Untitled Sermon
Clippings of Church Theologians on Romans 9.
Later in this book, the second question deals with the passage where the Apostle says: “Not she [Sara] only, but Rebecca also who conceived by one man Isaac our father,”9 up to where he says: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us a posterity, we should have become as Sodom, and should have been like Gomorrah.”10 In the solution of this question,11 I, indeed, labored in defense of the free choice of the human will; but the grace of God conquered, and finally I was able to understand, with full clarity, the meaning of the Apostle: “For who singles thee out? Or what hast thou that thou hast not received? And if thou hast received it, why dost thou boast as if thou hadst not received it?”12 Cyprian, the martyr, too, wishing to show this, embraced all this under the heading: “We should glory in nothing since we have nothing in which to glory.”13
We are descendants of Abraham and have never been in bondage to any man,” all sons,6 namely of Abraham,7 but, as it is written in Gen. 21:12, “Through Isaac, the son of the promise, shall your seed be named,” that is, your posterity. 8. This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, it is as if he were saying that they are not in Ishmael, who is without the promise, but in Isaac, who was born only by promise; thus those who are like him will be the children and no others; but the children of the promise, as Isaac was not the son of the flesh only but of the promise, because he was given not by the flesh but by the promise of God, since at that time his parents were according to the flesh incapable of producing a child, are reckoned, estimated, as seed, “for seed,”8 or as posterity. 9. For this is what the promise said, it proves that the sons of the promise are sons for this reason, that Isaac was the son of the promise, but he wants the sons of the promise also to be understood as the sons of election and predestination, About this time, Gen. 18:10, that is, after a year has elapsed, I will return, and Sarah shall have a son, as if he were saying: “Sarah shall have no son except the one given to her through the promise and election, and not solely through the flesh.”9 10. And not only so, that is, has she the son of promise, but also when Rebecca, the wife of Isaac, that is, received the promise, had conceived children, from cubile (“bed”), or torus (“couch”), by one man, namely, the son, our forefather Isaac, according to the flesh. 11. Though10 they were not yet born, as is clear from the text of Gen. 25:23 ff., and had done nothing either good, of their own merit, since I believe they were still in the womb of their mother, or bad in order that God’s purpose of election, that is, His foreknowledge and predestination, according to grace and not according to merit, might continue, might be acknowledged as inviolable, 12. Not because of works, that is, his merits, but because of his call, by God through grace because of His election of Jacob, she, Rebecca, was told, 13. The elder, that is, Esau the firstborn, will serve, that is, will be a servant to, the younger, Jacob, who was established as the lord, Gen. 27:29, as it is written, Mal. 1:2 f., that because by God’s call Jacob was going to be the greater, Jacob I loved, from eternity, but Esau I hated,11 likewise from eternity. 14. What shall we say then? to these examples and to the things which follow from them. Is there injustice, inequity, on God’s part? For so it seems, because He reprobates one without any evil done by him and loves the other without good on his part. By no means! 15. For He, that is, God, said to Moses: I will have mercy, that is, I will give grace both for a time and in keeping with my purpose, on whom I have had mercy,12,13 I have from eternity determined to give grace, and I will have compassion, and I will pardon or remit sins in time and in keeping with my purpose, on whom I will have compassion,14,15 from eternity I have remitted and pardoned. 16. So it, the salvation and righteousness of men, depends not upon man’s will, his desire through the disposition of love, or exertion, that is, his activity through good merits, but upon the mercy of God, who gives grace. 17. For, here is the reason, the Scripture says, that is, he is reported as being told (Ex. 9:16), to Pharaoh; I have raised you up, by hardening you against the children of Israel, for the very purpose, to this very end, of showing, that it is the work of a merciful God, My power in you, My strength and your impotence and that of all men,16 so that My name may be proclaimed, preached and lauded and the name of all other gods be destroyed, according to Ps. 9:5:”Thou hast blotted out their name forever, etc.,”17 that is, so that it may become clear that it is the work of the God of mercy, in all the earth. 18. So then, it follows, He has mercy upon whomever He wills, in whomever He is well pleased from eternity, and He hardens the heart of whomever He wills, which was also pleasing to Him.18 19. You, carnally wise man, will say to me then: Why does He still find, further, fault? that is, why does God complain, which He does by laying down the Law, by threats, by promises, as if He felt despised. For who can resist His will? which is to say, it is impossible,19 because “He does whatever He pleases” (Ps. 115:3), and “All My will shall be done, and My counsel shall stand” (Is. 46:10). 20. And indeed and furthermore, Who are you, O man, who answers back to God? that is, reply against God. Will what is molded say to its molder, the one who molded it, Why have you made me thus?20 It is as if he were saying: “He should not reply this way, and he cannot justly do so, and therefore man is not like his Maker. 21. Has not the potter the power, the liberty, the ability, over the clay, to make, according to his pleasure, out of the same lump, which of itself has no form and …,4 one vessel for beauty, an honorable use, and another for menial use?21 that is, for some ignominious purpose. 22. What if God, who is the true molder of all, desiring, as is evident above in the words to Pharaoh, to show, in the vessels for menial use, His wrath, which He now conceals, and to make known His power,22 in vessels of His glory and mercy, has endured, by sparing and treating well and by overlooking, with much patience, for He is offended in many and great ways, the vessels of wrath, that is, the reprobate, made, that is, prepared, for destruction, eternal perdition, 23. In order to make known, to make public to all, the riches, the abundance which He now hides, of His glory, which He now leaves in confusion, for the vessels of mercy,23 the elect, which He has prepared beforehand, from eternity, for glory. 24. Even us, whom He has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles.