To the Calvinist, is Romans 9:21 potter story based on Jeremiah 18:4? My Calvinist friend gave me Romans 9:21 and Jeremiah 18:4 to support his view that each individual since was born already either the object of His wrath or the object of His mercy. 

After I read Jeremiah 18:4, to me it seems Jeremiah is talking about nation, not individual. And also to me, the analogy in Jeremiah can not lead me to conclude that the potter deliberately make an ugly vessel because the potter has the intention to throw it into the garbage. Also in Jeremiah that in the future passing time (when the ugly and beautiful vessel already exist) an event of repeating process to both kind is possible.

I propose my imagination about Jeremiah potter story to my friend. But my friend explanation, to me is not clear. That's why I ask here, because I found a difference between Jeremiah and Romans about the potter.


Jeremiah talk about a nation - Romans talk about an individual
Jeremiah potter doesn't deliberately make an ugly vessel - Romans
potter deliberately make an ugly vessel.
Jeremiah 18:7-8 show a possibility that something change to the ugly
vessel in the future - Romans show the ugly vessel is fixed from the
start until the end.


So the first thing I need to know is whether Romans potter story is based on Jeremiah potter story or not in the point of view Calvinist. If not, then I don't need to propose my imagination of Jeremiah potter story. If yes, how do I correct my imagination of Jeremiah potter story in order to "agree" with Romans potter story ?

Thank you.
Paul writes of the potter making a vessel to dishonor and another to honor. This is more akin to making an ashtray (dishonor), and a wine flask (honor), than to "ugly" and "not ugly".

It is true that, according to Paul (and, therefore, Calvinism), some are made to be children of wrath, and others children of mercy. In fact according to Romans 5, alll are naturally born into wrath - it is only those who, by no merit of their own, God has deigned to show grace &amp; mercy who are now considered "vessels of honor".

But that is a different view than, "hey, I screwed up - let's try again" (a la Jeremiah 18). 

Paul writes of the potter making a vessel to dishonor and another to honor. This is more akin to making an ashtray (dishonor), and a wine flask (honor), than to "ugly" and "not ugly".