Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER NINE (Lesson XXVIII)

Some Bible scholars feel that the words in Hosea are misused by Paul since there they were meant to identify the ten tribes of Israel, some of who are later identified as Samaritans. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin became known as Jews. But Paul is using these words as an illustration of how God did the same for Gentiles as He did for the Jews. Adam Clarke sees this working out in line with what the prophet Hosea heard about how the rejected Jews, who had been Lo-Ruhamah – “You are my people,” but would now become Lo-Ammi – “You are not my people.” To the contrary, the Gentiles, who had been a Lo-Ammi – “You are not my people,” would become Lo-Ruhamah – “You are my people.”¹ So when God said: “I will plant her for myself in the land,” Clarke believes this to be an allusion to the dispersion of the Jews over all the Greek, Persian, and Roman empires. The Jews then proved to be the seed planted among the Gentiles in order to bring forth fruit for the Gospel seed in Gentile fields.²

Robert Haldane states that the Jewish nation had traditionally been seen as the spouse of God. After all, did God not say: “I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion?”³ But when Messiah came, the Gentiles were destined to be His spouse. He would be the one who would say to Lo-Ammi, Lo-Ruhamah. Now we can better understand why Paul would see how the Gentiles, who were vessels of wrath, would become vessels of mercy because of the divine Potter’s own decision in accordance with His own sovereign will. This was all meant to be part of the reason for sending Christ into the world.”⁴

So from among the nations which formerly served idols, and of whom it was usually and truly said that they were not God’s people, there will be those of whom it would be said, you are the children of the Most High God.⁵ They would serve a Living God, not the dead idols or gods of their own imagination, which they formerly worshiped. This proves that, in their former state, they were without God in the world.⁶ Consequently, the Scriptures hold out no hope for those Gentiles who are left uncalled by the Gospel.

Charles Hodge, therefore, declares that no external circumstance, no descent from pious parents, no connection with the true church, can secure admission for people into the kingdom of Christ (see verses 6-12). As such, Hodge contends that Paul teaches clearly the doctrine of Personal Election to eternal life, an election founded not on works, but on the good pleasure of God. The choice is to eternal life, and not merely to temporal privileges. So also Hodge sees two leading objections against the doctrine of election, namely, that it is inconsistent with God’s divine character, and incompatible with human responsibility. Both of these are addressed by the Apostle Paul. Whoever God decides in favor of cannot be unfair, because God has the right to exercise the privilege of sovereign choice. Whoever God decides against, cannot be considered as unfair because it is consistent with human responsibility. It is not God who makes them wicked. As their Sovereign, He has a right to dispose of the righteous and the wicked as He pleases. So out of the same clump of clay, He will be able to use some for His honor, and others will end up in dishonor because of how they were used.⁷

On the question as to why Paul chose these two First Covenant quotes in defense of his argument about the Gentiles being included in God’s salvation plan, Henry Alford says that it is difficult to know for certain how the Apostle Paul intended to use these passages from Hosea so that he could prove that they were written as prophecy that the Gentiles would one day be called the people of God. Paul’s words themselves bear witness to the fact that this was his intent as we see in verse 27. When we read these words in the context of what is spoken of Israel throughout Hosea, we see that after being rejected and put away, they were again to be received into God’s favor.

Alford says there are two ways to keep in mind when trying to understand what the Apostle Paul meant by quoting them. First, he presents them as a way to show that it is consistent with what we know of about God’s dealings. That He is willing to receive as His people, those who were formerly not His people. In this case, it was the Gentiles who fit this description. However, in a way, we can see that God often used Israel as a lesson on how He planned to deal with all mankind in the future. On the other hand, Paul may be using these quotes from Hosea as an illustration of the subject he is talking about at the moment. Remember he is writing to the church in Rome that was having trouble with the assimilation of the Gentiles into what was earlier a Jewish Messianic body of believers. Perhaps it was meant to be a warning to the Jewish members and an encouragement to the Gentile members. Alford takes the first option, and says that Chrysostom holds the same opinion.”⁸

F. F. Bruce sees it this way: What Paul does here is to take this promise of God that referred to a prepared plan that would first happen within Israel, and then would be repeated as divine action worldwide. We see that the church began in Jerusalem, then spread to Samaria, then to Antioch and out into the rest of the world. Paul may have also felt that in his own apostolic ministry and missionary endeavors that a great number of Gentiles, who had never been called “the people of God” and had no part in the first covenant through Moses, were daily being enrolled among Christian Jews to become recipients God’s grace and mercy. It was not unusual in Hosea’s day to find converted Gentiles worshiping in Jewish synagogues. So the idea was not new. But the scale of the implementation of this divine action was to be far wider than Hosea saw. Through the Gentile mission, in lands where the people of God had only been represented by the Jews, there were now many Gentile believers who were being acknowledged as children of the living God. So it may have been on a different scale, but the same pattern and principle were recognizable.⁹

Verses 27-28: And Isaiah cries out about Israel: “There are so many people of Israel, they are like the grains of sand by the sea. But only a few of them will be saved. Yes, the Lord will quickly finish judging the people on the earth.”¹⁰

With the help of the prophet Isaiah, Paul now sends out a warning to his own people, the Jews. Yes, the promise given to Abraham included all of his progeny. Not by default, but by choice. This quote from Isaiah involved a situation where the people living in Jerusalem were fearful that the Assyrian army would come and destroy them. But they are told to trust in the Lord to save them. In this instance, Paul sees a similarity in what believers both in his day and in days to come would endure. Not because of the army of the Assyrians, but the army of those opposed to the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. We see the same warning given by Jesus in His words: “You will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”¹¹

Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards does not feel that we should look back to Paul’s day and consider all the time that has passed as a period of rejection and scattering of the Jews because they were replaced by the Gentiles and so the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has been suspended in relation to the promised seed and all the mercies and blessings that were to come with it. As Edwards sees it, those promises are now in actual accomplishment in the grace bestowed on the Christian church, as well as before, in His mercy bestowed on the Jewish church, but in a much greater full and glorious manner. God has not pushed away the descendants of Abraham and Israel during this dispensation of grace. Instead, He has brought them nearer to Himself, and has, according to frequent prophecies of the Gospel period, abundantly increased their blessings and the manifestations of His favor to them. [I must interject that this was written before the holocaust of WWII]. Edwards feels that up to his day the nation of Israel was not treated any differently than when they were carried off into Babylonian captivity. For even if the greater part of that nation were forever removed from being God’s people in their own land, yet there was a remnant that was preserved and would be returned. So we can say what God promised the Jews through Abraham has been mostly fulfilled through the Christian church.¹²

On what Paul says here in verse 28, Robert Haldane comments that this refers to God’s judgments poured out upon the Jews for rejecting the Messiah. This basically eliminated them from being thought of as God’s people. It would be less than 40 years later that the Temple would lie in ruins, and the people of Jerusalem driven out like unwanted foreigners. Only a small remnant would remain. As to the question of whether what Hosea said could have been that which happened to send the House of Israel and the House of Judah into exile, and then the re-establishment of the Jews after their Babylonian captivity, must be dismissed since it fits better in the time frame of what happened after Christ’s death and resurrection.

