Romans 9:16-18
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This verse isn't saying that our choices or efforts don't matter at all. Instead, it's highlighting that the origin of our salvation isn't found in our own willpower or striving, but ultimately rests on God's sovereign choice to show mercy. Our willing and running are actually results of God's mercy, not the cause of it.
So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is arguing that God's sovereign choice, not human merit or effort, determines who receives His mercy and salvation. He uses the example of Jacob and Esau, showing that God's selection of Jacob wasn't based on Jacob's actions, but on God's direct choice. This leads him to the powerful conclusion that salvation ultimately depends on God's mercy, not on human will or striving.
Ever felt like you have to 'earn' God's favor through sheer willpower or intense effort? This verse challenges that very idea.
Paul uses strong language here to dismantle the idea that our salvation hinges on our own strength or desires. He says it's 'not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth.' This isn't to say that willing and running (meaning striving or making an effort) are bad or unnecessary. In fact, as other parts of Scripture show, believers do will and strive towards God.
However, the point here is about the source and cause of salvation. Our willing and our running don't originate salvation or earn it for us. If we're honest, our natural human will is often opposed to God's will, and our initial efforts are flawed. The desire to seek God and the strength to strive after Him are themselves gifts that come from God.
If it's not about our effort, then where does salvation come from? Paul points to one glorious source.
The verse pivots sharply at the end: 'but on God, who has mercy.' This is the heart of the matter. The ultimate reason anyone is saved is not because they are inherently more willing or run faster than others, but because God, in His sovereign grace, chooses to extend mercy.
This mercy isn't earned or deserved. It's a free, unmerited gift. The commentators point out that the Old Testament texts Paul draws upon ('I will have mercy on whom I have mercy') highlight God's freedom to bestow His favor. This doesn't mean God is arbitrary; His mercy is perfectly just and aligns with His holy character, but the and the are entirely His.
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Understand the original words
thelema · Greek Noun
The fundamental power of choice, volition, or desire inherent in human beings. In a theological sense, it often contrasts the fallen human capacity to choose with the sovereign determination of God.
trechon · Greek Noun
Physical effort, striving, or running; used metaphorically for human works or attempts to achieve righteousness or spiritual goals apart from God’s grace.
eleeo · Greek Verb
Compassion or pity shown by a superior to an inferior, especially by God toward sinful humanity. It is the withholding of deserved judgment and the granting of unmerited favor.
graphe · Greek Noun
The authoritative, inspired writings of the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it is viewed as the voice of God himself.
egeiro · Greek Verb
In this context, it refers to God's act of bringing someone into a position of prominence or causing them to exist for a specific historical purpose.
dynamis · Greek Noun
The inherent strength, authority, and efficacy of God displayed in His works, particularly in His sovereignty over creation and redemption.
diangello · Greek Verb
To make the name (character, authority, and reputation) of God known or published widely among the nations.
skleruno · Greek Verb
The divine act of rendering a heart or mind unresponsive, obstinate, or insensitive to the truth, often as a result of prior rebellion or as an act of judicial withdrawal.
This passage highlights the sovereign and mysterious nature of God's work in salvation, comparing it to the wind that blows where it wills, emphasizing that its origin and effects are beyond human comprehension or control, much like God's choosing in Romans 9.
Ephesians 2:8-9This passage directly states that salvation is by grace through faith, and that even this faith is a gift from God, reinforcing the idea that salvation does not originate from human will or effort, but from God's initiative.
Philippians 2:12-13This passage speaks of working out one's salvation with fear and trembling because it is God who works in believers both to will and to do according to His good pleasure, illustrating the interplay between human responsibility and divine sovereignty that complements Romans 9:16.
Exodus 33:19Paul directly quotes God's declaration to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion,' which is the very foundation for the argument in Romans 9:16 that God's mercy is sovereign and not dependent on human willing or running.
Jeremiah 18:6The imagery of the potter and the clay, also referenced by Paul in Romans 9, demonstrates God's absolute authority over His creation and His right to dispose of individuals according to His sovereign will, underscoring the 'not of him that willeth' aspect.
barnesRomans 9:16: "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
So then - It follows as a consequence from this statement of God to Moses. Or it is a doctrine established by that statement. Not of him that willeth - This does not mean that he that becomes a Christian, and is saved, does not choose eternal life; or is not made willing; or that he is compelled to enter heaven against his own choice. It is true that people by nature have no desire of h…
cambridgeRomans 9:16: "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
16 . of him that willeth ] Not that human willing and running are illusions; but they are not the cause of mercy. They follow it; they may even be the channel of its present action; but they are not the cause. Its origin is not “ of ” them. Cp. Php 2:13 . runneth ] The idea is of one actively moving in the path of right His energy may tempt him to think that he originated the motion; bu…
This verse isn't saying that our choices or efforts don't matter at all. Instead, it's highlighting that the origin of our salvation isn't found in our own willpower or striving, but ultimately rests on God's sovereign choice to show mercy. Our willing and running are actually results of God's mercy, not the cause of it.
Paul is arguing that God's sovereign choice, not human merit or effort, determines who receives His mercy and salvation. He uses the example of Jacob and Esau, showing that God's selection of Jacob wasn't based on Jacob's actions, but on God's direct choice. This leads him to the powerful conclusion that salvation ultimately depends on God's mercy, not on human will or striving.
Paul is arguing that God's sovereign choice, not human merit or effort, determines who receives His mercy and salvation. He uses the example of Jacob and Esau, showing that God's selection of Jacob wasn't based on Jacob's actions, but on God's direct choice. This leads him to the powerful conclusion that salvation ultimately depends on God's mercy, not on human will or striving.
"So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the…" — This verse isn't saying that our choices or efforts don't matter at all. Instead, it's highlighting that the origin of our salvation isn't found in our own willpower or striving, but ultimately res…
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Last reviewed October 2026
