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NICK'S CATHOLIC BLOG
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Friday, August 3, 2018
Romans 9 like you've never heard it before
When we read the Bible with the wrong glasses on we will often miss some otherwise
obvious themes and lessons. I think this is especially true with texts like Romans
9, which have become collapsed (usually by Calvinists) into a bare show of God's
(seemingly arbitrary) display of His Power. But I want to propose that Paul had
something more fascinating in mind than what any Christian already knows, i.e.,
that God is Providentially in control of all human events.

I'm coming to believe that Romans 9 isn't so much focused on salvation/heaven as it

is about first-born (priestly) status being lost to the younger born. Not only is
there no clear talk about heaven, hell, etc, in this chapter, but there is a pretty
clear First-Born theme when you know what to look for. Consider Paul's object
lessons:
Paul's first example is Isaac being chosen over first-born Ishmael. When you read
the actual story carefully, Ishmael was expelled as an illegitimate child, who
mocked Isaac for being second-born (Gen 21:9-10; cf Paul says Ishmael "persecuted"
Isaac, Gal 4:29-31). It is hard for us to grasp the significance of first-born
status to the ancient mind, but it meant the world to them, especially when it
comes to priesthood status.
Paul's second example is of first-born Esau and second-born Jacob. God says "the
elder will serve the younger," which isn't a reference to being sent to
heaven/hell, but rather to supplanting birth order. Esau sold his birthright for a
bowl of soup, and later on his father�s �blessing,� which likely was also a form of
ordination (Gen 27:26-30).
Paul's third example is when God tells Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have
mercy." This is not as obvious, but if you consider the context, the situation is
quite striking. The context is of the Golden Calf incident, wherein the nation of
Israel lost its collective priesthood status and was relegated to the Levites alone
to offer sacrifices (Ex 32:25-29). The first-born son high-priest Aaron was said to
be the Golden Calf ringleader (Ex 32:35), which meant it was up to second-born
Moses to take upon the intercessory role of Atonement (Ex 32:30; Deut 9:18-20; Ps
106:19-23). It is within this context that God says because Moses' priestly
intercession found favor in His sight, He would honor Moses' request to spare the
Israelites. God was not �randomly� showing mercy here as a demonstration of how He
can show mercy on a whim whenever He feels like it.
Paul's fourth example is that of Pharaoh, which was the head of the strongest
nation in the world, Egypt. In some sense, Egypt/Pharaoh was first-born among the
world, likely because their pagan gods were considered the strongest. The stated
goal of Moses was told in Exodus 4:22-23, "You shall say to Pharaoh, �Thus says the
Lord, Israel is my firstborn son. Let my son go that he may serve me. If you refuse
to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son." We know Egypt had smothered
God's first-born son, and God wasn't going to let this continue. The express
instructions each time Moses confronts Pharaoh is to let the Israelites go "so that
they may offer sacrifices" to God (Ex 5:1, etc). It was liturgical warfare, true
religion versus false, pagan God against true God. By striking down Pharaoh's
first-born son, this was effectively striking down Egypt's priesthood, and thus
humiliating their gods, and vindicating Yahweh as the True God.
Paul's final example is that of the Jews versus the Gentiles. Obviously, the Jews
were to be the "chosen race, royal priesthood," first-born among the nations. Yet
in rejecting Jesus, they lost their status, which triggered the influx of the
Gentiles into the Body, who would then become God's priests for the world, under
the heading of Jesus (the Father's first-born). Hence Paul's quote from Hosea:
"Those who were not my people [the Gentiles], I will call �my people�" (Rom 9:25).
I think there's an undeniable 'first-born son supplanted by sin' theme here that
Paul is making, and it ties all the chapter together, unlike lifting a few verses
here and there without any coherent thread, and missing the richness of it all.
What lesson is there for God to show mercy on Moses (who was a righteous man)? If
the theme was really about God showing mercy unconditionally, we should expect the
major sinners like Pharaoh to be shown mercy. In each case, there is sin involved
by one of the parties. It is not a 'both are sinners so let's show mercy to one of
them' theme. Paul is telling the Jews of his time that all these other first-born
sons lost their status, and rejecting Jesus can lead to the same for you Jews. The
first-born status also being tied to priesthood also means the undercurrent is that
of True Worship, which makes the real issue about glorifying God liturgically, and
only secondarily about saving men. (Side note: this is why for Catholics, when
Scripture is read at Mass, it is first of all a prayer to God, and only secondarily
a lesson to us. This is why the Protestant �worship� being nothing more than a
Glorified Bible Study is the ultimate attack on Christianity, because it removes
worship of God from the main equation and shifts focus subtly onto man�s quest for
knowledge.)
Posted by Nick at 3:52 PM
Labels: Apologetics, Do Protestants really care about the Bible?, Interesting,
Justification, Liturgy, Losing Salvation, Protestantism, Reformed, Salvation
History, Sola Fide
6 comments:
agellius agellius said...
You really need a Like button. : )
August 7, 2018 at 4:09 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...
nick cannot explain Acts 13;48.
September 2, 2018 at 6:40 PM
Nick Nick said...
Hi Anonymous,

I always enjoy when people cannot actually address the main post but still have the
need to comment anyway, because it means my argument is solid enough that the
Protestant really cannot refute it.

