Join us as we journey through a theological exploration of God’s sovereignty, highlighted by the unique narrative of Pharaoh in the scriptures. This episode unpacks how resistance to God can paradoxically glorify Him, emphasizing His immense power and the unfolding purpose for mankind. As resistance transforms into acknowledgment, we reflect on how God’s sovereignty encompasses both the willing and the unwilling. Our discussion extends beyond theology into practical insights for appreciating God’s greater plan for salvation, weaving in relevant real-world contexts for today’s believers.
So we continue to read this and study this chapter 9 of Romans where Paul is talking about how Israel will be saved, how God gets on to doing it. And we have learned that God is electing people. Now, this is, as I say, a message that is not simply electing a few, because the whole of the 9, 10, and 11 passage is going to show that God elects everyone. That is, the plan of God before the creation of the world is that God, through His Son, would rescue this planet, rescue all humanity. But first of all, he goes about calling people whom he’s elected, various ones, not all at once, different ones who have come to an end of their resources, and therefore they are calling upon God, and he gives them mercy. This is how it is. And so Paul then asks a very important question that makes sense in the context in which I’ve just described it. That is, what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Is there unrighteousness with God? Now, do you understand that Paul is playing devil’s advocate here, and he’s anticipating the questions and objections of his readers, and this is one of them. Is there unrighteousness with God? Now, do you realize that he would never put that question in his reader’s mind or mouth and if it were not for the fact that Paul knows that God is the initiator of salvation. God is the initiator. Now, this question does not come up so much in the Western world, where we believe that we are the initiators of our salvation. In other words, we choose whether we will be saved or not. Well, then, if we choose that we will be saved or not, there isn’t a question about whether God is just or righteous. The question has come up because Paul knows and understands that his readers know and understand that God is sovereign over all things. and that he is the initiator of salvation. And therefore, if he doesn’t initiate it to everybody, for everybody, then is he unjust? Is he unrighteous? So do you see, it’s a very important question, and it can only have meaning to us when we see that our God is big enough, and that our God is the initiator of salvation and is sovereign over all. So what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? But he doesn’t answer it completely at this point. He simply says, certainly not, or God forbid, as the King James Version says. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion. So he’s beginning to answer it, and his beginning answer is this. God is not unrighteous. He’s not favoring one group as opposed to another. He’s having mercy. Wow, that is so interesting, isn’t it? Because we see God having mercy on certain people, and we think, well, why doesn’t he have mercy on me? Well, Paul is going to reveal that he is having mercy on everybody. But the wonder of it is that God’s character reveals that he is not unjust. He is merciful. So then, Paul says in verse 16, and this is a very revealing passage, So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. Now this lines up with what I just said, that the initiator of salvation is God. God is sovereign. And if we do not realize that or learn that or come to believe that, then we won’t understand a verse like this. The verse says, so then it is not of him who wills. Well, what in the world does that mean? It means it is not, that is, salvation does not come about by the one who has willpower. It is not of him who wills, you see, nor is it of him, that is, salvation doesn’t come by him, who runs, that is, who has endurance. People who are disciplined, you know, and who have more mental strength and capacity to endure than we do. That’s not how salvation comes about. And many of us have wondered about this over the years. Why is it that some people accept Christ and others do not? Is it because they have more insight? Is it because they have more willpower and staying power? Is it that they can endure all the sufferings that go on in the world and others can’t? No, absolutely not. Paul says, verse 16 this is, of chapter 9, So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. Ah, you see, you have to keep this in mind. Paul is presenting to us our Creator Redeemer as the initiator of salvation, the sovereign of all, and he is going about calling people whom he has elected. Now, in the Western world, we’re scared of this because we think that if he is calling some people and not others, then he is in fact favoring and is in fact unrighteous and unjust. But you see, we haven’t got the full story, because we are insistent in the West that people initiate their own salvation by choice to believe. Nope, that is not the gospel. When people come to believe, it