Romans 9:17,18 - He has mercy on whom He wills

9:17

So why does God allow evil to prosper? Paul looks to the example of Pharaoh. God raised him up for a purpose. Pharaoh was responsible for his own hardness of heart, but he was also part of God’s plan. We want something to be entirely down to us, or entirely down to God. That is an unbiblical way of thinking. Pharaoh was evil, but God used his evil for a good purpose, namely that His power might be shown, and His Name known throughout the earth. We might despair at many of the things happening in our world, but God will use these to demonstrate His power and make His Name known.

9:18

Paul rounds up this small section with the statement that God has mercy on whom He has mercy, and hardens whomever He wills. There is a key question, who is ultimately determinative? Is it God or is it man? In our sinful rebellion we want the answer to be “man”. And the urge to do this is very strong and subtle. Natural man finds the idea of the absolute sovereignty of God to be repulsive. We need to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, as we will read about in Romans 12:1,2. And a key part of that renewal is our accepting the sovereignty of God.