As for Acts 13:48, here's what I see:

"46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, �It was necessary that the word
of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves
unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the
Lord has commanded us, saying, �I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you
may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.� 48 And when the Gentiles heard this,
they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were
appointed to eternal life believed."

I'm not sure what's so controversial here. Paul was preaching to the Jews, since
they were entitled to hear the Gospel first, but they cast aside his message,
judging themselves unworthy of eternal life, so Paul turned to the Gentiles and
began the fullness of his calling. I have a mini-series on God's Elect that
addresses this as well:

http://catholicnick.blogspot.com/2018/06/who-shall-bring-accusation-against-
gods.html
September 3, 2018 at 3:52 PM
Nick Nick said...
I will edit the main post to include more Liturgical elements present in Isaac and
Jacobs lives. Both were said to have built Altars. So the priesthood-worship theme
is present in every example, culminating with Jesus as High Priest. The theme of
Salvation History is for sin to attempt to block the Incarnation and disrupt true
Worship.

Two other comments I've made elsewhere are posted below.

November 6, 2018 at 10:52 PM
Nick Nick said...
Since I've started studying Romans 9 beyond the surface level, I see the utmost
importance of researching the OT texts Paul has in mind. For example:

Rom 9:10-12 "And not only, but *also* when Rebekah had conceived children, though
they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad (in order that God's
purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who
calls) she was told, �The older will serve the younger.�

Genesis 25:21ff "Isaac prayed for his wife, because she was barren, and Rebekah
conceived. The children struggled together within her. And the Lord said to her,
�Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the older shall serve the younger.� When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful
hunter, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he
ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob."

Without the Genesis account in mind, it sounds on the surface like God is just
sending someone to hell/heaven for no reason. Not because of their good works or
their bad. That's a pretty shallow lesson. But with the Genesis account in mind, we
see that "before they were born" means "while they were wrestling within her womb".
This is thus a prophecy being made before we know how each son would turn out -
before they had done good or evil, God made this prophecy. Furthermore, the
prophecy was that of *serving*, not about sending to heaven or hell. The Hebrew
mindset held a *yuge* premium on being firstborn, so this was no small matter. It
meant that the younger's lineage ("nation") would carry the messianic promise.

Thus, the 'works' Paul has in mind is biology, since firstborn Esau was also a jock
and the favorite of Jacob, on the natural level destined for success. The text
speaks of Jacob in an insulting manner, saying he was a mama's boy and vegetarian.
We wouldn't expect big things from him. At no point in their lifetime did Esau
actually 'serve' Jacob. That came later on while each bloomed into full fledged
tribes themselves.
November 6, 2018 at 10:54 PM
Nick Nick said...
The NAB gives a fascinating footnote in Romans 9 (hat tip to Joe H of Shameless
Popery). It seems plain that St Paul has indeed quoted from the book of Wisdom, a
book which Catholics say is part of the Bible, but which Protestants have rejected.
This would mean Protestants have rejected an inspired writing.

In Romans 9:21, Paul says: "Does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make
out of the same lump one vessel for a noble purpose and another for an ignoble
one?"

Many people think Paul is quoting Isaiah, but Isaiah doesn't speak of this. Rather,
the NAB notes this comes directly from Wisdom 15:7, "For the potter, laboriously
working the soft earth, molds for our service each single article: He fashions out
of the same clay both the vessels that serve for clean purposes and their
opposites, all alike; As to what shall be the use of each vessel of either class
the worker in clay is the judge."

Below is a comparison of the 4 OT references to God as potter, compared to what

Paul says in Romans 9:21. As you will see, the references to Isaiah are the least
similar, with the reference to Jeremiah being somewhat similar, while the Wisdom
reference is very similar to Paul's words. We have "same lump" and "vessels for
noble or ignoble purposes". (Note: I don't think there is any conflict in meaning
among the OT references, I'm only saying Wisdom's specific details are uniquely
found only in Rom 9:21).

---------------------
Rom 9: 21Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make out of the same
lump one vessel for a noble purpose and another for an ignoble one?
---------------------
Wisdom 15: 7For the potter, laboriously working the soft earth, molds for our
service each single article: He fashions out of the same clay both the vessels that
serve for clean purposes and their opposites, all alike; As to what shall be the
use of each vessel of either class the worker in clay is the judge.
---------------------
Isaiah 29: 16Your perversity is as though the potter were taken to be the clay: As
though what is made should say of its maker, �He did not make me!� Or the vessel
should say of the potter, �He does not understand.�
---------------------
Isaiah 45: 9Woe to anyone who contends with their Maker; a potsherd among potsherds
of the earth! Shall the clay say to the potter, �What are you doing?� or, �What you
are making has no handles�?
---------------------
Jer 18: 3 I went down to the potter�s house and there he was, working at the wheel.
4Whenever the vessel of clay he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried
again, making another vessel of whatever sort he pleased. 5Then the word of the
LORD came to me: 6Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done?
�oracle of the LORD. Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my
hand, house of Israel.

And worth noting, the same Greek language of noble/ignoble is used by Paul in 2
Timothy 2, which isn't about Predestination to heaven or hell and clearly includes
your free response:

"20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of
wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.21 Therefore, if
anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for
honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for
every good work."
November 6, 2018 at 10:57 PM
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