19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 
21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 
24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
25 As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” 26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called sons of the living God.’”
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”
—Romans 9:19-29, ESV

Like many locals and a lot of tourists, Andrea and I enjoy strolling through historic downtown Hot Springs.  When we do, we almost never fail to go into The Arlington Hotel.  The lobby alone is worth the trip.  The whole structure is a true architectural treasure with a grand design and, we hope, a glorious future.

Great buildings begin in the mind of a great builder, who makes the choice to build.  They follow an architectural plan until the project is complete.  Once built, all buildings fall into some state of disrepair.  Remodeling and often rebuilding projects follow.  The Arlington still stands today thanks to this process.  The current rendition will celebrate its centennial this New Year’s Eve.  The owner has committed to restoring The Arlington to its original glory, and we wish him every success.  

The grand design of God in the Bible follows a similar pattern.  The Lord is not building a building, exactly, but He is building a people for Himself to enjoy for all eternity.  It begins with the doctrine of election, whereby God decrees to have a people for Himself for all eternity.  Then the Creator creates human beings in His own image, and puts eternity in their souls.  Then the humans sinned against God, plunging the whole race into cataclysmic fall and spiritual death.  Since then, God has engaged in millions of remodeling projects, called salvation, and invested His grace and mercy into every member of His elect.  One day, the Son of God who came to earth to pay the price for our redemption is coming back to gather all the saved people of all time.  Then we will live with Him forever in a renewed and perfected Heaven and earth.  I wonder what The Arlington will look like then?

Election, creation, fall, redemption, and consummation is God’s grand design.  The Apostle Paul explains a great deal of it in Romans 9, 10, and 11.  Election is the theme of chapter 9.  Redemption of fallen people through proper evangelism is the theme of chapter 10.  The ultimate consummation and the glory of God is the theme of chapter 11.  Today we dig deeper into God’s grand design as explained in 9:19-29.

People Protest (vs. 19)

People have always protested against the sovereignty of God.  We prefer to be our own gods, exert our own control over all things, which is essentially the original sin.  Election is God’s grand design to save sinners, in spite of ourselves, by graciously redeeming some and justifiably reprobating others.  

Refer to the previous passage, Romans 9:14-18, which concludes with, “He has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills.”  God is sovereign.  God is in control.  God chooses who will be saved and who will be passed over.  Beginning, and end, of story.

The typical human response is, “That is not fair,” which serves as a paraphrase for vs. 19.  If this is your response, you are both belligerent and correct.  If God were fair, however He would dump every sinner, meaning every human being, into Hell with the fallen angels, then enjoy His perfect triune Self along with His perfect angels in His perfect Heaven.  Period, end of story.

But, by God’s grace, the story is still being written.  People are still being saved.  All of this is according to God’s grand design, which requires an understanding completely above our pay grade.

Paul’s Defense (vs. 20)

The Apostle Paul, a chief follower of the Son inspired by the Spirit to speak for the Father, defends God, as if God needed defending.  His defense is brief and brutal.  “Who are you … ?”  

Indeed, who am I to tell John Williams how to conduct an orchestra?  Who am I to tell Michael Jordan how to play basketball?  Who am I to tell Neva Richerson how to paint?  Who am I, a sinner, to tell God how to save people?  

But, save them He does, and the ensuing verses give us a simple illustration.   

God’s Redemption (vs. 21-22)

First, God chooses who will be saved, the elect, chosen before creation (ref. Ephesians 1:4ff).  Next, He creates, out of the dust of the ground (ref. Genesis 2:7).  We are all true lumps of clay, sinful lumps, fallen in the vain attempt to be our own god (ref. Genesis 3:1ff).  

After election, creation, and fall, the potter goes to work to redeem some of the clay.  This is redemption, or salvation.  “Out of the same lump,” which is the entire, fallen, sinful human race, God transforms and remakes and molds some “for honorable use.”  

God, the honorable potter, makes children of clay children of God.  He puts His hands on you, as it were, and works into you His grace and mercy.  He puts His Holy Spirit into you and enables you to repent and believe in the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ.  He restores His image in you, spiritual, holy, eternal.  This fits you to worship and serve God on earth, and then live with Him forever in the new heavens and earth.  The highest honor in the universe is to be chosen by God and molded into one of His children by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!

The dishonor is to be left alone.  This is the obvious fate of those destined for “dishonorable use.”  The dishonored deserve dishonor because they dishonored God.  Some are nominal or hypocrite Christians.  Some are adherents of pagan religions who worship idols.  Some are simply idolators who worship money, sex, or fame.  Some are just average lumps of clay who work hard, take care of their families, enjoy their hobbies, but make no time for God, the church of Jesus Christ, or other true and spiritual things.  They all dishonor God by leaving Him alone; therefore, God dishonors them by leaving them alone.  

Again, God does not help those who help themselves.  But, God does harden those who harden themselves.  And, God dishonors those who dishonor Him.  Except for the lumps He has chosen, created, watched fall, then redeemed.

God’s Purpose (vs. 23)

So what is God’s purpose in election, creation, fall, and redemption?  Glory!  “To make known the riches of His glory.” 

When we see lost people living like lost people and realize, except for the grace of God, we would be lost people, too, then our utmost desire should be to live for the honor and glory of God.

At the great consummation, at the second coming of Jesus Christ, the elect of all time will be caught up with the Lord in the air.  We will witness His “wrath” and “destruction” falling upon all the lost people of all time.  We will realize in that moment, apart from the grace of God, we would be suffering the same fate.  Then we will forever live for the honor and glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

God’s purpose in all things is His own glory.  He is glorified in justice.  He is glorified in mercy.  He is glorified in His people, worshiping Him on earth and one day gathered with Him in Heaven.  He picks and plucks His people out of two groups which will one day be one, Israel and the church.  

God’s People (vs. 24-29)

God’s people are saved by His gracious and effectual calling.  “Even us whom He has called” are the elect from the four corners of the earth.  He called some from among the Jews with the Old Covenant, who were saved by grace through faith in God, as God revealed Himself in the Law, the Writings, and the Prophets.  He has called and is still calling some from among the Gentiles with the New Covenant, who are saved by grace through faith in God as God has revealed Himself in the Gospels, Epistles, and Revelation of the New Testament.  

The people saved have always been “a remnant.”  This means that only a small percentage of the people of Israel were part of the true spiritual Israel of God.  This means that only a small percentage of the confessing church of today are part of the true spiritual Israel of God.  In the end, however, to look ahead for a moment, “All Israel will be saved” (ref. 11:26).  

How are we saved?  By hearing and taking heed to the word of God.  This is why we saturate our Sunday worship with the word of God, so that people will hear, take heed, and be saved.  This is why we align our lives with the word of God, so that people will take note, come to hear, take heed, and be saved.  This is God’s grand design.  

God’s Grand Design 

God is building a people for Himself to live with for all eternity in a new heaven and earth.  He has chosen them, though we won’t know until the end who all the chosen ones are.  He created us all, and all of us sinned against Him and fell.  He is still working saving some, while passing over others, and this is the great mystery.  But we know who the saved are because they love, listen, honor, and obey the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

As we move into the next section of Romans, you will see there is no contradiction between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of human beings to make free and willing choices to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.  If you have not already done so, repent and believe today!  Be redeemed, before the day of the great consummation comes.  Give your life to Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, through faith in the gospel, and you will prove to be a part of God’s grand design.

Then, when Christ comes again, we’ll all meet at The Arlington to celebrate.