Romans 9 English Standard Version
Anglicised (ESVUK)
God's Sovereign
Choice
9 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying;
my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing
anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed
and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,[a] my kinsmen according to the
flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the
adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the
worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their
race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed
for ever. Amen.
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed.
For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because
they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children
of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise
are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this
time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when
Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had
done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might
continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will
serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I
hated.”
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on
God's part? By no means! 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 So then it depends not on human will or
exertion,[b] but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For
this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and
that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he
wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find
fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer
back to God? Will what is moulded say to its moulder, “Why have you made
me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out
of the same lump one vessel for honourable use and another for
dishonourable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make
known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared
for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory
for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—24 even us whom he has called, not
from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,
“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people’,
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved’.”
26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people’,
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God’.”
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved’.”
26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people’,
there they will be called ‘sons of the living God’.”
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though
the number of the sons of Israel[c] be as the sand of the sea, only
a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the
earth fully and without delay.”29 And as Isaiah predicted,
“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.”
we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.”
Israel's Unbelief
30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did
not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that
is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would
lead to righteousness[d] did not succeed in reaching that
law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but
as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of
offence;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Matthew Henry's Commentary
Verses 14-24
The apostle, having asserted the true meaning of the promise, comes here
to maintain and prove the absolute sovereignty of God, in disposing of the
children of men, with reference to their eternal state. And herein God is to be
considered, not as a rector and governor, distributing rewards and punishments
according to his revealed laws and covenants, but as an owner and benefactor,
giving to the children of men such grace and favour as he has determined in and
by his secret and eternal will and counsel: both the favour of visible
church-membership and privileges, which is given to some people and denied to
others, and the favour of effectual grace, which is given to some particular
persons and denied to others.
Now this part of his discourse is in answer to two objections.
I. It might be objected, Isa. there unrighteousness with God? If God, in
dealing with the children of men, do thus, in an arbitrary manner, choose some
and refuse others, may it not be suspected that there is unrighteousness with
him? This the apostle startles at the thought of: God forbid! Far be it from us
to think such a thing; shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Gen.
18:25; Rom. 3:5, 6. He denies the consequences, and proves the denial.
1. In respect of those to whom he shows mercy, Rom. 9:15, 16. He quotes
that scripture to show God’s sovereignty in dispensing his favours (Exod.
33:19): I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. All God’s reasons of
mercy are taken from within himself. All the children of men being plunged
alike into a state of sin and misery, equally under guilt and wrath, God, in a
way of sovereignty, picks out some from this fallen apostatized race, to be
vessels of grace and glory. He dispenses his gifts to whom he will, without
giving us any reason: according to his own good pleasure he pitches upon some
to be monuments of mercy and grace, preventing grace, effectual grace, while he
passes by others. The expression is very emphatic, and the repetition makes it
more so: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. It imports a perfect
absoluteness in God’s will; he will do what he will, and giveth not account of
any of his matters, nor is it fit he should. As these great words, I am that I
am (Exod. 3:14) do abundantly express the absolute independency of his being,
so these words, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, do as fully
express the absolute prerogative and sovereignty of his will. To vindicate the
righteousness of God, in showing mercy to whom he will, the apostle appeals to
that which God himself had spoken, wherein he claims this sovereign power and
liberty. God is a competent judge, even in his own case. Whatsoever God does,
or is resolved to do, is both by the one and the other proved to be just.
Eleeso on han heleo—I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. When I begin,
I will make an end. Therefore God’s mercy endures for ever, because the reason
of it is fetched from within himself; therefore his gifts and callings are
without repentance. Hence he infers (Rom. 9:16), It is not of him that willeth.
Whatever good comes from God to man, the glory of it is not to be ascribed to
the most generous desire, nor to the most industrious endeavour, of man, but
only and purely to the free grace and mercy of God. In Jacob’s case it was not
of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth; it was not the earnest will and
desire of Rebecca that Jacob might have the blessing; it was not Jacob’s haste
to get it (for he was compelled to run for it) that procured him the blessing,
but only the mercy and grace of God. Wherein the holy happy people of God
differ from other people, it is God and his grace that make them differ.
