demonstrate their wrath and make their power known. What they exhibit is something we all have - a desire to be in control. Sure it is grotesque to see what they do with that control. And we would be appalled to see God act this way. Yet, our deeds are like filthy rags. These dictators carry out a wrath on people that don't deserve the wrath and yet God would be just in carrying out wrath on disobedient sinners. Would we not have a little understanding with these dictators if there adherents were in fact disobedient toward them?
The point Paul makes is that God, could demonstrate His wrath and could make His power known, but he doesn't, and instead He endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. God has mercy. He has patience. He does not want any to come to judgement, but all to repent. And could it be that His feeling toward sin is so appalling that most people will end up receiving that wrath, but a few will be saved. The irony of this all is God is actually acting in a manner that is reasonable and justified.
Rich in Mercy and indeed Good Outcomes
And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. God is rich in Glory. And this Glory has been his plan. And He has set us apart for this glory. He chose Jews and Gentiles. He chose from every group under the Sun. We are all included. If we would just focus on this. If we would just focus on His mercy and being included in His glory. If we would let Him be the potter - wouldn't it all just work out?
Promise: From TableTalk Magazine for this entry - Since we deserve only eternal death apart from God's intervention, we cannot complain if the Lord shows grace and mercy only to some of us. Reprobation is God leaving some in their sins and to the just consequences of those sins. We are in Christ only because God chooses to love undeserving sinners.
Prayer: O God the Father, you are indeed rich in mercy. You have saved me by your grace and your grace alone. There is no fiber in me that is worthy. I am no different from anyone. The only difference is you have lifted me up. Lord, I pray that I would surrender to you and let you be God. Help me to rise above all those voices that continue to question you. Your power is made known simply in saving anyone. And your glory is so great because of all who you have saved. Lord, you have reminded me that I am clay, a lump of clay and You are the potter and I have no place in ever questioning You because clay and a potter are entirely two different compositions. I only can surrender to You God. That is my only choice, my only way. You didn't have to but you did, you showed me Your mercy and then you somehow have promised me to share in Your Glory. How?
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with the April devotional being about salvation by grace alone and how the Lord never fails to save the one whom He has purposed to save.
Message: Grace and Reprobation
Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Romans church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.
What the Lord is Saying:
God rescues us
Man is forever fooling himself to think that he can earn his own salvation. This again is the way of the world in which we live. We work hard, continually improving and along the way our hard work pays off. It merits dividends. Even when it comes to eating or taking care of our bodies, we are focused on the idea that what we eat and the exercise we do pays off by living in a healthier manner. Thus, we are trained over and over in life in this kind of living and this living resulting in good outcomes.
Yet, God's salvation does not work like this. Over and over in scripture is the reminder that we are saved by grace. This grace does not have anything to do with our performance. Man does make choices in life but is incapable of choosing righteousness as a sinner. He needs to be rescued by God.
Paul responds to a question
In this passage, Romans 9:14-24, Paul is addressing an objection that is not said but implied or he thinks the objection is coming. The objection is - "Is God acting in a righteous manner when He chooses one over another?" This sounds quite familiar to what we hear all to often from people in this world. They say, "God would not let that happen because God is love and God being love wants all people to have good outcomes." Those are not the exact words that are spoken by people but it is something that is mentioned over and over that a good God would not allow suffering; a good God would not allow a person to hurt or have pain. When we ask these questions, are we not asking the same question that Paul is responding to here? The question is: Is God acting in a righteous manner when He chooses one over another?
In essence, God is being God and we don't like it and because we don't like it, then there must not be a God.
God has mercy
Paul wants to make it very clear that God is always righteous. He starts with a quote from Exodus 33:19 - And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." Paul is speaking to the Jewish people and his responses or His arguments go back to the text of the Old Testament. God will be gracious to whom He will be gracious. As man, our role is to not be judge or jury of God. Yet, most of us have a God given compassion for others, and we hurt for others, for ourselves. We see some people living seemingly good lives while others don't and it saddens us that everyone can't be equal. Yet, we are the ones that have defined what is a good life. But, there is also injustice in this world because people are sinners and they act in a sinful manner. But, God is not the one who is acting in an injustice way. Paul says (verse 16) - it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. It does not depend on man's hard work. Paul is simply making a natural conclusion here. The Lord will have mercy on whom I have mercy....it does not depend on the man.
If it depended on man, then man would get the glory. It is one or the other. It cannot be a two-way thing where man does a little, God does the rest. This goes back to the earlier discussion that man is incapable in his fallen state to do even a little.
