My reply to anyone’s objection to this doctrine is that God has a right to carry out his purposes; he tolerated the people who caused him to be angry, in order that he might disclose how gloriously he acts toward those on whom he intends to have mercy.

Romans 9:19-29

19 One of you may object to this by saying to me, “Because God determines ahead of time everything that people do, that also implies that he wants us to do everything that we do. ◄No one has resisted what God has willed!/Who has resisted what God has willed?► [RHQ] Therefore, ◄it would not be right that God would still condemn a person for having sinned!/why does God still condemn a person for having sinned?► [RHQ]” 20 I would reply that since you (sg) are just a human being, ◄you do not have any right at all to criticize God!/who are you to say that what God does is wrong?► [RHQ] As a potter is the one who creates a clay pot, God is the one who created you. ◄A clay pot [MET] certainly would not have a right to criticize the potter by asking [PRS], “Why did you (sg) make me this way?”/Would a clay pot have a right to criticize the potter by asking [PRS], “Why did you (sg) make me this way?”► [RHQ] 21 Instead, ◄the potter certainly has the right to take some clay and from one lump of clay make one pot that people will honor and make another one for ordinary purposes [MET]./does not a potter have the right to take some clay and from one lump of clay make one pot that people will honor and make another pot for ordinary purposes?► [MET, RHQ] Similarly, God has the right to carry out what he purposes for people. 22 Although God desires to show that he is angry about sin, and although he desires to make clear that he can powerfully punish people who have sinned, he tolerated very patiently the people [MET] who caused him to be angry and who deserved to be destroyed (OR, who were made to be destroyed). 23 God has been patient in order that he might make clear how very wonderfully he acts toward those [MET] whom he intended to act mercifully towards and whom he prepared ahead of time in order that they might live gloriously in heaven. 24 That means us whom he chose—not only us Jews but also non-Jews. 25 These words that Hosea wrote [MTY] that God said also ◄show that God has the right/support God’s right► to choose from among both Jews and non-Jews [MTY]:

I will declare that many people who were not my people are now my people. I will declare that many people whom I did not love [HYP] before, I love now.

26 And another prophet wrote:

What will happen is that in the places where God told them before, “You are not my people,” in those same places people will declare truthfully that they are children of God, who is completely powerful.

27 Isaiah also exclaimed concerning the Israelites:

Even though the Israelites are so many that no one can count them, like sand particles on the beach beside the ocean, only a small part of them will be saved {God will save only a small part of them}, 28 because the Lord will punish completely and speedily the people who live on this earth, as he said that he would do.

29 Also, we can understand from what the prophet Isaiah said that God would not save anyone if he did not show mercy:

If the Lord, who controls everything in heaven, had not mercifully allowed some of our descendants to survive, we would have become like the people of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, who were [SIM, DOU] completely destroyed.