One In Jesus

(Rom 9:19-21)  One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?'” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

Unquestionably, Paul speaks the truth. God can do as he pleases. And God elected one nation (Israel) and not the others. The others have no right to complain.

But individual Gentiles had become God fearers and proselytes. Doubtlessly, many in Rome fit this description. God’s election of Israel and later election of those with faith leaves some out in the cold. True. But Paul is not, here, speaking of the election of individuals.

Paul alludes to a metaphor — God as potter, people as clay — used twice by Isaiah, in Isa 29 and 45, speaking of Israel (Ariel refers to Jerusalem) and Persia (Cyrus was king of Persia). Both times Isaiah is speaking of God’s judgment on nations.

(Rom 9:22)  What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath–prepared for destruction?

Notice, in fact, that Paul says: God can do as he pleases; and he pleases to be patient with those who deserve damnation. Even though God is entitled to make pottery for ignoble purposes (think about it: the Greek means “dishonored” not “common”), he nonetheless pleases to show great patience. Continue reading →

(Rom 9:17-18)  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

Paul is quoting from —

(Exo 9:16-17)  But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go.

Notice, first, God’s purpose: to show the world who is God. Pharaoh claimed to be a god. Egypt was the most powerful nation in the world (or that part of the world). God wanted to make a point.

But let’s look at how God went about doing it. Continue reading →

(Rom 9:14-16)  What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

Now, it’s critical at this juncture that we not jump to conclusions. Paul isn’t finished with his argument. Again, we turn to the context —

(Exo 33:17-20)  And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

(Exo 34:6-7)  And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

Paul quotes Exo 33:19, in which God declares that he will allow Moses to see his glory, although this blessing is usually denied to others. But, in context, God isn’t saying: I have the right to refuse to save anyone I please. He is saying: if I want to bless someone who pleases me above others, it’s my privilege. Continue reading →

(Rom 9:1-4a)  I speak the truth in Christ–I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit– 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel.

When Paul refers to fellow Jews as “brothers,” he invokes a term that’s much more intense than for us. Brothers grew up in the same room, learned the same trade, and lived in adjacent houses (rooms, we’d say) until they died. It’s a term of great intimacy.

Paul’s concern is for his fellow Jews. Why? Because they (as a community) rejected Jesus.

(Rom 9:4b-5)  Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

Paul celebrates all that God has done from them. “Divine glory” refers to the very presence of God in the tabernacle and later the Temple of Solomon. The “covenants” speaks to God’s covenant with Abraham and with Moses. The “promises” are not only the Messianic prophecies but the promises God made to set things right when the Jews finally return from exile. Continue reading →