Applying this general rule to the particular case that Paul has before him, the
reason why the unworthy, undeserving, ill-deserving Gentiles are called, and
grafted into the church, while the greatest part of the Jews are left to perish
in unbelief, is not because those Gentiles were better deserving or better
disposed for such a favour, but because of God’s free grace that made that
difference. The Gentiles did neither will it, nor run for it, for they sat in
darkness, Matt. 4:16. In darkness, therefore not willing what they knew not;
sitting in darkness, a contented posture, therefore not running to meet it, but
anticipated with these invaluable blessings of goodness. Such is the method of
God’s grace towards all that partake of it, for he is found of those that
sought him not (Isa. 65:1); in this preventing, effectual, distinguishing
grace, he acts as a benefactor, whose grace is his own. Our eye therefore must
not be evil because his is good; but, of all the grace that we or others have,
he must have the glory: Not unto us, Ps. 115:1.
2. In respect of those who perish, Rom. 9:17. God’s sovereignty,
manifested in the ruin of sinners, is here discovered in the instance of
Pharaoh; it is quoted from Exod. 9:16. Observe,
(1.) What God did with Pharaoh. He raised him up, brought him into the
world, made him famous, gave him the kingdom and power,—set him up as a beacon
upon a hill, as the mark of all his plagues (compare Exod. 9:14)-- hardened his
heart, as he had said he would (Exod. 4:21): I will harden his heart, that is,
withdraw softening grace, leave him to himself, let Satan loose against him,
and lay hardening providences before him. Or, by raising him up may be meant
the intermission of the plagues which gave Pharaoh respite, and the reprieve of
Pharaoh in those plagues. In the Hebrew, I have made thee stand, continued thee
yet in the land of the living. Thus doth God raise up sinners, make them for
himself, even for the day of evil (Prov. 16:4), raise them up in outward
prosperity, external privileges (Matt. 11:23), sparing mercies.
(2.) What he designed in it: That I might show my power in thee. God
would, by all this, serve the honour of his name, and manifest his power in
baffling the pride and insolence of that great and daring tyrant, who bade
defiance to Heaven itself, and trampled upon all that was just and sacred. If
Pharaoh had not been so high and might, so bold and hardy, the power of God had
not been so illustrious in the ruining of him; but the taking off of the spirit
of such a prince, who hectored at that rate, did indeed proclaim God glorious
in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders, Exod. 15:11. This is Pharaoh,
and all his multitude.
(3.) His conclusion concerning both these we have, Rom. 9:18. He hath
mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. The various
dealings of God, by which he makes some to differ from others, must be resolved
into his absolute sovereignty. He is debtor to no man, his grace is his own,
and he may give it or withhold it as it pleaseth him; we have none of us
deserved it, nay, we have all justly forfeited it a thousand times, so that
herein the work of our salvation is admirably well ordered that those who are
saved must thank God only, and those who perish must thank themselves only,
Hos. 13:9. We are bound, as God hath bound us, to do our utmost for the
salvation of all we have to do with; but God is bound no further than he has
been pleased to bind himself by his own covenant and promise, which is his
revealed will; and that is that he will receive, and not cast out, those that
come to Christ; but the drawing of souls in order to that coming is a
preventing distinguishing favour to whom he will. Had he mercy on the Gentiles?
It was because he would have mercy on them. Were the Jews hardened? It was
because it was his own pleasure to deny them softening grace, and to give them
up to their chosen affected unbelief. Even so, Father, because it seemed good
unto thee. That scripture excellently explains this, Luke 10:21; and, as this,
shows the sovereign will of God in giving or withholding both the means of
grace and the effectual blessing upon those means.
