The Bible speaks about:
- Foolish mistakes: “the fool has said in his heart there is no God”
- Fatal mistakes: “the wages of sin is death”
- Final mistakes: “this night thy souls shall be required of thee...”
- Fundamental mistakes: “hath God said?”
Mans fundamental sin is that of pride (Gen 3)
That we think that there maybe circumstances in life when we can get one over on God, when we know best.
We do not really doubt / are ignorant of the reality of God
We know that He has spoken
We know the truth, but we will not do it, because we know best!
Romans chp 9 deals with such a man: 'a man who knew better than God'
“And Pharoah said, 'who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?'” (Ex 5:2)
Maybe we wouldn't say: “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?”
Perhaps we will blame others:
'who does he think he is?' or
'imagine saying that to me?' or
'I'm not going to have the brethren say that to me.' or
'I'm old enough and mature enough to lead my own life without
'them' telling me what to do.'
Pharaoh rebels against God!
Pharaoh attempts to cut God out of his life.
In such a circumstance does God have a purpose for such a man?
Romans chapter 9 says that I may cut myself off from Gods salvation but I can never cut myself off from Gods Sovereign purpose!
In the bible there are a number of such men:
Pharaoh in the days of Moses
Goliath in the days of David
Nebuchadnezzar in the days of Daniel
The beast in Rev 13
Proud blaspheming men all raised up in the eternal counsels of God that God might pull them down and show His righteousness and His wrath!
Pharaoh why here and why now?
I notice that Pharaoh arises in the middle of these 2 sections dealing with:
The doctrine of sanctification (Roms chps 6, 7, 8)
The practice of sanctification (Roms chps 12, 13, 14)
Between these 2 plateaus there arises a peak, a horn, to use the image of Daniel 7:20,25
In the midst of the sacred ground of sanctification there arises proud and arrogant, the boastings of a man:
“And Pharaoh said, 'who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?'” (Ex 5:2)
This should never be the attitude of the believer!
This is the fleshly attitude that will prevent the work of sanctification in my life.
Even here in the Epistle to the Romans, Pharaoh is still sub-serving the purpose for which he was raised up all of those years ago:
To declare Gods name throughout the whole earth resulting in
The separation of His people from the world and from sin
In a biblical understanding of the election and sovereignty of God 4 Divine attributes are preserved.
As you come to consider this great matter for yourself always check does my view of election preserve these 4 key Divine attributes, preserved by the apostle in Romans chapter 9, if it doesn't you do not have a biblical view of election and in fact you may not have a biblical view of God!
In election and sovereignty God preserves His right to:
To Decide (9:15-18)
To Determine Purpose (9:17)
To Design (9:20-21)
To Display / Demonstrate His Glory (9:23)
To Decide (9:15-18)
I think that it must be very difficult for a Christian to disagree with this, that God has decision making capacity and that He uses it and yet in some views of election it is woefully absent: corporate non-election and Arminianism.
Do we have a vision / a picture of God only as the father in the parable of the prodigal son, awaiting the sons return or have we combined this view with the preceding 2: the Shepherd going out and finding the lost sheep and the woman searching the home till she finds the lost coin?
Even in the parable of the prodigal son with the picture of a patiently waiting and longing father we are aware that this father was waiting for one particular boy out of many thousands of boys, his boy! What had made him his boy?
“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”(Isa 43:1)
“mine, mine, mine, I know thou art mine....”
Before I was born, men went to the moon on a rocket
Since I have been born men have gone into space in a shuttle
You and I are going further
Beyond the moon and the stars
On this basis: that I am His!
“I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.”(Joh 17:6)
“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”(Joh 17:24)
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” (Eph 1:4)
It is Divine election (Rom 8:28) - “called” : 'kletos' that gives rise to the believers destiny (Rom 8:29)
So God has the right to decide and exercises that capacity to decide.
A God who lacks that ability to make decisions is a God who is either:
Unable to save – He cannot extend His grace to me, and I have no desire to come to Him for salvation (Rom 3)
Unable to govern – Everyone, anyone, unconditionally must receive His grace and mercy, irrespective of repentance and faith in Christ.
I must preserve in my understanding of God – is capacity to make decisions.
