In
Romans chapter 9, God’s selection is revealed. Everyone who has believed into Chr=
ist
and received Him has been selected by God.=
Our believing into Christ and receiving Him is evidence that we have
been selected by God. GodR=
17;s
selection is according to His calling having nothing to do with our working
(verse 11). This selection by=
God
is altogether a matter of His mercy!
In verses 15, 16, 18, and 23, mercy or compassion is mentioned 7
times.
Our
being selected by God is for His purpose.&=
nbsp;
In God’s purpose, because God is so rich, so full, so
multifaceted, He has a great need and desire to be expressed and
manifested. God desires to sh=
ow His
power and make it known (Rom. 9:17, 22).&n=
bsp;
God also desires to have His name proclaimed in all the earth (Rom. =
9:17). God also wishes to demonstrate His=
wrath
(Rom. 9:22). God desires to m=
ake
known the riches of His glory (Rom. 9:23).=
In order for God to have a rich expression that matches Him, He has
created man as a vessel, a container through which He can be expressed.
In all
the earth, there are two kinds of vessels made by God. One kind of vessel is a vessel of =
mercy,
resulting in honor, prepared for glory (Rom. 9:23, 21). As a believer in Christ, who are
you? Because you have been se=
lected
by God according to His mercy, you are a vessel of mercy. You are a vessel unto honor. You have been prepared by God for
glory. The other kind of vess=
el is
a vessel of wrath, resulting in dishonor, fitted for destruction. These vessels are used by God as a=
dark
background and contrast for God to make known the riches of His glory upon
vessels of mercy (Rom. 9:22, 23).
With
this understanding of God’s selection, is it not humbling to realize =
that
God selected us as a vessel of mercy?
God as the potter has molded each of us in a particular and unique w=
ay
inside and out so that we can contain Him, be filled with Him, and express
Him. That is why in our life =
we
begin to realize that we are different from others. We could never fit in with the
“in-crowd.” As a =
vessel
of mercy, we are not meant for things of dishonor, wrath, or destruction.