In Christ: Elected
Teaching Pastor; Staff Governing Elder; Staff Director
We often approach Romans 9 with a list of questions regarding God’s justice and sovereignty, but Paul’s goal for this passage is to highlight God’s power and redemptive purpose, which has always been to extend mercy to a broken and sinful world. He reminds us that God is far above our understanding and calls us to humble ourselves under his sovereignty. Even in the midst of our questions, we can trust God’s good character, receive the mercy he gives freely, and devote our lives to following Christ.
Study Questions
We often approach Romans 9 with a list of questions regarding God’s justice and sovereignty, but Paul’s goal for this passage is to highlight God’s power and redemptive purpose, which has always been to extend mercy to a broken and sinful world. He reminds us that God is far above our understanding and calls us to humble ourselves under his sovereignty. Even in the midst of our questions, we can trust God’s good character, receive the mercy he gives freely, and devote our lives to following Christ.Application
If we only operate within realms we can understand, our lives will be very limited. We’re called to trust as an act of dependence and worship. When is this most difficult for you? How so?
Read Psalm 131:1. Does God's incomprehensibility move you to thankfulness and delight or to evaluation and judgment of him? What is one step you could take to humble yourself and receive him as he offers himself?
Paul explains that God is not in our debt and does not owe us any sort of love or mercy. His grace is dispensed freely as a gift. What does this tell us about who God is?
Key Points
We will never understand the complexities of God. It is not up to us to understand him; it’s up to us to trust him.
God is purposeful with his choices and is not obligated to give us an explanation. Like a parent with a child, we must come under his good purposes because he knows what is best for us.
God created the world lovely, and we spoiled it. He is not obligated to us yet freely shows us mercy.
A God small enough for us to understand is neither powerful enough to save us nor sovereign and able to work all things for our good.
Our appropriate response to a sovereign God beyond our understanding is gratefulness and delight.