Romans 9:14-16

What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion" [Exodus 33:19]. It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

V14-15 – Is God unjust? Not at all! He will have mercy and compassion on whomever He will, and whomever He doesn’t save will get exactly what they deserve. There is no injustice with God. Paul anticipates an objection: “How can God choose one person and not another person, without basing His choice on foreseen faith or works or a choice or something? That’s not fair! That would be unjust!” This leads to the key question: “Is there unrighteousness with God? Is God unjust?” God defines righteousness and justice, so of course there is no unrighteousness with God! Of course God is not unjust!

Consider that if Paul wasn’t teaching this truth about election that I’m trying to convey, he wouldn’t get the question or argument that God is unfair or unjust. If Paul wasn’t teaching that God’s unconditional election is what determines who is saved and who is not, then there would not be anyone accusing him of making God out to be unfair or unjust. If Paul in v11-13 had said, “Look the reason Jacob was saved and Esau was not was because Jacob made a decision and Esau didn’t,” or “Look the reason Jacob was saved and Esau was not was because God foresaw Jacob’s wise choice of faith and He foresaw Esau’s poor choice of non-faith,” then nobody would cried out, “That’s not fair.” But the fact that Paul did not say that, but that rather the difference between them was to be found solely in the sovereign choosing mercy of God provokes the reaction, “That’s not fair.” And that’s exactly what Paul expects people to say, which confirms that he really is teaching the doctrine of election. If this is your objection, that election isn’t fair, you may be sure that what you are objecting to is what the Bible actually teaches.

Notice that the question is about God’s justice. Is God being unjust? And in Paul’s answer, he says nothing about justice. He only speaks about mercy. So has Paul answered the question? Yes. Why? Because Paul, by referring strictly to mercy in response to the question about God’s justice, is teaching you this: salvation is not about fairness; it’s about mercy. Salvation is not about justice (getting what you deserve); salvation is about mercy. So we either get justice (what we deserve) or non-justice (mercy). There is no injustice with God. He has mercy and compassion on whomever He will. He’s God; He’s righteous.

V16 – Election doesn’t depend on man’s desire or will or effort or exertion, but on God. Paul sums up his teaching here, and then he elaborates again in v17-24. Many non-Christians think salvation depends on man’s efforts, what man does to earn God’s favor. Paul refutes that right here. Many well-intending Christians think salvation depends on free-will, the choice of man. If you choose Christ you will be saved; if you don’t, you won’t. And don’t get me wrong; it’s true that we must choose Christ. But here Paul refutes the thought that our choice is rooted in ourselves, in our autonomous wills (our wills are not autonomous!). The choice for Christ is not rooted in our wills, in our choices, in our desires; rather, it’s rooted in God’s unconditional electing grace. If you’re foreknown, then you’re predestined. If you’re predestined, you’re called. If you’re called, you’re justified. And if you’re justified, you’re glorified (Romans 8:29-30).

We’re not arguing Calvinism / Arminianism here. We’re talking Biblical / unbiblical. If you disagree on this, you’re not disagreeing with me; you’re disagreeing with Paul. And you’re disagreeing with John – the one Jesus loved. In John 1:11-13, Jesus comes to His own and His own do not receive Him. That’s the Jews. And then John says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, or a husband’s will, but born of God.” How was it that they received Him and believed on His name? They didn’t get it by their natural descent. They didn’t get it by their free will, by their choices. They God it from God. Salvation is of God, all of grace, rooted in mercy.

You might then ask, “How are we supposed to respond to this? Does this mean we don’t have to do anything?” Paul begins to answer that next time. But for now all he wants you to see is this: If you’re thinking about God’s fairness in salvation with regard to some being saved and others not, you’re thinking about the wrong category. The category is mercy. See, the only thing you can complain about is that God gives to some people something that they don’t deserve – eternal life. He gives to others precisely what they deserve. It can be said that God is merciful, generous, gracious. But it cannot be said that He is unjust.