II. It might be objected, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath
resisted his will? Rom. 9:19. Had the apostle been arguing only for God’s
sovereignty in appointing and ordering the terms and conditions of acceptance
and salvation, there had not been the least colour for this objection; for he
might well find fault if people refused to come up to the terms on which such a
salvation is offered; the salvation being so great, the terms could not be
hard. But there might be colour for the objection against his arguing for the
sovereignty of God in giving and withholding differencing and preventing grace;
and the objection is commonly and readily advanced against the doctrine of
distinguishing grace. If God, while he gives effectual grace to some, denies it
to others, why doth he find fault with those to whom he denies it? If he hath
rejected the Jews, and hid from their eyes the things that belong to their
peace, why doth he find fault with them for their blindness? If it be his
pleasure to discard them as not a people, and not obtaining mercy, their
knocking off themselves was no resistance of his will. This objection he
answers at large,
1. By reproving the objector (Rom. 9:20): Nay but, O man. This is not an
objection fit to be made by the creature against his Creator, by man against
God. The truth, as it is in Jesus, is that which abases man as nothing, less
than nothing, and advances God as sovereign Lord of all. Observe how
contemptibly he speaks of man, when he comes to argue with God his Maker: “Who
art thou, thou that art so foolish, so feeble, so short-sighted, so incompetent
a judge of the divine counsels? Art thou able to fathom such a depth, dispute
such a case, to trace that way of God which is in the sea, his path in the
great waters?” That repliest against God. It becomes us to submit to him, not
to reply against him; to lie down under his hand, not to fly in his face, nor
to charge him with folly. Hos. antapokrinomenos—That answerest again. God is
our master, and we are his servants; and it does not become servants to answer
again, Titus 2:9.
2. By resolving all into the divine sovereignty. We are the thing
formed, and he is the former; and it does not become us to challenge or arraign
his wisdom in ordering and disposing of us into this or that shape of figure.
The rude and unformed mass of matter hath no right to this or that form, but is
shaped at the pleasure of him that formeth it. God’s sovereignty over us is
fitly illustrated by the power that the potter hath over the clay; compare Jer.
18:6; where, by a like comparison, God asserts his dominion over the nation of
the Jews, when he was about to magnify his justice in their destruction by
Nebuchadnezzar.
(1.) He gives us the comparison, Rom. 9:21. The potter, out of the same
lump, may make either a fashionable vessel, and a vessel fit for creditable and
honourable uses, or a contemptible vessel, and a vessel in which is no
pleasure; and herein he acts arbitrarily, as he might have chosen whether he
would make any vessel of it at all, or whether he would leave it in the hole of
the pit, out of which it was dug.
(2.) The application of the comparison, Rom. 9:22-24. Two sorts of
vessels God forms out of the great lump of fallen mankind:—[1.] Vessels of
wrath—vessels filled with wrath, as a vessel of wine is a vessel filled with
wine; full of the fury of the Lord, Isa. 51:20. In these God is willing to show
his wrath, that is, his punishing justice, and his enmity to sin. This must be
shown to all the world, God will make it appear that he hates sin. He will
likewise make his power known, to dynaton autou. It is a power of strength and
energy, an inflicting power, which works and effects the destruction of those
that perish; it is a destruction that proceeds from the glory of his power, 2
Thess. 1:9. The eternal damnation of sinners will be an abundant demonstration
of the power of God; for he will act in it himself immediately, his wrath
preying as it were upon guilty consciences, and his arm stretched out totally
to destroy their well-being, and yet at the same instant wonderfully to
preserve the being of the creature. In order to this, God endured them with
much long-suffering—exercised a great deal of patience towards them, let them
alone to fill up the measure of sin, to grow till they were ripe for ruin, and
so they became fitted for destruction, fitted by their own sin and
self-hardening. The reigning corruptions and wickedness of the soul are its
preparedness and disposedness for hell: a soul is hereby made combustible
matter, fit for the flames of hell. When Christ said to the Jews (Matt. 23:32),
Fill you up then the measure of your father, that upon you may come all the
righteous blood (Rom. 9:23), he did, as it were, endure them with much
long-suffering, that they might, by their own obstinacy and wilfulness in sin,
fit themselves for destruction. [2.] Vessels of mercy—filled with mercy. The
happiness bestowed upon the saved remnant is the fruit, not of their merit, but
of God’s mercy. The spring of all the joy and glory of heaven is that mercy of
God which endures for ever. Vessels of honour must to eternity own themselves
vessels of mercy. Observe, First, What he designs in them: To make known the
riches of his glory, that is, of his goodness; for God’s goodness is his
greatest glory, especially when it is communicated with the greatest
sovereignty. I beseech thee show me thy glory, says Moses, Exod. 33:18. I will
make all my goodness to pass before thee, says God (Rom. 9:19), and that given
out freely: I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. God makes known his
glory, this goodness of his, in the preservation and supply of all the creatures:
the earth is full of his goodness, and the year crowned with it; but when he
would demonstrate the riches of his goodness, unsearchable riches, he does it
in the salvation of the saints, that will be to eternity glorious monuments of
divine grace. Secondly, What he does for them he does before prepare them to
glory. Sanctification is the preparation of the soul for glory, making it meet
to partake of the inheritance of the saints in light. This is God’s work. We
can destroy ourselves fast enough, but we cannot save ourselves. Sinners fit
themselves for hell, but it is God that prepares saints for heaven; and all
those that God designs for heaven hereafter he prepares and fits for heaven
now: he works them to the self-same thing, 2 Cor. 5:5. And would you know who
these vessels of mercy are? Those whom he hath called (Rom. 9:24); for whom he
did predestinate those he also called with an effectual call: and these not of
the Jews only, but of the Gentiles; for, the partition-wall being taken down,
the world was laid in common, and not (as it had been) God’s favour
appropriated to the Jews, and they put a degree nearer his acceptance than the
rest of the world. They now stood upon the same level with the Gentiles; and
the question is not now whether of the seed of Abraham or no, that is neither
here nor there, but whether or no called according to his purpose.
The Bible Panorama
Romans 9
V 1–5: SORROW Paul explains his great sorrow for the lostness of his fellow
Israelites. They have had all the privileges of God, and His revelation,
including the promise of Christ’s coming in the flesh as the ‘eternally blessed
God’. Such is Paul’s sorrow and grief that he could wish himself accursed if
they could be saved.
V 6–9: SCRIPTURE But God’s Word, His holy Scripture, is thereby fulfilled. Israel is not
simply a physical nation of those descended biologically from Jacob. The
promise was not only to the seed of Abraham but to the seed of Isaac, Jacob’s
father. Those who are their children are children of the promise. Today, those
who come to faith in God through Christ are the spiritual children of the
promise.
V 10–21: SOVEREIGNTY God is sovereign in all matters, including salvation. In God’s
sovereignty, it is His mercy and compassion that save. He is in control. He is
the potter fashioning the clay; the clay does not have the right to protest
about the vessel which the potter makes from it.
V 22–29: SUPPOSE Paul then enters a hypothetical argument which underlines that, if God
wanted to make vessels for destruction, it would be His right so to do. This
supposition is not put forward as a fact, but to demonstrate that God’s
sovereign right negates the questioning objection of anyone who wishes to argue
with what God does or plans. His sovereignty, in fact, causes Him to call
non-generic Israelites to be His people—those who are not Israelites after the
flesh—who nevertheless shall be called ‘sons of the living God’. His
sovereignty also decrees that though Israel as a nation rejects Him, a remnant
will be saved. Otherwise they would all have been destroyed like Sodom and
Gomorrah. The basic supposition is that God can do what He chooses, though in
practice He will respond in compassion and mercy to those who, by His grace,
call upon Him for that mercy.
V 30–33: STUMBLED Paul’s conclusion is that the ignorant Gentiles, with no knowledge of
God, have now come to that knowledge through the ‘righteousness of faith’,
which is the righteousness that God imparts to those who put their faith in Him
and His promise. Israel, however, in seeking righteousness by doing the law,
has stumbled over Christ, the stone and rock, because salvation is not by works
of the law but by believing on Him. They neglect or refuse to come to Him by
faith.
