Chapter 9, Verses 19-24

Rom. 9:19 "Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22 What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?"   

One of the objections to the sovereignty of God in salvation and election is that if God is sovereign then we are just puppets on a string and cannot help what we are.  Therefore, why does God find fault with us for who hath resisted his will?  God is indeed sovereign.  He has chosen whom he will and we cannot change his choice by our actions or will.  We are not however puppets on a string following the actions of the puppet master.  However, we cannot act different from our nature to act.  Elephants cannot fly no matter how much they may want to fly.  Our nature is fixed and we act according to that nature.  The elect, who have been born of the Spirit, have two natures.  They have the nature of the outer man and the nature of the inner man.  Those who have not been born of the Spirit have only one nature.   

"Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"  God did not make anyone a sinner.  Sin entered into the world through Adam's transgression.  From the time of Adam till now, men have been conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity.  We are sinners by nature, but God did not make us sinners by nature.  We are that way because of the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden.  But, what right do we have to reply against God?  We have no right.  He is the creator we are his creation though fallen by sin.  Hasn't the creator the right to form man as he pleases?  Surely the creator of all the universe is the one who is sovereign and has the right to act sovereignly.  The created have no right to reply against the creator.   

"Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"  The potter takes a lump of clay and makes what he wants to make out of it.  The thing formed shows the workmanship of the one who formed it.  The potter can make anything he wants to make.  The clay has no power to insist that the potter make something out of it.  If that potter chooses to make of the same lump of clay a vessel unto honour and another vessel unto dishonour, then he has the sovereign right to do so.  The clay has no choice in the matter.  How much more so the Creator of the universe.  He has the right to take of the lump of clay from which he created Adam and to make vessels unto honor and unto dishonor.  The clay has no choice in this matter.           

"What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:" Those whom the Lord did not choose before the foundation of the world are indeed vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.  The result of these vessels is that they will endure God's everlasting wrath in a state of destruction in the lake of fire.  God did not fit these vessels unto destruction, they fitted themselves unto destruction by their sins.  They will be judged according to their works and it will be a righteous judgment.  God will make his power known upon them in the eternal judgment of their sins.  Now, however, God is longsuffering toward them until he brings home the vessels of mercy. 

Vessels of Mercy

"And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?"  The vessels of mercy are the elect whom God chose before the foundation of the world.  God's mercy is manifest upon them and they are saved by his mercy.  God afore prepared the vessels of mercy unto glory.  This preparation was by the covenant of redemption set forth in Rom. 8:28-30.  This covenant was made before the foundation of the world and there he prepared those he chose unto glory.  As we live here in time God makes known through the true gospel the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy.  Though many of the elect never hear the gospel, yet they will know the riches of his glory in its fullness beginning in the morning of the resurrection.           

The vessels of mercy are found both among the Jews and among the Gentiles.  According to the covenant of redemption, they are all called to spiritual life by the effectual calling of God.  It is through the evidences of this calling that we can identify ourselves with the covenant of redemption and know that all that was entailed in the covenant of redemption works for our eternal good. 

Chapter 9, Verses 25-29 

Rom. 9:25 "As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. 27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha." 

A People Among Both...

Paul continues on with the theme of God's sovereignty in election.  Here he shows that God has a people both among the Gentiles and among the children of Israel.  In the Old Testament economy, the Israelites did not think that the Gentiles were a part of the people of God.  The Israelites referred to them as dogs.  In the eyes of the children of Israel, the Gentiles were not beloved of God as they viewed themselves as being the beloved of God.  However, Paul refers to Hosea's prophecy set forth in Hos. 1:9 "Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. 10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God."  Clearly this had reference to the Gentiles who before were not considered by the Israelites to be a part of the people of God but now it is revealed that they are a part of the people of God.   

Paul also refers to Isaiah's prophecy: Is. 10:22 "For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness."  A remnant is a portion.  Sometimes a remnant is a small portion, but it can also be a large portion.  It literally means a portion of the whole.  God has a remnant of the Israelites and a remnant of the Gentiles that he has chosen to be his people by covenant promise.  These were prophesied to be saved by God.   

