Romans 9:21

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? HATH NOT THE POTTER POWER OVER THE CLAY, OF THE SAME LUMP TO MAKE ONE VESSEL UNTO HONOUR, AND ANOTHER UNTO DISHONOUR? The objection (as Hodge says) is rounded on ignorance or misapprehension of the relation between God and His sinful creatures. It supposes that He is under obligation to extend His grace to all, whereas He is under obligation to none. All are sinners, and have forfeited every claim to His mercy; it is therefore perfectly competent to God to spare one and not another, to make one vessel to honour and another to dishonour. He, as a sovereign Creator, has the same right over them that a potter has over the clay. But it is to be borne in mind that Paul does not here speak of God's right over His creatures as creatures, but as sinful creatures; as He himself...

21._Has not the worker of the clay? etc. _The reason why what is formed ought not to contend with its former, is, that the former does nothing but what he has a right to do. By the word _power, _he means not that the maker has strength to do according to his will, but that this privilege rightly and justly belongs to him. For he intends not to claim for God any arbitrary power but what ought to be justly ascribed to him. And further, bear this in mind, — that as the potter takes away nothing from the clay, whatever form he may give it; so God takes away nothing from man, in whatever condition he may create him. Only this is to be remembered, that God is deprived of a portion of his honor, except such an authority over men be conceded to him as to constitute him the arbitrator of life and death. (306) “The words, ‘I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,’ imply that all deserved wrat...

14-24 Whatever God does, must be just. Wherein the holy, happy people of God differ from others, God's grace alone makes them differ. In this preventing, effectual, distinguishing grace, he acts as a benefactor, whose grace is his own. None have deserved it; so that those who are saved, must thank God only; and those who perish, must blame themselves only, Hosea 13:9. God is bound no further than he has been pleased to bind himself by his own covenant and promise, which is his revealed will. And this is, that he will receive, and not cast out, those that come to Christ; but the drawing of souls in order to that coming, is an anticipating, distinguishing favour to whom he will. Why does he yet find fault? This is not an objection to be made by the creature against his Creator, by man against God. The truth, as it is in Jesus, abases man as nothing, as less than nothing, and advances God...

Verse 21. _HATH NOT THE POTTER POWER OVER THE CLAY_] The apostle continues his answer to the Jew. Hath not God shown, by the parable of the potter, Jeremiah 18:1, c., that he may justly dispose of nations, and of the Jews in particular, according as he in his infinite wisdom may judge most right and fitting even as the potter has a right, out of the same lump of clay, to make one vessel to a more _honourable_ and another to a _less honourable_ use, as his own judgment and skill may direct; for no potter will take pains to make a vessel merely that he may show that he has power to dash it to pieces? _For the word came to Jeremiah from the_ _Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there_ _I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the_ _potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work upon the wheels._ And the vessel t...

HATH NOT THE POTTER ... - This same sovereign right of God the apostle proceeds to urge from another illustration, and another passage from the Old Testament; Isaiah 64:8, “But now, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” This passage is preceded in Isaiah by one declaring “the depravity of man;” Isaiah 64:6, “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” As they were polluted with sin, as they had transgressed the Law of God, and had no claim and no merit, God might bestow his favors as he pleased, and mould them as the potter did the clay. He would do no injury to those who were left, and “who had no

EXPOSITION ROMANS 11:1 2. _The present position and prospects of the Jewish nation con-sidereal._ ROMANS 9:1 (1) _Deep regret expressed for the present exclusion of the Jewish nation from inheritance of the promises. _This section is not necessary for the main argument of the Epistle, which would have been complete without it for an exposition of God's righteousness, Romans 12:1. following naturally the conclusion of Romans 8:1., and these intervening chapters having no immediate connection with the preceding or succeeding context. But it was a subject too deeply

HATH NOT THE POTTER POWER OVER THE CLAY,.... By the power the potter has over the clay, to shape it in what form he pleases, and out of it to make what vessels he pleases, and for what purposes he thinks fit, which will be most to his own advantage, the apostle expresses the sovereign and unlimited powder which God has over his creatures; the passages referred to, are Isaiah 64:8, in which God is represented as the potter, and men as clay in his hands; now if the potter has such power over the clay which he did not make, only has made a purchase of, or has it in his possession, much more has God a power, who has created the clay, to appoint out of it persons to different uses and purposes, for his own glory, as he sees fit; even OF THE SAME LUMP, TO MAKE ONE VESSEL TO HONOUR, AND ANOTHER TO DISHONOUR. The apostle seems to design hereby, to point out to us the object of prede

The Jews thought that God must certainly save them. They thought they had a birth claim. Were they not the children of Abraham? Surely they had some right to it. This chapter battles the question of right. No man has any right to the grace of God. The terms are inconsistent. There can be no right to that which is free favor. We are all condemned criminals, and if pardoned, it must be as the result of pure mercy, absolute mercy, for desert there is none in any one of us. Romans 9:1. _I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart._ He never thought about his unbelieving brethren, without the deepest imaginable regret. How far is this from the spirit of those who look upon the ungodly without tears settle it down as a matter that cannot be altered, and take it as a q

II. DISPENSATIONAL. GOD'S DEALINGS WITH ISRAEL. Chapter s 9-11. 1. Israel and God's Sovereignty. CHAPTER 9 _ 1. Paul's Yearning over Israel. (Romans 9:1 .)_ 2. What Israel Possesseth. (Romans 9:4 .) 3. God's Unconditional Election. (Romans 9:6 .) 4. God's Sovereignty. The Vindication of His Justice and Mercy. (Romans 9:14 .) 5. Mercy for the Remnant. (Romans 9:27 .) 6. Israel's Rejection of God's Righteousness. (Romans 9

THE DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY IN JUDGMENT. Romans 9:19 f. The hard saying just enunciated provokes the question, Why does He blame, if the hardening is His doing and none may resist His will? Paul forgoes the obvious retort, that God's hardening is a judgment on hardness of heart (_cf. Romans 2:5,_ etc.), that Pharaoh (and Israel now) _did_ resist God (_cf._ Acts 7:51, etc.); he assails the spirit of contradiction: Nay, surely, O man, who art thou who repliest against God the thing formed saying to its fashioner, Why didst thou make me so? (see Isaiah 45:9). Such questions cast on God the responsibility for our miscarriages: whoever is to blam