What God is saying here has more to do with Israel’s spiritual relationship with God than their national relationship. Just think, from the time of the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, the Jews have had no sacrificial altars to make payment for their sins; no Holy of Holies where the blood is sprinkled on the Mercy Seat; no Passover Lambs being slain, no Scapegoats used to carry their sins away into the wilderness. It appears that the whole house of Israel was rejected from the covenant of God, and scattered around the world because of His displeasure. Even worse, up until then, God had patiently tolerated their sacrifices, rites, rituals, and festivals. But now, they had heard the Gospel, brought by God’s only Son, and rejected it. Clearly, this is the stark reality that the First Covenant had expired and the Last Covenant was being instituted. Furthermore, verses 27 & 28 confirm what is said in the 22nd verse, that although God endures the wicked for a season, they had become the objects of His wrath, being prepared for destruction.¹³

One of the earliest Motivational Preachers of the 20^th Century was Rev. Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993), whose most famous book, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” made him a household name. As pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church, he was President Donald J. Trump’s pastor for almost 50 years, and many today compare Pastor Joel Osteen, Senior Minister of Lakewood Church, America’s largest congregation in Houston, Texas, to Peale’s positive thinking ministry and writings.

In one of his articles, Peale made this statement: “Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.”¹ This is in complete contrast to those who say, “Wait! Don’t do anything! Everything will work out alright in the end.” I’m sure glad Noah didn’t have that attitude. Nor was Abraham inclined to think the same way. Neither was David motivated to consider saying to the giant Goliath, “Let me go home and think about what you said about our God and when I come back you may have changed your mind.” And what about Joshua? How do you think things would have turned out if he had said to God, “We don’t need to walk around these walls of Jericho, they already look old and crumbly. Just give us some more time, and I’m sure they’ll fall down on their own.” No need to go on, I’m sure you get the point.

One of the most salient points Dr. Peale makes is his conclusion is this: inaction causes fear. A contemporary of Dr. Peale’s, Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) expressed the same thought, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.” So it isn’t so much that a person is too busy to respond to a growing crisis, nor is it that they have some magic formula that heals everything over time. It is fear that stops them in their tracks. And the only way to overcome fear is to face it head-on. If this is not done, then our natural instinct to run and hide will kick in. Not only that, but the longer one waits, the more time the brain has to manufacture doubts and fears, piling them one on top of the other.

The best way out is to look for a plan. If we don’t have one ourselves, look for one that has been known to work. Then modify it to fit your situation. Once you put it into action, if it doesn’t quite work out as planned the first time, tinker with it, make some changes and try again. Eventually, you’ll find the right formula. How long will this take? Until you break through and conquer your fears and go on to bigger and better things.

So as a Christian, what should we do when fear and doubt paralyzes us into doing nothing. Do we close our eyes, pray, and then hope for the best? Let the words God gave the Prophet Jeremiah to put in his letter to those Jews who had been carried off into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar and who now faced a bleak future as God’s children. First, he warned them not to let prophets of doom and the fortune-tellers to begin influencing them in what they did. Rather, listen to what God gave Jeremiah to tell His people: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not turmoil, to give you a future and hope – never forget that when the right time comes, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen. You will intently look for Me, and you will find Me.”²

As a child of God, you are not alone in this world. First of all, you have a loving, caring, compassionate, heavenly Father looking down on you at all times. Secondly, you have your Savior, Jesus Christ, standing next to the Father interceding for you. Thirdly, you have the Holy Spirit living in you and continuously on-call to guide you, inform you, and to carry your prayers directly to God. Fourthly, there are dozens of ministers and counselors just waiting for you to give them a call. And fifthly, you have hundreds of brothers and sisters right in your neighborhood who would be more than happy to stand with you in prayer. Sixth, you have God’s Word right in front of you to read and search for direction in navigating through your uncharted waters, And seventh, you have God’s angels assigned to you to pick you up in case you stumble and fall.

The Apostle Paul had a young protégé named Timothy who was also facing his own fears. But the great Apostle had these words for him, and they are valid for you as well. He wrote, “You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit.”³ So whatever fears or doubts you may be dealing with. Look them straight in the eye and tell them, “I will not be intimidated! I am not afraid of you! I am a child of the Most High God. I have a Divine Spirit in me, above me, and around me, that will fight for me. So out of my way, fear! I’m moving forward toward God’s destiny for my life.” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

TWEETS AS TREATS

Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.

It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live just one.

When you get to the end of your road, you’ll find God living there.

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your door day and night.

Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you wouldn’t be allowed to join.

If the church wants a better preacher, it only needs to pray for the one they’ve got.

God has chosen not to judge any person until Judgment Day. Why should you start any earlier?

Peace may begin with a smile.

A lot of church members who are singing “Standing on the Promises” are just sitting on the premises.

We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

Don’t put a question mark where God puts a period.

Forbidden fruit makes terrible jelly.

God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

God promises a safe landing, not a smooth sailing.

Those who can anger you will end up controlling you!

Why always make God your Copilot? Let Him drive sometimes!

Prayer: Don’t give God instructions – just report for duty!

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not go with you.

We don’t change the message, the message changes us.

You can tell how big a person is by the small things that discourage them.

Don’t keep the faith… spread it around!!!

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER NINE (Lesson XXVII)

John Stott recognizes the need for context in understanding what Paul is saying here about God’s desire to let people know both His power to permit punishment and His power to protect against punishment. He tells us that verses 22 and 23, which are parallel to each other, express this theme plainly. The word that is common to both is the verb “make known.” Verse 22 speaks of God using wrath to demonstrate His authority. Then in verse 23, Paul says that this same demonstration of God’s wrath that displays the riches of His glory for those chosen as vessels of mercy. The NIV also makes both verses begin with the same rhetorical question (What if God …? What if He …?), which in both cases is left unanswered. It is not difficult to understand what this suggests. However, behind it all is the fact that Paul is trying to prove that if what God did imply was that He acted in accordance with the purpose of His wrath and mercy, who is so blind to reality that they could possibly object?

Stott then goes on to say that although the verse structure is the same in both, there are significant differences to make note of. First, it points out that God waits patiently for the objects of punishment to come to their senses, instead of sending down his wrath immediately upon all evildoers. This can suggest two things: that by delaying the hour of judgment the door of opportunity for salvation will remain open longer with the hope that more will accept His invitation of grace, as well as making it known that the longer He waits the ultimate outpouring of His wrath will be all the more dreadful. Secondly, although Paul describes the objects of God’s mercy as those He selected for glory, he finds that the objects headed for punishment are merely standing in line. And, like grapes, the longer they stand there, the riper they become for the winepress of destruction. Paul does not point to any one agency responsible for their preparation, or another way of putting it, getting them all lined up. Perhaps it’s because God Himself has never prepared anybody for destruction so it may be a case of them preparing themselves through procrastination and stubbornness.

Finally, Stott wonders if God’s revelation of His coming wrath to those who choose to be the objects of such punishment was part of the disclosure of His glory to the objects of His mercy. The preeminent revelation will be the riches of God’s glory which will allow the glory of His grace to shine even brighter against the dark background of His wrath. When we look at the word “Glory,” it can be taken as shorthand for the final destiny of the redeemed. There, the splendor of God will be shown to and in those He redeemed. As such, their transformation on earth will end up transforming the universe.¹

Douglas Moo also adds his insights to this discussion by suggesting that before we come to the conclusion that punishment of the rebellious and promotion of the righteous are two acts that run parallel to each other, let’s put this into consideration: Paul teaches that all people were affected by Adam’s sin and are, therefore, under a sentence of death because of that sin.² So it isn’t so much that God decided to destine some people to His coming wrath, it is more reasonable that He decided to let them stay under the death penalty with the expectation of their being set free.³ God’s hardening, then, is not a case of Him making them spiritually insensitivity; people are simply maintaining the state of sin they decided to stay in. So when God chooses whom He will save, He is acting out of pure grace, granting a blessing to people who in no way deserve it. But when He allows His wrath to fall, He is simply carrying out the sentence they chose for themselves.

