Romans 9 Part 3 - The Most Hated Chapter in the Bible
Having pointed out that Jesus taught about God selectively healing in Luke 4:23-27 and the Fact that Paul teaches that those that are saved are Predestinated to heaven in Posts #1769 and #1776
I would now like to take you on to Romans 9 and mention that
I DO NOT HATE this chapter at all ! but I did when I first found out !:-}
We in our flesh Hate GOD as it is written in the chapter just previous:
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Unless a man is Born of the Spirit of God he can not see why God is not our servant ! He made us - He owes us ! That is the mentality !
Also our hearts are dead in sin:
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jeremiah was a prophet of God who had to lead the people of Israel through a terrible Judgement of GOD ! Glad I'm not him .
Let's look at the Chapter...
Paul starts off talking about Israel as a Nation.
This part is more difficult as it deals with various plans of God.
I will explain it to anyone who asks but for our topic we go to this verse.
Romans 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Here Paul points out that not every person in the Elect Nation of Israel is Elect according to personal salvation. The Jews failed to recognize that although God has chosen them as an elect nation that did not guarantee that each person in it was elect to Salvation ! As Jesus Taught in John...
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Jesus teaches that each man must be Born from above BY the HOLY GHOST ! He called it being Born-Again. It means to have God's spirit come and change your insides and to give you seeing eyes and hearing ears and a spirit of repentance and make you into a new creation:
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Just as God created Adam ... He RE-Creates those whom He LOVES !
The Gift of the Holy Spirit is given by God to some but WHO !!!
look:
Romans 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
God Elects one of these twins before they are born... before they have ever done any good or evil... that HIS PURPOSE not that of sinful flesh WOULD STAND SOLID.. not of any foreseen goodness or works they might do in their lives.
Here is the most offensive verse to our flesh in the Bible...
Romans 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
These two were twins indeed the one hated was the oldest a more blessed position according to the law and the flesh ! Yet God chose from all eternity to save Jacob and let Esau pass on in the sin of Adam and remain in the condemnation of the world !
People try to explain this away by saying that God Looked into the Future to see that Jacob would do good and Esau evil... That is not true. Anyone who honestly look at the history of those fellows will find that JACOB was more EVIL than Esau by a mile. He and his mother plotted together and deceive his own father. His name means to deceive or to trip which is what the devil is called Deceiver
No even looking into this and trying to hide this truth by saying that God merely foresaw something good in Jacob is very wrong !
People say HOW DARE GOD HATE ESAU !
Well I say HOW DARE GOD LOVE JACOB !
And God does dare and do because of the BLOOD of JESUS !
So then the Bible says what you have said ..Is God a monster ?
Romans9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
next
Romans 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Is it wrong for God to have mercy on Jacob when both boys are sinful ?
Is it a duty for God to have compassion on all men ??
Who is it that will be saved... the strong. The willing ?
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Salvation is of GOD and His unmerited MERCY ALONE !
As Jesus said:
John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it willeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
The wind ( spirit ) blows to whom it wills.
Romans 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Now some men will explain this partly away by saying that God does in fact choose who He will save and merely leaves the rest to their own corruption but does not predestinate them. That is silly . If there are only two places a man can spend eternity then how can being left out be anything but destined to hell.. But God teaches even harder truths in the next verses:
Romans 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Here the Bible teaches that God does not just pass by the wicked but God is active in Hardening them in their sin.
Well what do we as men think of that ! How does that make you feel reader ?? This is the God of heaven talking through His word to you !
Romans 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Be honest did you say that ? How can God damn people if they merely do his will ?
===== I demand an answer we say to GOD ! =====
Romans 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
In plain English.. how dare you O MAN tell God what He can or can not do with what He created !
Romans 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
God fitted them.. He created OF THE SAME LUMP and QUALITY the wicked.
Look however at the Bright side of this coin...
Romans 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Do not ask why God hated Esau... ask why He loved Jacob or me or any of those who were no better than the wicked in and of ourselves.
You can get mad like I did and say OK that's it I'm out of here I'll just go to hell that will fix Him :-}
Why don't we kick our heels and scream " BUT THAT'S NOT FAIR "
You would be right...it is not fair that God forgives Jacob -
Except that God Himself paid the penalty for Sinful SIN on the Cross in the FLESH !
Jesus Christ came to earth and died The GODLY for the Ungodly !
Perhaps you may ask... what is the point... It is already set !
There is every POINT... Although your will can not save you. Although there is no deed you can do to pay for your sin. Although there is no way you can ascend of yourself into heaven as it is written:
John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Only Jesus came to earth and did not sin.
Jesus died the death of a Sinner though He had done none
Jesus earned Salvation by His WORKS something none of us can do because we are sold under sin already
Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
How then can we be SAVED ...
Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
We must be in the Spirit.... How do we get there seeing it is not our wills that save us but the will of GOD ?
Matthew 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
What did Jesus say to these astonished fellows:
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Our wills do not save us...
But God calls us to use our wills to apply the means of Salvation !
What are the means:
============== You must REPENT ! ======================
How can we who are weak in the flesh repent ??? We can't....
=== WE MUST PRAY for God to Grant us Strength to REPENT ===
John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
Why should we BEG GOD to forgive us... what if we are not elect ?
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
What if your name is not there then what... Hell and your just reward for sin !
Can you look to see if your name is in there...
Is there anything at all that you can do...
You can BEG ! Or can you ?
Perhaps your too proud.. too stiff necked...
too foolish to call upon the God who created Heaven and Earth - Almighty God !
As it is written:
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Hold wait... you said the will had nothing to do with it. Here it says if I freely will to call upon the Lord I will be saved !
Your will isn't saving you...
It's the DOOR. Brumar... I'm showing YOU the DOOR !
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Come unto Jesus
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. |
