The Word Unleashed Tom Pennington

In Romans 9, the apostle Paul explains the great doctrine of divine election. In doing so, he teaches that all men are equally deserving of God's justice. But God has the sole right to decide who gets the justice that they have earned by breaking His law and sinning against Him and who gets the mercy they have not earned, which is a demonstration of God’s grace. 

The doctrine of divine election is necessary for salvation because human beings are radically depraved, which means that we would never choose God apart from divine intervention. Election teaches that our only hope is in a good, generous, and gracious God who is willing to save rebels through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Alongside the doctrine of divine election is the doctrine of reprobation, which holds that God passes over some sinners, resulting in their receiving the justice that they fully deserve. When studying Romans 9, it is crucial to understand the distinctions between those two doctrines. The apostle Paul anticipates another objection, so he sets out to demonstrate that election and reprobation are completely compatible with the character of God.

One of the greatest stories in the Old Testament is God’s dealings with Moses, Pharaoh, and the 10 plagues. That great story from the book of Exodus pictures God’s redeeming work of saving the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. But why did God choose to redeem Moses and not Pharaoh?

As Paul writes Romans chapter 9 and explains divine election, he understands that the truths he’s trying to convey are difficult to understand and grasp—and that they, at first glance, don’t seem fair. So Paul himself brings up logical objections in order to provide a series of answers to help his teaching on election make sense to his readers—and us today.

The doctrine of election, which teaches that God has elected some—not all—people to salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, does not contradict the fact that God loves all people and desires for them to be saved. In fact, Scripture makes it clear that God desires that all sinners repent, turn from their sins, and trust in Christ for salvation. Both the Old and New Testaments speak of God in this way.