Election in Romans 9-11

Contra Unconditional Election, part 5

Romans 9 is one of the most often quoted passages from Calvinists to defend the doctrine of Unconditional Election. They point out that God loved Jacob and hated Esau. That is, He chose one and not the other. It was God’s choice according to His purpose and His decision to call one and not the other. And so, He has mercy on whom He desires to have mercy upon. Then verse 16 says, “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” This, the Calvinist takes to mean that the unsaved person does not will to pursue God to be saved. They will never will what God wants but will only will their own sin. This is why God needs to save them, to make them willing. So then, according to this understanding, if God does not act to save people and choose them to be saved, then they will stay lost. It is from this context that the Calvinist presents Paul’s counter-argument, “who are you, O man, who answers back to God?” In other words, you don’t get to ask that question of whether it is just or unjust for God to choose some for salvation and pass by to condemn the others. God can do what He wants since He made every person. If He wants to create people for the sole purpose of destroying them and displaying His wrath upon them to glorify Himself, then He can do that. And it would be necessary to do that so that His mercy can be shown to be all the more merciful to those whom He decides He will save. This is how the Calvinists see the text.

But on the contrary, if we look at the context in the latter portion of Romans 9, we see that it says, “but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because…” God did not choose them? No, “because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone” (9:31-32). So then, we see that the reason Israel was rejected was not because God did not choose them. Rather, they were rejected for their unbelief and self-righteousness. As Romans 11:20 says, “they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith.” So then, Israel was rejected because they did not pursue the righteousness of God through faith but pursued it in their own righteousness.

However, this rejection is not a permanent rejection since it only persists where there is an absence of faith as Romans 11:23 says, “if they do not continue in their unbelief,” they “will be grafted in.” God desires all Israel to be saved (v. 15, 26) and desires to “show mercy to all” (v. 32). But the Israelites are not incapable of responding to God. Otherwise, how would God move them to jealousy through the salvation of the Gentiles? (v. 11). And how would Paul move them to jealousy in order to save them? (v. 14). A spiritually incapably dead person would not be capable of responding in such a way, would they? They would not. This proves that to be spiritually dead does not mean to be incapable of responding to God. In addition, if God desires all to be saved and is abundant in mercy for all, then the problem is with the person’s faith or the lack thereof, not with God failing to give them the ability or means to have faith.

In the beginning of Romans 11, Paul specifically says that God has not rejected Israel as a whole (v. 1). This thought continues from Romans 9 where it says, “For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel” (v. 6), and “though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved” (v. 27). The remnant are the children of the promise (v. 8). Meaning, salvation comes through the means of faith. This is demonstrated in Romans 11:4 when God says, “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed to the knee to Baal.” These people were the remnant of Israel who had not apostatized by following after other gods. Those who had faith in other gods, were not saved, while those who had faith in Yahweh (this small remnant), they were saved. But this has nothing to do with the idea of God passing by certain people.

In verse 5, Paul says, “In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.” Paul connects what was said previously about the remnant in Israel who had not worshipped Baal and the remnant in Paul’s day of those who were truly of the faith and thus truly Israel. This remnant came to be by God’s gracious choice. This choice of God is to save people by grace through faith. Therefore, it is not on the basis of works. It is not on the basis of the law. And it is not on the basis of being a physical descendant from Abraham. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith.

Verse 7 says, “What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.” The physical descendants of Abraham, the Israelites, sought the righteousness of God but did not attain that righteousness because they sought it through self-righteous works and they rejected their Messiah. For this reason, they were hardened in their unbelief. However, “those who were chosen” obtained that righteousness. How were they chosen? By grace through faith.

At this point, it would be helpful to not imagine God’s choosing as choosing some and not others or giving faith to some and not others. Instead, look at it this way: The chosen are specifically in reference to the Gentiles who were also chosen to receive salvation and the blessings of the covenant and to serve God. Notice that the text does not say that some were chosen and some were not chosen. Rather it says that people were chosen and that the rest who did not obtain the righteousness of God, they were hardened. To be hardened does not mean that they were not chosen. It could very well be the case that all were chosen—all were selected, but not all came—not all were receptive. To those who were not receptive, therefore, their hearts became hardened. These are those who did not respond to God’s call and so they became hardened in their unbelief. Specifically, the context indicates that this is the mass majority of Israel who became hardened by rejecting Jesus. In this way, we could see God’s choice as God’s election of grace to save all those who come to Him through faith, and His rejection is to reject all those who do not come to Him through faith. Therefore, God elects all people to come to Him but only selects those who come to Him through faith. This is what God’s gracious choice is. Therefore, it is not about the arbitrary acceptance or rejection of people. But rather, the invitation is for all to come, even from among the Gentiles; but only allowing those to enter who have the robes of Christ’s righteousness on the basis of faith (like in the parable of the Wedding Feast). This is God’s election of grace, which would be the better translation here since the word choice is a noun.

