Glorious Sovereignty

Exodus 33: 12-19 & Romans 9: 14-16

Christ Covenant Reformed (PCA)

Exposition by Max A Forsythe

In order to put our text into the proper perspective let us turn briefly to the book of Exodus 33: 12-19. Remember, here Moses asked to know God's ways, to better know Him, to better remain in His favor. Moses asks to see God's glory. So God causes His goodness and name to be seen and heard. Then we have the interesting phrase at the end of verse nineteen: "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." Now, does this mean that this has reference only to this particular revelation of God to Moses? Martin Luther in his Commentary on Romans takes the attitude that where Paul quotes this passage in Romans, much more is implied with these words. Paul understands this passage to say that man's will or actions are only important within the complete will of God alone! This brings us to our topic for today. The Glorious Sovereignty of God.

The term sovereignty is not much under stood today, after all it cannot be taught to very many of our public school children because it has more than two syllables. It is not even very popular within Christ's own Church today. Of course it was never very popular in the history of Israel either. Let us consider the meaning of this word "sovereignty". The idea in the word is that the sovereignty of God allows no other power than that of God Himself. Earthly kings at one time were sovereign within their kingdoms. Thus it is within God's universe. He is sovereign, beyond Him there is none other. Ultimately all things must fall under His power and authority! Moses asked God to show him His glory. God not only showed His glory but revealed His intentions to us through Moses: "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." But, Christians object to this concept of sovereignty.

I have heard people say that it is unfair for God to choose some within His mercy and leave others out. It is unfair for God to be King and Judge at the same time! After all, the Bible also teaches that there is human responsibility for the rejection of the Gospel. How can a just God cast the greater part of mankind into Hell for doing what He knew would happen all along?

Okay, we have a problem between two doctrines that we must teach. We have what is called an antinomy. Now an antinomy is defined by the Shorter Oxford Dictionary as a "contradiction between conclusions which seem equally logical, reasonable or necessary". For our purpose J.I. Packer suggests that we need to rephrase this definition by adding the words: the "appearance of a contradiction". There is an apparent incompatibility between two biblical truths. Both principles to our minds are undeniable from many passages in Scripture, yet to our mind they seem irreconcilable. So much so, that many Churches in Christiandom seek novel methods of ignoring or explaining away the problem.

Now antinomies are not restricted to just theology. In modern physics there is an antinomy in the study of light. There is a body of evidence to show that light consists of waves. There is also equal evidence to show that light consists of particles. Neither can be explained away. The two seemingly incompatible positions must both be taught and held together.

Now, what do we do with our antinomy of Sovereignty and human responsibility? Do we ignore it, most of the Church does! Let us turn to Scripture to see how Paul the Apostle deals with the problem. Our few verses in chapter nine set the stage for this and the next two chapters, ten and eleven. We will not go this verse by verse, but we will outline where we are headed in these three chapters as we search for understanding.

A few weeks ago we considered Paul's grief in Romans 9: 1-5: Paul's grief. There we saw the deep love of Paul for his own people the Jews. "I could almost wish", we hear him say, "that he could be anathema", so that his people, his brothers, his family, his Israel might be saved. This thought we noticed only echoed a thought of Moses in Exodus 32:32. "But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin - and if not, please blot me out from Thy book which Thou hast written." If both Moses and Paul can have such a deep sense of anguish concerning this sense of lostness for their people, then no wonder the doctrine we are discussing this morning causes so much pain and question even in our day and age. God's purpose, however, is explained in Romans 9: 6- 29. As Paul wondered why so many of his own people were to be lost, he still acknowledges the power of God. In verse six he reported as we heard last week that: "It is not as though God's word had failed." God is faithful and just, His word is effectual in calling those whom He has chosen to be His very own. "For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel." This is, even in our own culture an observable fact. Some who have the best of families, the best of Churches end up going away from the faith. Paul comes to this same conclusion in verse eight.

Then he went on to discuss the birth of Jacob and Esau as an example. And again in verse fourteen we come to the difficult question of the day. And still again in verse nineteen the same question. But then in verse twenty Paul states the answer. "But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "'Why did you make me like this?'" Here Paul echoes Isaiah 45:9. "Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker ... Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?'" Like Paul and Moses we cannot question God's wisdom. He is after all Lord of this, His universe. Through verse twenty-nine Paul quotes from both Hosea and Isaiah to show that what has happened is within God's plan.

Then in chapter 9:30 through chapter 10:21: we see revealed the true human condition. In verse thirty-two Paul asks why Israel failed? He then announces that they missed the bus. They were so busy with their works that they forgot their faith. In verse four of chapter ten Paul states that all scripture points to Christ, so that everyone who believes may have righteousness. In verses five to eleven Paul sees beyond Israel to include the whole household of God both Jew and Gentile. Then in verses fourteen to eighteen he lays the groundwork for world missions. and in verses one to sixteen of chapter eleven he gets to the heart of the matter. God has chosen even from Israel His elect to be saved. And Israel, like many churches today have been left behind.

This idea reminds me of several passages in Francis Schaeffer's books where he wonders what has happened to our Churches in this century. We have to remember even the Christian Church can fall on hard times. Dead wood can accumulate and the whole body can drift away from the truth. Years ago I went to a nursery and chose an apple tree for our yard. It was five years before we had any fruit. And that fruit was absolutely useless. What I needed to do was cut of the useless branches and graft into the tree branches that would produce good fruit. In the same way Paul argues the necessity of being grafted into the tree of faith in verses eleven to twenty- four.

In verses twenty-five to thirty-six Paul shares God's sovereign plan. And what we see in these verses is a hard teaching. The majority of the Church will not accept this concept of God's sovereignty. Well, we cannot ignore it and neither can Paul. In verse twenty-five he says that he does not want us to be ignorant of this mystery so that we might not be conceited. If you consider those parts of the Church which ignore God's sovereignty you will find a group of people that thinks too highly of themselves. A few years ago Jimmy Swaggert condemned the teachings of Calvinism as the first lie of Satan himself! Well, events have occurred since then that would indicate that Brother Swaggert does not have a direct hot line to heaven! The Church is divided and why is that. Paul observes that Israel had experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the gentiles had come it.

Thus it is with the Church today. There has been a great falling away from the true faith in our time, in order that the full glory of the Gospel might become more evident! And that glory is the fact that we are saved by grace, not by works, not by genetics and not by institutions. All are disobedient as Paul notes in verse thirty-two. God saves and God alone. This Paul saving action of God is celebrated at the end of chapter eleven in a four verse doxology.

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."
-- Romans 11: 33-36

Amen.

Resources Used:   The Holy Bible, New International Version

Bruce, F.F.          Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Romans.
Coppes, Leonard J.   Are Five Points Enough?
Murray, John.        New International Commentary: Epistle to Romans
Pauck, Wilhelm.      Library of Christian Classics: Luther: Lecture on Romans.

Places Preached:

Logan County Mission (PCA)                            09 June 85

Christ Covenant REFORMED (Presbyterian Church in America)
Post Office Box 13926 - Columbus, OH 43213-7926

Rom09c.htm       12 November 95

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