Paul explicitly states in his salutation in his letter to the Romans his purpose to “evangelize” Rome, and he states after the body of the letter his desire to proclaim the gospel of Christ in Spain. Part of Paul’s theological emphases for his practical purpose of evangelism concerns instructing the Roman believers concerning God’s election of Israel and his plan for the nations—Romans 9-11. Here Paul narrates salvation history through midrashic argument to demonstrate the nature of God’s mercy in his elective decisions. Calvin’s commentary on Romans, and his comments in his Institutes (3:21-25) concerning Paul’s meaning, seem to overlook some of Paul’s sequence of argument and theological intent, particularly in relation to Romans 9:6-29 and the nature of God decisions concerning Jacob and Esau, Pharoah, and the “vessel” phrases (vv. 13, 17, and 22-23). Since Calvin’s conclusions from Romans 9 have had considerable influence on the doctrinal foundation of early Christian thought in Protestant theology, this paper analyzes Paul’s thought sequence and meaning in Romans 9:6-29 and compares these with a retrieval of Calvin’s theological suppositions in his own context. It seems that Calvin averts some of the merciful aspects of God’s nature in election which Paul explicitly intends, inviting the reformed reader to a renewed perspective of the content of Paul’s gospel.