Romans Chapter 9 Doesn’t Teach Calvinism; it Teaches Against it

Believers in Calvinist theology resort to Romans chapter 9. Yet Romans 9 is actually teaching the very opposite of what the Calvinists and other Reformed Theologians teach. It proves that man coming into line with God in order to obtain His grace is man’s responsibility while rebuking man for not properly exercising his God-given capability to do so.

Romans 9:1-5 (this is of course the Apostle Paul writing): “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”

If Paul is really going to go on in this chapter to say things which warrant Calvinistic conclusions, then he obviously should not be contending with God by expressing great heaviness and continual sorrow about his natural Jewish brethren’s lost spiritual condition. It is pathetically ironic that Calvinists who teach that God unconditionally chose some to salvation and not others, and who say that man should accept this or he is contending with God, are actually saying the very opposite of what is taught in the Bible passage- the very passage they most commonly resort in their attempts to validate their theology.

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.”

There were/are always natural descendants of Abraham who were/are not in God’s grace. The true, spiritual Israel in God’s eyes was never based upon ethnicity nor natural heritage. The natural Jews had great privileges- but that only meant greater spiritual potential and greater judgment if they were not faithful to their end of the covenant. Paul had already alluded to this truth frequently in the first three chapters of Romans. The children of promise are those who keep God’s covenant by meeting its conditions. There were always natural descendants of Abraham who did not do this, so it is no strange thing that so many natural Jews have rejected Christ, saying “we will not have this man to reign over us.” (See Luke 19:14)

Look ahead to the closing verses of the chapter and the topic’s continuance in Romans chapters ten and eleven. Note that the topic never changes from the topic which has been introduced in the opening verses of Romans 9. Nothing said then in these chapters can properly be understood without understanding the topic and Paul’s clear intent in relation to the topic. He is obviously explaining the Apostolic viewpoint concerning the natural Jews and why God is not unrighteous to condemn those of them who reject Christ along with all others who don’t obey His Gospel.

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.”

This is one example of why we need to look up Old Testament references in the New Testament and of why we need to cross reference Scripture in general. Calvinists use the above verses to try to justify their doctrine of unconditional election of individuals to salvation. Yet God saying the elder (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob) is a reference to the nations which Esau and Jacob would become the fathers of and the special place ancient Israel had which the nation of Esau’s descendants (Edom) did not have. Look at the passage in the Old Testament which Paul referenced in verse 13 to know this for certain.

Malachi 1:1-3: “The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.”

Regarding Esau and Jacob as individuals, Esau never personally served Jacob for a day in his life. Esau’s descendants actually became a kingdom (Edom) well before Jacob’s descendants did (see Genesis 36:31). The choice spoken of here is not even related to Jacob nor Esau’s personal salvation. Referring back to verses 4 and 5 of Romans 9, the Lord chose to work His program of redemption through Jacob’s descendants; not Esau’s. He also judged the Jews for their wickedness as a nation as He did with the Edomites. The judgments on Israel throughout the Old Testament were of the utmost severity, particularly the judgment at the hands of the Babylonians- while the judgment in the latter 1st and 2nd centuries AD through the Romans wiped out the Jewish nation altogether (and it has never been re-established in God’s will by the way; modern Israel is majorly provoking the Lord).

The loving of Jacob and hating Esau only pertains to how God chose the nation which Jacob’s descendants became (Israel) to work through to establish His worship among, commit His Scriptures to, and bring forth His Christ through. The point Paul is establishing is 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 since He had already chosen not to work this through many of Abraham’s natural descendants. Jacob did nothing good to make him entitled to this (which as was said, this choice was not regarding his personal salvation- Jacob still could have gone to hell while it is not necessarily the case that in Esau is in hell now). What we are dealing with is rebuke to the pride of Christ-rejecting Jews and of all futile attempts of men to obtain God’s favor through self-appointed means. We’ll see yet more as this chapter unfolds that Paul is rebuking those who would be offended and murmur that God would not accept Jews who reject Christ (and remember that Paul himself is Jewish).

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

Paul is clearing up misconceptions by these words which one may have after reading previous verses. God does not arbitrarily accept or reject individuals. He is just. He is bound by His own law. He does not respect persons. Otherwise, He would be unrighteous.

Some Calvinists will cite Isaiah 45:7 to try to say that God isn’t bound by His own Law and is rather the creator of evil. But this is a wicked lie. Isaiah 45:7 says:“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” Note that evil here is put in contrast to peace. This is a reference to God’s just judgment and the calamity which that brings (like when He righteously judged and overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah). Evil originates from Satan; not God. Jesus makes it clear in John 8:44 that Satan is a liar and the father of lies.

