GCC and the Sovereignty of God

“You will say to me then, ‘Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?’  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?’  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?” (Romans 9:19-21, ESV)

In the Book of Romans, chapter 9, our God, through the apostle Paul, reveals some of the thorniest and complex aspects of His sovereignty – attributes that not many understand and even fewer accept.  They are not the crowd-pleasing, praise song-inspiring characteristics of love, compassion, and mercy that we want to focus on to the exclusion of everything else.  We cannot, however, fully appreciate God’s love, compassion, and mercy until we understand His wrath, judgment, and complete sovereignty over all (even sinful acts of men).  And it is so clear, especially when you read Bible chapters like Romans 9, that God wants us to truly know Him.  All aspects of Him.  God wants us to plumb the depths of who He truly is because only then will we be inspired to the heights of worship and adoration of Him for which we were created (1 Corinthians 2:14-16).

The Frightening Precipice of Sovereignty

Few teachers would tackle the above passage in an adult Sunday school class, but one of our pastors here at Grace Community Church did last Sunday and I have been so blessed by it.  Like many other Christians, I misunderstood Romans 9:19-21 to mean that God looked over a neutral lump of clay representing humanity and decided which part of this lump He would form into vessels of honor (save) and which part He would form into vessels of dishonor (condemn).  It seemed then to me that God decided beforehand who would be destined to heaven and who would be destined to hell.  This was an exceedingly difficult passage that made me question our interpretation of the Scriptures and be uncomfortably uncertain about God’s goodness.

But the problem was never Romans 9, it was me.   I was approaching this passage from a human point of view, applying a frail, tainted human understanding of fairness to God’s Holy Word.   This is where I often go wrong in trying to interpret the Bible.  As a member of Grace so kindly reminded me, God is not like us.   The minute I entertain thoughts like, “Well, if I were God, I would…..”  I’m already careening in the wrong direction.  God will not be brought down to my level and judged by human sensibilities.  He stands at a viewpoint totally unique to Him, one that is not enjoyed by any of His creatures.  He is the Sole Creator of all there is.  He Himself was not created, He has always existed.   All things were created through, by, and for Him (Colossians 1:16) and His number one priority is to display all of His attributes – mercy, compassion, righteousness, judgment, wrath. 

I was also wrong about that lump of clay mentioned in verse 21, for we are not so neutral and innocent as we suppose.  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  God in His sovereignty has the right then to condemn us all.  Our actions against Him have earned this response.  But, to display all of His attributes, God can choose to be merciful to some and allow the others to remain condemned, and that is what He has done.  This truth has completely shut my mouth in submissive reverence.  He is God.  He is altogether worthy.  Who am I to question Him?

Moved to Praises

The sovereignty of God looked to me like a steep, treacherous mountain, its foreboding precipice stretching high above the clouds.  As I began to climb this mountain and look down at the crashing waves and jagged rocks below, I thought,

 “I don’t know if I can take this.  Is God really like this?  Why does He do that?  Why won’t He do this?”

Halfway up the mountain, there was no turning back.  I couldn’t go back down to where I had been before, I already knew too much.  Yet I feared going on to the steep cliff of God’s sovereignty ahead of me. 

“I didn’t know this about Him.  Will I still love Him if I keep moving on?  Will the knowledge of Him still be precious to me?”

But when I finally reached the top of the mountain, when I finally accepted that God has the absolute right to do what He wants with His creation to glorify Himself, I saw something wonderful.  I saw a lush, verdant valley full of breath-taking beauty, visual richness, and stimulating pleasures the likes of which my eyes have never seen.  I can never enjoy God truly until I accept Him completely.  And our God is so BIG!  He’s HUGE!  He is so much more magnificent and transcendent than our minds can comprehend!  Knowing this makes me want to fall down and worship Him with almost reckless abandon, breaking out into spontaneous singing,

You are beautiful in Your holiness!

Ever merciful, great and glorious!

Indescribable in Your majesty!

All too wonderful for my eyes to see!

Our Kind Teachers at Grace

This experience in Romans 9 has made me so appreciate the pastors, teachers, and elders at Grace Community Church.  There are few like them.  Most church leaders will not even venture into Romans 9 because they find it too controversial.  So they keep the sheep of their flock bound by a small, weak, easily-explained view of God, a much less magnificent “god” than the One the Word reveals.  Other church leaders who dare to wield this sword often do so carelessly and thoughtlessly, attempting to wow members with their superior knowledge, injuring fragile sheep in the process.   

Our leaders at Grace do neither of these things.  They see themselves as faithful stewards of God’s Word, respecting it, loving it, being careful to interpret and exposit it correctly.  What's more, they not only love God and His Holy Word, they clearly love the sheep in their care as well.  They have slowly and painstakingly navigated our journey through the much-maligned Romans 9, cutting it into bite-sized pieces, even spoon-feeding it to us if that was needed.  Their patience and humility in teaching us about the sovereignty of God has not only set a good example, it has allowed me to enjoy a more accurate view of God……which makes me want to know Him more!

I love you, Grace Community Church!