Romans 9.16-God's Mercy Is Dependent Upon His Sovereign Will To Be Merciful Rather Than Human Will Or Activity
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday March 19, 2009
Romans: Romans 9:16-Eternal Salvation Is Never Dependent Upon Human Desire Or Effort But Rather God’s Grace Policy
Lesson # 309
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 9:1.
This evening we will continue with our study of Romans chapter nine by noting Romans 9:16 and in this passage, Paul teaches that experiencing God’s grace and mercy and thus eternal salvation is never dependent upon human desire or effort but rather it is based upon God’s grace policy.
Let’s read Romans 9:1-18 and then concentrate on verse 16 for the rest of the evening.
Romans 9:1-18, “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: ‘THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.’ That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: ‘AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.’ And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’ What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, ‘I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.’ So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.’ So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”
Let’s now concentrate on verse 16.
Romans 9:16, “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”
“So then” is composed of the “inferential” particle ara (a&ra) (ar-ah), “so” and the “emphatic” use of the post-positive conjunction oun (ou@n) (oon), “then.”
The particle ara is inferential suggesting that the statement to follow is a conclusion or inference from Paul’s preceding statement in Romans 9:15.
With this word Paul is teaching that since God told Moses that He will be gracious to whomever He chooses to be gracious to and will be merciful to whomever He chooses to be merciful to, we can “draw the inference” that experiencing God’s grace and mercy does not depend on man but rather upon Him who is gracious.
The conjunction oun is emphatic meaning that it is “emphasizing” the inference to follow.
“It” is a reference to experiencing God’s grace and mercy and thus experiencing salvation.
The word refers to the conclusion based upon Paul’s teaching in Romans 9:6-15.
This is indicated by the fact that in Romans 9:7-15, Paul is arguing that God is never unjust in rejecting unregenerate Israel in his day and accepting those Jews who had faith in His Son Jesus Christ and became Abraham’s spiritual descendants and children of God.
Nor, was there unrighteousness in God’s judgment with respect to His dealings in the past when He chose Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau to be members of His covenant people based upon His grace policy and mercy.
Further indicating that the subject here is experiencing God’s grace and mercy and thus salvation is that Paul’s teaching in Romans 9:7-15 serves to illustrate his premise in Romans 9:6 that not all of racial Israel is accepted by God as being a part of His covenant people and thus considered by Him as spiritual Israel.
Romans 9:16, “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”
“Does not depend on the man who wills” means that eternal salvation is never dependent upon human desire since all men are spiritually dead meaning that they have no capacity and desire whatsoever to establish a relationship with God.
“Nor” is the adverb oude (ou)dev) (oo-deh), which is used with the negative ou in the previous causal clause and together, they combine two negative clauses together.
They serve to connect two concepts: (1) Experiencing God’s grace and mercy and thus eternal salvation is never dependent upon human desire. (2) Experiencing God’s grace and mercy and thus eternal salvation is never dependent upon human effort.
“The man who runs” is the articular genitive masculine singular present active participle form of the verb trecho (trevxw) (trekh-o), which is used in a metaphorical sense for human effort.
Where thelo, “wills” denoted the inner desire, purpose to do something, the verb trecho, “runs” emphasizes the execution of that inner desire or purpose to do something.
In Romans 9:16, the verb denotes that experiencing God’s grace and mercy and thus eternal salvation is never dependent upon human effort such as being obedient to the Law as a system of merit.
Romans 9:16, “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”
“But” is the adversative use of the conjunction alla (a)llav) (al-lah), which introduces a statement that stands in direct contrast with the idea that experiencing God’s grace and mercy and thus eternal salvation is dependent upon human desire and effort.
“God” is the genitive feminine singular form of the noun theos (qeov$) (theh-os), which refers to God the Father since He is that member of the Trinity that formed the plan of salvation for men, which is based upon God’s grace policy and mercy.
Of course, the other two members of the Trinity have the same nature as the Father and are equally gracious to sinners.
“Who has mercy” is the articular genitive masculine singular present active participle form of the verb eleeo (e)leevw) (el-eh-eh-o), which means, “to be gracious to” those sinners who exercise faith in Christ and is use of God as the subject as indicated by the genitive form of the noun theos.
We saw this word in Romans 9:15 where it meant, “to be gracious to.”
Romans 9:15, “Because, He says to Moses, ‘I will be gracious to whomever I choose to be gracious to and in addition I will be merciful to whomever I choose to be merciful to.’”
Completed corrected translation of Romans 9:16: “Therefore in fact, it is never, as an eternal spiritual truth, dependent upon human desire or dependent upon human effort but rather dependent upon the One who is gracious, who is God.”
In Romans 9:16, Paul is teaching that experiencing God’s grace and mercy and thus eternal salvation is never based upon human desire or effort but rather it is totally and completely dependent upon God’s grace policy.
Grace is all that God is free to do in imparting unmerited blessings to those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior based upon the merits of Christ and His death on the Cross.
It is God treating us in a manner that we don’t deserve and excludes any human works in order to acquire eternal salvation or blessing from God.
Grace means that God saved us and blessed us despite ourselves and not according to anything that we do but rather saved us and blessed us because of the merits of Christ and His work on the Cross.
It excludes any human merit in salvation and blessing (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) and gives the Creator all the credit and the creature none.
By means of faith, we accept the grace of God, which is a non-meritorious system of perception, which is in total accord with the grace of God.
Grace and faith are totally compatible with each other and inseparable (1 Tim. 1:14) and complement one another (Rom. 4:16; Eph. 2:8).
Grace, faith and salvation are all the gift of God and totally exclude all human works and ability (Eph. 2:8-9).
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”