A proposition wholly foreign to the
entire tenor of Scripture is that God MADE some people to be lost and others to
be saved.Unfortunately, this suggestion
is argued by those of the Calvinist faith and they use Romans 9:14-24 to try
and prove their point.It can be a
confusing passage that seemingly brings mixed messages when compared to others
verses.I hope that the explanation I
provide brings the clarity to this passage for those seeking the truth.
In approaching a study of this passage,
I would like to approach it from the perspective of a verse by verse study
beginning in Romans 9:11 and work through the contextual aspect of these
verses.
As we begin, it is prudent to remember
that it is the case that all men sin and fall short of God's glory.However, God is not sitting in judgment
against man for not being perfect, while at the same time knowing that man is
not capable of being perfect.That would
be unfair of a holy and righteous Father.That would be like saying that it is God who made man a sinner, then
finds fault with man for being such.Paul corrects this by explaining that, though men sin, it is their fault,
as we all have free will, and it is their fault for not repenting and being the
kind of people God desires by adhering to the "conditions of
election."
1.11 - (for
the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works but of Him who calls) 1.1.The term election has nothing to do
with the salvation of Jacob or Esau. 1.2.He (God), for reasons expressed below,
elected Jacob’s line to be the lineage to carry out God’s plan.
2.12 - It
was said to her, "The older shall serve the younger." 2.1.This statement does not apply to Jacob
and Esau as individuals but it relates to their descendants.The descendants of Esau served descendants of
Jacob (1 Chron.18:12-15).
3.13 -
As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." 3.1.In this verse Paul uses a Hebrew expression
which indicates greater versus lesser.Remember, God knows what choices we will make even before we are
born.God knew that Jacob would make
choices that were indicative of someone that trusts and serves Him and Esau
would not. 3.2.God’s promise to Abraham, “In you all
the families of the earth will be blessed…” he had Jesus Christ, His plan of
redemption and the church in mind. 3.3.This
"election" or "rejection" was not unto salvation nor
damnation of the individuals involved.God was not choosing persons, but nations to fulfill His purpose.Thus, God's Word did not fail because He did
end up with exactly what He wanted: children of promise, or people who would
fulfill the description of those to receive His promise. 3.4.God chose Jacob’s lineage over Esau’s.
4.14 -
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 4.1.Was God unfair?Absolutely not.He selected the best instruments through
which to work His will. 4.2.Even though God chose Jacob’s lineage,
all Jews had the ability to be obedient and thus be saved.
5.15 -
For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." 5.1.God has already indicated the ones upon
whom He would have mercy and compassion:Those who are obedient to Him (Matt. 7:21-22).These blessings from God are not automatic,
but conditional. No one has ever deserved what God has promised, and when it
has been received, one can only give thanks to God. Likewise, those who are
lost must take the blame themselves.As
the Lord said through the prophet, "It is thy destruction, O Israel, that
thou art against me, against thy help" (Hos. 13:9). 5.2.God wills to have mercy on those who
trust and obey Him.He refuses to have
mercy on those who trust in their own flesh and refuse to obey Him.Solomon wrote, “He who covers his sins will
not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
6.16 -
So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows
mercy. 6.1.The promised seed was Jesus Christ and
not Israel as they believed. 6.2.Esau’s character would not allow God to
choose him over Jacob’s lineage to fulfill the promise to Abraham. 6.3.God selected Abraham, then Isaac then
Jacob to fulfill the promise.However
since the way of salvation through Christ has been opened to all men, a man
decides, through his own will, whether he will trust and obey Jehovah.
7.17 - For
the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you
up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all
the earth." 7.1.Paul uses Pharaoh as an example to show
God had the right to show mercy and compassion where ever he willed.God told Pharaoh through Moses that he had
raised him up to be king (Exodus 9:16).God raised him to be king, others he did not raise up.But as to whether he was good or wicked, this
was left to Pharaoh.God did not make
him wicked. Pharaoh chose to disobey God; he is responsible for the type of
person he became. 7.2.After Pharaoh, of his own free will,
had done evil, been wicked, committed crimes against God and God’s people, God
made an example of him, and punished him in a public way. 7.3.Think of how many times Pharaoh
hardened his own heart before the Lord (Ex. 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15; 8:32: 9:7;
34-35). 7.4.God hardened Pharaoh’s heart by
commanding him to do what was right.This happens today when preachers drive men away by preaching the truth
to them.The same gospel that drives some
men from the truth will touch the heart of another and lead him to become a
Christian.
