The Basis Of Election
THE BASIS OF ELECTION
In Romans 9:16, Paul draws a conclusion from the fact that God is sovereign in the bestowal of His mercy. The conclusion is introduced by the words “so then.” The conclusion concerns the basis of God's election. So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. (Romans 9:16).
God's election is not based upon the will of man. God did not look down the corridors of time to see what man will choose and then grant mercy on the basis of what man's decision would be. Election is not based upon what man wills.
Election does NOT depend upon...|
The Man who Wills|The Man who Runs|
Emphasis upon the decision of man|Emphasis upon the actions of man|
Neither is election based upon what man does. It is not based upon any of his good works, his morality, his ethics, or anything else that he does. It is not even based upon man's faith. God is completely free to show mercy on whomever He chooses to show mercy. Paul now goes on to illustrate this point in the story of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt who was judged by God at the exodus. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” (Romans 9:17).
You remember the story. Pharaoh was the king of Egypt. He was the sovereign of the mightiest kingdom on the face of the earth. His armies had marched all the way to the Euphrates River. But the Lord says that He is the one who raised up Pharaoh. He is the one who placed Pharaoh on the throne of Egypt. This is astounding when we realize that Pharaoh's program was the subjugation of the people of God. He resorted to infanticide to bring this about. He had Hebrew male children put to death (mandatory post_birth abortions). He was directly opposed to God. And yet, it was God who had chosen Pharaoh and who had placed him on the throne of Egypt. God chose to raise up Pharaoh, to harden his heart, and then to bring him to ruin so that God might be glorified.
Here is Paul's point. It is not Pharaoh who wills or Pharaoh who runs, but God! This brings us to a new conclusion. It is presented in Romans 9:18. So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. (Romans 9:18).
Paul's new conclusion is again introduced by the phrase “so then.” It is a conclusion based upon the two previous illustrations of Israel and of Pharaoh.
God has mercy on whom He desires: We have already seen this principle in the case of Israel. Paul quoted Exodus 33:19 to show that God is not obligated to show mercy to anyone. He is free to bestow His mercy on whom He desires.
God hardens whom He desires: This conclusion is based upon the case of Pharaoh to which Paul has just referred. It is often argued that Pharaoh hardened his own heart and that God was not the initiator of this hardening process. William Evans attempts to make an appeal to such an argument when he says:
“Pharaoh was responsible for the hardening of his heart even though that hardening process was foreknown and foretold by God” (1981:31).
We can turn to passages in Exodus which say both that God hardened Pharaoh's heart and also that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. It is frequently maintained that God did not harden Pharaoh's heart until he had first hardened his own heart. Thus the hardening of Pharaoh's heart is not seen to be God's initial doing, but Pharaoh's. This passage teaches just the opposite. Paul makes it very clear that Pharaoh's decision to harden his own heart ultimately came from God. The whole point that Paul is making is that God works and chooses and hardens and has mercy according to His own will. He is the instigator of His plan. This is confirmed in the Old Testament account when the Lord revealed His plan to Moses. And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.” (Exodus 4:21).
God told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh's heart. For us to maintain that God was only a secondary source of this hardening process would be to attribute the actions of God to Pharaoh. The fact that it was God who was the initiator of this hardening process is evidenced by the objection that Paul raises concerning God's righteous judgment of Pharaoh.