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Romans 9:25 – His Beloved Children

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Will

As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved."

Truth to Learn

God chooses people, not nations, and all of His chosen ones are His beloved children.

Behind the Words

The word “people” is from laos, which refers to “a people, nation, or a number of people joined together by common bonds.” Another word translated “people” is nēmos, which refers to one’s own populace. Paul is showing that God’s people are not just a single nation or ethnic group, but His own select group of people united in Him.

“Beloved” is from a form of agapaō which means “to esteem or love, indicating a commitment of the will and of finding one's joy in something or someone.” It is the kind of self-sacrificing love in which the lover is focused on the best possible good for the beloved rather than self.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul turned a corner in his dissertation on the doctrine of election. He left off his discussion as to why and how His choosing is true. He now goes on to show the Jewish Christians in Rome the fact that God has always had a plan for non-Jews (Gentiles) as well as the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Jews).

As we already pointed out, the Jewish Christians in the early years of the church believed that the Jews were a called nation. That is, the sons of Jacob had a special privilege in their relationship with God simply because God chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Since this previous verse would come as a shock to many of these Jewish Christians, Paul quotes from the Old Testament prophets to show that it has always been God’s plan to select from the Gentiles as well as from the Jews.

The quotation in this verse is from the book of the prophet Hosea in which he says

And I will have mercy on No-mercy. And I will say to Not-my-people, You are My people. And they shall say, My God. (Hosea 2:23)

Since the Jewish believers were so proud of the fact that to them had been entrusted the Oracles of God (see Romans 3:2), and they believed, as we do, that these Holy Scriptures contained the very words of God, this becomes a very powerful demonstration to these Jewish Christians that the church is to be made up of both Jews and Gentiles. Peter discovered this in a miraculous way in chapter 10 of the book of Acts. Paul makes a very powerful argument to the Gentile members of the church in the book of Ephesians that the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross broke down the wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles.

But now in Christ Jesus you who then were far off became near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, He having made us both one, and having broken down the middle wall of partition between us, (Ephesians 2:13-14)

Application

We who are not descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can rejoice in the fact that He chooses individuals to his family. And, as individuals we are to serve Him in joyful thanksgiving because He has chosen us to be His own children. Are you a true child of God?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:24 – Jews and Gentiles

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Will

even us, whom He also called, not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles?

Truth to Learn

God chose us, Jews and Gentiles alike, to be His holy children so that He will receive praise and glory.

Behind the Words

“Called” is from the Greek word kaleō, which properly means “to call aloud to someone.” It represents the action of calling to someone to give them instructions.

The expression, “of the Jews” is translated from ex ioudaion, which literally means, “out of Jews.” And the expression “of the Gentiles” is from ex ethnon, which literally means “out of nations” or “out of Gentiles.”

Meaning Explained

As you will recall, Paul has written this letter to the Christian Jews in Rome. Part of his reason for writing this letter is to show them that this salvation they have does not come from being born a Jew, but from being chosen by God. The Jewish people, however, have always considered themselves the special chosen people of God. They believed that as descendants of Abraham they were chosen and set-apart. They also believed that by keeping the Law they were justified before God. In the earlier portion of this letter, Paul clearly showed that justification does not come from keeping the Law but, instead, it comes as a result of God’s free gift of grace. None of us deserve it because:

all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)

But, because they believed that they were a chosen nation, the early Jewish Christians would likely miss the impact of what Paul has just said, namely that God has chosen the “elect” to receive His grace and only they would gain entrance into His glory in the hereafter. They believed they were the “elect” because they were descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That’s why the current verse would come as a surprise to a lot of them.

There are two very clear implications in this verse. The first is that not all Jews are called, only some of them. That is demonstrated by the fact that Paul said the called ones were “out of the Jews.” The second is that God called some of the Gentiles as well. This would come as a surprise to some of the Jewish Christians in Rome. These early Jewish Christians had believed that all Jews were called and only Jews were called. Paul, however, is clearly teaching them that being a physical descendent of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has absolutely nothing to do with their being chosen to salvation.

In the next few verses Paul will amplify this statement with quotes from the Old Testament which demonstrate the fact that God does not shower His grace on Jews exclusively.

Application

Being one of God’s chosen called ones is not a reason for pride. It is a reason for humility. God has not chosen us because of what family we are in or what church we go to. He has not chosen us because we performed the proper rituals or because we chose to believe. He chose us because it will bring glory to Him. For that we should be thankful and humbled and we should give Him all the praise and all the glory.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:23 – Undeserved Glory

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Will

and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,

Truth to Learn

God chose some to know the glory of heaven for eternity.