When God says in Romans 9:15 “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion,” this is not about the limitations and restrictions of God’s grace. The focus is not about God not choosing people. Rather, the supposed accusation for it to be unfair for God to do this is for Him to select the Gentiles to bring His message of truth to the world since all along, the Israelites were the keepers of truth and God’s blessings. Why would God extend His mercy this far to people He formerly had no covenantal relationship with in knowing them while paying no regard for those who were descendants from Abraham? From the perspective of an Israelite, that seems unfair for God to do. But God is not unfair for doing that because if He wants to extend His mercy to the Gentiles, He can do that because He is God. So then, the focus here is on the possible problematic issue of God extending His mercy too far rather than it being about God restricting His mercy too much.

Although verse 22 speaks about vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, it is not as though God made them that way from birth. Otherwise, it is quite redundant to mention how God could by any means endure with them with much patience if He was in fact the sole determinative cause of them being vessels of wrath. But since God was not the determinative cause of them being vessels of wrath but rather, they became so through their sin and unbelief and in this way spoiled themselves, God decided to re-purpose these vessels and have His wrath upon them and harden their hearts, so that God could bring salvation to the world. God sovereignly orchestrated events using the free-will decisions of people and their hard-heartedness towards God to bring about the crucifixion of Jesus. It is not unjust for God to use people’s hard-heartedness to bring salvation to the world, is it? It is for this reason Paul says that it is not unjust for God to do this, and “who are you, O man, who answers back to God?” (v. 20).

Here, Paul is not indicating that God has reprobated people to destruction or that God chose not to save certain people or refuse to make them alive in order to believe. It is not about God choosing some people for the sole purpose of being cannon fodder. Rather, the issue of contention revolves around God’s particular methods to bring about His purposes, specifically the method of hardening the hearts of many Israelites, using them as vessels of wrath, while selecting the rest of the world to receive the blessings as if God had forgotten about His people, Israel. But Paul’s response to this misperceived injustice is to say that there is no injustice with God at all. God can decide to have mercy upon whomever He decides to have mercy upon. If He wants to extend His grace, He can do that. If He wants to harden the hearts of those who have already hardened their own hearts against Him, then He can do that, even as He did with Pharoah. Pharoah had hardened his heart multiple times before it says God hardened his heart, and so he was already set in his ways and evil attitude against God. However, God did not determinatively cause Pharoah’s actions.

But at this point some might think that it is ridiculous for God to find fault with those who sin if those who sin (like crucifying Jesus) were part of God’s sovereign plan and God would have brought about that plan anyway. So then, it seems impossible for anyone to resist God’s will. If this is the case, why does God still find fault with those who sin and remain in unbelief? This is when Paul says, “who are you, O man, who answers back to God?” and his counter-argument continues all the way to chapter 11. Paul’s emphasis is on God’s ways being higher than our ways since He is the potter and we are the clay. He is God and we are not. Those who answer back to God are those who are accusing God of being unjust for doing such things. But we must be careful in our interpretation here. Paul is not giving a blanket statement saying that it is wrong to ask God questions to understand His ways. The wrong thing here is accusing God of injustice. To “answer back” literally means to contradict or dispute against God. But there is nothing wrong with simply asking questions in and of themselves. God wants us to trust Him and to prove His goodness to us. That is one of the main reasons He sent Jesus to die on the cross, after all.

Paul defends God’s actions and justice in these ways:

First, Paul explains how using the hardened Israelites to bring about God’s plan was for the purpose of bringing about the riches of God’s glory to be poured out upon the world (v. 23-24). Therefore, this was the greater purpose in God’s particular methods.

Second, Paul reminds his audience through quoting Isaiah that God’s actions have always been this way towards Israel. This is not something completely unheard of because “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved” (v. 27). All Israel is not automatically saved or on God’s good side simply by virtue of being descendants from Abraham. History has proved this.

Third, the fault is not with God but with Israel who did not pursue the righteousness which is by faith but instead, they pursued it as though it were by works. They stumbled because of their own unbelief (v. 30-33).

Fourth, Paul illustrates how stupidly easy it is to accept the righteousness of God on the basis of faith by confessing with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Then he says, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him” and “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (10:12-13). But the problem was, “they did not all heed the good news” (v. 16). And just like in times past, God says to Israel, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people” (v. 21). So then, they were accountable for what they saw and heard and God’s grace has been extended to them this whole time but they refused Him because of their obstinate hearts.

