I am so glad and joyous that
God is absolutely all sovereign, almighty, all powerful and
encompassing all. You can always count on God for his promises and
he is forever in control.
Romans 9
God's Sovereign Choice
1I speak the truth in ChristI am not lying, my conscience confirms
it in the Holy Spirit 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish
in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut
off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race,
4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the
divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple
worship and the promises. 5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them
is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all,
forever praised![a] Amen.
6It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are
descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his
descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It
is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 8In
other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children,
but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's
offspring. 9For this was how the promise was stated: "At the
appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."[c]
10Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same
father, our father Isaac. [b]11Yet,
before the twins were born or had done anything good or badin
order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12not by works
but by him who callsshe was told, "The older will
serve the younger."[d] 13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but
Esau I hated."[e]
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says
to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."[f] 16It does
not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's
mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for
this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my
name might be proclaimed in all the earth."[g] 18Therefore God has
mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants
to harden.
19One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For
who resists his will?" 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to
God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you
make me like this?' "[h] 21Does
not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay
some pottery for noble purposes and some for common
use?
22What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known,
bore with great patience the objects of his wrathprepared for
destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory
known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for
glory 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but
also from the Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea:
"I will call them 'my people' who are not my people;
and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one,"[i]
26and,
"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to
them,
'You are not my people,'
they will be called 'sons of the living God.' "[j]
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
"Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the
sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality."[k]
29It is just as Isaiah said previously:
"Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah."[l]