Moo thinks that it is perhaps for just this very reason that we find the shift in construction in 9:22–23, and that Paul never uses the words “call” or “election” to refer to God’s decision to leave people in their sins and the wrath they deserve. Moo wants to avoid anyone thinking that he is talking about double predestination, namely, predestined for wrath and predestined for glory. This would mean that both of God’s acts of predestination are alike. Also, the objects of His wrath – prepared for destruction, and the objects of His mercy – prepared to advance into glory, it is clear that those who receive His mercy and attain glory have been prepared by Him in advance. The question is, how far in advance? Some contend that it was even before they were born. If so, did their freewill have anything to do with them accepting the call or rejecting it? Others say that it comes at their calling, by which they are put on the path to glory. Another thing to consider is that when Paul describes the “object of wrath,” he uses the Greek participle prokatartizo (See Strong’s Concordance #G4294) that is middle or passive in form. When used in middle form it might mean that these people “prepared themselves” for destruction. And when used as a passive participle it could mean that they were “prepared” for destruction by their own sins.⁴

Dr. Moo then admits that most of us instinctively feel there is something unfair about God’s choosing to rescue some from sin and destining others to their fate. But at some point, we must look carefully at that reaction and decide whether it is justified. He tells about teaching a seminar some years ago in which he brought up this doctrine. As is always the case, the idea met a lot of resistance. One student, in particular, was very vocal, insisting that “God just couldn’t be like that.” Moo feels that such a response is certainly justified, especially when someone grows up under the preaching and teaching of those who find that their faith and view are incompatible with this doctrine. Moo admits that he too had some of the same problems and questions with this, but when examined, it ultimately fits well into the biblical picture of God, not the picture that formed in our minds. It must be remembered that the Bible presents God as sovereign, the One, and the Only One who plants and uproots nation,⁵ whose very word determines the fate of battles. As such, He determines the outcome of every event in human history. Sometimes openly, and ofttimes behind the scenes.

Moo feels that with all this in mind we should consider that whether or not God covers both good and evil happenings. For instance, the Scriptures teach us that God sent His Son to be crucified by sinful people.⁶ We also read that God determined that Judas would sinfully betray Jesus.⁷ So together, what Paul says in these verses about God’s sovereignty in election, especially in Romans 9:20–21, gives us the biblical view that God can act with absolute freedom toward all His creatures.⁸

Verses 24-26: We are those people, the ones God chose not only from the Jews but also from those who are not Jews. As the Scriptures say in the book of Hosea, “The people who are not mine – I will say they are my people. And the people I did not love – I will say they are the people I love.⁹ And, where God said in the past, “You are not my people – there they will be called children of the living God.¹⁰”

Now Paul makes a defining statement that puts his statements about predestination in a clearer light and then calls on the prophet Hosea to verify it for him. In Hebrew poetry, it is called a synonymous parallelism, which is a repetition of the same thought only in different words. The Orthodox Jewish Bible renders it this way: “And I will call the ‘not my people’ my people, and the ‘not loved’ my loved.” The “not my people” are the Gentiles, and the “not loved” are the Jews who turned away from God. Out of these two groups, God called one body of believers, the body of Christ.

Speaking of the potter and the clay, Augustine says that God did not call all the Jews but only some of them. To this, we might answer that He said whosoever will, but only a few answered the call.¹¹ Nor did He call all the Gentiles but only some of them. By the time Paul finished his missionary journeys there were more Gentiles in the church than Jews. Adam was the fountain from whom the mass of sinners and godless people sprang. Both Jews and Gentiles were part of this one big lump. Even though the Jews had the Law and the Gentiles their conscience, both were far from God’s grace. If the potter makes one vessel for honor and another for dishonor out of the same clump of clay, it is clear that God made some of the Jews vessels for honor and some for dishonor. He did the same with the Gentiles.¹²

As we can see, sometimes the line between metaphor and reality is blurred so that it no longer serves as an illustration, but is taken literally. In such cases, the tension between what God wills and what mankind wills are less clear. All of us who are parents know that as our children grew up, we exercised our will, not only to encourage but to ensure that they would become what we wanted them to be. However, once they got out from under our parental authority, they followed their own will to become the person they wanted to be. Sometimes we were glad and sometimes we were sad. We could say, that God has also experienced this same thing.

John Calvin believes that these three verses have to do with the freedom of divine selection. From this, says Calvin, two things follow, — that the grace of God is not restricted to the Jewish people, it was also meant to flow to other nations throughout the whole world, — and, that it is not tied to the Jews in such a way that it comes without exception to all the children of Abraham. Since God’s election is based on His own good pleasure, then wherever His will is exercised, there His election is apparent. Having established election in such a way, it is now set up for Him to proceed to those things He designed with respect to calling of the Gentiles, and also respecting the rejection of the Jews. He says then, that the vessels of God’s mercy, whom He selects for the glory of His name, are taken from every people, from the Gentiles (the unloved) as well as from the Jews (the loved).¹³

John Bengel also notes that Paul was addressing what he saw as a problem of finding out who was eligible for God’s unmerited favor. He writes that the gnome¹⁴ that Paul uses, leads to a proposition involving grace which is laid open to Jews and Gentiles alike. Paul then proceeds to refute the Jewish “Particularism,” and to defend the “Universalism” of grace. The believing Jew is not called just because he is a Jew, but he is called from the Jews. This is the root of the Greek word ἐκκλησία (“ecclesia” – church), [“the called-out ones”]. The Epistle to the Ephesians corresponds to this whole section, as well as to the exhortation.¹⁵ So none of God’s children got into the body of Christ by accident or good luck. They are all there because He adopted them so they could be there.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER NINE (Lesson XXVI)

At this point, we have several early church scholar’s views on what Paul is saying here about patience preceding mercy and glory. For instance, Chrysostom feels that the Jews mistakenly believed that if anyone accused them of being saved only by the goodness and mercy of God it would somehow bring shame to them. After all, look how hard the Jews worked to fulfill every word of the law – including the marks over and the dots under the Hebrew letters, and all the sacrifices, rites, rituals, ceremonies, and feasts they attend in order to prove their worth. Paul rejected such thinking. If saving the Gentiles, despite their lack of virtues and values is glorious, how much more glory would this bring to the Jews through whom God was already being glorified?¹

Augustine offers the view that by giving to the Gentiles what they did not deserve, God obviously wanted His grace to be seen as gratuitous and, therefore, genuine. By the same token, by not distributing His grace randomly to everyone, He showed which one He had called. Because of that, God is seen as being good and kind as a result of the benefits He gave to some by withholding punishment until He can be good to others. This confirms that it is proper when giving what a person deserves, and being fair when something that is not merited is still given without injury being suffered by anyone.² What Augustine seems to be saying is that while God had every right to judge the Gentiles as heathens and punishing them for their ungodliness, instead He offers grace to those who responded to His call, and keeps the door open for those who are still to be called.

