What If...

In Romans 9:22-24 the apostle Paul asks a thought-provoking question.

“What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?”

The question is packed with enough theological content to create a college course syllabus. The table of contents would look something like this!

Week 1 - God

Week 2 - God Show His Wrath

Week 3 - God Making Known His Power

Week 4 - The Endurance of God

Week 5 - The Patience of God

Week 6 - Vessels of Wrath

Week 7 - The Destruction God Has Prepared

Week 8 - God's Purpose

Week 9 - The Riches of God's Glory

Week 10 - Vessels of Mercy

Week 11 - What God Has Prepared Beforehand

Week 12 - Those Whom God Has Called

Week 13 - Who Are The Jews

Week 14 - Who Are The Gentiles

Week 15 - God Class the Jew and Gentile

The question is also loaded with possibility thinking. It is a question designed to get one to think.

What if…? Could it be…? Is it possible…? Instead of making a statement or declaration, all of these phrases are meant to get a person thinking differently and independently from ones customary thought process. Here in Romans, the apostle Paul wants his readers to think critically and independently.

Paul’s “What if” question is an intriguing one. He is asking us to go beyond the norm and think more broadly about another state of affairs, options, or possibilities. “What if” is a scary question for some people, because it now opens a previously unopened door and asks someone to go where one has never gone before. That can be scary for some traditional thinkers.

Paul, as we know, is no longer a traditional thinker. His former limited Judaic worldview based on his staunchly Pharisaical understating of the Old Testament was deconstructed on the Damascus road, and in his newly reconstructed view of Jesus of Nazareth being the fulfillment of the Old Testament Messiah, he is now more able to himself think outside the box and challenge others to do so as well.

In his discussion here in Romans 9-11, about the relationship between the Jewish nation and the rest of the nations (the Gentiles), Paul challenges his readers to think more critically in order to come to a broader understanding of how God has intended the Jewish nation to relate to all the rest of the nations on earth especially in Rome at that point in history. The trajectory in the relationships of Jewish and Gentile Christians seem to collide in light of contextual issues we see in the letter. As a result, Paul is attempting to get his readers to think more broadly about why it is at that point in history that the Gentiles have gained a more prominent position of favor and access to the gospel as opposed to the Jews who seem to have less of both.

In chapters 9-11, Paul is putting together for his readers the pieces of the puzzle that fell into place for him on the Damascus road as he witnessed the resurrected Jesus face to face. What was once a profound mystery to Paul has now been profoundly revealed on that dusty road (Eph. 3:3). He shares this mystery-revealed with his readers because he does not want them to be ignorant of that mystery; that is, “a hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.”

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery…: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11:25).

Because of his Damascus road experience, Paul’s eyes have been opened to a different reading of the prophets. He now sees the entire world differently, especially the Jewish/Gentile world. Paul no longer sits atop a lofty Pharisaical perspective. He now sees the world from God’s perspective, and now understands and obeys the commands of the eternal God, so that he may continue to lead all nations to the obedience that comes from faith. It was this revelation on the Damascus road-that Jesus was the Messiah-that he now proclaims to the Romans (Romans 16:25-26). It is a mystery no more and he wanted others to think hard and have their faith strengthened by that realization.

Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for ages past but now revealed and made known through the writings of the prophets by the command of the eternal God, in order to lead all nations to the obedience that comes from faith—

In light of this background, Paul’s “what if” question sets the stage and opens the door for a broader understanding of what God may be doing throughout history.

So…

”what if…” God did prepare vessels of wrath beforehand -for destruction?

”what if…” God did prepare vessels of mercy beforehand -for glory?

”what if…” God did desire to show his wrath?

”what if…” God did desire to make known his power?

”what if…” God did endure with much patience vessels of wrath?

”what if…” God did all this for a specific purpose in order to make known the riches of his glory?

— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?”

What if…this has always been the plan of God for all people, (the Jewish nation and all nations,) since Paul’s point throughout Romans is that “ALL have sinned and fall short of God’s glory?”

What if…as we have suggested in previous blogs, God had purposed before the world began that He intended to demonstrate His glory to the world by writing into the script a merciless backdrop (vessels destined for destruction) from the Jewish nation and all nations from which His mercy would be easily recognizable (vessels destined for mercy)?