Behind the Words

“Riches” is from the Greek word ploutos which refers to “fullness or abundance.” It is often associated with possessions or money and is thus often translated as “wealth” or “riches.”

The expression “had prepared beforehand” is translated from the Greek word proetoimadzō, which is composed of pro, meaning “before, in time or place” and hetoimadzō, meaning “to prepare” or “to make ready.” Hence, proetoimadzō means “to prepare beforehand” or “to predestinate.” It is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicating action that was done at a point in time in the past (a single action, not a process).

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we talked about one class of people, namely those who are sinners whom God has prepared for damnation. In the current verse Paul talks about the other class of people. This class of people also includes sinful people, but God has chosen them and has declared them to be righteous.

According to Paul, the reason that God did this is so that He might make known “the riches of His glory.” This is a Hebrew expression meaning the abundance or fullness of His glory. But what does this term “glory” refer to? It often refers to the glorious manifestation of his presence (called the shekinah glory). The use of the word in today’s verse, however, refers to the eternal state in the presence of Almighty God. This eternal state blends together everything that constitutes honor, dignity, purity, love, and happiness. All these attributes are in various places attached to the word “glory,” and all mingle in the eternal state of the righteous.

In the previous verse we noted that the “vessels of wrath” were “prepared for destruction.” The word “prepared” is translated from a form of the Greek word katartidzō, which means “to establish, arrange, or prepare.” In the current verse Paul says that the “vessels of mercy” (the saved elect) were “prepared beforehand for glory.” So we see that the Potter prepared the vessels of wrath for the damnation that they will receive as a result of God’s righteous judgment, but the vessels of mercy were prepared beforehand (before time) to be recipients of His gracious gift of salvation. The opening verses of Ephesians also speak of this preparation before time began:

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as his sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (Ephesians 1:3-5)

That should be enough to make any born again Christian fall to his or her knees and thank our heavenly Father for choosing us and granting us His salvation, not because we deserved it or earned it, but because He chose to do it!

Application

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you for choosing me in spite of the fact that I am an undeserving sinner. I don’t know why you chose me of all people, but I praise you for it! You deserve all the praise and all the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:22 – Unfair Grace

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Will

But if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,

Truth to Learn

God endures the sinfulness of sinners so that His wrath and power will be seen and understood.

Behind the Words

“Show” is from endeiknumi, which means “to point out or to show forth something about oneself.”

The verb translated “make … known” is gnoridzo, meaning “to make something apparent or known to someone else.”

“Endured” is from the verb pherō, which means “to carry or bear like a burden.”

The word “longsuffering” is translated from makrothumia, which refers to “the ability to endure pain or suffering inflicted by others for a long time before getting angry.”

“Destruction” is from apōleia, which is based on the verb apollumi, meaning “to destroy fully.” The Complete WordStudy Dictionary says of this word: “apōleia refers to the state after death wherein exclusion from salvation is a realized fact, wherein man, instead of becoming what he might have been, is lost and ruined.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we saw that the Apostle Paul postulated that it is fair for God to declare some righteous (through His grace) and to allow the remainder of mankind to remain destined for Hell because of their sinfulness. But that implies that there must be two classes of people on the earth, unforgiven sinners and forgiven sinners. In this and the following verse Paul will show that, in fact, there are two classes of people, and God has a purpose in allowing both.

The first class of people is the class of unforgiven sinners. Remember, according to what Paul demonstrated back in Romans 3:23, all of us are sinners. There is no human being except for Jesus Himself who is without sin. We all deserve Hell. Paul here states that God is desirous of showing His wrath against sin and sinners and He is also desirous of making His power known. In order to do this, though, He is currently being long suffering, enduring the pain of the sinfulness of those who are not chosen, until the day when He will finally pour out His wrath on the sinfulness of all mankind.

God is continuing to endure the pain of the sins of the unsaved sinners in this world. At the same time, however, he knows the eternal damnation that they will receive when He finally slams down the gavel of His judgment on them. But what about our sins? Is God longsuffering with us? The answer is no, because our sins are covered by the blood of Christ and He sees us as sinless, holy, righteous vessels of glory. We are the second class of people, the forgiven sinners.

Application

On the surface this appears harsh and unfair, but keep in mind that God cannot allow sin to abide in His presence. The unfair thing is that He has declared us to be righteous and without sin (because the penalty for our sins has been paid by Jesus Christ on the cross).

