1) As both a Jew and the apostle to the Gentiles, why would Paul have strong feelings about the subject covered in this passage?  

Paul could relate to the Jews because he was a Jew and had the same heritage and history.  He could also understand the gentiles who were new believers.  So he considered the Jews his blood brothers and the gentiles his spiritual brothers and loved both groups.

The Jews would seem like his kin, so it would be natural that he would want his "family" to know Christ.

Paul wanted the Jews to understand that Christ is the Messiah. He loved his fellow Jews and wanted all of them to experience the joy of bringing God's salvation to the Gentiles. He wanted them to actually know God and not just have a knowledge of God.

Paul knew the joy of being called by God (in a very dramatic way!) and he wanted his kinsmen to have that same joy and salvation.  Yet, he knew Scripture, and above all, he loved God and respected His soverignity.

2) In verses 1-5 why does Paul have great sorrow for the people of Israel? 

Israel had many advantages over other people - they were chosen by God to receive His law and covenants.  Their ancestors were the same as those of Jesus; but they refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah sent by God, and thus lost God's favor.  So the advantages that had been showered on them were totally wasted.

Because they "the chosen people" have rejected Christ as the true Messiah.  They aren't getting it, and the repercussions are eternal.

Paul was in anguish because the Israelites failed to recognize the long-awaited Messiah. He did not want to see his own people who had prepared for thousands of years be condemned because they failed to be reconciled with God.

God's perfect plan was for the Jewish nation to FIRST receive His Son, Jesus.  Yet, only a very few believed; most Jews rejected Christ and they still do.

3) How do verses 6-13 demonstrate that God has not failed in His promises and purposed for Israel?  

The promises of God were NOT promises to blood kin, the nation of Israel, but to those who were the spiritual descendants of Abraham.

The gentiles are the unnatural children of Israel.  They are adopted into the family of Christ.

As we have been studying, we know that we are saved by faith and not by works. God promised to send the Messiah to those who put their hope in Him. We are not saved by our ancestry. Paul makes a distinction between natural children and children of the promise. When we trust Christ we become God's spiritual children who are privileged with the blessings and inheritance He gives us.

God always provided a lineage for His chosen people to follow. Today, Jews ares are still coming to Christ.  We just received a newsletter from "Jews For Jesus" organization and they report tremendous growth in winning their kinsment to Christ as well as much  persecution.

4) How do you respond to the ideas of election in verse 11. God choosing certain people to be the objects of His mercy?

At first, being human my reaction is "But that's not fair!"  What is not fair is that anyone receives His mercy, for all  have sinned and  come short of the glory of God.   No one deserves his mercy. 

I have come to believe that is true, the more I read through the Bible.  I believe that does not excuse us from our "duty" to spread the Gospel, however, as we have no way of knowing who God has elected, and who he has chosen to harden their hearts.  It is not for us to know, only to obey His command. 

Actually, in my humble opinion, I believe that all Scripture is true and correct.  God says that he shows mercy to those he wants to show mercy, and hardens those he does not, but he also says that he wants all to come to the glory of God and for no one to perish. (Sorry, I'm not very good and telling you where that is, and I'm sure what I just wrote is totally paraphrased, for that is not my gift.) But, the point is, that I believe that both statements are true.  The reason being that because we existed before we were born, and God foreknew us, He already knew our "hearts" and therefore He knew who would and who would not respond to becoming true children of Christ.  And, because Romans 8:28 is true "And in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, and are called according to His purpose" (okay, I can memorize a few verses and tell you where to find them) . . . I believe that God can use those that He foreknew would never come to Him, and uses them (hence, hardening their hearts) at times, in ways to help bring about a conversion experience of a person's heart that He foreknew was capable of accepting Him as Lord and Savior. 

I'm sure I made that sound very confusing.  I know what I'm trying to say, but it is hard to put in words.  It's a hard concept to grasp.

This subject has been a source of great debate with my family and friends. It is a fun discussion, but eventually we have agreed to disagree. I refer to Romans 8:29-30 for further explanation. There it is clear that those God foreknew, he predestined. He knew my name before the creation of the world. He knew I would become a believer and He knew He how He would use me to bring glory to Him. The choice was mine to make to either follow Him or not, but He knew what I would choose.

