Romans 9:19-21
Romans 9 presents God’s sovereignty in extremely stark terms, which raises many objections. Paul addresses two potential objections in 9:14-29. Last week we looked at objection #1: It seems unjust for God to embrace some and reject others. This week, we’ll look at objection #2:
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?“
The fact that Paul assumes many will have this question indicates that he did say what we were afraid he had said in verse 18:
So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
If he had meant something else, if we had merely misunderstood, if the language barrier had obscured his intended meaning; he wouldn’t have addressed this specific objection. It makes no sense for him to question man’s responsibility unless he had just claimed God’s sovereignty.
This objection gets to the heart of why many of us are so uncomfortable with this chapter. If God makes sovereign choices, doesn’t that render our choices meaningless? Doesn’t that do away with our freedom and responsibility? It’s a good question. Here’s how I might respond:
1. No, no, no. In the Bible, there is a balance between God’s sovereignty and man’s freedom. It’s both/and not either/or.
2. Check out these clues:
– Adam and Eve: They’re created and given a choice to obey or disobey. The choice was clearly meaningful and had real consequences.
– The law: God spends a lot of time in the opening books of the Bible giving law that the people were free to obey or disobey with meaningful results.
– Psalms: This book, which is meant for us to use in public worship, is filled with the emotional struggles of real people wrestling with real problems and decisions and triumphs in the context of worshipping a sovereign God. We are obviously not robotic.
– Proverbs: God gives us wisdom to live our free lives in a world in which God directs our paths (3:6) and establishes our steps (16:9).
– Prophets: God knows what’s going to happen yet he calls people to make decisions and obey.
– Jesus: He says, “No one can come to me unless the Father draws him.” Then he looks into our eyes and tells us to come to him, as though we do have some say in the matter.
3. Some suspect that it’s an antinomy. J.I. Packer teaches that sometimes there are two things that are absolutely true, even though everything we understand about the world says they can’t be true at the same time. Light is like this. Things should either be waves or particles, not both. Scientists don’t understand how light can be both but they know that it is. So they’ve made up a term for it (photon) and accept it. Like light, we don’t understand how God is sovereign and we are free; but this is reality and we have to accept it.
That’s how I might respond and I believe all this is valid. But Paul emphatically does not respond this way:
But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”
Paul rebukes the questioner! Why? There must be a reason that Paul passes over the opportunity to teach on this highly nuanced subject. There must be a reason Paul is so relentless about God’s sovereignty here.
I’m reminded of Zechariah and Mary. Both were confronted with seemingly impossible news from angels. Both asked questions about it. But while Mary received a gentle answer, Zechariah was struck mute. What was the difference? Mary asked how it would happen. Zechariah asked how he could know that it would happen. Mary’s question came from a heart of humble acceptance. Zechariah’s question came from a heart of proud skepticism.
It seems that at this point God is more focused on stomping out proud disbelief than explaining himself. Thus this is a good place for us to stop and examine our hearts.
Are we saying, “Help me understand and accept this?” Or are we saying, “I won’t worship a God like this!” Are we moldable? Or are we “answering back”? This phrase, answering back, is the same phrase used of the Pharisees when they argued with Jesus. It’s what we do when we are arguing for a position, rather than listening and learning.
Remember, we are men and women. We are the molded. Our lives are like vapor and we would die if God revealed too much of himself to us too quickly. God is God. He is the molder. He is eternal and his ways are not our ways.
We can ask questions and discuss and think. But we cannot approach God in a pridefully skeptical way. We cannot cross our arms and tap our foot and cling to our understanding when he confronts us with something bigger. It is a call for humility. Let him mold you. Don’t try to mold him.
Paul continues this train of thought:
Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?
This is the core of the issue: Does God have rights over us? If so, what rights does he have?
Can he speak to you, or can he only speak when spoken to? Can he command you, or can he only suggest? Can he judge you, or must he pat you on the back? Can he direct you, or can he only respond to you?
Rights are not invented, they are recognized. And what God wants more than our complete understanding of election and free will is that we recognize that he has every right over all people and all aspects of his creation.
Paul could have released the pressure he’s built up in this difficult chapter, but he didn’t. He increased it by using incredibly harsh language to hammer home the point: God is God. He will not let up until we ‘say uncle’. We must relax into the reality that we are at God’s mercy.
When Moses was on the mountain receiving God’s law, the people were in the valley creating a golden calf to worship. Take a long hard look at the God you worship. Is he like the calf, molded by your own preconceived notions and desires? An idol not worthy of your worship and devotion? Or is he a great big God who often disagrees with you, confronts you, challenges you, confounds you, and overwhelms you?
Discussion Starters
(Note: Christians are planting 100’s of new churches per year in countries like South America and Africa by presenting the gospel, giving Bibles, and teaching the following five questions to ask of any passage. Thus equipped, new Christians are able to begin inviting people to their homes for simple Bible studies and the Holy Spirit is adding 1,000’s to the church.)
- What did you like about the passage?
- What did you NOT like about the passage?
- What did you not understand in the passage?
- What did you learn about God in the passage?
- What are you going to do with what you learned?