Truly, that is not fair! Praise God for His grace!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:21 – The Master Potter

Posted on June 11, 2018 by Will

Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

Truth to Learn

God made us, we did not make Him. He has the right to make us and use us however He sees fit.

Behind the Words

“Potter” is translated from the Greek word kerameus, which refers to “someone who shapes clay into useful or artistic objects, that is, a potter.”

“Clay” is from pēlos, which means “wet muddy clay.”

The word translated “lump” is phuroma, which refers to “a mixture of liquid and solid that is kneaded.” The same word is used to describe a mass of clay and a mass of bread dough.

Meaning Explained

In explaining the previous verse we noted that what Paul said was, “Now wait a minute! Who are you to argue with God?” Do we have the right to tell God that He made a mistake? Do we have the right to tell the perfect, eternal, sinless, all knowing, all powerful God that He is wrong?

That is arguing from the human point of view. Paul now completes the argument by making it from God’s point of view. He does this by making reference to another Old Testament passage. This one is also quoted from Isaiah:

For all of us have become as an unclean thing, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy rag; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, who stirring himself up to take hold of You; for You have made us waste away because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand. (Isaiah 64:6-8)

In making this argument Paul is clearly showing that God is the one who has made us and not the other way around. Since He made us, He is the potter and we are the clay. This in not just a metaphorical statement. We really are made of clay. Our father Adam was made from the dirt.

And Jehovah God formed the man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

In today’s verse Paul is declaring that God, as the potter, has the power and the right to make one vessel (man or woman) unto a dishonorable end and another one to an honorable end.

As we have said before, this expresses a big God, little man perspective. Unfortunately, today it is in vogue to believe in a big man, little God perspective, where we are the ones in control and we tell God what we want Him to do. But that’s not the way it really is! We have “turned it upside down.”

Application

Many Christians today would rather skip over this and the following verses because they don’t fit with their own image of who God is. Who are we to tell God how to act? God is the one who is in control, and He will do as He pleases. He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy and whom he wants to He will harden. He makes one vessel unto honor, pardoning him or her by His grace, and He makes another vessel unto dishonor, condemning him or her to Hell for his or her sinfulness and impenitent heart.

Who are we to tell God, “That’s not fair!”?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:20 – It Is Fair!

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Will

But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"

Truth to Learn

We have no right to tell God who should be saved and who shouldn’t.

Behind the Words

This verse starts of with an unusual Greek word. It is menounge, which is a compound word made up of men, meaning “indeed,” oun, meaning “but, now, or therefore,” and ge which is an emphatic particle, making this an emphatic exclamation which basically means, “but indeed!” In today’s vernacular we might say, “Now wait just a minute!”

The Greek word translated “reply” is antapokrinomai, which is a compound of anti, meaning “against” and krinomai, meaning “to reply or to answer.” This word means “to make an argumentative reply against someone” or “to dispute a statement just made.”

“The thing formed” is translated from plasma, which is the noun form of the verb plassō, meaning “to shape or form something as with clay or wax.”

Meaning Explained

What Paul is saying is, “Now wait a minute! Who are you to argue with God?” Do we have the right to tell our maker that He made a mistake? Do we who are imperfect and sinful have the right to tell the perfect, eternal, sinless, all knowing, all powerful God that He is wrong? I don’t think so.

In this verse Paul is quoting from Isaiah who says,

Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, "He did not make me"? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"? (Isaiah 29:16)

Isaiah is chastening the Jews for making themselves and their actions more important than God. He says, “You turn the order of things upside down, putting yourselves in place of God.” That is the same message that Paul is declaring to the Jewish Christians in Rome. They had made their desires and intentions to be of more importance than God’s; they had accepted a little God, big man theology just as many Christians have today.

Similarly, who are we to tell God who is to be saved and who isn’t? It’s His choice, not ours! He chooses us, we don’t choose Him. Wait just a minute! We have no right to tell God that He can’t decide who is to be forgiven their sins and declared righteous and who should suffer the agony of Hell.

As we discussed a few verses back, God is righteous, which means that He always does what is right, and He is holy, which means that He is without sin. Therefore, He always does the right thing without even a hint of sinfulness in it. If He chose to allow most of humankind to go to Hell because of their sinfulness and chose to save some of mankind from that fate by declaring us righteous, then we have no right to question Him in doing so. He is God!

Application

In the final analysis it really is fair for God to allow most of mankind to go to Hell and save a few from that fate. It is fair for Him to make that choice! After all, God did it that way and He is sinless and He is always right!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:19 – No Fault Sovereignty

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Will

You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?"

Truth to Learn

It is completely fair for God to do as He decides.

