Predestination shows us the mercy of God. Paul anticipated a common objection to the doctrine of predestination. If God “hardens” someone as He hardened Pharaoh, how can that person be justly condemned? The apostle responds with a common Old Testament illustration (Isa. 29: 16; 45: 9; 64: 8; Jer. 18: 6) to clarify two points. First, because God is the sovereign Creator, He has the right to do with His creation whatever He chooses (9: 19–21). Again, God does not answer to humanity any more than He must answer to flowers. The very fact that we were given life is grace. That we were given a limited amount of autonomy to choose our own fate is grace upon grace. And having rebelled, both as a race and as individuals , to be given hope of redemption is overwhelming, super -abundant grace! Having confirmed God’s sovereign right to do with His creation as He pleases, Paul continues his line of reasoning with an “if … then” statement (9: 22– 23)— where the “if” is assumed to be true. And it supports his second point: We lost our right to complain about poor treatment when we chose to rebel; therefore, anything we receive other than immediate death is mercy. People in need of mercy don’t have “rights.” Swindoll, Charles R. (2013-11-25). Insights on Romans (Swindolls New Testament Insights) (Kindle Locations 3356-3364). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 03:31:42 +0000
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