What if…already written into the script were vessels destined for wrath (the Jewish nation and all nations,) who through time and God’s enduring patience, become vessels of mercy?

What if…by pre-design, it has always been God’s strategy to demonstrate his glory and make His character known by being merciful to all mankind (the Jewish nation and all nations) having already pre-destined all mankind for destruction for the purpose of greater demonstration of his grace and glory?

What if…at just the right time, when all people (Jews and Gentiles) were still powerless, God’s wrath was demonstrated when Christ died and his power was made known when He raised him from the dead for the ungodly who deserved God’s wrath? (Romans 5:6)

What if…God’s strategy all along has been to demonstrate his wrath and make known His power via the crucifixion (wrath) and resurrection of Jesus (power)?

What if…those vessels prepared for wrath beforehand for destruction and the vessels prepared beforehand for mercy have all been predestined to know the riches of God’s mercy and His glory?

What if…the vessels destined for destruction are the very same vessel who receive God’s mercy?

What if…in like manner of 9:22-24, there will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but (through God’s enduring patience, at just the right time when Christ died) glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. (Romans 2:9-11)

What if…Romans 2:9-11 is the point of Romans 9:22-24

What if…the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God? (Romans 8:20-22)

What if…in like manner of 9:22-24, Romans 8:20-22 is a similar linguistic structure of pre-destining creation beforehand to be subjected to futility with the future hope of freedom later?

What if…Paul is using 8:20-22 to prepare the way for 9;22-24?

What if…Paul considers that the sufferings of this present time (as God’s enduring patience is in effect and the Jewish nation is temporarily cut off) are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (once the times of the Gentiles) is complete? (Luke 21:24; Gal 4:4, Romans 8:18)

What if…Paul’ point of this passage is to help his readers understand that God has a marvelous plan which includes the Jews and Gentiles that He previously established before the creation of the world, centered in the person of His Son on the cross, “promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures” Genesis 3:15) and rolled out through human history as recorded in the scriptures?

What if…Paul uses these concepts found in Romans 9-11 in his letter to be a culminating declaration of this plan as he administrates the furthering of this mystery-once-hidden-but-now-revealed?

With the supporting quote from Hosea (9:25-26) and Isaiah (9:27-29) , we can be most confident that in this chapter Paul is referring to the inclusion of the Gentiles into the realm of salvific faith for which the Jews believed was solely reserved for them.

“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” (Hosea 2:23)

Paul’s rhetorical question also makes it quite clear that the confusion that he is attempting to clear up through his letter to the Romans is the startling realization that...

“Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law.” (9:31-32)

Since , as Paul points out, the Jewish nation “did not pursue righteousness by faith, but as if it were based on works, they stumbled over the stumbling stone.”

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Isaiah 28:16)

This prophetic reference too is evidence that it has always been Gods plan to include the Gentiles into his grand plan to provide salvific righteousness to all men, to the Jew first, then to the Gentiles.

So, although

“They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever” (9:4-5),

there is no shame in the current situation in which the Jewish nation finds themselves as they now see the Gentiles being included in salvation history. It may appear to both the Jewish nation and the Gentiles that the Jewish people have lost their luster, so to speak with God. It is as though they have fallen out of grace with God.

However, because of their stumbling, it is all part of God’s plan that His “name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (9:17), instead of being “blasphemed among the Gentiles” because of their behavior. (2:24)

So, God has not failed (9:6) as it may appear. He is not unjust (9:14) as it may appear. God does not find fault (9:19) as it may still appear. God has not rejected the Jews (11:1) as it may appear. The Jewish situation may appear shameful. But Paul makes clear to the one who stumbles over the stumbling block, and to the one who believes, there is no shame, as it is all the plan of God.

Paul makes clear in the next chapter that what appears to be, is in reality exactly the case at hand for the moment. God is reaching out to "a disobedient and contrary people" (10:21) and "those who are not a nation, those who did not seek or ask for Him," (10:19-20) both of whom are in need of repentance and forgiveness.

And it is to that chapter that we turn next. But before we do we must ask...

What if…the reason Paul is not ashamed of this gospel, is because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the disobedient and contrary Jew first and also to the foolish and unseeking Greek/Gentile, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith? (Romans 1:16-17)

In my next blog, we will see how Paul explains what he means by A Disobedient And Contrary People.