Behind the Words

The Greek verb translated “find fault” is memphomai, meaning “to find fault, to blame, or to censure.”

“Resisted” is translated from anthistēmi. This is a compound word made up of anti, meaning “against” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” So, quite literally, this word means “to stand against.” Understand, however, that the emphasis of this word is on the result rather than the process. In its usage here, Paul is not saying, “who has put up a fight against God’s will” but “who has prevailed against His will.”

“Will” is from boulēma. This is the noun form of boulomai, which we compared with thelō back in verse sixteen. It refers to “intention or purpose.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has been very methodically and meticulously describing God’s sovereignty in choosing some and not choosing others. Every Jew knows that God chose Abraham and called him out of Ur of the Chaldeans. From there Paul showed that Isaac was the chosen son of promise rather than Ishmael, the first born of his flesh. He then gives the example of Jacob and Esau. Even though Esau was the first born, God said “Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated.” And He did so without taking into account anything either of them did in their lives.

His next example is Pharaoh. Pharaoh had a hardened heart toward God and His chosen people as a result of his sin nature (which we all have). But God hardened Pharaoh’s heart even further so that He (God) might receive praise and glory. Thus Paul declares

He has mercy on whom He determines, and whom He determines He hardens.

From our human perspective we look at this and say, “That’s not fair!” This is the first objection most people have to God’s sovereignty. Paul now gets to the other objection. If God is in total control and no one can resist His will in election, then why does he condemn sinners? Why doesn’t He just forgive everyone their sins and not send anyone to Hell for being a sinner?

Actually, this is just another way of saying, “That’s not fair! God shouldn’t choose some to go to Heaven and allow others to go to Hell.” Paul will address this in his response in the next verse. So as not to take all the wind out of his sails, let me simply state that the problem with this objection is that it assumes that we know better than God. But, how can we who are finite beings with a sin nature ever suppose that we know better than an infinite, loving, holy, righteous God.

Application

We have no right to criticize God for the way He chooses to run His creation. Instead of complaining and fighting His will for us, we need to better understand Him and His will for us. As we do, we will fall on our knees asking for forgiveness for even questioning His will and His sovereignty.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:18 – God and God Alone

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Will

So, then, He has mercy on whom He determines, and whom He determines He hardens.

Truth to Learn

God makes the decisions regarding whom He shows mercy to.

Behind the Words

The word “mercy” is from eleeō, which we looked at in verse fifteen. It refers to God’s action of showing mercy, not just His feeling of compassion.

“Determines” is translated from the Greek verb thelō, which we looked at in verse sixteen. It refers to God’s determined will and so we translated it as “determine.”

The Greek verb translated “hardens” is sklērunō, which is based on the noun sklēros, meaning “hard.” In reference to a person, it carries the idea of being “stubborn, unyielding, or unmoved by persuasion.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now makes his second summary statement regarding God’s sovereignty and his purpose in election. He has just shown that it was God who controlled the heart of Pharaoh after he had hardened his own heart against the Israelites and their God. And, Paul has shown in the previous verses that God chooses whom He will love and whom He will hate. Paul has quoted the Old Testament where God said,

I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Exodus 33:19b)

Paul then used Pharaoh as his example of this declaration. He now restates it as a summary statement of fact:

Therefore He has mercy on whom He determines, and whom He determines He hardens.

If you read the previous verse explanation and all the verses quoted, you will see that it was Pharaoh who initially hardened his own heart out of his own sinful and prideful nature. But eventually, God took over and caused him to harden his heart even more. There are two principles to understand here. The first is that we are all sinful, and left to our own devices we will commit sinful acts against God. The second is that God is overall sovereign and will, at His own choosing, either pardon that sinfulness and declare us righteous through the blood of Christ, or He will allow our sinfulness to send us to everlasting punishment in Hell, which is what we all deserve.

“But what about man’s free will?” you may ask. Nowhere in the Bible are we taught that unregenerate man has a free will. That is a concept of theologians and others who don’t think it is fair for God to make all the decisions regarding our eternal future. The only free will that is spoken of in the New Testament is the free will that born-again Christians have regarding how they behave after salvation. As children of God, Christians can choose to obey God or to obey their sin nature.

Application

God is ruling all of creation, including you and me. If you are a born-again Christian, do you choose to submit to Him, or do you want to be in control?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:17 – A Hardened Heart

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Will

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

Truth to Learn

God chooses to do what He does to bring glory to Himself.

Behind the Words

“Says” is from the Greek verb legō, which means “to lay forth, declare, or proclaim.” It is expressed here in the present tense not the past tense (the Scripture said to the Pharaoh …), thus underscoring the eternal nature of God’s word.