"For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth."  The Lord did indeed finish the work of redeeming his people from their sins.  The Lord alone did this work and it is a complete work.  It needs nothing added to it.  The use of the term, "cut it short," indicates that the work of redeeming the elect from their sins and imputing the righteousness of Christ unto them was a work that was completed with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and that it being a completed work needs nothing added to it.  There is no continuing need for anything to be added to the Lord's work.  Nothing can be added to the Lord's work.  Those for whom Christ died are perfected forever.  Nothing that they can say or do will ever change or alter the work that Christ has done.  Their works can neither make it effective or ineffective.  It is finished forever.           

"And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha."  The seed we have is Christ: Gal. 3:16, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."  Christ, our seed, is multiplied in election before the foundation of the world so as to be a great multitude of every nation, kindred, people, and tongue.  It is expressed as being as the stars of heaven, as the sand upon the sea shore, and as the dust of the earth.  Every one of the elect are God's people by covenant promise.  This promise was the work of a sovereign God who chose his people before the foundation of the world.  Those who are not among the ones chose of God before the foundation of the world are as Sodom and Gomorrah.  Their eternal condemnation based on their sins awaits them and they will be like the children of Sodom and Gomorrah who suffered the vengeance of eternal fire.  All of this manifests God's sovereignty in the election of a people to be his.   

Chapter 9, Verses 30-33 

Rom. 9:30 "What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."           

Righteousness is a right standing before God

When studying any passage of scripture it is important that we remember that we are to "Study to show thyself approved unto God, rightly dividing the word of truth."  This is especially true when we look at important bible subjects.  The subject of righteousness needs to be rightly divided.  There is an imputed righteousness that we have as a result of the sacrificial atonement of Christ when he "was made to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we may be made the righteousness of God in him," (2 Cor. 5:21).  This righteousness is a right standing before God brought about through the covenant work of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Then there is an attempted righteousness that many try to attain to a righteous state before God by the keeping of the law of Moses.  Today, many try to keep a set of rules or actions that they believe will make them righteous before God.  None of this, however, can truly make a person righteous before God.  Those who try to get right with God are ignorant of the fact that Christ has already made his people right with God through his sacrificial atonement on their behalf. 

Next, there is the righteousness of faith as set forth in Romans chapter 4.  This is living right through a walk of faith believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ and following the teachings of his word.  Abraham was a great example of the righteousness of faith.  Only those who have the imputed righteousness of Christ can ever hope to follow the righteousness of faith.  A person who has not been born of God cannot walk by faith for he does not have the fruit of the Spirit.  Not all of God's elect, however, walk by faith.  Many try to attain to righteousness by keeping a set of rules or actions.  This is a walk of flesh and not of faith. 

"What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith."  The Gentiles, to which Paul had reference, never had the law of Moses and therefore could not nor would not use the law in an effort to get right with God.  However, they, by faith, had believed in the gospel report that Christ had died for them and had made them righteous before God.  

Thus, they attained to a belief in the imputed righteousness of God and rested in the finished work of Christ. 

"But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law."  Israel had attempted to make the law something that the law was never designed to do.  They attempted to make the law a recipe for getting right with God through the keeping or observing of a set of rules or commandments.  The children of Israel had attempted to get right with God through the keeping of the law.  As the scriptures say:                  

1.  Gal 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

          2.  Gal 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."         

The children of Israel sought not the imputed righteousness of God by faith, but they sought to be right before God by the keeping of the law.  It is, however, impossible to become righteous through the keeping of the law.  The law shines a light on sin and shows us that we are sinners before God and that we are in need of a redeemer.  No matter how hard a man may try to perfectly keep the law, he will still find that he has sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Perfection cannot be attained through the keeping of the law.  We, however, are made perfect through the atoning blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  The Jews, along with a great majority of God's people in our day have failed to understand this.  Because of the desire and effort to attempt to get right with God through the keeping of a set of rules or commandments or ordinances, Jesus becomes a stumblingstone.  Where can Jesus and his atoning sacrifice fit into such a system?  The truth is that he is not part of their system of attempting to get right with God.          

The work of saving the elect from their sins, is a work completed by the Lord Jesus Christ.  Because the work is all of the Lord, no works of man can ever bring him into a right state with God.           

"As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."  To the Jews of that day and to the works system adherents of our day, the true Jesus of the bible is a stumblingstone and rock of offence who does not fit into their system.  But to us who believe the word of God, we are not ashamed of the finished work of Christ, but rather give glory to him for accomplishing what we know we could not do.