The Potter's Freedom Series

Conclusion

That AA old-timer was a pretty good theologian when you think about it: "There is a God, and we’re not him." We can trust God to be fair in the way he works out his plan because God is motivated by mercy, God is our maker, and God can use any and every circumstance to accomplish his plan. That doesn’t mean we can understand how God’s doing this, or we can always see how God’s plan makes sense.

I think the issue of Israel’s unbelief is a case study in Romans 8:28. Romans 8:28 claims that God is able to work all things together for the good of those who love God and who are called according to God’s plan. Even something as big as God’s chosen people’s rejecting God’s own Son. God is even able to use that for the good of those who love God and who are called according to his purpose. And God’s not finished with the nation of Israel, as we’ll learn in chapter 11 of Romans. But if God can use something as huge as his own chosen people’s rejection of his son for the good, can we trust him to use our circumstances for our good? Can we trust him to use our pain and heartache? Can we trust him to use our ongoing failures and struggles, the very things we beg God to take away? Can we trust the potter who fashioned us to finish what he has begun I our lives?

Sources

Cranfield, C. E. B. 1979. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (T. & T. Clark).

Louw, J. P. and E. Nida. 1989. Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies.

Schreiner, Thomas. 1998. Romans. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Baker Books).

Dunn, James D. G. 1988. Romans 9-16 (Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 38 B; Word Books).

Fitzmyer, Joseph. 1993. Romans (Anchor Bible Commentary Vol. 33; Doubleday Books)