Romans 9:18

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Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

 Thankfully, I wasn't supposed to stop in Romans 9 today, because today, this verse didn't sit well with me. I was first reminded of something Mom said to me a year or so ago: She believes God will save everyone because God is love, after all, right? Of course, sorry to say, Mom, it doesn't work that way. We are reminded in verse 20: "But who are you, O man, to talk back to God?" Another way of saying it is, God is the potter; we are the clay. God is God; we are man. God is in control; sometimes we think we are.

 Still, verse 18 hit hard. Why would God harden people's hearts? In other words, why would he make it so that they don't believe? If you don't believe in God, then you aren't saved. If you aren't saved, then, well, your eternal existence is in jeopardy. Thankfully, I didn't have to stop in chapter 9. Who ascends and descends (Romans 10:6) isn't for me to decide. In fact, salvation isn't up to me at all. What a relief: My salvation, your salvation, isn't up to you. God has done all the work for you. We just need to believe in him (Romans 10:9).

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