To Determine Purpose (9:17) – Eph 1:11; Ecll 3:1ff; Eph 3:17; Prov 16:4; Rom 8:28
Christ is not:
Baal – God of the Canaanites
Dagon – God of the Philistines
Molech – God of the Ammonites
Chemosh – God of the Moabites
He is no local diety!
Christ is “over all” (Rom 9:15)
Therefore even over Pharaoh, God had a purpose!
What Moses declared, Pharaoh displayed
“Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” (Exodus 5:2)
For this reason Pharaoh arises between the 2 sections on sanctification in Romans :
The doctrine of sanctification (Roms chps 6, 7, 8)
The practice of sanctification (Roms chps 12, 13, 14)
Even here in the Epistle to the Romans, Pharaoh is still sub-serving the purpose for which he was raised up all of those years ago:
To declare Gods name throughout the whole earth resulting in
The separation of His people from the world and from sin
For if this carnal spirit of Pharaoh, a man in his pride, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?” (Exodus 5:2), marks my heart and my life, there will be no work of consecration and sanctification in me.
Maybe we are a little more subtle than Pharaoh.
Maybe we wouldn't say: “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?”
Perhaps we will blame others: 'who does he think he is?' or 'imagine saying that to me?' or 'I'm not going to have the brethren say that to me.' or 'I'm old enough and mature enough to lead my own life without 'them' telling me what to do.'
God had a purpose for Pharaoh: “to declare my name throughout all the earth” (9:17).
God decided on that purpose!
To Design
God reserves the right to deliberately and intentionally design what He creates
The clay is not simply thrown at the wheel as the Potter waits with bated breath to see what will be thrown off on this occasion?
Who chooses the personality?
Who assigns the traits?
Who gives the peculiar mixture of strengthens and abilities?
Who determines which character traits will be missing?
Who decided that this Pharaoh would be marked by a sense of determination?
It must be notes that at critical times there has been supplied particular men and women who seem strangely fitted for the task in hand! Is this mere coincidence?
Pharaoh and his determination
Joseph and his patient humility, lacking malice and vengeance
Samson and his strength during days of Philistine oppression
Gideon and his faithfulness and dependence on God in days of compromise
Mary and her purity
Hannah and her devotion, faithfulness and commitment
Miriam and her careful devotion to a little brother abandoned on the Nile
To Display / Demonstrate His Glory
To display His Glory in all things
Even in those who reject Him!
So if I have a man sided view of God, an unbalanced view of God, a God who is only gracious and only compassionate then what about those who are lost?
Are they just a mistake?
People God would have loved to save but just couldn't quite manage it?
Are they just casualties of coincidence?
Born in the wrong place at the wrong time?
So the view we have of election in Romans chp 9:
God chooses to extend His mercy and compassion on specific individuals for His own inscrutable reasons (9:15-18)
We do not know why certain individuals are the recipients of this grace for that reason lies in Gods will (9:15)
Was it not for that Sovereign choice of God to extend His mercy and compassion, no one would be and no one could be saved (Rom 3:11; 9:16; Eph 2:1; John 6:44; John 6:65)
When God chooses He moves towards us by His:
Word (9:6)
Will (9:15)
Work (9:25ff)
Such a movement of Grace must reach its appointed and designed conclusion and is thus irresistible (9:6; Isa 55:11) – if God decrees it, it will happen.
Salvation is therefore not of:
“blood” - link to Abraham (9:7)
“nor of the will of the flesh” (9:8)
“nor of the will of man” (9:11)
“but of God” (John 1:13)
Gods effectual calling and saving Grace motivated by His will to save always achieves what is decreed in the eternal purposes of God (9:6). Gods Grace also extends out in a general way; as a Grace that is common to all men. Just as the believer brings a taste of heaven to an insipid world, which men spit out and a light into a dark place that is not appreciated at all, so too Gods Grace extends out in a general or common way; not with the intent of saving but to long-suffer (9:22).
In so long-suffering with sinners who have fitted themselves by their sins to destruction and in passing over those sinners with respect to His saving Grace God confirms their destiny as the inevitable conclusion to the path which they have chosen. It is mans to sin. It is Gods to seal.
Furthermore for that purpose God has deliberately made them (9:21).
Part of our bible study teaching series of messages preached systematically, verse by verse, through Paul's letter to the Romans. Free to download audio mp3 recordings of this sermon and other sermons are available at the end of this blog and on the website page.
Yours by Grace in Christ
Dr J Stewart Gillespie