Dictionary of Bible Themes
6708 predestination
God’s foreordination of all events and circumstances for the good of his
people and the glory of his name.
Predestination depends on God’s sovereignty
He is the Creator of all things Jer 32:17-19 See also Ge 1:1; Job
38:1-4; Isa 44:24-28; Isa 45:12-13; Isa 48:12-14
He rules over nature and history Pr 16:4 See also Ge 18:10-14; Ps 67:4;
Pr 16:9,33; Pr 21:1; Mt 8:23-27 pp Mk 4:35-41 pp Lk 8:22-25; Mt 10:29-30; Ac
17:26
His will is perfect Ge 18:25 See also Ex 33:19; Dt 32:4; Job 8:3; Ps
119:137; Da 4:37
God’s predestined purposes cannot be thwarted
Human beings cannot stand against his will Ro 9:19-21 See also Ps 2:1-4;
Pr 19:21; Pr 21:30; Isa 14:24-27; Isa 46:10-12; Da 4:35
False gods are impotent before him Ps 115:3-8 See also Isa 44:8-20; Isa
45:20; Isa 48:14
He brings good out of evil Ge 50:20 See also Ge 15:13-16; Ge 45:4-8
Predestination undergirds biblical prophecy
It explains the prophets’confidence 1Ki 22:17-28 See also 1Pe 1:10-12
It is demonstrated in the fulfilment of prophecy 1Ki 22:29-38 See also Mt
1:22; Mt 2:15,23; Mt 4:14; Mt 8:17; Mt 12:17-19; Ac 2:17-25; Ac 3:22-25; Ac
13:27-30; Ac 15:15-18
The life and ministry of Jesus Christ was predestined
In that it was predicted by the prophets Isa 9:6-7 See also Isa 11:1-10;
Isa 52:13-53:12; Jer 23:5-6; Ac 3:18; Gal 4:4-5
In his sufferings and death Ac 2:23 See also Mt 16:21; Lk 18:31-32; Lk
22:22; Lk 24:25-27,44-45; Jn 13:1; Ac 4:27-30
In the outcome it achieved Ge 3:15
God’s purpose in predestination is to bless his people
In the path their lives follow Ro 8:28 See also Ps 139:14-16; Jer 29:11;
Mt 10:29-31 pp Lk 12:6-7
In their salvation Ro 8:29-30 See also Ge 12:1-3; Mt 11:25-27; Mk 4:11;
Jn 6:37-44; Ac 13:48; 1Th 5:9
In their assurance of salvation Ro 8:31-39 See also Jn 10:27-29; Jn
17:2; Eph 1:3-14 Predestination is basic to Christian certainty.
Regarding final perseverance Php 1:6 See also Ps 138:8; Jn 6:37-40; Php
2:12-13; Jas 5:11
Regarding God’s call to righteousness Eph 2:10 See also Jer 1:4-5; Ac
22:10; Gal 1:15-17
Regarding future inheritance Jn 14:2-3 See also Mt 25:34; Ro 8:30
God predestines judgment
Isa 65:11-12 See also Ge 6:17 the flood; Ex 7:13; Ex 9:13-18; Jos 11:20;
2Ki 19:25-26; Isa 14:24-27 judgment on Assyria; Isa 19:12-14; Isa 23:9 judgment
on Tyre; Jer 49:20; Jer 50:45 judgment on Babylon; 1Pe 2:6-8; Isa 8:14-15
Predestination does not set aside human responsibility
Php 2:12-13 See also Jn 6:37,40; Ac 13:48
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Predestination
This word is properly used only with reference to God's plan or purpose
of salvation. The Greek word rendered "predestinate" is found only in
these six passages, Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29, 30; 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:5, 11; and in
all of them it has the same meaning. They teach that the eternal, sovereign,
immutable, and unconditional decree or "determinate purpose" of God
governs all events.
