Vessel of Wrath or Vessel of Mercy?

This seems a strange question to ask.

Collins Concise Dictionary defines a vessel as:

1.       Any object used as a container, esp. for a liquid.

2.       A passenger or freight carrying ship, boat etc.

3.       (Rare) a person regarded as a vehicle for some purpose or quality.

Where in the Scriptures do we find reference to vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy?

Romans 9: 22, 23 state, (22)”What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, (23) and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for His glory.”

 If we look at the definitions of a vessel above, we can see that a person can be regarded as a vessel for some purpose or quality. If this is the case, in God’s eyes, a person is either a vessel of wrath or a vessel of mercy.

Now I don’t think any of us would want to be a vessel of wrath; for the vessels of wrath are prepared for destruction. Who are they for whom the wrath of God is prepared? Obviously, it would have to be people who have disobeyed God in their lives.

Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Now you may say to me, "Look at verses 22 and 23 above. God has already made up His mind, so why should I bother?" What a miserable excuse this is! You have the power to decide! You make decisions about matters every day. This shows the true state of your heart.

Jeremiah 17:9, 10 tell us, (9)”The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (10) I the Lord search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”

If this is your condition before God, you are in need of God’s mercy. In other words you need God’s compassion, pity and clemency. You can’t help yourself – but God offers you mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son. That’s why He sent Him to pay the penalty for your sins on the cross at Calvary. His life for your life!

By receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord you become a vessel of mercy. Only you can make that decision!

God already knows your answer; but it is you who has made the decision!

Are you a vessel of wrath or a vessel of mercy?

Jon Peasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version]

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