Demonstrates His Power
Paul continues his response and once again goes back to Exodus with the following quote from Exodus 9:16 - But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. Paul states - FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH. God is to be glorified. God acts the way He acts so His name might be proclaimed. We have a jealous God. Albert Barnes states - "The design is to show that God has a right to pass by those to whom he does not choose to show mercy; and to place them in circumstances where they shall develop their true character." God has this right. Again, it is the character of man to take care of only himself. It is the character of God to try to think man is the one that solves life's problems. This passage in Exodus is Paul taking his audience back to Pharaoh to show that even the most mighty and wicked monarchs are in God's control. The true character of man is selfishness, of seeking out his own self interests and God placed Pharaoh in circumstances where this character is further developed. While others he chooses for salvation.
Once again, this is an idea about God that I don't think we like. The reality is God does choose some for salvation, but most he does not. And the selfish way of man is pleased with this.
Don't Ask Why
Thus, what follows next is man's natural response to all of this - The Question: "Why?" But, the issue I think of the "why" question can be better understood in the idea that man lives in a fallen condition. This is the basis of man. This is the intent of man. This is the predominant way of man. I think in the United States and even throughout the world, for a time, leaders were Christians, and the notion of right and wrong prevailed in human thought. Many today think we need to return to the founding of our country. And it is true religious life was more predominant in leaders early in our history. But as time has gone by, this notion slowly evaporates. It is like a pot boiling. After a while the water leaves and there is no more water. There is just steam. And over time this is what we are seeing is the way of man is becoming more and more the way of man.
Paul speaks here that we are all simply lumps of clay. In my daily reading through the Bible that I began recently, I came across these words in Isaiah 29 that I now see Paul was quoting in this passage. The Lord speaks these words (Isaiah 29:16) - You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay, that what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? We are lumps of clay and we think we have the right to now speak to the potter. I think this language is used to show the absurdity of the situation. The makeup of man and God is completely different. And here we see it is difference by looking at a piece of clay that the potter has formed. Clay is an object. The potter is a man. Man and God have a similar relationship. Yet, we question God all the time. The clay speaks.
Paul echoes this sentiment in these words recording in Romans 9:20-21 - On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
Thus, here is the conclusion. Don't ask why? It is foolishness for us to ask why. Clay does not speak. But we do ask and we ask over and over and though we don't hear answers, we make up our own answers to the questions. And suddenly the clay thinks it has arrived at the correct conclusion regarding life and everything in it. It is absurdity and yet we sit back and define it as reasonable. We are pots. We are clay. Let the potter be the potter. Let God be God.
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
And now Paul will take us back to the chief problem and that is man is fallen. Man had what he wanted in the garden - nothing but good outcomes, but his problem was he wanted to be the potter and so he ignored the plan of God and took matters in his own hands. The result was a roadway to wrath. Paul makes this clear. What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known. Man has this insatiable desire to be in charge and he gets this from God. Think about some of the great dictators - Stalin, Hitler, Mao Zedong. We watch them carry out their wicked ways as they demonstrate their wrath and make their power known. What they exhibit is something we all have - a desire to be in control. Sure it is grotesque to see what they do with that control. And we would be appalled to see God act this way. Yet, our deeds are like filthy rags. These dictators carry out a wrath on people that don't deserve the wrath and yet God would be just in carrying out wrath on disobedient sinners. Would we not have a little understanding with these dictators if there adherents were in fact disobedient toward them?
The point Paul makes is that God, could demonstrate His wrath and could make His power known, but he doesn't, and instead He endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. God has mercy. He has patience. He does not want any to come to judgement, but all to repent. And could it be that His feeling toward sin is so appalling that most people will end up receiving that wrath, but a few will be saved. The irony of this all is God is actually acting in a manner that is reasonable and justified.
Rich in Mercy and indeed Good Outcomes
And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. God is rich in Glory. And this Glory has been his plan. And He has set us apart for this glory. He chose Jews and Gentiles. He chose from every group under the Sun. We are all included. If we would just focus on this. If we would just focus on His mercy and being included in His glory. If we would let Him be the potter - wouldn't it all just work out?
Promise: From TableTalk Magazine for this entry - Since we deserve only eternal death apart from God's intervention, we cannot complain if the Lord shows grace and mercy only to some of us. Reprobation is God leaving some in their sins and to the just consequences of those sins. We are in Christ only because God chooses to love undeserving sinners.
Prayer: O God the Father, you are indeed rich in mercy. You have saved me by your grace and your grace alone. There is no fiber in me that is worthy. I am no different from anyone. The only difference is you have lifted me up. Lord, I pray that I would surrender to you and let you be God. Help me to rise above all those voices that continue to question you. Your power is made known simply in saving anyone. And your glory is so great because of all who you have saved. Lord, you have reminded me that I am clay, a lump of clay and You are the potter and I have no place in ever questioning You because clay and a potter are entirely two different compositions. I only can surrender to You God. That is my only choice, my only way. You didn't have to but you did, you showed me Your mercy and then you somehow have promised me to share in Your Glory. How?
Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with the April devotional being about salvation by grace alone and how the Lord never fails to save the one whom He has purposed to save.
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