Studying Job for our S.S. class helps me to understand and accept God's soverignitiy.  Yet, even as I write this, I wonder "who am I to even wonder why the God of the Universe does things a certain way".  It seems very presumptious.

5) Many people feel it is unjust for God to choose some and not others in verse 14. In reply why does Paul speak of Godâ??s mercy rather then his justice and injustice in verses 15-19?

See previous answer. We had better NOT pray for justice - we might get it!

God, as our creator, reserves the right to work things out the way He wants.  His wisdom is far greater than ours, and we just have to trust that He knows what He is doing, even when it makes no sense at all to us.

If God were only a god of justice, we would all go to hell. Hell is what we deserve because of our sin. Paul wanted the people to understand the magnitude of God's mercy and what He did for us.

When we think of God's soverignity and His great love, none of us deserve to be chosen.  But in His mercy, He chose us to be His children. There is a lot of mystery in these verses--that's why we need Faith.

6) How does the illustration of the potter and clay help us gain a proper perspective in verses 20-23 

We are reminded again of our unworthiness.  Without God, we are nothing.  Without the potter, the clay is nothing.  God chooses the end product, not the clay.

God, as creator of our universe, can mold and shape the world, and those in it, for His glory and honor.

It helps me to know and understand who I am as a child of God. It is not by accident , chance or my own volition that I have the gifts and talents I have. God made me who I am to live a life for His glory.

7) How are God's mercy and justice revealed in His treatment of the Gentiles and Jews in verses 24-29 

He extends his mercy to include believers into His family, not just Jews, but both Jewish and gentile believers.  He made himself known to them, having already prepared them to recognize and accept His glory.

He considers them equal.  He will love, and spend eternity with all who are "His Children", and there will be eternal separation from God (and punishment in Hell) for those that are not "His Children."

God knew the Israelites would reject the Messiah. But, He made sure to leave a remnant of those who would be faithful followers of Him. God included Gentiles in His plans from the beginning as we can see from the quote of Hosea, an Old Testament prophet. There are also the stories of Rahab, Ruth, and Jonah where God showed His mercy and plan with the Gentiles.

The Jewish Nation is God's chosen people.  Yet, in His mercy, He reached out to us, the Gentiles.  And He continues to call out "the least of these".  It is His will that all be saved.

8) Where are you growing in your understanding of God's will for your life?

The older I get, the less sure I am that I understand anything. Mark Twain was right.  When I was young, I had all the answers.Now I have more questions than answers.

I feel that I am growing in my understanding of God's will for my life by getting to know Christ better.  Studying who He is, and the many characteristics that are Him.  Through that, I am finding that the more I seek Him, and the more I pray, His wisdom and plan will be revealed to me.

I am learning to listen to Him. It has been a painful process, but I am learning to wait upon the Lord for His direction. I tend to jump in with both feet prior to affirming God's will. He is patiently teaching me to listen for His voice. Then I can jump right in.

I think, perhaps, his will for my life is much more simple than I ever thought (or perhaps hoped) it would be.  I believe His will is for me to be faithful and obedient where I am at and to help those who are in my area of influence.  I think He will let me know when (and if) I am to enlarge my area of influence for Him.

9) Have you ever wondered why God chose you to be part of His plan for the universe? What have you concluded?

He must have thought that I might be able to appeal to someone, to help them to understand that the only way to have a meaningful life is to trust Jesus. By doing so, they can learn to trust God and learn the joy of serving Him.

I still don't know for sure, but I am thankful that I am His chosen child.  I know that at times, when I am responsive to his promptings, that He does use me to be a comforter, or to sew seeds along the way in someone's life.  I pray for the wisdom to know when the Lord wants me to step alongside of Him and join in while He is working.

All the time! I really don't know why He chose me, except that He loves me.

Many of today's P&W songs address this question and the Psalms also speak to this.  The answer always comes back to God's incredible love for us and His desire to have a relationship with us.