In Romans 9, the apostle Paul addresses a crucial question: If God is a saving and justifying God, why have His covenantal people, the nation of Israel, largely rejected Jesus as the Messiah? That’s what Paul answers in Romans 9—and he sets out to explain that they haven’t believed in Jesus because of a divine, sovereign election.

One of the greatest stories in the Old Testament is God’s dealings with Moses, Pharaoh, and the 10 plagues. That great story from the book of Exodus pictures God’s redeeming work of saving the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. But why did God choose to redeem Moses and not Pharaoh?

Alongside the doctrine of divine election is the doctrine of reprobation, which holds that God passes over some sinners, resulting in their receiving the justice that they fully deserve. When studying Romans 9, it is crucial to understand the distinctions between those two doctrines. The apostle Paul anticipates another objection, so he sets out to demonstrate that election and reprobation are completely compatible with the character of God.

The doctrine of divine election is necessary for salvation because human beings are radically depraved, which means that we would never choose God apart from divine intervention. Election teaches that our only hope is in a good, generous, and gracious God who is willing to save rebels through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Romans 9, the apostle Paul explains the great doctrine of divine election. In doing so, he teaches that all men are equally deserving of God's justice. But God has the sole right to decide who gets the justice that they have earned by breaking His law and sinning against Him and who gets the mercy they have not earned, which is a demonstration of God’s grace.

In Romans 9, Paul uses the illustration of a potter and His clay to show the sovereignty with which God has over those whom He has elected for salvation and those whom He has passed over. The potter illustration provides two key lessons that will help bring clarity to the doctrine of election and how Christians should only respond in adoration and worship of our sovereign God.

The doctrine of divine election is often misconstrued to say that God creates people to then destroy them. But that isn’t what the apostle Paul teaches in Romans 9. Rather, God decided to create mankind in His own image, in His glory, for good, as an expression of His own character, and then He allowed them to fall into sin.

One of the profound implications of the doctrine of divine election is that it demonstrates the patience of God—that He is willing to allow sinners to rebel against him—and then, at an appointed time, He is also willing to call sinners to Himself through the offer of his Son, Jesus Christ.

A common question that arises in regards to the doctrine of election is this: How do you know if you are elect? The fact is, only the Triune God knows who He elected, but it is possible to know if you are elect if you have repented of your sins and trusted in Christ.