| Toward a Unified Theology: Sovereignty, Responsibility and Faith in Romans 9-11 |
| ONE OF THE GREAT MYSTERIES of the universe concerns what astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has termed the "unification of physics." In A Brief History of Time, Hawking described back in 1988 what still amounts to the Holy Grail of theoretical science - a unified theory of physics: "Today scientists describe the universe in terms of two basic theories - the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.... One of the major endeavors in physics today...is the search for a new theory that incorporates them both - a quantum theory of gravity." While the search since then has apparently turned up little in terms of consistent, satisfactory results, the unification of physics remains a subject worthy of our consideration. As Hawking concludes, "A complete, consistent, unified theory is only the first step: our goal is a complete understanding of the events around us, and of our own existence." Something similar could be said of our study of scripture. To understand biblical theology is to see the big picture - to get a glimpse of our place in the plan of God as a clue to the meaning of the events that make up our everyday existence. And there is no better sourcebook for viewing the big picture than Paul's letter to the Romans. In terms of the theological indicatives found in its first eleven chapters (rather than the more practical imperatives characteristic of chapters 12-15), the book of Romans may be seen as a unification of individual theological essentials: of universal sin, blood atonement, grace without measure, salvation by faith, renewed relationship with God, freedom from bondage under the law, and finally, an eschatological vision of the higher purpose of God as revealed in human history. This last revelation, the subject of chapters 9-11, is often bypassed by Bible teachers because it involves seemingly irreconcilable concepts such as the sovereignty of God and individual human responsibility. (As a former pastor of mine confessed in a sermon: "That is a theological pretzel I'm not even going to attempt to unravel.") Perhaps these teachers could learn something from their counterparts in the secular sciences: The fact that the big picture extends somewhat beyond the scope of human understanding is no reason to cease exploring it altogether. Indeed, that fact is precisely what makes the picture in the book of Romans so big. Like any other portion of scripture, Romans 9-11 is best understood in light of its various contexts. The particular historical context of Romans, for example, reveals that Paul is concerned with mending a widening breach between a growing contingent of Gentiles and a Jewish minority making up a threatened if not openly persecuted church community. The Roman historian Suetonius' record of the expulsion of the Jews from Rome by Claudius in A.D. 49 indicates that the Jews particularly had felt the heat of persecution and likely had lost their majority position in the church. From the evidence of Acts 15 and the letters to the Galatians and Corinthians it may be deduced that the Jewish and Gentile factions in the church misunderstood and mistrusted one another. Paul is concerned with healing the breach, addressing both parties alternatively throughout his letter with assurances of spiritual equality (2:11; 3:9-24; 3:29) and appeals to mutual respect (14-15). Indeed, Paul's main thesis is a gospel message "to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (1:16). The historical situation thus explains Paul's division of humanity in the salvation scheme of Rom. 9-11 into the nation of Israel and the Gentile nations. Moreover, Romans is marked by an insistent, almost apologetic demonstration of God's righteousness - as revealed in the preceding chapters (1-8), first through his righteous judgment of all men as sinners and then in his righteous redemption of men by the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ on the cross. In chapters 9-11, Paul extends this theme to apply to entire nations and peoples as yet another striking testimony to God's sovereign grace, wisdom and righteousness. Most importantly, Romans is a book about the gospel of our salvation. Paul's message is not a dry academic treatise but a joyful declaration of good news, evidenced in 9-11 by the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles as a fulfillment of the purpose of God in the earth. Chapter 9 opens with the disclosure of Paul's burden for the Jews, "my countrymen according to the flesh," who for the most part had failed to embrace Jesus as the Messiah (v.1-5). Paul's anguish not only demolishes any imagined theological basis for anti-Semitism in the church, but raises the profound question: How is it that God's "chosen people" have seemingly not been chosen? Paul assures us that "the word of God has not failed" (v.6), and supplies a twofold response: First he reminds readers that "Israel" pertains to more than the physical ancestry of Abraham, but rather to the community of elect believers throughout history chosen by God and defined by his promise. So even among Israelites salvation begins with divine election and initiative. Moreover, salvation is a purpose fulfilled strictly by God's grace, irrespective of human works. It is a principle vividly expressed by God himself in the OT: "Jacob I have loved but Esau I have hated." Jacob had few redeeming qualities, yet God chose him. Such an insight serves to confound human pride and demonstrate the centrality of God's grace in the plan of salvation. But it also leads to a further question, seemingly logical from a human viewpoint: "Is there unrighteousness with God? (v.14) Is it really necessary to "hate" (reject) Esau in order to "love" (receive) Jacob? Paul is undaunted by such questions. He answers by appealing firstly to the sovereignty of God himself, indicated in his words to Moses in v.15: "I will have mercy on whomever I will... and I will have compassion on whomever I will..." Paul's answer reveals the reality of a divine perspective and prerogative, which really should surprise no one. It's only to be expected that the omnipotent Creator would have a different perspective than does his creation. God is sovereign, and if he wasn't sovereign he wouldn't be God. On the other hand, Paul's focus is not merely on God's sovereignty but his mercy. Salvation is "not of him who wills nor of him who runs but of God who shows mercy" (v.16). It cannot be attained by willpower or works. It is an act of pure mercy because, as Paul established earlier in chapters 1-3, all men are deserving of judgment as sinners. So is there unrighteousness in God granting mercy to certain of these sinners? No, because extending undeserved kindness is not unrighteous. Grace is a privilege, not a right. Consequently, God is under no obligation to save Pharaoh (or anyone else) even while saving his own elect from under Pharaoh's cruel dominion. To the contrary, God uses Pharaoh for his own larger redemptive purposes - in much the same way that Pharaoh has exploited God's people for his own sinful purposes for so many years. In the process of all this, Pharaoh becomes hardened. A frightful spiritual dichotomy thus emerges, as it appears that there are but two kinds of people: those finding mercy and those hardened. "He has mercy on whom he wills and whom he wills he hardens" (v.18) |