RomansSample

Romans 9
The God Who Chooses Mercy

Romans 9 can feel heavy, especially when Paul raises the question: “Is God unjust?” When we read about God choosing to show mercy to some and not others, it can trigger discomfort. But Paul doesn't avoid the tension. Instead, he grounds it in the unshakable truth that God is perfectly righteous—and that His mercy isn’t something any of us could earn anyway.

We often want fairness, but if we really got what was “fair,” we’d all fall short. Paul makes it clear: “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” That line flips our modern thinking. In a culture driven by performance and merit, the gospel reminds us: this has never been about us being good enough. It’s about God being merciful.

Pharaoh’s story is brought up as a confronting example. God raised him up, knowing his heart would resist, and used him to display His power. We struggle with this because it sounds predetermined. But Paul’s point isn’t to erase human responsibility—it’s to magnify God’s sovereignty. If God’s plan depended on our consistency, it would have failed before it started.

There’s a divine tension here: God is both sovereign and merciful. He hardens and He softens. He chooses and He calls. And it’s all driven by mercy, not merit. That reality humbles us. We aren’t the authors of our salvation—we’re recipients of grace.