Does Romans 9 Actually Teach Calvinism?

People often resort to Romans chapter 9 to try to validate Calvinism. This study will focus on Romans 9:6-29 since covering these verses is sufficient to answer whether Romans 9 teaches Calvinism or not.

Reading now from Romans 9:6-9: “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.”

The children of promise are those who are faithful to God’s covenant. There were always natural descendants of Abraham, including many within the nation of Israel, who were not faithful to God’s covenant. The disobedient are excluded from being counted among the children of God (i.e. the spiritual Israel).

Romans 9:10-13: “And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”

The elder (Esau) serving the younger (Jacob) is a reference to the nations which Esau and Jacob would become the fathers of. Ancient Israel had a special place in the Lord’s program of redemption which the nation of Esau’s descendants did not have (see Malachi 1:1-3, which is referenced in Romans 9:13, for proof of this). On an individual level, Esau never served Jacob for a day in his life. Esau’s descendants actually became a kingdom (Edom) well before Jacob’s descendants did. The Jews did nothing to earn the calling which they had as a people. They were expected to be obedient to that calling. They lost their special place through their disobedience. Paul is establishing that the Old Testament proves it is no strange thing that God would cease to work His economy of redemption through the Jewish nation after its rejection of Christ. He had already chosen not to do this through many of Abraham’s natural descendants.

Romans 9:14: “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.”

Paul is clearing up any potential misconceptions by these words. God is bound by His own law. He does not arbitrarily accept or reject individuals since He does not respect persons. Otherwise, He would be unrighteous. God would be unrighteous if Calvinism were true.

Romans 9:15: “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

The Calvinist reads words like “arbitrary” and “unconditional” into this verse. Yet the Lord makes it clear throughout the entire Bible that His mercy towards individuals is anything but arbitrary and unconditional.

Isaiah 55:6-7: “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

Those who meet the conditions obtain His mercy. There are no exceptions for those who do not meet the conditions, not even for natural Jews- since God is no respecter of persons. That is the main point of Romans chapter 9.

Romans 9:16: “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”

Passages such as 1 Corinthians 9:26 and Hebrews 12:1 demonstrate the necessity of willing and running in order to obtain God’s mercy. It must be willing and running in line with His way of redemption in Jesus Christ. All the running and willing otherwise will not save someone. Christ is called a stumbling stone to the unbelieving Jews later in this chapter because they tried to run another way. Running and willing can’t win the race when you don’t heed the instructions of the judge.

Romans 9:17-18: “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.”

Continuing with the flow from the previous verses, people must obtain God’s mercy on His terms or be condemned. Paul is comparing the Jews who reject Christ to the Pharaoh who reigned when God delivered the Israelites from Egypt. This is a man whom they would have confessed that God was righteous to judge severely. Pharaoh, by his own free will, was disobedient despite God offering him many great chances to repent. God allowed him then to pursue the evil, harmful course he had already chosen until his destruction was final. Whether God brought the plagues or stopped them, in either case Pharaoh continued to rebel and became further hardened. This is proven by Exodus 9:13-17 (the verses from Exodus which Paul alluded to in Romans 9:17-18).

The Lord can be said to harden people by bringing the light of the knowledge of Himself to them and then letting the bad effects of their opposition take course in their hearts when they refuse the light.

Psalm 95:7-9 (notice that man is warned not to harden his heart to God’s Word): “To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.”

Jesus frequently rebuked the Jews in the Gospel accounts for hardening themselves to the Great Light which is Himself (see Luke 19:41-44). Like Pharaoh, they hardened themselves against an especially great amount of light which was brought before their eyes. The comparison of the unbelieving Jews to Pharaoh is also fitting in that their judgments have been a notable demonstration of God’s power.

Romans 9:19-21: “Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?”

Some might say at this point that if God is glorified by pouring out His judgment upon Pharaoh and upon Jews who reject Christ, then how can God find fault with them when His name is yet magnified through them? Paul answers through the illustration of the potter in Jeremiah chapter 18. This passage emphasizes man’s responsibility and capability to respond to God obediently. It also justifies Him for pouring out His wrath upon the disobedient.

People do resist God’s will in that they rebel against His authority and commandments. People cannot resist God’s will in that every person will eventually receive exactly what is judged to be a fitting response for their choices before Him. He still has a useful purpose for those who resist His authority and continue in sin, one that is totally righteous on His part- yet not good for the obstinate sinner. The following verse from Jeremiah 18 is a death stroke to Calvinism.

Jeremiah 18:20: “Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.”

Romans 9:22: “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:”

Enduring people with long-suffering when there is no possibility of their repentance is mockery.

Romans 9:23-26: “And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee (Hosea), I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.”

It is clear that the vessels of mercy have not always been among God’s people. The phrase “afore prepared unto glory” is another phrase which the Calvinists especially latch onto. Note that this is in connection with God making known “the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy.” The riches of His grace in Christ are poured out upon those who actually repent and believe in Christ. The riches of His grace fit these for glory.

Passages like Acts 13:43, Colossians 1:21-29, and Hebrews 12:14-17 demonstrate that continuing in God’s grace and inheriting glory are not unconditional nor automatic. God’s people are exhorted in the Bible to cooperate with His grace and are warned about falling from grace unto damnation. The Book of Romans itself also provides many examples of such warnings (see Romans 8:12-13, 11:19-23, etc).

Romans 9:27-29: “Esaias (Isaiah) also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 29 And as Esaias (Isaiah) said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah.”

The topic has never changed throughout the chapter. The topic will also not change from Romans 9:30 until the end of Romans chapter 11. It is emphasized here that it should not be considered a strange thing that the Lord would cast away natural Israelites because of their obstinance against Christ since there were also Israelites throughout the Old Testament whom God rejected and judged for their disobedience. Romans 9 certainly does not teach Calvinism. It proves that man coming into line with God in order to obtain His grace is man’s responsibility. It rebukes man for not properly exercising his God-given capability to do so.

The Lord has graciously made provision in Jesus Christ to rescue us from our deep fall into sin and the condemnation of eternal hell which we deserve. The burden is upon man to come into line with Him and cooperate with the rescue which He has provided in Jesus who is the only way to the Father. No one can give a bribe nor do any work to get around Him. Exercising faith in Him cannot be separated from forsaking sin and working what is right in His eyes.