Romans 9:14-29

Since there is no condemnation in Christ; since we live according to the Holy Spirit; and since we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, we therefore have an obligation to (Romans 8:12) offer our bodies as living sacrifices…(Romans 12:1).

The natural man rebels against the sovereignty of God. Man loves to accuse God of being unjust. The trouble is, the natural man forgets that God gets to define what is just and what is unjust because He is God and natural man is not.

The Verses

14. In the previous verses we saw God choosing Jacob over Esau. Was He unjust? No. He is God and defines what is and what is not just.

15. God gets to choose who He has mercy on and who He has compassion on. Because God is who He is and is unmanipulable, prayer must be finding out what God wants and getting on board with it…whatever it is.

16. Man is not the one who gets to choose. But God does. Salvation is not what God gives us because we are who we are; salvation is what God gives us because He is God. It is His mercy, not extended because of man’s will, but because of God’s mercy in Christ.

17. Back when Pharaoh chased the Jews to the Red Sea, God decided to show His power. God gave Pharaoh many chances to follow God’s will, but rejected them all. God’s says, “You may think you are not going to let my people go, but watch this: you ARE going to let my people go.” God forced Pharaoh to do what he wanted to do.

18. God has mercy on whom He wants to and hardens whom he wants to. Now a person can resist the prodding of the Holy Spirit if he/she wants to, but there will come a time when God will harden his/her heart until he can no longer respond to God.

19. Natural man says, “How can a fair and just God blame us for sin?” Because He is God, folks…because He is God. And natural man has rejected Him.

20. Who do we think we are to challenge God? It only shows that we don’t want to know who He is.

21. A potter can make whatever he wants out of the lump of clay he uses. The clay has no voice in the matter. But in the end, what the potter makes is a work of art. What if the potter had not gotten involved? What if the clay had said, “You have no right to mash on me?”

We sing:

Have Thine own way, Lord; have Thine own way;
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mould me and make me after Thy will
While I am waiting, yielded and still.

Is that really what we mean?

22. What if God…This is not a verse setting out something God has done. This is a verse that forces the question, “SO WHAT?” What if God had done this…what if God had done that? SO WHAT? What if God had done the other thing? SO WHAT? HE IS GOD AND WE ARE NOT. HE GETS TO CHOOSE, AND HE HAS CHOSEN TO SHOW ETERNAL MERCY ON THOSE WHO TURN TO HIM IN FAITH BELIEVING, TRUSTING IN, AND ONLY IN, THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST AT THE CROSS AND HIS RESURRECTION FOR THEIR SALVATION.

23. Same theme.

24. Same theme and Paul adds that God has chosen the path of salvation by grace through faith for ANYBODY, Jew or Gentile…even you and me.

25-29: Paul’s wish for the Jews repeated: Come to Christ!