Old Testament - Romans 9:15-33

Paul switches his focus from Sara, Rebecca, Jacob and Esau to Moses and I don’t really understand what he is saying and how it fits into the themes of what he’s talking about. Paul mentions Moses and Pharaoh’s interactions and cites back to the record that implies that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, which we know is inaccurate. The IM explains, “In Romans 9:17, Paul quoted Exodus 9:16, which states that God raised up Pharaoh in order to show His power. Paul also said, ‘whom (God) will he hardeneth.’ These passages do not mean that God caused Pharaoh or other people to be wicked. Such an interpretation would contradict truths taught elsewhere in the scriptures about how God desires the salvation of all people, and how God’s gift of agency makes us free to choose to follow Him or reject Him.”

The IM also points out that the next several verses are quoted and expounded from the Old Testament, which would explain why I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about. Interestingly, how all this ties in to the overall theme or Israel’s favor then rejection of the gospel is explained my the IM saying, “Paul’s point was that even though Pharaoh fought against God, this did not frustrate the Lord’s work of delivering Israel. Ultimately, Israel’s deliverance in spite of Pharaoh’s stubbornness served to reveal the Lord’s power. Similarly, God did not cause Israel to reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, but he permitted it. Israel’s rebellion was something God ‘endured with much long-suffering’ so that He could ‘make known the riches of his glory’ to those who accept the gospel, ‘not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles.’”
One of the major stumbling blocks of the Jews in accepting the gospel is their inability to understand that salvation did not come by the Law of Moses, and more importantly, “they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.” I have to ask myself, how obvious it was to the Jews that the Law of Moses was simply a predecessor to the gospel, for them to get it wrong this drastically. But then I remember that the Nephites and Lamanites knew that the law was only to prepare the people spiritually for the higher law. So I can only conclude that it was because of the wickedness of the people and leadership that the knowledge and understanding escaped them.
The IM quotes President M. Russell Ballard as teaching, “No matter how hard we work, no matter how much we obey, no matter how many good things we do in this life, it would not be enough were it not for Jesus Christ and His loving grace. On our own we cannot earn the kingdom of God- no matter what we do. Unfortunately, there are some within the Church who have become so preoccupied with performing good works that they forget that those works- as good as they may be- are hollow unless they are accompanied by a complete dependence on Christ.” This is an interesting concept. We can’t be saved without the atonement of Christ, but good works and faith are what is required for our ability to make the atonement work in our lives. So I almost think, yes it’s important to understand, but doing the right thing puts us in the condition to be able to learn and understand why it matters.