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.”

Calvinists read 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. Paul is expecting his readers to understand what the Scriptures already say on the topics he writes about. People obviously go into great error when they don’t.

Psalm 103:13-18: “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.”

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.”

Note that the burden here is placed upon the sinner to be reconciled to God who has made the provision for reconciliation. It is up to the sinner to seek the Lord on His terms to actually obtain His mercy which is not arbitrary. Those that meet the conditions find mercy. There are no exceptions for those who do not meet the conditions- whether they be natural Jews or anyone else- since God is no respecter of persons. This is the entire point of Romans chapter 9; and it is the very opposite of what the Calvinists teach through their doctrine of unconditional election.

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

Other passages in the Bible demonstrate the necessity of willing and running in order to obtain God’s mercy. Yet it must be willing and running in line with His way of redemption in Jesus Christ. All of the running and willing otherwise will not save someone. Christ is called a stumbling stone to the unbelieving Jews later in this very chapter because they tried to run another way. Running and willing do no good when you don’t heed the instructions of, and follow the course laid down by, the Lawgiver and Judge. You surely will not win if you don’t run the course which He has laid down in line with His instructions.

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.”

Paul is obviously comparing the Jews who reject Christ to the Pharaoh who reigned when God delivered the Israelites from Egypt. This is a man whom the Jews would have readily confessed that God was righteous to judge severely. Continuing with the flow from the previous verses then, people must obtain God’s mercy on His terms or be condemned.

People render themselves hardened against God’s truth by their choices not to break before Him and walk in the light of the knowledge of Himself. People are basically hardened to the degree that light has been brought before them and they’ve refused to walk therein. The Lord can be said to harden someone by bringing the light of the knowledge of Himself to people and letting the bad effects of their opposition to Him take their course in their hearts when they choose to not break before Him and oppose His light. Paul expected his readers to know this based upon what had already been said in the Old Testament and what He had said already within this epistle to the Romans (see Romans 2:4-11).

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.

Luke 19:41-44: “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”

Jesus was referring to the great judgment which eventually came on the Jewish nation in AD 70 for the nation’s rejection of Him. Paul spoke of God’s wrath having already come on the Jewish people in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. Paul likely knew that the great judgment upon Jerusalem which Jesus spoke of in the Gospel accounts was coming shortly (and it did a little more than a decade after Romans was written- which was probably in the late AD 50s).

Like Pharaoh, the Jews of the first century who rejected Christ hardened themselves against an especially great amount of light of the knowledge of God which was brought before their eyes. The comparison of the unbelieving Jews then to Pharaoh is thus fitting not only in terms of the hardening of their hearts to extremely great light, but also in that their judgment was a great demonstration of God’s power whereby His name was known (i.e. magnified) throughout all the earth.

Pharaoh fought the Lord at every step by his own free will and therefore especially deserved severe judgment. The Calvinists say Pharaoh could not have chosen any different than he did. The opposite is true. 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. He did not encourage Pharaoh to do evil- but He did not stop him either. Whether God brought the plagues or stopped them, Pharaoh used either to further rebel and become further hardened.

Exodus 9:13-17 (this is the specific passage from Exodus which Paul alluded to in Romans 9): “And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?”

This implies Pharaoh had free will in his response. Consider the ridiculous implications of God’s words here if otherwise.

And then later in the chapter, after God had removed the plague, we read in Exodus 9:34-35: “And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses.”

Pharaoh was being disobedient in spite of all the overwhelming evidence of the foolishness of doing so- just as the Jews with Jesus Christ. Jesus blames the Jews themselves for their own disobedience to Him. They are the same people to whom Jesus said the following.

Luke 13:34-35: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

No one who refuses to bow to Jesus Christ and follow Him as their rightful Lord in this life will be able to blame God on Judgment Day for hardening their heart to prevent that. Jesus wanted the Jews who rejected Him to come under His saving reign and obtain His grace- but they would not. Since that is the case, the Calvinists are lying and twisting Scripture to keep their own tradition as the Jews for on several occasions in the Bible.

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?”

Let’s suppose for a moment that Calvinism is true: If the one charged with replying against God here were charged with not believing in Calvinistic doctrine, then it would be God Himself who prevented them from believing in Calvinist doctrine. If Calvinism were true, how could one embrace Calvinism unless God decreed that and caused that to happen? Otherwise, how could they do anything besides resist Calvinism? And any answer the Calvinist were to give at that point to say people have capability to embrace Calvinism would betray their own doctrine. Calvinists should be called out on this. It is logical for someone who opposes Calvinism to rebuke a Calvinist for not believing and doing better, whereas a Calvinist can’t logically do this to opponents of Calvinism without betraying Calvinism.

