Romans 9:19-26
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.
25: As He says also in Hosea, “I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’ AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”
26: “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’ THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”
Paul again made the point that God—the Creator—has the right to do what He will with what He had created. The argument that He could not judge a person for behaving in a dishonorable way if they were made that way does not stand. First, because the Creator reserves that right. Secondly, because He gives each person a way out of being a vessel of wrath or sinner. Before a person can truly appreciate the mercy of God, they must realize that mercy is not owed to them.
In this portion of Scripture Paul answered those who would accuse God of being unjust saying He made some people vessels of destruction and then will destroy them for fulfilling that purpose. Yet, it comes down to the free will and desires of a person’s heart. All are sinners. No one is deserving of God’s mercy, so God is justified in not granting mercy to anyone. Yet He does not judge unjustly. He knows the substance of a man’s heart. He knows those who are soft and pliable toward His will and those who harden themselves against Him.
We do not challenge or accuse God—hardening ourselves against Him—but submit to Him humbly as our Creator. On these His mercy is shown. Paul said that God waits patiently for these "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction" in order to show His glory on vessels of mercy. He gives people time to realize their hardened condition and repent—softening themselves in His hand.
One other point Paul made is that the "lump of clay" He chose to work with was not the Jews only, but the Gentiles as well. All of mankind has the opportunity to be molded and shaped by the Creator into a vessel of honor upon whom His mercy may be shown. To again make this point Paul quoted from Hosea 2:23 and 1:10 where it says that those to whom it was once said they were not the people of God, they will be called His sons and beloved. The beauty of the message of the Gospel is that it is available to all who will believe.
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.
25: As He says also in Hosea, “I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’ AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”
26: “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’ THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”
***
Paul again made the point that God—the Creator—has the right to do what He will with what He had created. The argument that He could not judge a person for behaving in a dishonorable way if they were made that way does not stand. First, because the Creator reserves that right. Secondly, because He gives each person a way out of being a vessel of wrath or sinner. Before a person can truly appreciate the mercy of God, they must realize that mercy is not owed to them.
In this portion of Scripture Paul answered those who would accuse God of being unjust saying He made some people vessels of destruction and then will destroy them for fulfilling that purpose. Yet, it comes down to the free will and desires of a person’s heart. All are sinners. No one is deserving of God’s mercy, so God is justified in not granting mercy to anyone. Yet He does not judge unjustly. He knows the substance of a man’s heart. He knows those who are soft and pliable toward His will and those who harden themselves against Him.
We do not challenge or accuse God—hardening ourselves against Him—but submit to Him humbly as our Creator. On these His mercy is shown. Paul said that God waits patiently for these "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction" in order to show His glory on vessels of mercy. He gives people time to realize their hardened condition and repent—softening themselves in His hand.
One other point Paul made is that the "lump of clay" He chose to work with was not the Jews only, but the Gentiles as well. All of mankind has the opportunity to be molded and shaped by the Creator into a vessel of honor upon whom His mercy may be shown. To again make this point Paul quoted from Hosea 2:23 and 1:10 where it says that those to whom it was once said they were not the people of God, they will be called His sons and beloved. The beauty of the message of the Gospel is that it is available to all who will believe.
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