Romans 9

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“So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it” (Romans 9:16 NLT).

July 25, 2018

GOD’S MERCY AND MAN’S WILL AND WORKS
God shows mercy according to His own will and according to His own character. It is not in response to man’s will and works, yet this does not negate man’s responsibility. God shows mercy, not out of obligation, nor any indebtedness to humanity. For God’s mercy is an attribute of God’s character and is directed by God’s perfect will.

God’s mercy is on display in the cross of Christ. For God demonstrated His love and mercy toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). So, God did this not in response to us, but according to His own love and mercy. However, this message of the cross, which is the gospel, still requires a faith response from us in order to be recipients of God’s mercy.

“I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” (Romans 9:2-3 ESV)

July 25, 2016

The apostle Paul was continually filled with sorrow and anguish because of the Jews rejection of Christ. His grief moved him even to the point of wishing that he could switch places with them, so that they were accepted and he accursed. Everywhere he carried the gospel, he always started with the Jew and then the Greek, preaching first in the synagogues and then the marketplace. Paul burned with passion for the souls of his people. Yet, only a few believed. Is there someone in your family that is far from God? Are you in sorrow and anguish for them as you pray for them and share the gospel with them? Have you ever felt as Paul did about your loved ones who have not received Christ?