The Question Of God's Righteous Judgment

THE QUESTION OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT
You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” (Romans 9:19).

There is a difference between the question which is asked in Romans 9:14 and the question which is asked here. The contrast between the two questions is seen in the following chart:

Romans 9:14|Romans 9:19|
“What shall we say, then?”|“You will say to me then...”|
First Person (“we”): This is a question raised by Christians|Second Person (“you”): This is a question of unbelief|
There is no injustice with God, is there?|Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?|
This question is answered from the Old Testament.|The questioner is rebuked from the Old Testament.|

Here is the question which Paul raises. How can God hold men responsible for their disobedience when it is God who hardens their hearts? How can God judge Pharaoh for sinning when Pharaoh is acting according to God's divine plan? If God is responsible for hardening Pharaoh's heart, and if it is impossible for Pharaoh to resist the will of God, then how can God judge him for what he has done? Why does God still find fault with Pharaoh? This is a very relevant question. We could ask, “If it is God who has chosen certain men to believe and to be saved, and if he has hardened other men against the gospel, then how can He direct his wrath and anger and condemnation against those who are hardened?” The usual response of a Christian when he is presented with this objection is to back off and explain that God has merely chosen men on the basis of what He knew they would believe. By doing so, the well_meaning Christian is seeking to "take God off the hook" so that He will not be seen to be responsible for sin. However, to do so is to take God down off His throne and to treat Him as a creature instead of recognizing Him as the sovereign Creator. Paul takes a very different approach to this question. We can describe his approach both in the negative as well as in the positive.

Paul does not back off of what he has taught. He does not try to soften his teaching nor does he feel the need to clarify or defend what he has previously taught with regard to election. The question is only valid if the premise is valid. The premise of the question is that God is sovereign, and that He does choose to save some but not others. If the premise was wrong, then Paul would have corrected it here and now. But he does not correct the premise. This further confirms that Paul is teaching the doctrine of individual election.

Paul indicts the questioner for talking back to God. The question and the questioner are out of order. It is a question which man has no right to ask. The creature has no right to question his Creator. Modern man wants to elevate himself to the position of judge over the actions of God, but that is not our option.

Paul answers the charge of injustice with an Old Testament illustration.