Election

Today's reading, Romans 9-11, is the most detailed section of the Bible on the doctrine of election. This teaching is basically a dead end for human logic. It's clear that God has chosen some for salvation, yet the Bible does not say that God has chosen anyone for damnation. Rather it tells us that God wants all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4) and that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son" (John 3:16).

Even in cases like Pharaoh or Saul, where God hardens their hearts, it is only after they have rejected him repeatedly that he finally hardens them for good. Notice in 9:22-23 that only the objects of his glory were prepared in advance, while the objects of God's wrath prepared for destruction he bears with great patience.

Paul does address the lingering question: "One of you will say to me: 'Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?' But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?" (9:19-20) Somewhere I read a good point on this. If you consider that we all deserve damnation for our sins, then anyone who is saved is receiving an undeserved gift.

As for the logical dead end, all I can think is that God is God. Can we expect to know his ways? (See Paul's doxology at the end of this section.) We are blessed to have what he has revealed to us in the Bible. He has apparently chosen not to reveal to us his ways with election. Let us not worry about it and instead rejoice that he has chosen "us in him before the creation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4-6).