Today we’re going to continue our walk through Paul’s Letter to the Church of Rome.  Last time we discussed the supremacy of God’s glory above all things.  Specifically we noted that God chooses whom to set His love upon in a special way for salvation, and that in a way we cannot see now, this is the greatest good and for the greatest measure of God’s glory to be known.  Many people (myself included) the first time walking through Romans 9 will say, “this isn’t fair!  Everyone should be saved!”  God’s answer back is not going to satisfy most people asking that question.  God basically answers back and says that you don’t get to question Him.  Further, it is implied that the most just thing for God to do would be to instantly judge all those who are in their sins, who are not covered by the blood of Christ.  Romans 9 does not leave most people feeling warm and fuzzy, but it should give people a sense of awe before an omnipotent and holy God – to understand the depth of Christ’s atonement for sin, that God’s mercy is precious, the blood of Jesus is precious, and Jesus is a treasure far greater than anything the world could offer.

Romans 9:19-24 – “You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault?  For who can resist his will?”  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?”  Has the potter no right over the clay, to make our of the same lump on vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?  What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory-even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?  

It always amazes me that so many people try to “get God off the hook” for certain things in the Bible.  God never asks for that.  He is clear, there are some things that are higher than we can understand and He makes no apologies for His actions, and neither should we.  Isaiah 55:9 -“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Man is born a sinner, and unless He is granted repentance from sin to embrace in faith the pardon of Christ through His atoning work on the cross, that man will die in his sins and bear the wrath of God eternally in hell.  Man will never come to God on his own, God in His mercy must come to the man – in Spirit and Truth, the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus being received and the Spirit of God granting faith to believe.

To wrap our heads around what is being said in Romans 9, we must first lay down our desire to be the center of everything in the universe.  We’re not.  God created us for His glory.  Colossians 1:16 – “by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”  It’s not about us, it’s about Him.  It isn’t about making much of ourselves, but displaying the glory of our Creator.  That is the end for which man was created.

Most people will never submit to God, they will never feel the weight of their sin against a Holy God and be truly broken in repentance and they will never grasp on to trust in Jesus alone for salvation.  These people will still glorify God, but in a different way than those whom God saves.  These unrepentant people, who sin against God all the day long, never acknowledging their Creator, let alone worship Him, will glorify God when they are judged for their sin.  God’s justice, God’s wrath, God’s infinite holiness will be on display for eternity in the punishment of these people.  Some of these people we rejoice in their judgment, like Hitler, Stalin, child molesters, etc.  Some people we cannot fathom God judging, like gandhi or the person who volunteers their whole life for good causes.  These are “good” people, we say.  To this, we have to understand that as the universe is infinitely greater than we can measure or understand, so is the holiness of God.  Isaiah 64:6 – “our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” 

To be counted as righteous before God required God Himself to take on flesh, live a perfect life, and bear the eternal wrath of God for our sin.  It is the infinite love and mercy of God on display for eternity in the salvation of man.  Both the judgment of a people and the salvation of a people were necessary for the full glory of God to be displayed.  This is as much as we can see as finite beings, reaching into the purposes of our eternal God in creation, judgment, and salvation.  God does not give us every answer, but gives us every answer necessary for eternal life and living in Jesus Christ.  God has clearly shown that He has from the very beginning, purposed some unto salvation to display his glory as vessels of His love and mercy.  Therefore, if know know God, if we trust in our Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation, we should rest in the peace of that eternal salvation.  God never acts out of surprise, but out of a fullness of His perfect will, and even if we cannot understand fully why God does everything as He does, we can rest in the love and mercy of our God displayed in the gospel of Jesus.  He has demonstrated His love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.  That is enough for us all.

Grace and Peace,

Adam