Understanding God's Sovereignty and Mercy in Romans 9

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I feel like Romans nine is a watershed of how you view God I I had to settle for myself whether this chapter meant what it seemed to mean and what I was saying it meant or did it have some other explanation and out of that nine months or so came the book the justification of God an exegetical and theological study of romans nine one two twenty three. [00:02:18]

Paul answers the problem precisely by pointing out that individual lost Israelites are not really part of the Israel who inherit the promises it's the lostness of individuals that creates the problem it's not imposed on this chapter it's the problem within Israel there are Israelites who are perishing and Paul solves the problem theologically by saying God's Word to Israel has not fallen because not all Israel is Israel. [00:05:12]

The rest of Romans 9 1 to 23 is Paul's demonstration vindication of the Justice of God in the exercise of his sovereignty in having mercy on whom he he will so verse 14 what should we say is there injustice on God's part that's where I started in my writing my book is there injustice on God's part and his answer is by no means. [00:06:09]

He gives his argument for verse 15 he says to Moses I'll have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion so then it depends not on human will or exertion but on God who has mercy so God is free free mercy on whom will have mercy free to show mercy and grace to whomever he wills. [00:06:27]

When Paul refers four verses later in verse 22 to God's quote desiring to show his wrath and make known his power has endured with much patience vessels of Wrath prepared for destruction that's exactly what he has just done with Pharaoh in verse 17 this is this what if is not hypothetical it's actual he did it and the what-if is what if he did it can any legitimate objection be raised and his answers no. [00:10:34]

Paul's overall point in this section is this God is just in having mercy on whom he will verse 14 he does no one no human being ever anywhere he does no one any wrong and he always upholds the infinite value of what is infinitely valuable that's his righteousness namely he upholds his glory and in his absolute glorious freedom. [00:11:33]

His absolute glorious freedom he makes known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy us verse 23 that's the ultimate goal of the universe and those vessels of Mercy are prepared beforehand by God for glory but in this moment in this very moment the vessels of Mercy I'm talking now to our listeners in this very moment the vessels of Mercy are everyone and anyone who calls on the name of the Lord amen. [00:12:29]

The question addressed in this chapter is has God's promise to Israel fallen and the presenting issue is precisely that some Jews not the people as all some Jews have fallen they they're perishing and Paul's answer in verse 6 is it is not as though the Word of God has failed and then he gives his basic answer why because not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. [00:04:12]

The lostness of individuals that creates the problem it's not imposed on this chapter it's the problem within Israel there are Israelites who are perishing and Paul solves the problem theologically by saying God's Word to Israel has not fallen because not all Israel is Israel and the rest of Romans 9 1 to 23 is Paul's demonstration vindication of the Justice of God in the exercise of his sovereignty in having mercy on whom he he will. [00:05:12]

Paul's most ultimate answer for why God does what he does in choosing one and not another and here's what it says and this is the very sentence that Aaron asked about what if now in the Greek it's just if but what if is okay because because it it should be answered what if namely well no legitimate objection can be raised I'll come back there what if God desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power has endured with much patience the vessels prepared for destruction in order that he might make known to the vessels of mercy the riches of his glory the vessels which he prepared beforehand for glory. [00:07:06]

The rest of it verses 15 to 23 isn't is a support for why there's no injustice on God's part he gives his argument for verse 15 he says to Moses I'll have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion so then it depends not on human will or exertion but on God who has mercy so God is free free mercy on whom will have mercy free to show mercy and grace to whomever he wills nobody deserves it and God is not unjust to give it freely to whomever he will and not to another. [00:06:27]

The ultimate goal of the universe and those vessels of Mercy are prepared beforehand by God for glory but in this moment in this very moment the vessels of Mercy I'm talking now to our listeners in this very moment the vessels of Mercy are everyone and anyone who calls on the name of the Lord amen that's really good the watershed chapter for how we understand God and his works thank you Pastor John serious students of the New Testament who want to go deep into Romans nine and who can navigate a little Greek in Hebrew along the way should check out that book the justification of God an exegetical and theological study of romans 9 1 223 it was published by Baker academic in 1993. [00:12:29]

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