The actual thing being addressed in verses 19 to 21 is related to how some might say at this point that if God is glorified by pouring out His judgment upon Pharaoh and the Christ rejecting Jews, then how can God find fault with them when His power is yet shown and His name is 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 and justifies Him for pouring out His wrath upon the disobedient. Men do resist God’s will in that they rebel against His authority and commandments. Men cannot resist God’s will in that every man will eventually receive exactly what is judged to be a fitting response for their choices before Him. He can and does glorify His name through people who harden themselves against Him- by pouring out His wrath on them. 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.

Actually consulting Jeremiah chapter 18 demonstrates that vessels of wrath are such because they choose not to repent. There is no such thing as a person in God’s grace who has not truly submitted to His authority and cast their sins away in repentance in order to flee from His coming wrath.

Paul had said earlier in Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness…”

Did you ever hold the truth in unrighteousness? If so, you were a vessel of wrath at some point. And if you are currently holding the truth in unrighteousness, then you are currently a vessel of wrath. The following is a death stroke to Calvinism.

Jeremiah 18:20 (Jeremiah is praying in light of the preceding things in the chapter): “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 seen in these verses 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. Yet 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 genuinely repent and believe in Christ. The riches of His grace fit these for glory, as the Lord obtaining a people who share in His glory is ultimately the goal of Christ’s redemption (and that concept is essentially what Biblical predestination is). Predestination is one of the Biblical words which the Calvinists badly abuse along with election and foreknowledge (the elect though are simply those who come to Christ on His terms; and Biblical foreknowledge is how God planned the way of redemption in Christ before the world was created). There is nothing in these terms which teach the unconditional election of some individuals to salvation and some to damnation before the foundation of the world.

God’s true people are exhorted throughout the Bible to cooperate with the grace of Christ and warned throughout the Bible that turning back from Christ unto damnation is possible. The Book of Romans itself echoes this truth repeatedly (see Romans 8:12-13, 11:19-23, etc). See also Colossians 1:21-29 along these lines (note the phrase “the riches of his glory” in verse 27; and note the conditional nature of the Christian partaking in these riches throughout this passage).

Romans 9:27-29: “Esaias (i.e. 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 Gomorrha.”

The topic has never changed throughout the chapter. It is emphasized here that it should not be considered a strange thing that there are Israelites cut off from God’s covenant because of their unbelief and stubbornness against Christ since there were also Israelites throughout the Old Testament whom God rejected and judged for their disobedience.

(The chapter concludes with) Romans 9:30-33: “What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offense: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

Every time “righteousness” is spoken of in these verses it is in relation to being justified before God or not. We see here how the Jews stumbled at Christ and missed their own Messiah by their unlawful use of their very own law which they did not submit to (they believed they could make self-atonement through the Mosaic ceremonies; the Mosaic law was rather intended as a guide to exercising faith in the true God and as a schoolmaster to Jesus Christ). On the other hand, many gentiles who were not necessarily even highly concerned with being justified before God before Christ’s Gospel came to them heeded the warning to flee from the wrath to come and turned to Christ. They thereby attained justification. Jews who really believed the Law of Moses recognized and turned to Jesus Christ. Those who did not heed the Law of Moses stumbled at Christ. The wicked are wicked because they are workers of lawlessness (see Matthew 13:40-43).

Many Jews were zealous for the Law of Moses in an outwardly scrupulous way yet did not heed it from the heart. In Isaiah chapters 58 and 59 we see the condition of the Jews at the time (which is typical throughout their history). They were zealous to know the ceremonial ordinances, they were fasting, and they were doing other religiously scrupulous things to try to please God. Yet they were also covetous, oppressing the poor, not helping the needy like they ought to have, they were lying, and committing many other sins. They had a view of the law which was very shallow. Reading Matthew chapters 5 to 7 demonstrates the contrast between the true intent of God’s commandments (which Jesus preached and upheld) opposed to the shallow view of the commandments commonly taught by Israel’s leaders.

Paul had said earlier in Romans 3:30-31: “Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

Along the same lines, remember John the Baptist’s rebuke to the Jewish people in Luke chapter 3. This sums up Romans chapter 9 well.

Luke 3:7-9: “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”

The Lord has graciously made provision in Jesus Christ to rescue us from our unthinkably deep fall into sin and the condemnation of eternal hell which we deserve. His Spirit is striving with all people. 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. Partaking of His atonement is man’s only hope of obtaining God’s mercy to avoid His condemnation. Man cannot give a bribe nor do work to get around Him.