[mizpeh]

Originally Posted by Dr. Vaughn

On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?

Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? (Romans 9:20-21).

He takes a portion of clay from his pile and he fashions a beautiful vase to be sold at the market for a vast sum. Then from that same lump of clay, he might take another portion of clay and mold a basin to be used by a farmer for feeding his pigs.



No one would ever think of charging the potter with injustice because he had not given equal treatment to both lumps of clay. No one can question the potter’s right to do with the lump of clay as he will. He is the owner of the clay. He is the molder of the pot. He is free to do with it according to his wishes.



The principle is the same here. As the sovereign Creator, God can do anything with His creation that He desires. He is free to act as He chooses

But in acting as He chooses, God will not go against His character. He cannot be other than who He is. And He is impartial and just.

Romans 9 follows Romans 8 and Romans 8 lays the groundwork for Romans 9 with these verses:


28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

There is clearly an order to God's planning. Foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, glorification. As you can see, the called have been glorified already!!!!! to God it is a reality but since we are living in eternity but in a temporal existence, we will not be glorified until the resurrection. God calls those things which be not as though they were.


And Peter agrees with Paul. We are called according to the foreknowledge of God:

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,