Fifth. Though God used Israel to bring about His sovereign purposes through their hard hearts, it would be wrong to assume that this means God has rejected His people whom He foreknew (11:1-2). That is simply not the case. Paul brings out the example of Israelites in the past who were Baal worshippers, and God’s blessings were not with them because they themselves were not with God. Yet even though all those had hardened their hearts against God, there was a remnant who were still faithful to God. In the same way, there is a remnant within Israel in Paul’s day who truly had faith in God and would therefore receive God’s salvation and blessings on the basis of God’s grace through faith.

Sixth. God’s methods are just because His temporary rejection and hardening of Israel was not to the end that they would fall, to be cast off and perish forever. But rather, through their “transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous” (11:11). In other words, after the crucifixion of Jesus, the hearts of the Israelites were still hard and so through salvation coming to the Gentiles, it might soften and move the Israelite’s hard hearts through jealousy in order that they might come to be saved.

Seventh. If God’s rejection of Israel brought salvation to the whole world, how much more do you think God desires to accept Israel and bring them the life of salvation? (v. 15).

Eighth. God did not reject Israel indiscriminately or arbitrarily. It is not because God failed to choose them to be saved that they were cut off and perished. No. But rather, “they were broken off for their unbelief” (v. 20) but “if they do not continue in their unbelief,” then they will be grafted back in again (v. 23).

Ninth. God will use Israel’s hardened heart and disobedience to point out their need for God so they He may show mercy upon them. And since God desires to show mercy to the Gentiles, how much more would He desire to show mercy to Israel? “For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all” (v. 32). God’s ultimate end is to show mercy upon as many people as will receive His mercy through faith.

As a result of all these arguments for the just actions and methods of God, we come to understand that God’s desire and purpose is by no means restrictive in giving His mercy to a select few while withholding it from everyone else. The exact opposite is true. God’s mercy is extended to whoever will call upon the name of the Lord to be saved and it is abounding to all. And if God stretches out His hands all day long for a rebellious and obstinate people, that means that the restriction is not in God but in people for rejecting God and hardening their own hearts against Him. It is for this reason that God still finds fault in people for their sin and unbelief even though God chose to use Israel’s rejection of their Messiah to bring salvation to the world; and through this, God chose to bring the truth to the Gentiles and use them as His instruments of salvation to the world. Therefore, God is just in choosing to show mercy to the Gentiles by using them to be His servants, and He is just to harden Israel’s heart and to use them as vessels of wrath by which they crucified their Messiah.

The answer to the question, “Who resists His will?” is that God is sovereign over all, yet people also do what they naturally were going to do anyway. Therefore, God does not need to force anyone to do contrary to what their nature already is. They voluntarily act and God oversees those actions and orchestrates events to move in the favor of His good and glorious ends. It is sort of a mystery how it all works together but despite this mystery, God is just because God is wholly good, loving, and abounding in mercy to all. Therefore, we can trust Him to make the right decisions and to not commit injustices against humanity.

A Summary of Doctrinal Positions in Romans 9-11

The subject of discussion is about who inherits the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, and promises (9:4). Who are the children of God and children of the promise? Not physical descendants but the spiritual descendants are the true heirs (9:6-8).

Paul gives the example of Jacob being an heir of the promise while Esau was not, even though both of them came from the lineage of Abraham and Isaac. But Paul was not referring to these two people individualistically but corporately, as they represented “two nations” (Gen 25:23). God chose to use these two people groups for different purposes, and that sovereign purpose was bigger than Jacob or Esau’s individual choices. Israel as we know it today, came from the lineage of Jacob. Physically speaking, Israel and Jacob are descendants from God’s promise to bless the nations through Abraham’s seed. However, if God wants to, He can change things around the bless the earth through the Gentiles or through whatever people group He decides that He wants to use.

Pharoah is given as an example of God hardening someone while the recipients of God’s mercy are “the whole earth” by which God’s name was proclaimed as a result of Pharoah’s hardening and the miraculous signs displayed in Egypt.

But if these things are so and God is sovereign over these events, it may seem like no one can resist God’s will. So how can mankind really be at fault for their actions? But this is not the right question to ask. God can purpose different things that He desires for different people groups.

Israel is given as an example of vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, as throughout history, they continually rebelled against God and God was very patient in putting up with their sin. But why did He do it? So that through Israel, He could bring about the promised Messiah to show His mercy upon everyone else, whether to Jews or to Gentiles.

But this was specifically God’s gracious choice, to include the Gentiles, those who were “Not My people” to become “My people.” The majority of Israel did not find the righteousness of God and so they were not of faith, while the Gentiles and a remnant of Israel did find the righteousness of God on the basis of faith.

