My Hope is Built On?
Romans 9:6-18
It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
- Romans 9:16
Romans 9 has long been a challenging portion of Scripture for many, including Christians. It includes difficult phrases, like,
“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
“God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.”
We often ask, “How is this fair? Is God unjust?” The text offends our sensibilities. But, it seems to me, that the offense is not so much about God’s justice, but about a deeply rooted desire within us—even a fundamental paradigm for how we live life. We are offended because we consider ourselves in control of our own destiny. This is how we operate. It’s often the way we raise our kids. In a very real and practical sense, there is truth to this—we have responsibility in this world. The way we act, live, treat others has a direct impact on our future. It is true that your diligent study and preparation will produce real results, and your lack thereof will produce equally predictable results. There are areas in our life where we exercise some level of real control.
But when it comes to receiving mercy from God, we don’t. In this passage from Romans, Paul lays out the answer to a couple of basic questions: 1) who is saved? and 2) how are they saved?
For starters, it turns out that “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” That is to day, being a descendent of Abraham is not the mechanism by which someone becomes a child of God. Those who are saved, who are children of God, are those who receive the mercy of God. Mercy, given in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the mechanism. By definition, we have no control over mercy. It can only be extended freely. Mercy is, definitively, unwarranted. No desire or effort can compel it. There is a shred of truth in arguing that it’s ‘not fair’ for God to have mercy on some; the truth is, it would be most ‘fair’ for none to receive mercy. All of us are deserving of judgment.
The fact that God chose Abraham was an act of mercy. The fact that he chose Jacob was an act of mercy. And the fact that he chose you was an act of mercy.
All our hope for our future and for salvation is ‘built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.’ It rests on the mercy of God. In truth, the mercy is that we are not in control of our own destinies. Were that the case, we would remain in our enslaved state to sin. The reason that God receives all the glory is that he does all the saving. One theologian put it this way:
“If we were responsible for our own salvation, either in whole or even in part, we would be justified in singing our own praises and blowing our own trumpet in heaven.”
We may still have questions and find this passage mysterious, but may it drive us to pray to God to extend his mercy to those who do not yet know him and to give all our thanks and praise to him alone.
~ Pastor Tim