is because God has called them. Well, you say, why doesn’t he call everybody? But that’s the point, you see. He is going to call everybody. It takes a lot of hammering away at our stony brains in order to get this truth through. But the truth is that God is the initiator. You see, once you accept that, then you have opened the way to the salvation of all. Now, some people, mind you, and we’ll come to them, think that he won’t save all. He’s sovereign, he’s the initiator, but he’s only going to initiate it for some and not others. Well, we’ll come to that in a minute. So, verse 17 says, For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show my power in you, and that my name may be declared in all the earth. Well, boy, this is like a new thought coming in. It doesn’t seem to harmonize with what he’s just said or previously said, but we’ll follow it and we’ll see. The point that we first notice about this is that God is so sovereign that that he raises up kings and prime ministers and leaders of nations. He is the author of the nations. You see, Pharaoh didn’t become Pharaoh just because Pharaoh was a better guy than somebody else. God raised him up. It doesn’t mean he raised him up to be saved or lost. It means he raised him up to the throne. God raised Pharaoh up to the throne. But he knew Pharaoh’s heart. He knew that Pharaoh did not believe him and did not trust him and would not follow his direction but rebel and refuse to let the people of Israel go. So why did he raise him up then? And here you have this incredible truth. that God raised Pharaoh up to resist him. No, not predestined Pharaoh to resist him. Pharaoh was a rebel and an unbeliever, suppressing truth about the Creator Redeemer like everybody else. The whole world, according to Paul, in chapter 1, verse 18, is in a state of suppression of God. But God uses that suppression. And here we’re coming into a tremendously interesting, revealing, and awesome part of God’s grace and power. God is going to use people who resist him as much as God is going to use people who receive him by faith. We’ll think about that further as we go along. Therefore, well, let’s read it again. For this very purpose, this is verse 17, I have raised you up that I may show my power in you and that my name may be declared in all the earth. How does God show his power in Pharaoh? Well, by his resistance. Every time Pharaoh resisted God, God sent a plague. Now, remember this. Let’s get this clear. God is love. God is not harsh. But God chooses to use a person’s resistance, if he so chooses to resist God, by… as a means of revealing God’s glory. So remember, every time God said, let my people go, Pharaoh said, no. And God said, if you continue to that attitude, I will send a plague to your land. And basically, Pharaoh said, I don’t care. Go ahead. He didn’t say that verbally, but that was his attitude. And so a plague came upon the land of Egypt, and that was revealing God’s power and glory to the whole of Egypt and to Israel. Egypt was becoming afraid, and Israel was growing strong by these plagues as revelations of God. And so, even a man’s resistance can lead to God’s glory. And let’s extend it farther. Even a nation’s resistance will ultimately lead to God’s glory. This is all about God’s sovereignty. You have to get that into your mind. Don’t fall trap to believing. that salvation and the destiny of the world ultimately depend upon mankind’s choice. No, because God is able to confront mankind’s resistance and suppression with his glory to such an extent that mankind or an individual like Pharaoh will yield. Now, I want you to comprehend that in regard to your own salvation and in regard to your relatives and your loved ones and your friends’ salvation. They may hold out against God. But God isn’t fazed by that. He will use their holding out, ultimately to bring them to the place where they have nothing left of their resistance. And so they finally fall on their knees and call upon God for mercy. That is God’s sovereignty, and God’s sovereignty is all about saving mankind, saving the world, and saving you. Thank you very much. You can also hear it, though, any time of the day or night on your smartphone. Simply download a free app, soundcloud.com or podbean.com, Spotify and other places, and key in How It Happens with Colin Cook. Also, please consider a donation. Thank you so much for your support already. This is a program in its 27th year. Send your donation to Faith Quest, P.O. Box 366, Littleton, Colorado, 80160, or online at faithquestradio.com. Thanks. I’ll see you next time. Cheerio then, and God bless.
Join us as we journey through a theological exploration of God’s sovereignty, highlighted by the unique narrative of Pharaoh in the scriptures. This episode unpacks how resistance to God can paradoxically glorify Him, emphasizing His immense power and the unfolding purpose for mankind. As resistance transforms into acknowledgment, we reflect on how God’s sovereignty encompasses both the willing and the unwilling. Our discussion extends beyond theology into practical insights for appreciating God’s greater plan for salvation, weaving in relevant real-world contexts for today’s believers.