Chapter 10 then proceeds to explain how salvation is on the basis of faith to whoever will call upon the name of the Lord, for God is Lord of all, and “abounding in riches for all who call on Him.” But the problem of why people do not believe is because they do not all “heed the good news.” The Gentiles found God while many of the Israelites did not, since they were very disobedient and obstinate. Yet God would bring salvation and blessing to the Gentiles to make the Jews jealous so that they might turn and believe.

But though God had used Israel and hardened their hearts because of their unbelief to bring about blessings to the world, this does not mean God has rejected His people forever. It may seem that way even as for Elijah it seemed as if there was no one left besides Him who worshipped Yahweh, but there were in fact a remnant of people who were still faithful to God and had not apostatized in worshipping Baal.

Even at the time in which Paul was speaking, God chose to still be gracious to Israel, accepting all who came to Him through faith.

Yet it remains that Israel is seeking to be pleasing to God but has not obtained that state of being pleasing to Him because of their unbelief. Meanwhile, the Gentile people were selected to inherit all the blessings and promises that the majority of Israel failed to obtain. Therefore, the Gentiles became the recipients of mercy while the Israelites who remained in unbelief were hardened.

But this does not mean that Israel has been cast off forever or has become reprobates. In fact, God has extended salvation to the Gentiles for the purpose of making the Jews jealous so that they might come back to God. Their transgression of unbelief and crucifying their Messiah is not the end of their story. If God’s sovereign purpose was to use their sin to bring salvation to the world, how much more will God desire to bring salvation to them as well?

That is, God’s sovereign purpose to use their unbelief for His glory was not because God made them reprobates. They were broken off for their unbelief but they can still come back again through believing. Being vessels of wrath prepared for destruction was only a temporary thing and is dependent upon this people continuing in unbelief. But if they repent, they will be saved and become vessels of honor.

God will not forsake His people whom He foreknew, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” God will not break His covenant for the sake of the fathers because of God’s love and covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God’s purpose in distancing Israel from the covenant and bringing salvation to the Gentiles is to bless the world and to also bring in the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel through them being jealous, seeing their need for God, the righteousness that comes through faith, and repenting. By seeing their need of God, being humbled, and having no excuse, God may then show mercy to them.

In Conclusion, Romans does not teach the total incapability of mankind to respond to God in faith. Being chosen is about God welcoming in other people groups into His covenant promises and salvation. It is not about individualistic choosing. The remnant are those who specifically in Israel, have faith in God and are thus, spiritual descendants of God’s covenant on the basis of faith. Faith itself is not a work and therefore, for God to save people by grace is for Him to save them on the basis of their faith in Him. This is in contrast to the situation in which some of the Israelites thought that on the basis of their physical descent and law-keeping, that they would automatically inherit salvation, even through their unbelief. But the salvific blessings of the covenant only belong to those who truly have faith. This has always been a true statement, even throughout all of Israel’s history.

God does not harden people from birth or harden them indiscriminate of their own wills. Rather, He hardens those who have already hardened their own hearts. In like manner to Romans 1, God hands people over to the futility of their own minds, to their unbelief, and sin. Once their accumulated choices have led them down that path, God then hardens their heart in that condition through His consequential wrath of them cutting themselves off from God’s life. God can then do with them and purpose them as He sees fit to bring about His greater plan of redemption. Though no one can resist God’s ultimate sovereign end, people often resist God’s will as obstinate Israel did. But the reason God still finds fault with their sin and unbelief is because they freely chose it. God did not determine their sin. But He did repurpose their sin to bring about something good in the end.

Ultimately, Romans 9:14-23 needs to be understood within the broader context of the following text all the way to Romans 11 which emphasizes faith as being the means by which to receive God’s grace. It also needs to be understood in a more corporate, general, broad sense, rather than seen individualistically. Therefore, God’s choice to have mercy upon people is not indiscriminate of a person’s willing faith. The mercy being spoken of is about God extending salvation to the Gentiles as a people and choosing to use them as His messengers, not about the individual selection of those individuals.

God’s choice is not about the man who wills or the man who runs. Israel represents the man who wills while the Gentiles represent the man who runs. But since God’s choice to save and use people is dependent upon God’s mercy, whoever comes to Him through faith will receive His mercy, for there is no impartiality with God.

God's choice is about Him deciding to save people by the means of faith. God's choice is not that people enter covenant with Him and obtain His blessings by the physical descent of Abraham or by the works of the law. Rather, God's choice is that covenant promises are obtained by grace through faith. God has chosen or elected that all the nations are permitted to have access to Him through these means. Meanwhile, the Israelites who do not pursue God based upon those means, they will be cut off. This interpretation is consistent with the interpretation about the parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22, which has been explained elsewhere.

Watch this 10min video for an alternative way of explaining these things: Why Calvinism Gets Romans 9 Wrong (Election and Mission)

Here is another video: Does Romans 9 Teach Calvinism? Non-Calvinist Interpretation