Up to this point in Romans 9, Paul has shown very clearly that election is God’s choice to save certain individuals from the penalty of hell by uniting them with His Son and bringing them into His eternal glory. God chooses who to save purely as a matter of His own sovereign will, without any consideration of the will or works of man. God has mercy on whomever He wills & He hardens whomever He wills. Verses 22-23 teach us that, as a function of His holiness, God desires every moment to demonstrate His wrath and make His power known through the judgment of the wicked. However, He patiently endures the wickedness of vessels of wrath for the sake of making known the riches of His glory and grace to His chosen children.
