at Williams Elementary

Mercy On Whom I Have Mercy

Read Romans 9:14-18
How is it good for God to show his mercy to some and not to others? How is it fair for God to show mercy to the Jews, and not to the Egyptians? It seems that Paul is trying to get us to ask the question, is God still righteous, does God always do good, even if he doesn’t do what we think he should?
1. It seems as though God chooses to show mercy to some and not to others. Discuss how God showed mercy to Moses and the Jews, and how he didn’t show mercy to Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
2. Using those stories as our backdrop, where is the fairness in God showing mercy to some and not to others? Is God unfair in this? Why or why not?
3. How is God’s righteousness declared to the world through mercy, and through not showing mercy?
4. We don’t know the plans of God, and we may not have exactly nailed down how we can fully choose God in faith, while at the same time he seems to fully choose us. How does staying focused on Romans 1:16-17, the theme of this book, speak truth into these difficult texts and help us keep the thing the thing?