This doctrine of predestination or election is beset with many
difficulties. It belongs to the "secret things" of God. But if we
take the revealed word of God as our guide, we must accept this doctrine with
all its mysteriousness, and settle all our questionings in the humble, devout
acknowledgment, "Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy
sight."
For the teaching of Scripture on this subject let the following passages
be examined in addition to those referred to above; Gen. 21:12; Ex. 9:16;
33:19; Deut. 10:15; 32:8; Josh. 11:20; 1 Sam. 12:22; 2 Chr. 6:6; Ps. 33:12;
65:4; 78:68; 135:4; Isa. 41:1-10; Jer. 1:5; Mark 13:20; Luke 22:22; John 6:37;
15:16; 17:2, 6, 9; Acts 2:28; 3:18; 4:28; 13:48; 17:26; Rom. 9:11, 18, 21;
11:5; Eph. 3:11; 1 Thess. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2; 1 Pet.
1:2. (See DECREES OF GOD.)
Encyclopedia of The Bible
SALVATION
I. The need for salvation
A. Man’s sin. According to the Genesis account, when God created man He
entered into a covenant with him in which, by following the pathway of
obedience, man might then rise to a confirmed state of holiness; whereas,
should he choose to disobey, he would then fall to enslavement under sin.
Obedience would lead to eternal life in communion with God; disobedience would
bring death and slavery to Satan. The positive dimension of this covenant is to
be inferred from the Scripture, whereas the negative side is explicit.
As Genesis 3 makes clear, man chose to disobey his Creator. When
confronted with the serpent, Eve succumbed to the challenge to assert her
independency of God. She endeavored to deify herself and dethrone God. Pride is
the essence of sin! Sin is not only a lack of conformity to or any
transgression of the law of God; it is also, and perhaps even more
fundamentally, a rendering of one’s personal relationship with his Creator.
When man disobeys a command of God he offends the loving and holy One who as
the absolute Spirit Person sustains all life.
In Adam all men sinned (Rom 5:12). The Apostle Paul establishes the
universal condemnation of all men because of their sinning. All, whether
Gentile or Jew, have sinned and are failing to reflect the glory of that
original impress of the imago dei (Rom 3:23).
B. Man’s guilt. Because of man’s sin he is deserving of God’s judgment.
After establishing from Psalm 14 that Jews and Gentiles are alike under the
power of sin, Paul states, “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to
those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole
world may be held accountable to God” (Rom 3:19). In theological language guilt
means liability to punishment on account of sin; it means to be answerable to
God for contradicting His holiness. Guilt must not be confused with moral
pollution nor with mere demerit. For various reasons one may feel guilty when
there is neither pollution nor personal demerit. Likewise one may not feel
guilty where both exist.
The sense of guilt for disobeying God is immediately evident in the
account of the Fall. After Adam and Eve had taken of the forbidden fruit we
learn of their vain effort to hide from God. A sense of shame compelled them to
flee from their Creator. Man in his fallen condition has been doing this down
through the entire course of human history. But all men exist in a responsible
relationship to their Creator, and if they do not fulfill this responsibility
in loving obedience to Him through faith in Jesus Christ then only judgment and
the second death await them.
C. Man’s estrangement. Because of sin man’s predicament may be described
as one in which he finds himself a victim of anxiety, dread, despair,
frustration, alienation, absurdity, meaninglessness and estrangement. He has
cut himself off from God, his fellow-man and himself. In this situation man
either seeks to make meaning for himself by deifying himself (humanism) or by
admitting his failure to discover any meaning (nihilism).
Evidences of man’s estrangement from his God, his fellow-man and even
himself scream at us in contemporary art forms—literature, music, painting,
sculpture, architecture, drama, motion pictures.
