Romans 9:17-29
Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he says in Hosea:
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”
26 and,
“In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”
only the remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”
29 It is just as Isaiah said previously:
“Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.”
My experience with Reformed doctrine led me to this passage frequently. This is the passage used to defend double predestination - God creates some people for eternal glory and the rest for eternal wrath/damnation. (vs.22,23) I hate this doctrine and don't think it is consistent with God's character for two reasons. Number 1 is it takes away choice. God is into choice so much that He created Lucifer with the ability to choose. He also put a tree in the garden so Adam and Eve could choose, which cost Him His Son. If we are predestined for hell or heaven, neither group had a choice in the matter. The other thing I have been pondering lately as I teach Galatians in Sunday School is the Abrahamic vs. the Mosaic Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant brought blessing, salvation by faith.(It was called Abraham's Bosom not Moses' Bosom) Why mess up a good thing by bringing the law into the mix? Because men were saved when God came and talked to them. There was nothing in place to drive man to seek God, thus the law and our sinfulness drove us to Him. If God didn't want everyone to be saved, He wouldn't have needed to add the Law. Number 2 is, God's mercy triumphs over His justice. Would creating people to spend an eternity being punished be merciful? That really wouldn't even be just. I, with my wife have brought 4 kids into the world. If any of them would reject Christ and spend an eternity in Hell, I would regret ever having brought them into this world. God would be guilty of bringing billions of people into the world to spend an eternity in Hell. That being said, if God did double predestine, all I can really say is "OK God, obviously I don't understand things and someday I will. If I am OK with unmerited favor maybe I have to be OK with unmerited punishment? Thanks for choosing me and sending Your Son to die for me. I'm eternally grateful." To reject God on the basis of something I don't understand is no different than skeptics rejecting the Bible because of miracles.
In the midst of these tough passages we do get glimpses of God's grace to all mankind, not just His "chosen ones." In the previous passage we read about Esau. He had a choice but he chose to disregard the promises of God. (Heb.12:16). God didn't harden Pharoah's heart until Pharoah himself had hardened his heart many times(Ex. 8:15,32) Not only that but when they left Egypt, many of the Egyptians went with the Israelites and became believers.(Ex.12:38,48). In verses 25,26 of Romans 9 we see Hosea saying that people who weren't "His people" will become "His people" and in 27-29 Isaiah says the opposite is true, too - just because you belong to the "chosen people" doesn't mean you necessarily are saved.
What does all this mean to me? I worship a God who is not made up by man. If man made this religion up there would be no room for things beyond my comprehension. It would be spelled out clearer. You wouldn't need the Old Testament to interpret the New and vice versa. There wouldn't be debatable areas that will never be resolved, the writers would have seen to that - like The New World Jehovah's witness Bible would have been revised many times or like the Mormons would have installed an infallible priest to get new revelations to their scriptures to clarify things and keep up with the times.
Lord, I am glad I worship Someone who is bigger than me. It is so nice to surrender control of my life to Someone who is so powerful that He controls the universe, my destiny, eternity, the future of the world, yet pledged His love to me. I feel so secure. Thank You! Amen
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.”
My experience with Reformed doctrine led me to this passage frequently. This is the passage used to defend double predestination - God creates some people for eternal glory and the rest for eternal wrath/damnation. (vs.22,23) I hate this doctrine and don't think it is consistent with God's character for two reasons. Number 1 is it takes away choice. God is into choice so much that He created Lucifer with the ability to choose. He also put a tree in the garden so Adam and Eve could choose, which cost Him His Son. If we are predestined for hell or heaven, neither group had a choice in the matter. The other thing I have been pondering lately as I teach Galatians in Sunday School is the Abrahamic vs. the Mosaic Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant brought blessing, salvation by faith.(It was called Abraham's Bosom not Moses' Bosom) Why mess up a good thing by bringing the law into the mix? Because men were saved when God came and talked to them. There was nothing in place to drive man to seek God, thus the law and our sinfulness drove us to Him. If God didn't want everyone to be saved, He wouldn't have needed to add the Law. Number 2 is, God's mercy triumphs over His justice. Would creating people to spend an eternity being punished be merciful? That really wouldn't even be just. I, with my wife have brought 4 kids into the world. If any of them would reject Christ and spend an eternity in Hell, I would regret ever having brought them into this world. God would be guilty of bringing billions of people into the world to spend an eternity in Hell. That being said, if God did double predestine, all I can really say is "OK God, obviously I don't understand things and someday I will. If I am OK with unmerited favor maybe I have to be OK with unmerited punishment? Thanks for choosing me and sending Your Son to die for me. I'm eternally grateful." To reject God on the basis of something I don't understand is no different than skeptics rejecting the Bible because of miracles.
In the midst of these tough passages we do get glimpses of God's grace to all mankind, not just His "chosen ones." In the previous passage we read about Esau. He had a choice but he chose to disregard the promises of God. (Heb.12:16). God didn't harden Pharoah's heart until Pharoah himself had hardened his heart many times(Ex. 8:15,32) Not only that but when they left Egypt, many of the Egyptians went with the Israelites and became believers.(Ex.12:38,48). In verses 25,26 of Romans 9 we see Hosea saying that people who weren't "His people" will become "His people" and in 27-29 Isaiah says the opposite is true, too - just because you belong to the "chosen people" doesn't mean you necessarily are saved.
What does all this mean to me? I worship a God who is not made up by man. If man made this religion up there would be no room for things beyond my comprehension. It would be spelled out clearer. You wouldn't need the Old Testament to interpret the New and vice versa. There wouldn't be debatable areas that will never be resolved, the writers would have seen to that - like The New World Jehovah's witness Bible would have been revised many times or like the Mormons would have installed an infallible priest to get new revelations to their scriptures to clarify things and keep up with the times.
Lord, I am glad I worship Someone who is bigger than me. It is so nice to surrender control of my life to Someone who is so powerful that He controls the universe, my destiny, eternity, the future of the world, yet pledged His love to me. I feel so secure. Thank You! Amen
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