8.18 -
Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. 8.1.Does God actually harden people so they
cannot obey nor please Him?The wording
seems to say so, yet we know the correct answer is, of course, NO!When God allows people to be hard-hearted,
He, in not going against His nature or His Word, "hardens" them
(gives them over to their own decision to be hard-hearted), because He will not
change His mind with regard to what He wants from them or for them. 8.2.When people are stubborn and will not
do His will, they are hardened, and this by their own choice!Then comes the time that God will "give
them up" to their hardness (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28).Paul has anticipated, and answered the Jewish
objection to the doctrine that says they are not saved merely because they are
part of Israel after the flesh. 8.3.Israel thought that God would never
abandon them or accept Gentiles
9.19 -
You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has
resisted His will?" 9.1.The wording of this proposed objection
seems to anticipate the fact that there are still some of Paul’s readers are
not quite convinced (or are otherwise confused) about whether God causes men to
be the way they are.This is typical of
those who do not understand that God does not program a person's character. 9.2.God does NOT make men what they
are.Morally, men make themselves what
they are and this is when God finds fault with them. 9.3.The "withstanding" (resistance)
mentioned in this verse is interesting. It is the word from which we get our
medical term "antihistamine."It means to "stand against" something.Paul uses it in its perfect tense, meaning
that the action in view was accomplished and will not be repeated. In other
words, the objector is saying, "We Jews (or mankind in general) have never
stood against the will of God," which was, of course, simply not
true.After all, "resisting the
will of God" amounts to sin, under which all (Jews and Gentiles) have been
indicted (Rom. 1--2) and have thus fallen (Rom. 3:23).
10.20 - But indeed, O man, who are you to
reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why
have you made me like this?" 10.1.Paul,
in this verse, is rebuking those who question God’s wisdom, goodness and mercy. 10.2.Such
questions show a lack of reverence and respect for God. 10.3.The
grammar underlying the phrase, "the thing formed" means "a
plastic model" of something.Here
"the thing formed" is not merely asking God, "Why is this?"
but is taking God to task and contending with Him. Paul says that God not only
has the right to do with us as He pleases (as does an artist with flexible
materials), but that we have no right to complain. Again, he is taking the
supposed objections to their logical conclusions and showing that mortals have
no authority to so speak or to hold such attitudes toward God. He is not
concluding that we have no choice in what we are and how we act.
11.21 - Does not the potter have power
over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for
dishonor? 11.1.Paul
here is reminding his audience of the sovereignty of God, the Almighty.He seems to grant the objection for a moment
to remind us that God may do as He pleases.Let us not, however, forget that He will not be unloving, unfair,
unjust, nor hypocritical.
12.22 - What if God, wanting to show His
wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels
of wrath prepared for destruction, 12.1.God
"endured" a great deal from mankind.He did so with "much longsuffering," which means He was
"slow in avenging wrongs."If
God created some men just to destroy them because they could only be sinful,
why would He wait to do so?What kind of
tyrant do these objectors think Jehovah is?Man, who has sinned against God, has "outfitted himself" unto
destruction (set himself up for destruction).
13.23 - and that He might make known the
riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand
for glory, 13.1.There
are those to whom God will give abundant blessings Paul now states.These have been "afore-prepared."
This verb is found only here and in Eph. 2:10, which speaks of "good
works" which have been prepared to be done or fulfilled by faithful
followers of Christ.It would seem,
then, that these "good works" are accomplished by "good
children," those who have "fitted themselves" to do them.These have met the conditions of election set
forth by God (trusting and obeying God) in order to do these "good
works" acceptably.
14.24 - even us whom He called, not of the
Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? 14.1.From
what two groups do "the called" come?Jew and Gentile! Therefore, Paul has proved what he set out to in Rom.
1:17 -- that all can be saved and made righteous through the gospel, God's
power to save (Rom. 1:16)!This was the
wisdom even from the Old Testament."Happy is the man that feareth alway; but he that hardeneth his
heart shall fall into mischief" (Prov. 28:14).From the prophets we learn, "let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him
return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he
will abundantly pardon" (Isa. 55:7). God desires all men to be saved (1 Tim.
2:4) but only those who are obedient to His will shall ever walk the heavenly
shore.
I hope this makes sense and allows you
to view these verses with a new understanding.