II. The nature of salvation
A. Biblical terms. 1. Hebrew יֵ֫שַׁע, H3829,
יְשׁוּעָה, H3802. The word yash’ and its
cognates have the basic meaning, “to be wide,” “roomy”; fig., “to be well off”
or “prosperous”; “to be free.” An understanding of this OT word group is
imperative to an understanding of what is implied in Matthew’s statement
concerning Jesus as meaning “savior” (Matt 1:21). The usage of yasha’ and its
cognates disclose the following important concepts as integral to the overall
meaning of salvation.
a. In the majority of OT references salvation is seen to be the work of
a sovereign God (Isa 43:11). It is Yahweh who saves His people from Egypt (Ps
106:7-10); from Babylon (Jer 30:10); from trouble (Jer 14:8). See also: 2
Samuel 22:3; Isaiah 43:3; Ezekiel 34:22; Hosea 1:7; 13:10-14; etc.
b. Salvation is accomplished in history. The first occurrence of the
word yasha’ is found in Exodus 14:30. In this reference there is the account of
Israel’s deliverance from Egyp. bondage: “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day
from the hand of the Egyptians.” This national deliverance made the deepest
impression on the Heb. mind, an impression which was to be maintained by the
annual Passover feast (Deut 16:1). This deliverance of Israel from Egypt is the
supreme OT sign of Yahweh’s saving grace. It pointed beyond itself, to that
central saving event of history, the coming of Jesus Christ. It is most
significant that Luke describes the decisive victory of Christ over Satan in
terms of a new Exodus (Luke 9:31, Gr.).
c. Salvation is deliverance from enemies. Among these enemies were death
and its fear (Ps 6:4, 5; 107:13, 14); the lion’s mouth (Ps 22:21); the
battlefield (Deut 20:4); the wicked (Ps 59:2); sickness (Isa 38:21); trouble
(Jer 30:7); and sins (Ps 51:14; 130:8; Ezek 36:29). In the OT times God was
conceived to be the Savior from all foes, both spiritual and physical.
d. Salvation is deliverance to the Lord. Yahweh not only delivered His
people from that which would destroy them but He also brought them to Himself.
His salvation was not merely a rescue from a dangerous situation but it was
also a rescue for a special purpose, that purpose being that those rescued
should worship, praise and glorify Him through lives dedicated to obeying Him
in all of life (1 Chron 16:23; Isa 43:11, 12; 49:6, 7; Zech 8:13).
A unique feature of the OT concept of salvation, as compared to the
pagan religions of that time, is the fact that it was understood as the
prerequisite rather than simply the goal of obedience. The order is well
expressed by the psalmist, “Save me, that I may observe thy testimonies” (Ps
119:146). The entire Bible makes it very clear that the imperative of do for
man is based upon the indicative of done by God.
e. Salvation is appropriated solely by faith in God apart from any
reliance upon supposed merit or human effort. This was true salvation both on a
national and individual scale (Ps 44:3; 55:16; 86:2; 138:7; etc.).
2. Greek σωτηρία, G5401.
As used in the LXX the word was frequently equivalent of yasha’, denoting the saving power
of God in the crises of history nationally and in the people of God
individually. This saving grace is further seen not to be confined to this age
but to also anticipate the future, and it causes the man who has experienced it
to rejoice and glorify his Creator.
In the NT soteria is used of “deliverance from enemies” (Luke 1:69, 71;
Acts 7:25; Jude 25) and of bodily health and safety (Acts 27:20, 34; Heb 11:7),
but the distinctive use is in respect to spiritual deliverance. Several
important ideas emerge in this sphere:
a. The whole initiative of salvation is with God. “For God has not destined
us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess
5:9). See also John 3:16, 17; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Timothy 1:15; 2 Timothy
1:9; Titus 3:5; Revelation 7:10; 19:1.
b. Jesus is the center of God’s saving work; in no one else is there
salvation (Acts 4:12; Heb 2:10; 5:9). Without Him and His work there is no
soteria.
c. Salvation in the NT sense of spiritual deliverance means a total
salvation. God saves fallen man—body and soul. Specifically, soteria is
salvation from physical illness (Matt 9:21; Luke 8:36), from lostness (Matt
18:11; Luke 19:10), from sin (Matt 1:21), from wrath (Rom 5:9).
d. Salvation is eschatological. Although the Christian begins to enjoy
his salvation here and now there is yet a time coming when he will realize it
in all its fullness. That time will be at the Second Coming of Christ, a day
when He will be enthroned as King of all the world (Rom 13:11; 1 Cor 5:5; 2 Tim
4:18; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Rev 12:10).
