The riddles in rom 9:18 and the metaphor of the potter as a pedagogy for spiritual autonomy

Between 5om 9:14-18, The Epistle to the 5omans contains some mysterious descriptions involving God, Pharaoh, Moses, the Israelites and people of other nations. Traditionally these few verses have posed great interpretative problems for religious learners and teachers. The proposed paper will trace the historical references of these verses. On the basis of such historical and hermeneutical efforts, the authoritarian interpretation of Rom 9:18 will then be reopened for critique. The outcome, to be established, is that there is a complex volitional matrix in Rom 9:18. This paper will therefore also answer two central questions: 1) How is the matrix structured? And 2) what are its theological and pedagogical implications. As a result of these analyses, this paper will show The Epistle is indeed teaching a unique kind of subject-focused ethical-spirituality. Moreover, by making use of the hermeneutical framework so established, the potter metaphor found between Rom9:19-22 will be further studied. The overall message is that Rom 9:14-22 contains a coherent curriculum. It is advocating for spiritual autonomy as well as individual answerability on the part of anyone seeking to be a sincere adorer of the Divine.