Mercy & Sovereignty

Paul is not a theologian that has lock himself away in some ivory tower or monistery. He is doing ministry with real people

1. Paul Cannot Choose to Save Israel, Though He Would

Romans 9:1–5 (ESV)

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Israel is God’s chosen people and they are not saved. Either being chosen isn’t the same as being saved, or it is. If it is the same, that means Israel isn’t saved because they refused God, not because God didn’t pick them. But Paul’s point is that God did pick them. If anybody should be saved its them. They were set to succeed and that’s what makes eternal damnation so awful. They were so close!

SOVEREIGNTY: If Israel wasn’t saved by God choosing them, has God failed to save them?

No, because God didn’t make a promise to all of Israel. Dispensationalism cannot be true because God is not going to bless every physical descendant of Abraham, only those under the promise. God makes his promise to a select son, not the others. Later descendants of that select son will reject God and it is their fault for doing that.

Isaiah 59:1–2 (ESV)

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

2. Our Response to Not Being In Control (Romans 9:14-29)

What can’t we choose? For God to show mercy, or to accept his mercy? We definitely cannot force God to show mercy and Paul will plead with us later to accept God’s mercy.

God chooses who he will save. It is not based on good or bad things we do. There are no scales. Instead, God chooses people to adopt into his family. God is God and nobody can tell him what to do, accuse him of being evil, or make him save anyone. But God is merciful, so he saves some. Nobody has any merit because everyone has sinned and its kind for God to save anyone. Here’s the twist: God doesn’t choose all of Israel, but he chooses to save some people from every ethnicity.

Paul then mentions Esau. Esau was chosen, but he despised his birthright (Hebrews 12:14-17). Then God picked Jacob, while Esau despised his own birthright. Jacob didn’t deserve it because he was malicious to his brother. At some point, they were both chosen. But the Bible chooses emphasize God picking Jacob.

Salvation includes us but it depends on God. God is in charge of his work from start to finish and he initiates salvation and perfects us.

Since God elects people, would God be unjust to condemn people who were not picked? No, because the fact that God shows mercy to anyone is proof that God is just. God can save anyone he wants.