When early church French Bishop of Arles looked at this he concluded that at our first birth, we were vessels deserving of God’s wrath but when we were born-again we became vessels of His mercy. Our first birth destined us for certain death but our second birth restored us to life. In fact, before we were saved and baptized our bodies were sanctuaries of the devil but after being saved and baptized we became Temples of the Holy Spirit. Knowing this should make the meaning of our salvation more valuable now that we are indeed living and are true temples of God. As Stephen said at the time of his martyrdom: “God does not dwell in temples made by human hands,”³ but in the soul made according to His own image and fashioned by His own hand.⁴

Reformer Martin Luther takes Paul’s words here as saying that God has patience with those vessels of dishonor so that He might, thereby, have time to make them His elect and fit for glory. Luther believes that God endures their foolishness by allowing them to be proud of themselves; to rule and reign during times when His elect are dealt with harshly, such as occurred under Pharaoh. Many such infidels thought that even though they knew they were doing wrong, since they became sinners because of Adam and not themselves, that God would not punish them. In doing so, they arrogantly presumed that they had somehow reestablished themselves with God by their own free will. But now they learn that grace alone has the power to raise them up above anything they gain through their freewill.⁵ From Luther’s perspective, Paul still has the potter/clay relationship in mind. God does not throw away someone He chose just because He finds imperfections in their character, but rather, puts them back on the wheel of transformation so He can reshape them. This may be hard at first, yet, when He finishes His work, then, because of grace they will be fit to be used to bring glory, honor, and praise to their heavenly Potter. On the other hand, those who are destined to experience His indignation are also subject to His power, and that also brings Him glory.

John Calvin focuses on this last factor of how vessels are made for God’s glory. He writes that the word “glory,” which is mentioned here twice, should be understood as referring to God’s mercy as a metonymy⁶ of cause and effect. Meaning, the main reason God receives glory is because of His acts of kindness. That’s why Paul told the Ephesians that after having being adopted to the praise of the glory of His grace, that they were then sealed by the promised Holy Spirit.⁷ He wished to show that the elect are instruments or vessels through whom God exercises His mercy. In doing so, God will be given honor, praise, and glory for being who He is. Paul then emphasizes the fact that God expressly prepares His elect for glory. And having already talked about those vessels prepared for destruction, there is little doubt that the preparation of both vessels are in line with the secret counsel of God.⁸

It is certainly hard for anyone to think that God would purposely allow children to be brought into this world who from the beginning is inexcusably and irreversibly bound for destruction and torment. If He sent His Son to die on the cross for all those who will believe, how can any be held back because they have been divinely predetermined to suffer such fate? We can see more clearly what Calvin is advocating here by looking at what happened on Mt. Calvary between Jesus and the two thieves being crucified beside Him. At first, both joined the crowd in their ridicule of the sign above Him labeling Him as a pretender to the throne. But before long, one of them saw the light and came to believe and was accepted by Christ, while the other died in the darkness of sin. Was this a surprise to God? Certainly, not. If He knows us before we are born, He can certainly see ahead to when we die and know that based on our makeup and mindset whether we will turn to Him for salvation or turn away from Him and go into punishment.

But Wesleyan theologian Adam Clarke sees what Paul says here as applying to the Jews. He notes that the Jews were destined for discipline long before, but the best time for that to happen was after He prepared the believing Gentiles for redemption to glory. But first, the Messiah‘s scepter was to be raised above and beyond Zion.⁹ The preachers of the Gospel would be supplied by the Jewish nation, and from Jerusalem, their sound would go out all over the land. That’s why the Jewish state was to be preserved for such a time as that despite its religious corruption. That time would come when the Messiah would appear among them as both God and man. Not only that but even during that time the Apostles would establish churches deep into Gentile territory. However, the Jews fought against it and blasphemed those who preached the Gospel, thereby, rejecting the One who died to redeem them. They countered the offer of divine grace with increased stubbornness.¹⁰ As a result, fewer and fewer Jews were impacted by the enrichment of grace while the number of Gentiles increased rapidly. This was how the grace of God was demonstrated, as He bestowed the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy.¹¹

Robert Haldane makes a very salient point here that should be appreciated by all those who have been redeemed, called, and chosen. He writes that it is implied in this verse that the awful ruin of the wicked will make it possible for the riches of Divine mercy in saving the elect to be displayed more spectacularly. Since both the righteous and the unrighteous were originally scheduled for God’s judgment and punishment, the deliverance of the elect from that situation to be made heirs of glory wonderfully illustrates how limitless is His mercy. The salvation of the elect is nothing less than mercy, pure mercy. It is also wonderful mercy when we consider what condemnation and doom they deserved and would have experienced, had they not been delivered by God through Jesus Christ.¹²

This fits so well with the story that is told of John Bradford (1510-1555) the English evangelical preacher who was standing alongside the road as a group of prisoners were being led from the dungeon to their place of execution, a custom that was instated for two reasons: First, to expose the prisoners to public shame where their victims and self-righteous citizens could shout curses upon them; and second, for everyone to see what shame would come to any of those watching if they too committed such villainous deeds. As they passed by, it is reported that John Bradford bowed his head and said: “There but for the grace of God go I.”¹³

Albert Barnes focuses on the fact that none of this is by chance or left up to fate. He indicates that we are brought face to face with the reality that God deals with believers and unbelievers in remarkably different ways. Paul makes it clear that God Himself has prepared those He loves for glory. As far as the unbelievers are concerned, they are being primed for destruction. Paul uses the Greek word katartizō which the KJV translates as “fitted.” It means to be tailored as with a suit, or framed as a picture readied for display. Thayer in his Greek Lexicon states that as used here it means “put in order, arrange, adjust.” That sure can create a picture in one’s mind. Paul does not confirm by whom or what agency this is being done. But he does say that God waits with great patience while it is being done.

As far as the righteous are concerned, God prepares His people for glory, commencing with their redemption, and continues with their sanctification on their way to glorification.¹⁴ As far as the renewing of the heart and the sanctifying of the soul is concerned, it is an act of goodness, worthy of a kind and generous God, and not subject to objection by anyone. How could any person complain about a plan designed to make people better? And since the sole designer is God through His electing love, His involvement with this class of people is easily justified. What Christian would complain because God has chosen them, renewed them, and made them pure and holy. Since this is an important part of God’s plan of salvation, it is easily defended against those who raised the question found in verse 19.¹⁵

Karl Barth opens the door a little wider for us to see how vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath are composed. First of all, people must be made aware of the fact that in God’s eyes they are vessels of dishonor. Without such a revelation they are incapable of acknowledging Him, let alone listening to Him. When people are open to receive His revelation they must either accept its truth that there is such a thing as being saved with everlasting life, or its truth that there is such a thing as being lost with everlasting punishment. Barth wants to know if anyone who is now a believer ever came to a different conclusion through revelation? The very fact that they are now children of God, is precisely because they recognized that they were once vessels bound for destruction because no one can try to become righteous on their own without forfeiting their lives and future.¹⁶ That’s when an absolute miracle occurred, their eyes were opened and found that they had passed from death unto life as new creatures in Christ Jesus. This helps us see that God does not play around when it comes to our salvation. He doesn’t give up easily. Even if He has to make us uncomfortable and even miserable to get our attention He will. And by loving Him for loving us, our salvation becomes a reason for rejoicing in spite of what He had to put us through to keep us from dying and being eternally separated from Him.¹⁷

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER NINE (Lesson XXV)

Luther continues defending the sovereignty of God in making these choices of who will and who will not be saved. He points out that God desires to show both what He approves of and what He abhors; what will be blessed and what will be banished. That’s what He did in the case of Pharaoh and the children of Israel. So Luther asks, why would anyone want to stop God from carrying out His will? We could then inquire if they were trying to hide something? Could it be that they didn’t want to face the truth? When are people going to accept the fact that God created us the way we are, the same way a potter makes a vessel out of clay. So if a potter is permitted to form the clay according to his will, how much more is God permitted to do the same.¹ To put it another way, it would be like a student telling the professor what they want him or her to teach so they can easily pass the test.

