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The Mystery of God’s Choice (Part 2)
Romans 9:14-29
Mari Ikeda
Continuing from last time, today we will continue with the theme of what God’s choice is and why some are chosen, and some are not. As usual, we will read the second half of Romans 9, verses 14-29, bit by bit. First, verses 14-16.
A. God has mercy on whom he has mercy and hardens whom he hardens
1. God’s choice is God’s mercy (14-16)
14 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 human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
In the last passage that we read, we were told that God chose Jacob and not Esau. We were also told that God’s choice was predetermined even before the two were born; and before they had done anything good or bad. That is to say, God’s choice is made without regard to the bad or good human deeds.
But if God’s choice has nothing to do with the good or bad deeds of humans, then it means that God does not always choose good people, and sometimes he chooses bad people. Isn’t that unfair and strange for God?
The big misconception in this argument is that if God’s choice is determined by the goodness or badness of a person’s deeds, then there is no one who can be chosen by God. There is no good person in the world who is worthy of being chosen by God. No matter how much we want to, and no matter how much we try, we will never be perfectly good. This means that God’s choice is solely based on His mercy toward us, His mercy in choosing those who are not worthy of being chosen.
Let’s move on to verses 17 -18
2. God “hardens” people according to his purpose (17-18)
17 For 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.
The Pharaoh mentioned here is the king of Egypt from the book of Exodus, who is the enemy of the Israelites and can be considered a villain. But we are told that even this villain was actually set up by God. This means that God uses even “bad people” to teach the world about His power. That’s why Paul says, “God has compassion on those whom he wants to compassionate, and he hardens those whom he wants to harden.
But this doesn’t mean that God arrogantly hates some people and manipulates their minds to make them obstinate in order to destroy them. This is because we are all “bad” and ” obstinate” before God by nature. So it’ s more accurate to say that when God makes some people tough, he makes them keep their toughness.
Even if that is the case, it still seems unfair that God would have mercy on some people and leave others obstinate. If God is in control of our will, then we have no choice and no responsibility. Let’s move on to verses 19-21.
B. The difference of being chosen sooner rather than later
1. Some are set apart for special purposes (19-21)
19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one 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 special purposes and some for common use?
What is being said here is that God creates some people for noble purposes and others for common purposes. In Japanese, we say “noble vessels and lowly vessels,” but the English translation here replaces the word “lowly” with the phrase” for common use “.
The word can therefore also be translated in a neutral sense, as in “For general purpose use”, and I think we can rephrase this here as ” making one into a vessel to be used for noble things and another into to be used for ordinary things.
So, if we are to relate to the characters of our last sermon, the difference between these two purposes is the difference between Isaac and Ishmael, or Jacob and Esau. One was chosen by God and used to let the world know about God, while the other was only used indirectly by God. Pharaoh also fell into the latter category, and instead of being given a mission to serve God directly, he was used indirectly to show God’s power to the world.
And, God alone decides who is created and for which purpose, and human will and effort have nothing to do with it. And it is the same thing as God having compassion on those whom He wants to have compassion on and being hard on those whom He wants to be hard on.
If that is the case, we might be tempted to question if that God is fair, and if humans really have a choice. The next verses 22-23 are the key to solving all our doubts. Let’s read them.
2. The reason God tolerates human sin (22-23)
22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory —
What is being said here is that God ultimately wants to save all people from destruction, but He does not share His desire with everyone. He shares with only a select few, so that through them, His mercy may be known in this world. Those people are the Isaac and Jacob, the Jews and Gentiles who believed in Jesus, and us who are listening to this now.
Using the previous comparison, we can say that we are vessels used for a noble purpose. As the first to be chosen, we have been given the noble mission of sharing God’s mercy with others. God’s choice can only be determined by Him, but He allows us to participate in the process of “choosing”. God has been patient with the sins of all humans for this purpose.
The reason why God takes such a roundabout way is because He wants us to be surprised and delighted. He wants us to know that people who should not be chosen are chosen and that there are people who are open-minded among the obstinate. This is what the last part of today’s message is about.
First, verses 24-26.
