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Jesus showed many people go through the wide door and follow the way to take them to ruin (Mt 7:13), but the apostle Paul said God’s wish is no man be apart and lost but, yes, God wants they come to the knowledge of true. (1^st Ti 2:4). If many people go to ruin way it proves that God does not force humankind to do what is right. Because He gave us free will.

The word of Lord came to Jeremiah saying: “Rise up and you must go down to the house of potter, and there I will cause you to hear my words my words. And I proceeded to go down to the house of the potter, and there he was doing work upon the potter’s wheels. And the vessel that he was making with the clay was spoiled by the potter’s hand, and he turned back and went making it into another vessel, just as it looked right in the eyes of the potter to make”. (Jer 18:1-4). 

After Jeremiah listened Lord words he went down to the potter’s house and the potter broke the vessel. From the same clay of the broken vessel, the potter made a perfect brand new vessel. 

What Jeremiah observed?

• The raw material the potter uses upon the wheels is clay;
• The final product of the potter’s work is the vessel;
• When a vessel is broken, the potter can use the same clay to make a new one
• The potter has free will to make a second vessel the way he thinks is better.

The Prophet Isaiah completes Jeremiah’s words: “Woe to the one that has contended with his Former! As an earthenware fragment with the other earthenware fragments of the ground. Should the clay to say to this former: what do you make? Do not you have hands?” (Isa 45:9).

• There is not salvation for who contend with Former.
• The supreme work of Former is to make vessels from the clay.
• The fragment of clay that contends with Eternal Potter makes question about the actions like if the hands of Former could not be able to save.

The word of God started with a question: “Can not I make with you what this potter made, woe house of Israel?” The question is answered with a loud ‘Yes’! The same way the clay needs the potter to have a form, people from Israel needed to rest (trust) in hands of Eternal Potter. (Ro 9:6).

Principles

“or the potter has not power upon the clay, to make from the same clay a vessel to honor and another vessel to dishonor?” (Ro 9:21).

To answer to Jewish people and to show that God did not failed (Ro 9:6), the apostle Paul wrote to Christians brothers in Rome and gave the same example that the prophet Jeremiah gave: the potter, the clay and the vessel.

We can make an analysis of Paul words:

• God is the potter - the potter example was used for many people of Old Testament and Paul as well.
• God is all Power – “Or the potter has no power upon the clay?” The power of God is unquestionable. (Heb 3:4)
• The Potter and the clay – God has plenty power upon the clay, the power of Eternal Potter is especially upon the clay. God has power upon the clay to make vessels. The potter does not have power over the vessels, but his power is upon the clay, to create vessel to honor and dishonor.
• The man is made of clay – The prophet Isaiah show us in (Isa 64:8) that all man are dirty like the clay, the mud, but God can make us to be a vessel of honor or dishonor according to our choice.
• The clay used is the same – The raw material used to make vessels to honor and dishonor is the same. God make men to honor ( those live according to gospel) and men to dishonor ( those live according Adam’s sin).

Honor

It is necessary to define who is the vessel of honor. Vessels of mercy are vessels of glory, those we are. (Ro 9:23-24).

Vessels of honor are Christians those live under gospel model. They passed from Adam’s condition to obey Christ’s gospel. (Joh 1:12-13).

Dishonor

If the vessels of honor are men that belong to the last Adam (Jesus), the vessels of dishonor are those that belong to the first father (Adam).

• All men are vessels;
• The men without Jesus Christ are vessels of dishonor
• Those who trust in Jesus are vessels of honor
• The vessels of dishonor pass only once in the ‘pottery’ of God.

The Clay in the Potter’s hands and Theology of Reform

The reformed theology or Calvinist theology considers that the man without God is similar to a portion of clay or mud, without life, without power.

Bible says the man without God is not a portion of mud, he is a vessel but he/she is descendent of Adam, soon he/she is a vessel of dishonor.

Eternal Redeeming

We know that Christ made eternal redeeming through his own blood. Beyond salvation, all Christians were blessed with blessings in heaven.

The new creatures of God in Jesus were destined to be children of God. (Heb 2:10).

Anyone that be apart of Christ and the true of gospel, will suffer the consequences do not be blessed; separated will be of Jesus. (Ga 5:4).

The Calvinist idea is also about the humankind final destine is decided for God, but des not agree about the clay, the potter, the vessels, then his idea does not make difference.

If someone is separated of Christ, that one is condemned because the salvation belong to those know God or those are known by Him.

Jesus showed many people go through the wide door and follow the way to take them to ruin (Mt 7:13), but the apostle Paul said God’s wish is no man be apart and lost but, yes, God wants they come to the knowledge of true. (1^st Ti 2:4).

If many people go to ruin way it proves that God does not force humankind to do what is right. Because He gave us free will.

The Calvinists say God make the vessels according to His wishes. That is not true because thoughts of Reform do not agree with Bible and there is not reality with the gospel! 

Translated by: Helena Barreto