Fellow reformer John Calvin echoes the same thought by pointing out that Paul did not begin by giving a reason for divine election. In doing so, he would have made the cause obvious and, thereby, justify why one is chosen and another rejected. The reason for this is that the hidden things of God should never be subjected to the critical review of mankind. In addition, God’s mysteries are incomprehensible and beyond human understanding. That’s why Paul emphasizes that we are wasting time trying to figure out spiritual things we couldn’t understand if explained to us. These must be accepted by faith because whatever the cause, God’s predestination is perfectly fair and just.²

In light of God’s infinite wisdom in choosing His method of selection for His eternal purpose, it is hard to use human logic to form an illustration that may make it easier to understand. But for the sake of trying, we could say it would be like asking God why He made a caterpillar crawl on so many legs, that later will not be needed for that purpose, and then have this insect form a simple silk pad on the underside of a branch or twig to use as a hook-covered appendage called a cocoon and attaches it to this pad. It twists around, embedding its body firmly in the silk and then begins to shed its skin. The cocoon hangs upside down until the butterfly is ready to emerge. So the question is: Why didn’t God just go ahead and make it a butterfly, to begin with? We must accept the fact that God knew what He was doing and that was all His decision.

Along the same line, John Bengel notes that God was willing to tolerate Pharaoh’s hardheartedness and hardheadedness so that all could see it’s negative influence and hopefully draw those of the same mind and attitude out from their state of alienation and come to Him in repentance.³ It shows that God is willing to endure the insults of sinful people as they pretend to enjoy their continued good fortune in this life when He has every reason to consign them to death. But He keeps the path of grace and the gate of mercy open should they decide to accept His offer of forgiveness. However, some are like this caterpillar mentioned above, predestined for beauty and glory, but who refuses to go through the process of transformation and regeneration. So they continue to live out their lives crawling along the ground instead of flying through the air. As Bengel sees it, this long-suffering on God’s part always precedes any plan to let loose His wrath. His enduring mercy is never lacking right up until it’s time for Him to display His disfavor. No one can conclude from this that God has acted unfairly or prejudicially⁴.⁵

Robert Haldane gives us his guidance on this subject. He says that in verses 22 and 23 we find the components of the doctrine of predestination contained in a few words. Then the Apostle Paul gives his third and final answer to the objection stated in verse 19, tying God’s reasons for dealing with one person through acceptance and with another person through rejection. He exercises great patience with them. The one He sees as vessels of fury fitted for destruction as a result of their own sinfulness. This causes God to mark them for the day of judgment. So the question is, why would anybody be against God giving the same consideration to the opposite? Those who are vessels of mercy, thereby fitting them to manifest the riches of His glory, or His glorious grace, whom, by His sovereign election from eternity, and the sanctification of His Spirit has prepared them for glory. So if any of his potential critics were wanting an answer as to the process by which some vessels are made to serve God and some are not, Paul has made it clear that the grand object of God, both in the election and the rejection of some is that it all works out in the end to the praise, honor, and glory to His sovereign name. It is no wonder that when the doctrine of predestination is presented, that there are many who find it offensive. They want to chart their own course, so letting God do it for them seems to be very foolish.⁶

Albert Barnes gives us a clue to better understand the use of the word “displeasure” (wrath, in KJV) in this verse. He says this Greek word orgē occurs thirty-six times in the Last Covenant. Beside wrath, it is also translated into English as, “anger, vengeance, and indignation.” Its meaning is derived from the idea of the mind reaching out with excitement for some object. By analogy, it can also reflect someone’s violent passion of rejection – such as retaliation, or justifiable abhorrence. In other words, it ends up describing an earnest desire for revenge, or of inflicting suffering on those who have caused injury.⁷

It can also denote general indignation without seeking revenge. For instance, it says that on one occasion, “He [Jesus] looked around at them with anger.”⁸ In the Scriptures, it denotes punishment for sin; God’s anger or displeasure against transgression.⁹ As used by Paul here in verse 22 it is evidently employed to denote “severe displeasure against sin.” That is because sin is an evil of great magnitude. That’s why it is “right” for God to openly display His fitting displeasure against it. Some people think that God should hide His annoyance. That makes little sense. If He does not show His dissatisfaction how then would we know if we are pleasing Him or not? If God covered up His irritation, then people would accuse Him of being indifferent; that He couldn’t care less. Let God be God and accept Him for who and what He is and does.¹⁰

Henry Alford notes that some commentators have trouble with Paul’s thinking here, especially that He might unmercifully choose some human vessels to become recipients of His wrath without any consideration as to their possible salvation. So Alford says the real argument is this: What if God, in the case of the vessels prepared for destruction, along with His power and wrath also exhibited His willingness to wait until they could be led to repentance before carrying out judgment? Would this be the mystery which we cannot fathom,¹¹ And in His having mercy on the vessels of mercy prepared for glory, He also manifests the riches of His glory at the same time? That would mean that in both cases God showed He is not a Divine Being who uses His power randomly but designed to bestow the riches of His goodness.¹²

Charles Hodge follows a similar pattern of thought. He says that the two objects which Paul specifies here are the manifestation of His wrath in the exhibition of His power in punishing the wicked. Hodge also notes that the word “wrath” (KJV) is used here (as in Romans 1:18), as God’s divine displeasure against sin. It is His calm, holy condemnation of evil, joined with the determination to punish those who commit it. The power of God is conspicuously displayed in the destruction of the wicked, no matter how mighty or numerous they may be. Although the inherent demerits for sin must always be regarded as the primary basis for the infliction of punishment, a reason which would always be enforced, resulting in no beneficial lifting of the misery scheduled for the wicked. God has so ordered that the grief sinners will incur is both a manifestation of His pure character in the punishment of sin, and the promotion of the holiness and happiness He has prepared for His righteous people throughout eternity.¹³

Frédéric Godet makes the point that God’s dealing with vessels of dishonor will also describe His dealing with vessels of honor. In verse 22, the relation between the participle “willing” (KJV); “choosing” (NIV), and the verb “endured” (KJV); “bore with great patience” (NIV), may be explained in two ways. They may be expressed in one way or the other with the conjunctions, when and because. In the first connection the meaning would be: “When He is willingly, instead of striking all at once, as He already purposed doing, He bore with great patience. Then, because He endured would signify that God’s patience had no other end than to let loose His growing wrath. The question is, would such long-suffering be worthwhile? It is obvious from Romans 2:4-5 that if the long-suffering produces this painful result, this is not the intention of Him who patiently waits, but the result of those who irresponsibly abuse His patience to harden themselves all the more.¹⁴

Verse 23:  He waited with patience so that He could make known the riches of His glory to the people He has chosen to receive His mercy. God has already prepared them to share His glory.

