Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 7
The teacher argues “not of him who wills, nor of him who runs” cannot mean salvation is arbitrary because Paul later blames Israel for pursuing righteousness “through the wrong channel”; what does that force you to believe about the relationship between God’s mercy and human response (faith, gratitude, submission) in Paul’s mind?
Another way to ask: If “not of him who wills or runs” doesn’t mean salvation is random, because Paul later blames Israel for going the wrong way, what does that say about how God’s mercy connects to our response (faith, gratitude, obedience)?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s teaching, God’s mercy is the source and foundation of salvation—no one earns it—yet Paul still requires a real human response of faith, gratitude, and submission to God’s way. Israel’s failure proves the outcome is not arbitrary; rejecting God’s channel has consequences.
- He says Calvinists misuse the phrase as if “there’s nothing you can do… whether God wants to show mercy… or not,” and he rejects that.
- He ties it to Paul’s conclusion: Israel missed righteousness “because they went about it their own way… through the Mosaic law… instead of… faith.”
- He interprets “not of him who wills… runs” as meaning “none of us deserve this… none of us can save ourselves… God is never in our debt.”
- Yet he adds: “But he does require a response.”
- He describes the right response: “Thank you… I not only believe, but I am now yours. I give my life to you.”
- He describes rejection: “So what?… If that’s our response, we’re not going to get any compassion.”