വ്യാഖ്യാനം നിലവിൽ ഇംഗ്ലീഷിൽ മാത്രമേ ലഭ്യമാകൂ. മലയാള പരിഭാഷ പുരോഗമിക്കുകയാണ്.
Romans 9 — It Is Not of Him That Willeth, Nor of Him That Runneth, But of God That Sheweth Mercy
Paul has great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart — I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren. They are Israelites; theirs is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the law, the service, the promises. Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. They are not all Israel, which are of Israel. The children of the flesh are not the children of God; the children of the promise are. Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. Hath not the potter power over the clay? God hath called us, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. Israel hath stumbled at the stumblingstone — whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
“So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”
— Romans 9:16
- v.1-5 Paul's sorrow for Israel
- v.6-13 God's sovereign election
- v.14-24 The potter and the clay
- v.25-33 Gentiles called; Israel stumbled
A rebuke to the heart that argues with God about election. The clay does not interrogate the potter. The creature is not in a position to demand explanations.
The verse does not silence honest questions; it silences proud objections. Inquire if you must; do not accuse the Maker.
Power over the clay. The potter's sovereignty over the vessel. The vessel does not negotiate; it is made.
The same lump produces different vessels by the potter's decision. God's sovereignty in salvation is the chapter's pressure point. Receive it as the chapter teaches.
Christ is the stone of stumbling for some, the cornerstone for others. The same Christ provokes opposite responses.
Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. The chapter's comforting end. The way of salvation remains personal faith in Christ.
Verse 16 cures every form of merit-thinking. Not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. If you have been congratulating yourself on choosing Christ, the verse adjusts the credit. The mercy is His; the receiving is yours; the boast is His alone.
Romans 9 closes by pointing to Christ as the stumblingstone and the cornerstone. Whatever the doctrinal heights of the chapter, salvation arrives the same way for everyone — whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. The sovereign God who has mercy is the God who saves through faith in His Son.
Salvation is grounded in divine mercy, not human willing or working. The verse closes the door on every theology that locates the cause of salvation in the human.
Of God that sheweth mercy. The cause and the verb are God's. The verse is comforting (it does not depend on your willpower) and humbling (you have nothing to boast in).