The Responsibility of Man

“But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” —Romans 10:20-21

Last week we concluded a very lengthy series from Romans 9 examining God’s sovereign election in man’s salvation. In that blessed chapter we discovered that the apostle presents an argument and then supports it with scripture from the Old Testament. He repeats this in the course of presenting the great doctrinal truth of particular election in order to explain why most of the Jews of Israel have not come to saving faith in Christ.

We know those who are very resistant to the sovereignty of God in election and who often slam on the brakes, as it were, when they reach Romans 9. That’s understandable when we consider the depraved condition of man to resist God, though He is only good and though He is ever sovereign. That was Adam’s sin in His rebellious disobedience. He resisted the sovereign authority of God. That is the root of all sin in man’s radical depravity. As far as the doctrine is concerned, in our sinfulness, we will tend to deny the sovereign authority of God, dismissing His plans, purposes, and divine prerogative to elevate our own authority, autonomy, and free agency.

Yet, equally sinful, is to blame someone else or something else for your failure of another’s failure when a soul does not come to Christ; when he or she resists and does not receive salvation. As resisting the doctrine of sovereign election is closely related to Adam’s first sin, denying man’s own accountability and responsibility is closely related fourth sin, blaming the woman, and ultimately, blaming God, Genesis 3:12,[1]

Blaming his wife…

“The woman… gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”

Blaming his creator…

“The woman whom thou gavest to be with me…”

If a person has not been saved, the words of the sinner’s defense may sound like this:

Blaming others…

“It’s not my fault. The gospel wasn’t sufficiently preached to me. They didn’t try hard enough to convince me.”

Blaming God…

“Well, if God’s supposed to be sovereign and in control of all things, why didn’t He save me then?”

In that Day of Judgment, however, when we all stand before the throne of God, every excuse will fail. Every argument will melt like a wax figure on the surface of the sun. If you have failed to receive the gospel, it is not because you’re non-elect, the reason is because YOU have rejected Christ. Unbelief is our own fault. We carry the burden of that responsibility and the blame, the culpability is completely on us— all by ourselves.

If we don’t like the doctrine of sovereign election, it’s because we refuse to humble ourselves before the mercy of God. If we accept the doctrine of sovereign election, our fallen human nature will want to deny our personal responsibility before God, so that we can cast the blame upon God, or upon someone else.

In Romans 9:30-33, though it was, as we’ve seen it in summing up all Paul had said before concerning sovereign election, it is also introduces the doctrine of man’s responsibility in Romans 10.

30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
31        But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32       Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
33       As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

In Romans 9:31-33, the apostle sums up all he has presented in God’s sovereign election by presenting human responsibility depicted by Israel’s failure to receive salvation because they tried to attain salvation through their own works of righteousness, and not by faith in Christ alone.

The chapter divisions in Romans are interesting because they form a very clear delineation of topics in the apostle’s logic to lay down certain truths. Here’s an example from previous chapters: Romans 6 clearly presents that grace does not give us license to willfully sin; yet,  the second half of Romans 7 presents very clearly that sometimes I do sin because of the corruptions that still remain in my mortal flesh and in the humanity that I still possess.

I understand this truth far greater now with this physical condition, with these unidentified, undiagnosed ALS-like symptoms (which now, PLS may be considered). My muscles sometimes will not do what I want them to do. My coordination is off. I want to walk normally, even with crutches, but sometimes I stumble; sometimes I fall.

Now, as it pertains to sin, the truth of Romans 7 does not eliminate the truth expressed in Romans 6; yet sometimes, because of our fallen condition, we get ourselves worked up into a kerfuffle over a misunderstanding in Romans 7 because our minds are still stuck in Romans 6, or vice versa.

The same is true of Romans 9 and Romans 10. While one teaches us the doctrines pertaining to God’s sovereign election in salvation, the other teaches us the doctrines pertaining to man’s responsibility to God. We must treat the truths of Romans 10 according to that presented in Romans 10 while we must treat the truths of Romans 9 according to those doctrines presented there. Do we have trouble reconciling these two truths presented in these two chapters? Certainly. Can these seemingly incompatible and seemingly contradictory truths be reconciled by the finite mind of mortal man? Absolutely not. I believe they can only be reconciled in the heart and eternal purposes of God from His throne of grace; and further I believe that the one of the most important reasons it exists in this way is because its truth must humble us to the dust and must cast us upon God’s mercy to receive these truths by faith. These truths cause us to cling to the cross and cleave to Christ Jesus alone, embracing God’s grace for the peace that passeth understanding with regard to these truths.

[1] Adam’s second sin was trying to cover his the shame of his first sin by his own works in making an apron of fig leaves to cover his nakedness (Genesis 3:7); and his third sin was trying to hide from God in the trees when he heard Him (Genesis 3:8).