“19 You will say to me, therefore, “Why then does he still find fault? For who resists his will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?” 21 Or has the potter no right over the clay, to make from the same lump one piece of pottery for honor and another for dishonor?”
These verses, much like verses 14-16, demand that we have an attitude of humility. We, being created fully and completely by God, have no right to demand that God use us for any particular purpose. Yet, somehow, by some glorious biblical mystery that is beyond our complete comprehension, this does not conflict with our ability to make choices and have a human will of our own. We must still take responsibility for the actions that we take, the things that we say, and ultimately, the God that we reject. This is not the first time in Romans that Paul has grappled with this concept. Remember in chapter 3:
“But if by my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”? Their condemnation is deserved!” — Romans 3:7-8
Notice that neither in chapter 3, nor here in chapter 9, does Paul directly answer the question. Both times he responds by saying, and I’m paraphrasing, “Who are you to question the almighty Creator God? What standing do you, the creation, have to question the authority of the Creator?” So, Paul makes it clear, whether we are vessels made for righteousness or unrighteousness, it is God’s will and we have no say in the matter. The following verses from the story of Job correctly capture this fact:
“If he snatches something, who can stop him? Who can ask him, “What are you doing?”” “How then can I answer him or choose my arguments against him? Even if I were in the right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy.” — Job 9:12, 14-15
King Nebuchadnezzar experienced this fact of God as well when his heart was softened and he was able to respond rightly toward God.
“But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified him who lives forever: For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and he does what he wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can block his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”” — Daniel 4:34-35
God uses the same language, spoken through the prophet Isaiah, as Paul does. Paul had an immense knowledge of the Old Testament, so it may well be that this Scripture is where Paul pulls his language from.
“You have turned things around, as if the potter were the same as the clay. How can what is made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”? How can what is formed say about the one who formed it, “He doesn’t understand what he’s doing”?” — Isaiah 29:16
“Woe to the one who argues with his Maker — one clay pot among many. Does clay say to the one forming it, ‘What are you making? ’ Or does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?” — Isaiah 45:9
“Yet Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we all are the work of your hands.” — Isaiah 64:8
And through the prophet Jeremiah:
“The word of the Lord came to me: “House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay? ” — this is the Lord’s declaration. “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.” — Jeremiah 18:5-6
The Bible makes it clear that we have no authority or place from which to question God and what He has done or is doing. We must maintain that all people are responsible for their actions, whether that be the acceptance or rejection of God, because that is what Scripture teaches. Yet, we must also hold true that whether we are saved or condemned, it has already been ordained by God’s will that we do so, and He makes possible either the softening or the hardening of our hearts. And while these two truths may seem incompatible to be held simultaneously, Scripture demands that we must do so. How can this be? We don’t get to know. We only know that God says it is true and that we must have faith in His declarations and promises.
As a conclusion to today’s devotional, I remind you what we discussed a few days ago: The prideful will ask, even accuse God, “How could you?!” How could you let people go to hell? How could you let people perish? The humble will ask, “God, how could you?” How could you love me, a sinner? How could you choose me as a child of God for yourself and save me? From both perspectives we may find ourselves questioning God’s election, but the attitude between the two perspectives could not be more different! One approaches God with an arrogant, self-centered attitude, while the other approaches God with a humble, God-centered attitude. So then, that is the answer to the question. Is God’s election fair? Yes, it is. Why? Because He says so.