Paul told the Ephesians: “Once you were under God’s curse, doomed forever for your sins. You went along with the crowd and were just like all the others, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air, who is at work right now in the hearts of those who are against the Lord.”¹⁵ But Paul goes on to express his gratitude that God took something so bad and transformed it into a living witness to His grace and mercy. And Paul told the Colossians that he was so grateful to the Father who was willing to allow us who once hid in darkness to now live openly in His Kingdom of light.¹⁶

Then, in writing to the Thessalonians, Paul shared this: “God has not chosen to pour out His anger upon us but to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ; He died for us so that we can live with Him forever, whether we are dead or alive at the time of His return.”¹⁷ In other words, God could have let us die as rebellious sinners to become a memorial to His judgment. But He decided to save us so that we could live as obedient soldiers, an example of His glorious grace. This was also part of Paul’s personal message to Bishop Titus: “At one time, we too were foolish and disobedient, deceived and enslaved by a variety of passions and pleasures. We spent our lives in evil and envy; people hated us, and we hated each other. But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Deliverer was revealed, He delivered us. It was not on the ground of any righteous deeds we had done, but on the ground of His own mercy.”¹⁸

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER NINE (Lesson XXIV)

Verse 22: It is the same way God has done things. He wanted to show His indignation and to let people see His power. But He patiently endured those He was angry with – people who were destined to be destroyed.

Paul now lifts the cover off the mystery he has been describing of why God did not outright destroy Pharaoh and his minions to set His people free. Much like the way God used Satan to prove that His servant Job was a loyal follower; one who could not be easily discouraged, instead of destroying Satan on his fall from heaven. As mentioned before, this was God’s explanation of why He kept Pharaoh alive.¹ Moses understood that, and in his prayer he said: “Who can grasp the severity of your anger and fury, to the degree that they end up reverencing you the way they should?”² Even Solomon came to understand that everything God makes serves a purpose, even those that are surely destined for destruction.³

But Paul then says that this not only tests our impatience with God but God’s patience with us. We see this expressed so clearly in what God said to Moses: “How much longer is this people going to treat Me with contempt? How much longer will they not trust Me, especially considering all the signs I have performed among them?”⁴ Later, David would certainly wonder why God left Saul in power as king long after the throne was promised to him. But Solomon seems to have figured it out by saying: “Because God does not punish sinners instantly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. But though a man sins a hundred times and still lives, I know very well that those who reverence God will be better off, unlike the wicked, who will not live long, good lives—their days shall pass away as quickly as shadows because they don’t reference God.”⁵ And as Jeremiah witnessed all the terrible things that were happening to the children of Israel, he had this to say: “But in my mind, I keep returning to something, something that gives me hope — that the grace of the LORD is not exhausted, that His compassion never ends. [On the contrary,] they are new every morning! ‘How great your faithfulness, O LORD!’ That’s all I have to say. Therefore I will put my hope in Him.’”⁶

The Apostle Peter picks up this same theme when he talks about how long it took Noah to build the ark before the flood came. For Peter, this was an example of God patiently waiting for those who refused to listen to Noah’s message to come to their senses and be saved from disaster.⁷ This must have given the Apostle Jude some comfort when it was reported to him that the Holy Spirit seemed to have allowed some perverse Gospel to exploit the weakness of several believers because he knew where they were headed.⁸ Theologian John Gill believes that by Paul employing the designation of certain vessels as those destined for punishment, it confirms the character of the Potter by which he illustrated the sovereignty of God. In other words, whether God allows something that brings destruction, or uses other things that bring victory, they all show who is really in charge.

In the Babylonian Talmud, we have an interesting story of the Rabbis discussing what happened in Persia during the time of Esther. During a festival, on the seventh day, King Ahasuerus ordered his top officials to bring Queen Vashti, wearing the royal crown, to dance in front of everyone so they could see what a beautiful woman she was. But Queen Vashti refused and it infuriated the king. So he immediately consulted with his lawyers to see what legal action he could take. One of these top officials was named Memucan, and he was the one who informs the king of what the law said, and advised him to write a decree stating that Queen Vashti would never again be allowed in the presence of the king and that he should give her position to someone else.

Now here’s the interesting part. The Rabbis took note that the name Memucan means, “destined for punishment.” So they concluded, that even though he was of the lowest rank among the top officials, since his name is mentioned last, he spoke first, therefore, he would suffer the same fate as Haman, even though the King listened to him and took the action he recommended.⁹ This is another case where God had the patience to use something meant for destruction for something good.

Paul finds this whole concept best explained by pointing to God’s patience with us as sinners, and all the years, times, and places that we showed how obstinate we were to His grace and mercy, and continued to do the opposite of His will. Paul exclaims: “Now all praise to God for His wonderful kindness to us and His favor that He has poured out upon us because we belong to His dearly loved Son. So overflowing is His kindness toward us that He took away all our sins through the blood of His Son, by whom we are saved; and He has showered down upon us the richness of His grace—for how well He understands us and knows what is best for us at all times.”¹⁰ He points this out again: “But God is so rich in mercy; He loved us so much that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, He gave us back our lives again.”¹¹ And personally, Paul was grateful: “Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the most useless Christian there is, yet I was the one chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles the Glad News of the endless treasures available to them in Christ.”¹² Paul indicates that little did he or any of us really know, that when we were at our worst, God had planned all along to use us for His best.

After British theologian Dr. Gerald Bray reviewed the next eleven verses he concluded that God’s calling of the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, was patiently carried out as prophesied in the First Covenant. Anyone reading the words written in 1 Kings 19:10,14, and 18 will conclude that it was never intended that all the Jews would be saved, only that a remnant would be left. The irony in all this is that the Jews were rejected in spite of all their good works while the Gentiles were saved in spite of having no good works at all. It came down to a matter of faith. Those who have faith will be saved while those lacking faith will be rejected. No matter how hard they tried to please God in order to merit salvation, they ended up stumbling over the Rock called Christ. They were so focused on qualifying by way of their own righteousness that they tripped over God’s righteous provision for salvation.¹³

When seeing what Paul said about how God showed His anger in order to demonstrate His power, yet was patient so as not to destroy the very people He was trying to save, Early church scholar Origen says that he is astonished when he examines the Holy Spirit’s purpose in the Scriptures. What perplexed him was when the Spirit stated that the wrath of God, which is foreign to His nature, will be made known to mankind.¹⁴ But at the same time, His goodness and mercy, which are proper to His nature, will be concealed and hidden. So the question is, why should God reveal His wrath to men and conceal His mercy? One answer may be that because God knows that the human race is weak and prone to error through negligence, it is better for them to fear the unrevealed wrath of God that might come at any time, then to relax knowing that God’s mercy and forgiveness are always available.¹⁵ While this conclusion may sound feasible, it doesn’t address the fact that God has no interest in people coming to Him out of fear seeking to get forgiveness just so they won’t have to suffer the consequences. This would be another version of “cheap grace.” However, knowing that there are both punishment and forgiveness available, the individual then must choose which one they feel is worth the decision to turn everything over to God.

