Mercy and Mystery: When God's Plan Doesn’t Look Like Ours

This past Sunday, we stepped into one of the most theologically weighty and emotionally raw passages in the book of Romans—chapter 9. Paul opens not with cold doctrine but with a broken heart. He’s grieving. Not over some theological debate—but over real people. His own people. Israel.

What struck me again as I studied and preached this text is how personal the gospel becomes when you truly love those who reject it. Paul says he would be willing to be cut off from Christ if it meant his fellow Israelites could be saved. That’s not theology in theory. That’s intercession. That’s what real love does—it weeps with truth, even when truth wounds.

Romans 9 also confronts us with a hard but beautiful reality: God's plan hasn’t failed, even when it looks like it has. Paul clarifies that not all who are descended from Israel are truly God’s people. The promises of God are fulfilled through faith, not genetics. God’s mercy has always been bigger than one bloodline—it’s been aimed at hearts willing to receive Him.

We talked about the difference between how Calvinists and Arminians interpret this text. Without diving too deep into the weeds, I made one thing clear: Paul didn’t write this to create a theological war 1500 years later—he wrote it to show the Romans (and us) that God’s mercy is real, His promises are secure, and His heart is still for both the Jew and the Gentile.

And maybe most importantly: God’s sovereignty doesn’t silence our freedom—it gives it meaning. Mercy is never earned, but it must be embraced. God is shaping vessels of mercy, but we still have to surrender to His hands.

This week, may we carry Paul’s burden. May we pray for the people in our lives who’ve walked away from truth. And may we never forget: God's faithfulness is not up for debate—it’s already been proven in Christ.

Let’s keep leaning into both the mystery and the mercy.

See you Sunday.
– Pastor Brian