God Without Religion_ Can It Really Be This Simple_ - Andrew Farley [32]
Racism, plain and simple. And we need to factor in this racism when we read the Bible. Then we understand why Paul had to defend his apostleship to the Gentiles.
If you’ve wondered why Paul goes on for nearly three chapters in Romans about God’s choice, this is why. He was defending God’s most radical decision ever: the unleashing of the gospel on “dirty Gentiles.” Sure, this predestined plan had been promised to Abraham—that he’d be the father of many nations. But actually carrying out that plan? Now that’s offensive!
The controversy wasn’t about God picking one person here and another person there. God had already been doing that throughout the Old Testament! That was old news, as God had chosen Jacob, Moses, David, and others for divine acts of service. The big news flash in Paul’s day was that God was calling an entire people group who were historically not his people. Given the thousands of years that God had reserved himself for Israel, it was definitely an offense to the Jewish ego!
“But the ninth chapter of Romans is famous for supporting God’s individual selection of us! The analogy about God being the potter and us being the clay must mean he chose us individually. How can you say it’s all about God’s selection of Gentiles?” some will ask. Clearly, the only way to get to the bottom of this is to continue reading in context. So let’s do it!
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Paul draws two parallels related to God’s choice concerning Gentiles. First, he compares this new covenant decision with God’s right to harden Pharaoh’s heart in the Old Testament. Then Paul compares this new covenant decision with a potter who can do whatever he wants with his clay:
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. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? (Rom. 9:15–21 NASB)
God can have mercy on whomever he wants. In the Old Testament, he even hardened whomever he wanted! Pharaoh is a perfect example. God exercised his right to harden Pharaoh’s heart so that God’s name “might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth” (Rom. 9:17). So why is God showing mercy to Gentiles? For the same reason—to proclaim his name throughout the whole earth, not just among Jews!
Notice that it doesn’t depend on the man who wills or runs. It’s not about human effort but about God who has mercy. To some, this might sound like an argument for individual selection. But Paul explains his meaning just a few verses later when he says, “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law” (Rom. 9:30–31 NASB).
Who was the man who was running and pursuing? The Jew. And who was the man who was shown mercy? The Gentile. The Gentiles were not running after righteousness. They didn’t care about God in the least! Still, God chose them for the gospel.
This is not about individual selection. Paul is defending God’s sovereign choice to have mercy on a group that wasn’t even pursuing righteousness—the Gentiles.
The Purpose of the Potter
Paul gives the potter analogy to emphasize God’s right to choose. Of course, some think this analogy relates to heaven and hell for individuals. But