However, early church scholar Ambrosiaster also sees unbelievers being prepared for punishment by the same will and patience of God by which those are chosen to be saved. Instead of being surprised, we should all be grateful He waited as long as He has for sinners to repent and seek His forgiveness by His grace and mercy. And since God has tarried such a long time, they have no excuse or alibi. But God is not fooled, He has known all along that they would not believe.¹⁶ For Chrysostom, it is a question of why some people were created as vessels deserving wrath and others as vessels meriting mercy? It is by their own free choice. God shows the same kindness to both. Look at when Israel was in Egypt. God showed His mercy to Pharaoh and the Egyptian people by sending nine plagues and multiple visits by His servants to convince them to let His people go. Pharaoh’s firstborn was not saved from death because of his father’s own stubborn will. Had Pharaoh listened to the voice of God both he and the children of Israel could have rejoiced upon their departure.¹⁷

As we can see, the debate is between whether or not God is fair and balanced, showing mercy and grace to all, both good and bad, until they die, or whether He has predetermined that some will die in their sins no matter how much grace and mercy is dispensed, while others will be chosen to live by God’s own discretion not by their self-will to be saved. In other words, some are made for destruction,¹⁸ some are being prepared for destruction, and when their quota of sins has been filled they will be destroyed.¹⁹ All will be tested so that in the end everyone will reveal what they really made out of themselves.

This last is the thinking of early church Bishop Theodore who says that Paul is making it clear that this present life is one of struggles and not rewards. Paul wants them to know that wicked people and good ones alike will be tested in both good and bad times. In this way, the destiny chosen for them will be openly seen. As the world observes, those who are good will follow the path of virtue and will not forsake it through all the changes of life. Their commitment will give them no reason to boast when times are good, nor complain when things are bad. Sinners, however, will in every circumstance be lovers of evil more than lovers of God.²⁰ Being ignorant of why things are happening the way they are, sinners will celebrate their good fortune as being personally merited, but when bad times come they will curse God and wallow in their grief. In the end, their path will lead them to the destiny they deserve when this life is over.²¹

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER NINE (Lesson XXIII)

One thing we should learn from this is that we are perfectly capable of silencing all objections and objectors in proving that anything God’s decides is in accordance with His sovereign will. No person, after God’s decision has been made, dare hesitate or doubt its validity. The integrity of God’s will is not to be questioned. What people must do is find out what God says, and then take Him at His word. Any cognition and discernment between right and wrong mankind possesses is a gift from God. So we can see why it is the ultimate discourtesy to question the conduct and motive of Him who gave it to them. Haldane says, the inquiry posed by the Apostle Paul about any person skeptical of God’s wisdom or reason, shows that such a thing is the most preposterous insult that can be hurled in the face of God.¹ The good thing is this, Paul is not through yet with his explanation. So to get the whole story we must read on to the end of this chapter.

Albert Barnes outlines his reasons why he thinks Paul strongly admonished the impropriety and immorality of trying to impeach God. He says that such irreverence appears, first of all, because lost mankind is accustomed to accusing God of causing their troubles. And, secondly, no person is qualified to answer Paul’s inquiry in this verse: “Who are you to ask such questions?” What qualifications does a creature with the limited existence and corrupt intelligence of mankind have to sit in judgment of an Infinite Mind? Who gave them the authority, or invested them with the privilege to become a judge over their Maker? And, thirdly, even if a person were somehow qualified or given the privilege to investigate those subjects, what right have they to answer back after God has given them His reply, let alone charge their Creator with being involved in some kind of shameful and disgraceful conduct?

Nowhere has there ever been found a more cutting or humbling reply to the pride of mankind than this: Who are you to talk back to God? And on no subject was it more needed. The experience of every age of enlightenment, and the development of Christian theology has shown that this has been the main topic of objection against the sovereign rule of God.² This is evident in the fact that so many want to live their lives as they see fit with no restrictions from any authority, especially a God they can’t see and don’t believe has the right to determine their destiny.

When it comes to people questioning God over the decisions He makes for their lives and then their response to whether to follow them or not, Henry Alford remarks that a person’s honor or dishonor are not to be considered as signs of moral purity or impurity of the human vessels. Their ultimate glorification or degradation will determine that. For Alford, Paul is asking these questions about our talking back to God and asking Him why He’s doing what He is doing as a way of silencing any objector. That is God’s unquestioned right to do. Therefore, it is not becoming for us humans to murmur or complain. Paul will go on to state his case and reveal the intent of his argument.³ This is good advice for any student of God’s Word. Wait until you get to the end of the argument or the point the writer is trying to establish before you make up your mind as to what it means.

H. A. Ironside also sees such objections to the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty as having been raised from early on in Paul’s letter. But since we noticed that Paul is only discussing how this in light of what we say and do here on earth, such objections have no real value. We must remember that God is working from eternity past to eternity future. He sees what we do not and cannot see. His foreknowledge leaves nothing out of the equation. As Paul sees it, the privileged Jew may fail utterly to appreciate all that God has done for the Jewish people, and by doing so comes under divine condemnation. Meanwhile, the ignorant Gentile, never having tasted of all the blessings of advanced civilization and enlightenment, may, nevertheless, possess such an open mind that the Holy Spirit will lead them directly to Christ. Either way, it is the height of irreverence for any human being to feel that they are qualified to sit in judgment of God. Paul illustrates this so perfectly with a vessel formed on a potter’s wheel to turn and with little respect ask potter, “Why did you make me this way?” It goes without saying that someone who has the intelligence and skill to form vessels out of clay reserves the right to make them into whatever shape or size they want and for such use as they deem fit.⁴

Frédéric Godet has an interesting view of what Paul says here. It is fascinating to read how Paul compares the relationship between God and man to that of a vessel and the potter who made it. But some say this is logically defective. A person with a freewill and responsible for their actions cannot be some unresponsive instrument in the hands of God. In addition, having been given the ability to know the difference between pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, they should not be treated as some mindless, worthless piece of clay.

Furthermore, unless the question asked by the vessel to the potter is: “Why did you make me this way?” it might suggest a different question: “Why didn’t you make me out of good clay instead of bad clay?” If the intent is to discover the answer to yet another unasked question of how such a choice affected a person’s relationship with God then they might ask: “Why didn’t you create me with a predisposed temperament of being good instead of being evil?” But all of this is mere gibberish. The real question is not about the production of the vessel, or the clay used, or its consequential qualities, but solely about its intended use by the Divine Potter.⁵

What seems to disturb people the most is that this seems to leave everything up to God. In my view, this is a part of some people’s interpretation of predestination that takes the illustration too far. Paul’s main point is this: God created Israel as a special vessel to be used to spread the message of His existence, power, and authority. But some of them turned out to be useless in that regard. Others, however, such as the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter were very effective. So neither one should confront God and ask Him why it turned out that way. The real important thing for any believer to know is this: What can they do to become part of God’s plan for good, not the devil’s plan for evil.

