A Different Question

You've heard it before, I'm sure. "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Most haven't heard the Bible's answer: "They don't." How can that be? "No one does good, not even one" (Rom 3:12). Bad things happen, but not to good people because there is none good. But it begs another question, doesn't it? If there is none good, why do good things happen to bad people?

Paul asked a similar question in Romans.

What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory — even us whom He has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? (Rom 9:22-24)

Now, be careful. It is a "what if" question, so we need to see the premise for the "if." Let's restate the question by separating the premise from the "if." The premise: God desires (wills) to show His wrath and to make known His power on vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. That is Paul's initial assumption. So, what if that God, instead of carrying out that plan, chooses to endure with patience certain ones of those vessels of wrath -- those that He prepared beforehand to become vessels of mercy -- in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy? Do you see? Paul is asking a similar question. Not "Why doesn't God save more people?", but "Why does God save anyone?" Or, "Why does the good thing of salvation happen to bad people?"

Our misguided view of ourselves as generally good people blinds us to the reality of the vastness of God's grace and mercy in saving just one, let alone all of whom He is saving. We, as a rule, do not think of ourselves as "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction," let alone applauding God for willing to show His wrath and power on us, so we're likely to miss that absolute marvel of grace and mercy in the divine transformation by God of some to "vessels of mercy." Why? That seems to be a larger question to me. Apparently contrasting His righteous wrath and power with the riches of His glory is very important to God.