Meaning Explained

Paul has demonstrated that it is God who directs the destiny of mankind. All of us deserve eternity in Hell because we are sinners; we are not righteous. God on the other hand cannot sin and cannot allow sinfulness to be in his presence. Therefore, the only way for God to have any fellowship with mankind is to choose to declare some of us righteous even though we don’t deserve it and can’t do anything to earn it.

But God’s sovereignty goes even further than choosing whom He will show His mercy to, whom He loves, and whom He hates. In order to demonstrate his sovereignty and power, God allows some to fully demonstrate their sinfulness.

God instructed Moses to go into Pharaoh’s presence and demand that he allow the Israelites to go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to God. However, Pharaoh wouldn’t allow them to go. Moses then told Pharaoh that God would visit various plagues upon Egypt. But he still would not let the Israelites go because his heart was hard. In chapters seven through fourteen, we repeatedly see the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart:

Exodus 7:14 Pharaoh's heart is hard.

Exodus 7:22 Pharaoh's heart grew hard.

Exodus 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw … he hardened his heart.

Exodus 8:32 Pharaoh hardened his heart.

Exodus 9:12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh.

Exodus 9:34 And when Pharaoh saw … he hardened his heart.

Exodus 10:1 the LORD said … I have hardened his heart.

Exodus 10:20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart.

Exodus 10:27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart.

Exodus 11:10 and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart.

Exodus 14:8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh.

We can see from these verses that God did not make Pharaoh evil; that was Pharaoh’s own doing (his sin nature). God simply chose not to change Pharaoh’s heart; instead, He hardened it further. It was not out of spite or malice on God’s part, it was done so that He would be glorified. That’s what Paul is referring to in the current verse when he says,

For this very purpose I raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Compare this to Isaiah 65:1 where God says,

I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am,' To a nation that did not call on My name.

Application

God can harden the heart of whomever He wants. But He can also open the spiritual eyes of a lost sinner, allowing him or her to see and believe that Christ died on the cross to pay for his or her sins. And He gets all the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 9:16 – All His Doing

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Will

So then it is not of the one willing, nor of the one running, but of God who shows mercy.

Truth to Learn

God deserves all the praise and glory for our salvation.

Behind the Words

The word translated “willing” is a form of the Greek word thelō, which we have looked at before. It refers to a person’s will. But there is another Greek word which also refers to a person’s will. That word is boulomai. Thelō refers to a person’s determined will, whereas boulomai refers to a person’s desirous will. It is like a child being sent into a candy store with a limited amount of money. His (or her) desirous will is to have everything in the store. But the child determines (decides) to purchase what can be acquired with the money he or she has; this is the child’s determined will. The current verse uses thelō indicating that it is not the one deciding (determined will).

The word translated “running” is the Greek word trechō, which means “to run” or “to walk hastily.” By implication it means “to run a course in an effort to achieve an objective.”

“Shows mercy” is from eleeō, which we looked at in yesterday’s verse. It refers to the act of showing mercy.

Meaning Explained

In the preceding few verses Paul talked about God’s loving some people and hating others, about God having mercy on some and not on others. He has made the point that God does so in complete righteousness because He is a holy and a righteous God who can do no evil. Paul now makes his first summary of these points. He says that the choosing is not about the one willing, nor the one running, but of God, the one showing mercy. It’s not about the person who determines or decides to get saved. Neither is it about the one who works hard to keep all the rules. It’s all about God determining who He will show mercy to.

In other words Paul is saying that salvation is not based on someone choosing to be saved nor is it about someone keeping all the rules or completing a course of action to earn righteousness. You see, both of these imply that a person deserves salvation because they did something to earn it. Instead, according to Paul, it is based on God showing mercy on someone who does not deserve it.

Here’s what Albert Barnes said about this:

Salvation in its beginning, its progress, and its close, is of him. He has a right, therefore, to bestow it when and where he pleases. All our mercies flow from his mere love and compassion, and not from our deserts. The essential idea here is, that God is the original fountain of all the blessings of salvation.

But Paul does not stop here. In the next verse he will use Pharaoh as an example of someone whose heart God hardened so that He could demonstrate His power.

Application

What we need to see in these verses is that God chooses some and not others so that He alone will get the glory. If salvation is in any way our doing, then we can take some credit for it. If we did something to obtain it, then we should get at least part of the credit. But God says that He wants to get all the credit. He wants all the glory and all the praise. Let’s give it all to Him!

In God's service, for His glory,