C. God’s Choice
1. Chosen from among those who were not chosen (24-26)
24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” 26 and, “In the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”
For a long time, the Jews thought that only their own people were chosen and loved by God. But then Jesus came, and the Holy Spirit came, and they recognized that God’s mercy was poured out on the Gentiles as well. That would shake the Jewish value system from its foundation. That is why there was a tremendous controversy among the Jews between those who accepted it and those who did not. Paul was the one who fought on the front line.
The Old Testament book of Hosea, which Paul quotes here, was originally a prophecy referring to a part of people within the nation of Israel, not to the Gentiles. Paul, however, freely reinterprets it from Jesus’ perspective and speaks of it as a prophecy to the Gentiles. This is a departure from the traditional reading of the Bible, but Paul had the conviction that it was okay. This is because Jesus was the one who loved sinners who did not deserve to be loved.
Breaking away from the values and common sense that one has taken for granted is not easy and it can be painful. But if we know the magnitude of God’s love, we can accept to do it with joy, just like Paul did. Then by following Jesus, we can be close to the suffering of others and know the joy of living together. This is the glory of God that He wants us to know.
Let’s continue to verses 27-29
2. Those who were left among the hardened (27-29)
27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. 28 For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality.” 29 It is just as Isaiah said previously: “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.”
In the second half of this psalm, we saw
Many of the Jews in Paul’s day did not believe in Jesus. However, Paul and some others did. This meant that among the obstinate people, God’s people in the true sense of the word were left behind.
I think this is something that has been repeated throughout the history of Christianity. Even within corrupt churches, there have been people who truly loved Jesus, and the church has been revived by such people. God is patient and waiting for the “remnant” even when the church is corrupt and those whom He has chosen are causing suffering rather than sharing His love with people. He puts His work in their hands so that they may know His glory as they join Him in His work.
I have thought about God’s choice twice; first during the last sermon and during today’s sermon but I have failed to come up with a simple conclusion on how to explain it. It may be partly due to my lack of understanding, but it may also be necessary to admit that there are some things that human beings do not understand. Nevertheless, let me summarize what I have said so far.
God loves everyone but it’s only those whom He chooses that He gives the mission to love and serve Him. And for the sake of a few of them, He makes some people obstinate. It is because He wants them to be astonished and happy to know the magnitude of His mercy that some of them are chosen from among the obstinate ones. But at the same time, God loves those who are obstinate and those who are not chosen equally. So God’s choices are mysterious, and we can only walk in wonder and expectation of what He will do.
Today is the last time I will be preaching before Christmas comes; so the next time we read Romans will be after the New Year. I’m a little disappointed to have to stop at the halfway point, but please look forward to the new year. (Or wait gloomily, be in wait.)
(Prayer) Lord Jesus, we have been living selfishly, not knowing you, but you are waiting for us and have met us. And you have taught us the joy of living by loving you and serving you. Please help us to love others without being limited by our own narrow perspective, and to join in the work of changing the world with your love. May you break our hard hearts. Our Lord Jesus, we pray in your name. Amen.
Summary
God loves all people but he gives the mission to love and serve him only to those whom he has chosen. He leaves some people with their hardened heart for the sake of those whom he has chosen, because he wants the chosen ones to be surprised and rejoice by seeing the greatness of God’s mercy which elects the chosen from those who are hardened. At the same time, God remembers the hardened and loves them as he loves those who are not hardened. This is why God’s choice is mysterious and all we can do is to be in awe of God’s work and put our hope in him.
For Discussion
- What does it mean to have a steadfast heart?
- Who is your enemy?
For the children (and their guardians)
This is a difficult passage, but please try to talk about it in your own words along with the previous message, “God loves all people, but He does not choose all people. If I were to use this passage, I might like to quote from the book of Hosea in verses 24-26. No one is worthy of God’s choice. But God, in His mercy, chooses those who should not have been chosen. We are not chosen because we are better than others, nor because God loves us more than others. We don’t know why we were chosen. We don’t know why we were chosen, but we know exactly what we were chosen for. We were chosen to love God, to serve Him, and to share His love with the people around us.