Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Merciful Potter and His Clay




But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump, one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?
Romans 9:20-21





God the Creator certainly has the right over people, His created. Certainly He is free as the potter with His clay to do what He wills, but he always does so with mercy. That is the message here in Romans 9:15 "Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."

No human will ever be able to stand before God except be it for God's great mercy found in Christ Jesus. God's mercy to us poor sinners to give us the Spirit to be able to put our trust and faith in Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection for the forgiveness of all our sins is pure mercy. Just as clay is not aware of all the intricacies of its shape and contours at the hand of the potter, so we humans are not aware of all the intricacies and contours of God's dealings with human sinners. Election, predestination to being called to saving faith in Jesus is a mystery in that we do not understand fully why some are chosen and others not. We simply as the clay leave this in the hands of the potter, our Creator God. For the present at least, this is not in our capabilities nor concern as the clay, the created of the Lord.

His mercies are new and fresh for us everyday in Jesus Christ our Lord! We thank and praise Him for it by which we live as the redeemed forever. Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment