In Romans 9, Paul wrestles with a painful question: If the Gospel is so powerful and God’s love in Christ is so secure, why have most of the Jewish people rejected Jesus? Using the story of Jacob and Esau from Genesis 25, Paul shows that God’s purpose of election does not depend on human works, merit, or even foreseen faith. Before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, God said, “The older will serve the younger” and “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated.”
This raises hard objections: Is God unfair? Does this remove human responsibility? Paul answers directly with the potter and the clay, reminding us that God has mercy on whom He wills and hardens whom He wills, all for the display of His glory. This Sunday, we confronted our natural resistance to this truth and were challenged to find rest in the reality that salvation is entirely of the Lord, from beginning to end, so that no one can boast.
In Romans 9, Paul wrestles with a painful question: If the Gospel is so powerful and God’s love in Christ is so secure, why have most of the Jewish people rejected Jesus? Using the story of Jacob and Esau from Genesis 25, Paul shows that God’s purpose of election does not depend on human works, merit, or even foreseen faith. Before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, God said, “The older will serve the younger” and “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated.”
This raises hard objections: Is God unfair? Does this remove human responsibility? Paul answers directly with the potter and the clay, reminding us that God has mercy on whom He wills and hardens whom He wills, all for the display of His glory. This Sunday, we confronted our natural resistance to this truth and were challenged to find rest in the reality that salvation is entirely of the Lord, from beginning to end, so that no one can boast.