In other words, the usage of the potter and the clay, as an illustration, was only employed to show the absurdity of a brainless inanimate object speaking to an intelligent animate being, demanding answers as to why it was being formed in such a way. The moral of this parable was to emphasize God’s sovereignty over His creation which He can activate at His own discretion. F. F. Bruce is convinced that God does not need to give us a reason for everything He does. But one thing is for sure, we can be certain that whatever He does is consistent with His character. We can see this clearly in the way He planned and carried out what happened to His Son, Jesus. With a God like this to trust, should anyone have any reason to question His ways?⁶

Jewish scholar David Stern shares his thinking on what happened when Paul refused to budge on his insistence that God, by His sovereign right, has the authority to make out of His creation what He wants. In the same manner, as a potter has the right to make any vessel he or she wants out of the clump of clay on their wheel. The Jews understood that a potter could make a vessel for everyday use in the kitchen, or one for sacred use in the Temple. This is not without purpose. Those fashioned for service in the Temple were to praise God for being chosen for such a ministry. And those that found themselves in even the poorest huts can be told that they were made this way so that, “Everyone who calls on the name of Adonai will be saved.”⁷ This is similar to what Jewish Rabbi Akiva taught, “All is foreseen, and freedom of choice is granted. The world is judged with goodness, but in accordance with the amount of person’s positive deeds.”⁸

Stern says that Paul does not surrender one way or the other to the apparent paradox of predestination versus freedom of choice. Instead, he is proactive, directing us away from standing around and foolishly questioning God’s right to rule and decide. Paul is looking for a practical and peaceful solution. That comes when we come humbly to God through Yeshua the Messiah — this path is open to everyone. In fact, Rabbi Rashi (1040–1105 AD), in his commentary on Exodus, refers to where God said: “Surely you will fear Me, you will accept reproof.”⁹ Rashi goes on to say: “Nevertheless, in the first five plagues, it does not say, ‘And the Lord strengthened Pharaoh’s heart,’ but ‘Pharaoh’s heart remained steadfast.’” Stern concludes that God has no interest in hardening anyone’s heart, but allows a heart to harden.¹⁰ Instead, God wants all to turn from sin to Him¹¹.¹² This leaves the door open for us to consider that when the potter puts the clay on the wheel, the clay that yields to His hands will be made into an honorable vessel for good, the clay that resists will end up as an ordinary vessel used for the least important purpose.

John Bengel describes the potter and the clay, God and mankind, in a precise way. He says that the potter does not make the clay, he only digs it out of the clay pit. In that sense, we must accept that God has greater power over man than the potter over the clay since He also created the clay. However, God’s absolute power to do what He wants with mankind does not imply that everything that’s going to happen has already been decided. In that case, Adam and Eve would have never sinned. But once they did, if God had assigned the whole human race to the power of sin and death, He would have done so justly. However, He did not exercise that right. It was Paul’s way of showing what might have been had God not taken mankind’s freewill into consideration and decided to place right and wrong in front of every descendant of Adam and let them choose.¹³ In other words, sinners cannot possibly see the wonder or get to appreciate the magnificence of God’s grace before they are redeemed, as they can, once they are called and chosen. Then, they can look back on what God did for them and see it more clearly.

I think it is fair to bring up at this point the case with the prophet Jonah. God informed him that he had been fashioned for the specific duty of bringing His message of salvation to the inhabitants of Nineveh. But Jonah didn’t like God’s choice for his ministry. So what did he do, he ran away and tried to escape the responsibility of doing God’s will. And what did God do? Did He abandon Jonah? Did He leave him to drown in the sea without receiving a proper burial? No! God pursued him and sent a big fish to intercept Jonah after he was thrown overboard. The final outcome, however, was that Jonah realized it is better to do God’s will than fight against it. God told him at the end, that if Jonah could be concerned over things he had no part in creating, then God has the right to be concerned over all the things He made?

Failure is Better than Regret

I read an article by painter and writer Sofo Archon on the question, “Where Our Biggest Regrets Come From.” As far as Sofo is concerned, if you don’t want to end up full of regrets, you need to change the way you live. You can start by assessing your life with an honest perspective. One thing you really need to determine is this: “Do I live in such a way that it makes me feel satisfied?” If you cannot answer “Yes,” then provide the answer for yourself of what it would take for you to live in such a way that it will fill your heart with joy and contentment. And whatever that is, you must resolve in your heart and mind to go for it with all your energy.

But once you start proceeding toward that goal, be prepared to encounter and endure a lot of adversities and hardships, and you might make a lot of mistakes along your journey and do somethings over once or twice to get it right. But no matter how painful that is or how many redos you encounter, keep going, being aware that giving up is the only true failure in life, and one that brings the most regret.

Of course, for a Christian, all these same factors come into play when seeking to live for God in such a way that it brings us His peace and joy. Jesus was asked a similar question by a young man who had been very successful in life. But apparently success and financial security were not enough, it didn’t take away the uncertainty of whether or not his destiny was part of the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ answer was plain and simple: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Then Jesus added, this will help you to love others as much as you love yourself.¹

This was in harmony with what our Lord had told His audience in His Sermon on the Mount, that we should first of all want to be part of the kingdom of God and become right with Him. When we do this, Jesus said, all the other things we need to be content in our souls will be added to our lives by God as He sees fit. Not in according to our timetable, but in His time.

So that brings up the critical question, “What must I do to seek God’s kingdom to show that I love my God with all my being?” The Apostle Paul gives us at least two things to think of so that we don’t look back on our Christian journey with regret. First he says, remember, you were bought with a price, so use your body, heart, mind, talent, ability – your everything, to bring glory to God.² And then Paul says elsewhere, that whatever we use our body, heart, mind, talent, and ability to do, whether it’s something we say or something we do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.³ This will be your way of thanking God for what He’s done for you. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

BELIEVE WHAT YOU FEEL

As a retired professor from several private Bible Colleges and Seminaries, I can relate to this story I want to share with you. Sometimes it’s not the big things we discover that can alter our lives, but the small things. Never let them go until you’ve learned all you can.

One day in class, a student named Morrie told the teacher that he had an exercise for everyone to try. They were to stand, facing away from their classmates, and fall backward, relying on another student to catch them. This wasn’t all that new, and many of the students were uncomfortable with this. However, the teacher finally agreed just to see what secret Morrie was talking about. The student pairs were chosen, and for the one who was selected to fall backward first, it proved harder than they thought. Just as they start to fall backward, they stopped themselves. A lot of the students laughed in embarrassment.

Finally, one student, a thin, quiet, dark-haired girl who almost always wore bulky, white fisherman sweaters, crossed her arms over her chest, closed her eyes, leaned back, and without flinching, fell backward like one of those Lipton tea commercials where the model splashes backward into the swimming pool.

For a moment, it looked like she was going to thump on the floor. But at the last instant, Morrie, who was assigned as her partner grabbed her shoulders and lifted her back up to her feet. “Wow,” several students yelled. Some clapped. Morrie smiled. “You see”, he says to the girl, “you closed your eyes. That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see. You have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, they must feel that they can trust you even when they’re in the dark. Even when they’re falling.”¹

When we see how true this is as we learn to trust others, how much truer it is when we learn how to trust God. This was undoubtedly true of Abraham,² and a lesson learned by Joshua,³ and David,⁴ and his son Solomon,⁵ the Apostle Paul,⁶ and many others. I tried to teach this to my four-year-old son by having him jump into my arms from the first step on our stairway at home. At first, he was reluctant, but after he became convinced, it wasn’t long before he was jumping from the second, then the third, and finally the fourth step without hesitation.

If you have never trusted God to catch you when He’s asked you to take a leap of faith, then you have not learned what complete trust is all about. Remember, trust is the lifeblood of faith. Without trust, your faith will be weak or nonexistent. So let’s all start trusting God more and more every day. – Dr. Robert R Seyda