Meme: Open your Bibles with me to Romans 9 (predestination)

We found this supposedly fun meme here. Protestia is a reformationist "discernment" website. 

It seems like Protestia thinks that Romans 9 is problematic for non-Calvinists. But we are not troubled by the contents of any Bible verse. Calvinism doesn't burn against us, but it does rub us the wrong way.

Since it's a meme, we don't know any details why they might think it's problematic for non-Calvinists, but we suppose it has to do with predestination. Predestination is one of the central principles of Calvinism, roughly represented as an acronym TULIP. TULIP stands for:

• Total depravity
• Unconditional election
• Limited atonement
• Irresistible grace
• Perseverance of the saints

Two of these, unconditional election and irresistible grace, combine to form the idea that God chose who would be saved, and there is nothing anyone can do to thwart God's sovereign choice to save some and not save others. Predestination, then, is God choosing in advance to save certain people, the "elect."

We don't believe the Bible teaches this, and in our view Romans chapter 9 doesn't present a problem. 

Context

Let's take some time to examine what Paul wrote in chapter 9. But first, we need to note that Paul is writing to Jewish Christians in Rome (Ro. 2:17). The audience is important, as we will note later. 

Paul's whole thrust is to make the case that being Jewish is not enough to be saved (Ro. 2:28). Observing the law isn't sufficient (Ro. 3:20). Every man must be justified via faith, whether Jew or gentile (Ro. 3:28). Even Abraham was justified by faith (Ro. 4:22), and that same justification by faith is available to us (Ro. 4:24). That faith frees us from the condemnation of the law (Ro. 8:1-2).

Justification by faith means we have Christ in us (Ro. 8:10) and the Spirit living in us (Ro. 8:11). And His Spirit living in us makes us sons (Ro. 8:15) and heirs (Ro. 8:17).

Now we have arrived at chapter 9. Paul opens with a statement about his countryman: 

Ro. 9:3-4 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4 the 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.

Israel is special. They enjoy all the blessings, promises, and glory. Jesus descended from the Jews. Paul's passion is for his own people to be saved. Israel's status is the premise used to set up the idea that they have always been God's people, but now a righteousness by faith has been revealed (Ro. 10:6). His whole thrust is to compare what God intends for the Jews as contrasted with gentiles. 

This argument continues all the way through to chapter 11. 

Children of Promise

Paul writes:

Ro. 9:6, 8 ...For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel... 8 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.

Paul notes that the "children of promise." excludes some of Israel. Only Isaac's sons are the "children of promise." The Jews regard Abraham as their father (Jn. 8:39). But their lineage as descendants goes specifically from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob. These are the "children of promise (Ro. 9:8)." Therefore, the "children of promise" were Jews who were sovereignly chosen by God through the lineage of Abraham's seed. That's why Jews call him "father Abraham. Those who trace their lineage back to Abraham are the children of promise, the elect.

Eventually, Paul concludes his argument with a plain statement:

Ro. 11:2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew.

God's people are the Jews. They are those whom he foreknew, and came through a particular lineage.  

The Objects

So, we have contextualized Paul's argument, which is, God's purpose is for the Jews and then for the Church. So when we get to Ro. 9:22-25, we are in the middle of his argument:

22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath — prepared for destruction? 23 What 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 — 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As 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,” [Hosea 2:23]

Notice there are two categories of people found here:

• objects of his wrath (vs. 22) - these were prepared for destruction, but received great patience

• objects of his mercy (vs. 23) - these were prepared for mercy, intended for glory

These two categories are identified in verse 24, gentiles and Jews. Gentiles were prepared for destruction, and Jews were intended for glory (They are the elect, Ro. 11:28).

The word "objects" is not actually plural in the Greek. The word is skeuos, a vessel or container. The gentiles are a vessel (singular), the object (singular) of His wrath. His wrath is prepared for the gentiles as a whole, while His blessing is for Israel as a whole.

"Prepared" is katartizó, which is

b. to fit out, equip, put in order, arrange, adjust 

So the gentiles are fitted or arranged as a container for the wrath of God (vs. 22), while the Jews are fitted or arranged as a container for the mercy of God (vs.23). One is His people, the other is not.

Paul's meaning now starts to emerge. First, the gentiles, the object (singular) of His wrath, are recipients of His great patience, specifically to show the riches of his glory to the object (singular) of his mercy, the Jews. God is merciful to the gentiles as a demonstration to His chosen people, the Jews.

Second, notice that the category of people who are the vessel of wrath are subject to His "great patience." A critical point: If indeed the vessel fitted for destruction is predestined for that fate, why would God be patient with them unless their fate is not actually predestined?

Third, Paul discusses Jews and gentiles, with the distinction being that one was elect and blessed while the other was excluded and doomed. Paul uses the vessel idea to convey that the gentiles, who previously did not have access to the Promise, became the object of His mercy. Or we could say, they were grafted in to the root (Ro. 11:17). These branches are either connected or broken off according to faith, not by birthright (Ro. 11:20).

This passage is clearly not referring to individual predestination.

Who is "Us?"

Note the way Paul uses “we” and “us.” Paul refers to those whom he prepared in advance for glory — even us, whom he also called… (vs. 24). Once again we need to consider, who is this "us?" Paul writes that they are the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory. Israel. Paul is writing to the Jewish Christians in Rome. "Us" is his audience (Jews), and Paul. This means "us" is not "you and me." "Us" is particular to his subject of his discussion.

Paul’s point is that this mercy is no longer just for the Jews. That blessing is now for those who are also from the Gentiles… (vs. 24)

Then Paul cements his point by quoting 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… (vs. 25)

This is “us.” A few verse later, Paul notes that those who previously were the object of His wrath have obtained righteousness by faith:

Ro. 9:30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith…

However, regarding the Jews, Paul writes

Ro. 9:31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.

We gentiles have been grafted into the promise (Ro. 11:17), and some Jews have been broken off, which made a place for us (Ro. 11:19). Formerly we were the object of God's wrath, but because of the unbelief of Israel (Ro. 11:20), and because of a righteousness that comes by faith (Ro. 9:30), we are now partakers of the Promise (Ro. 9:8).

Conclusion

So, to put it all together, God's purpose was to display His glory to the Jews by showing His great patience to save the gentiles. The gentiles by faith obtain the promise and are no longer subject to God's wrath. In fact, this display of His glory is intended to provoke the Jews to jealously (Ro. 11:14).

The Jews are the people of God, but not all Israel are Israel. But they enjoyed the blessings while the gentiles were excluded and doomed. Paul uses the vessel idea to convey that the gentiles, who previously did not have access to the Promise, became an object of His mercy, and have been grafted into the promise (Ro. 11:17)

It is on this basis that we conclude that predestination referred specifically to the earliest Jewish believers, the firstfruits, while the rest of us enter by faith (Ep. 1:13). Which means that we are not predestined in the sense that the firstfruits were.

We do not intend to suggest that these very precious Scriptures do not apply to us 2000 years later. We certainly can gain information from them and apply them appropriately to our lives. We'll leave it to the reader to determine what that application might be.