In summary, soteria is the rescue of fallen man through Christ from all
that would ruin his soul in this life and in the life to come.
Predestination, Theopedia.
Predestination in its broadest conception is the doctrine that because
God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and completely sovereign, he "from all
eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and
unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass," (Westminster Confession).
"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according
to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his
will" (Ephesians 1:11).
Predestination in the OT
The OT doctrine of predestination is most vivid in God's choice of
Israel to be a light to those around them (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). Moses, speaking
of Israel, says of them,
For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has
chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples
who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number
than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you
were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is
keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you
out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the
hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Deuteronomy 7:6-8
It is important to note that God chose them to be a "treasured
possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth," not
because they "were more in number than any other people" but because
the LORD loved them and is keeping the oath that he swore to his fathers. Also,
from the context, it is clear that Israel was involved in God's plan, but so
was Egypt. God hardened Pharoah's heart so that he would refuse to let them go
(Exodus 3:19; 7:13; 14:13). Thus, from the beginning of history, the
predestined plan of God is evident in the redemption of his people.
The OT writers viewed history as occuring in God's sovereign and
predestined plan. The entire idea of prophecy rests upon this truth. If God
does not sovereignly control and predestine whatever comes to pass then how he
could make statements that are predictive and expect specific results in the
future?
Predestination in the NT
The NT in no way differs from the OT teaching of predestination. The
coming of Jesus, his death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, all fulfilled
God's eternal plan and purpose (1 Peter 1:20; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Acts 2:23).
Scripture clearly says that,
"for truly in this city there were gathered together against your
holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along
with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your
plan had predestined to take place (Acts 4:27-28 ESV). Some are uncomfortable
with the fact that the work of Jesus Christ was in fact predestined, however,
this is clearly what Scripture teaches. Furthermore, Paul teaches that
Christians have "have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined
according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel
of his will," (Ephesians 1:11 ESV). Predestination is thus according to
the purpose of God, or his will.
In other places in the NT, predestination has to do with those who were
chose(n) (Mark 13:20), including Jesus (Matthew 12:18). Elsewhere, it is summed
up in such passages as Romans 8:28-30, chapters 9-11, and Ephesians 1:1-12. In
these statements, Paul is clear that God ordains all acts, even in the case of
Pharaoh, sinful acts of humanity. In Paul's mind, everything exists and happens
in accordance with God's predetermined plan and sovereign purpose -(Ephesians
1:11). Lastly, in Romans 9:17-23, Paul anticipates the expected question,
"Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will? (v. 19). He
then provides the answer, "But who are you O man, to answer back to God?
Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?' Has
the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for
honored use and another for dishonorable use?" (vv. 20-22). For many, this
is not the answer they are looking for. Yet, this is the answer that Scripture
supplies. The doctrine of predestination cannot be completely understood, for
it is an act that resides in the mind of an infinite being, and we, as finite
humans, cannot understand this (see knowability of God).
Predestination and salvation
Calvinists and Arminians agree that only some are chosen for salvation,
and that those who are elect will come to faith and believe until the end.
Further, both viewpoints agree that those who turn from sin to follow Christ
are saved. The question is this: On what basis did God predestine people? Did
God predestine some because He knew they would believe of their own free will,
or did He predestine without regard to human choices? Was God's choice based on
man's choice, or is man's choice itself a result of God's choice?
According to John Calvin,
"Predestination we call the eternal decree of God, by which He has
determined in Himself, what He would have to become of every individual of
mankind. For they are not all created with a similar destiny; but eternal life
is foreordained for some and eternal death for others. Every man, therefore,
being created for one or the other of these ends, we say he is predestinated
either to life or to death." Institutes, Book III, Ch. XXI, Sec. 5.
