THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD IN ELECTION PART TWO

 

Romans 9:1-33

 

When we share the wonderful news of the gospel with whoever is before us, I hope you don’t read them chapter nine of Paul’s letter to the church. The simple gospel is this “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Rom 5:8. Or better yet “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Rom 10:13. 

How do I reconcile chapter 9 with this biblical truth of the 

gospel in chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 &10?

 

I don’t! I believe by faith and trust in the God of the Bible who saves sinners from damnation. Salvation is God working out His sovereign purposes in History in the life of sinners who respond by faith to His calling out. Charles Spurgeon said this in his book “Lectures To My Students”, “I believe in the doctrine of election, because I am quite sure that if God had not chosen me I never would have chosen him; and I’m sure He chose me before I was born, or else he never would have chosen me afterward." As a sinner I am a terrible person and unworthy of anyone’s company. Salvation is all of God…. a holy God who extends His grace and mercy to a sinner like Spurgeon, like you, and me. Salvation is a matter of PURE GRACE. This is why chapter nine is here! We get to see the outworking’s of God’s grace in salvation. But this isn’t the Romans road you take lost sinners on to taste, hear and see the gospel. A new born Christian doesn’t have a clue about 90 percent of the doctrines taught in Scripture. (Hence the thief on the cross).

 

That comes after the awakening, in the new nature, because this becomes our greatest desire as His children, to know and study His Word. “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory……Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:10-15. So let’s do that this morning as New Testament saints.

 

“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”(v13)

 

This quote is taken from the prophet Malachi, “The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. "I have loved you," says the LORD. But you say, "How have you loved us?" "Is not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert." If Edom says, (these are descendants of Esau) "We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins," the LORD of hosts says, "They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called 'the wicked country,' and 'the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.'" Mal 1:1-4

 

Douglas Moo in his commentary says “’hated’, may be best understood as “rejected” in the context since the focus is not so much on God’s emotions but on God’s actions.” As we see the two men mentioned here in (v13) understand neither one of these men deserved to be saved. Just as you and I don’t deserve to be saved. Esau’s descendent will face ruin and devastation as the LORD said. Jacob’s descendants failed to be grateful, but they will experience God’s gracious restoration. God set His love over Jacob, even though he didn’t deserve it. The same purpose of grace applies to you and I, God extended His grace when we didn’t deserve it. Why? “but God (any sentence that starts with “but God” is great news) shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom 5:8. So! Let’s begin and clear up any misunderstandings to this portion of Scripture found in (v13).

 

As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (v13)

 

Here is where we need to be very careful and examine the text, so that we don’t misunderstand what God means here. There are two types of love expressed in (v13) that we need to consider to help us understand. The first one is a “benevolent love” this is God’s “good will” love, which He displays over creation. God has a basic attitude of goodwill to all His created image-bearers. It is an attitude that is shown to all by His benevolent or common grace. “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”  Matt 5:45. God graciously gives good things, even to those who hate Him. He gives the blessing of rain to the just and the unjust alike. The second one is “complacency love” we use this word in a negative way in our vocabulary. But God uses this word in a positive way as it relates to God’s redeeming work in the life of the sinner. God uses this word by taking delight in a certain image-bearer; it’s a love that takes delight in the object of one’s affections. We see the love of God for His Son in this way. “and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Matt 3:17. This also has the same meaning that God has with His redeemed sons and daughters. “to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.” Eph 1:6

 

God loves His Son this way and that same special love is extended to the a repentant sinner who rests in the gospel confession. We are loved as His adopted son and daughter; this is a special love that those outside of Christ…. do not share. The fact that God love Jacob is not in any way saying God hates Esau or that He had a malicious sense of hatred against Esau. But understand there are times and a coming day when His hate will be revealed. Psalm 5:5 says, “The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.” Proverbs 6:16-19 says, “There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”

 

What Paul is saying is, “God extends His complacency love over Jacob and His benevolent love of good will over Esau.” As R C Sproul said, “Here we are seeing a love-hate contrast, which is intended to communicate the truth that those who receive only God’s benevolent love might consider it hatred when compared to God’s complacent love, because His benevolent love is such a lower degree of love.” We see same use of this word hate in the gospel. “Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:25-26

 

Jesus is in no way encouraging us to hate our family,

but the complete opposite.

 

We are to have a benevolent love for our family, but a complacent love set towards Christ alone. He must be pre-imminent in our life, because this is that special love. Just as I have a special love for my wife and not the same love for my neighbor. If we compare God’s perfect love with our flawed love that we have in Christ, which beyond great, then all the other love relationships we have is considered as hate in comparison. God is in no way teaching us to hate! What He is teaching that there is a love that extends to all fallen sinners and a love that extends to the redeemed child of God. Where else have we seen this word used in the same way as Paul expresses it here? We see this in the early stages of Jacob’s life in marriage. Jacob didn’t love Leah the same way he loved Rachel, because she was the apple of his eye. “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.” Gen 29:20

 

Did this mean Jacob mistreated Leah in anyway? Though she seemed to think that Jacob hated her, “When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.” Gen 29:31. This didn’t mean that Jacob hated Leah, but that she knew herself to be second in terms of Jacob’s preference, his true and special love. Understand God does hate everything that is contrary to His perfect nature.

 

But God takes no pleasure in the judgement and

death of the unregenerate sinner.

 

The prophet Ezekiel said, “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” Eze 18:23. And he says it again in (v32) “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live." Ezekiel also wrote this later in his letter, “Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” Eze 33:11. When God was creating you and me, it must have been His intention to make Himself known and believed.

 

“And certainly He ought to be believed.” We know that’s true because He sent His Son to die the death that everyone of us deserve.

 

Jesus died for someone. The gospel will draw that someone to Him, because they will recognize they are sinner, and they desperately need a Savior. This is the gospel illuminating biblically truth to a dead man. God raises the sinner to life to taste and respond to His effectual calling on one’s life. What is the outworking of that? I don’t have a satisfactory answer to give you, other than I trust in the God of the Bible who reconciles that in my heart through the gospel.

 

See! It would contradictory to think that in God's nature… that he should take pleasure in the sinner's death, for His benevolence forbids it. He takes infinite delight in the happiness of his creatures, and, therefore, cannot take delight in their misery. But to get back to my original point! God takes no pleasure in the unregenerate to be separated from His special grace that is in His Son. Why? God can have no pleasure in the sinner's death, because, after the penalty is inflicted, He can show the sinner no more favor forever. The gospel is available for all to come, but only those who respond by faith will be saved. And God has determined this before the foundation of the world.

Also it’s important to add this as well….. God doesn’t choose any one of those to go Hell either. This kind of teaching is called “Double predestination” and there is nowhere in Scripture that is found. I do not believe this, and I would never teach this false understanding of predestination.

 

God does not elect some for salvation while

He elects some to spend eternity in Hell.

 

Why? People by their own admonition are going to Hell because they are sinners. God doesn’t have to do anything to send a sinner to Hell. As the famous band AC-DC sang “I am on the highway to hell” There is more theological truth from a secular song about the state of mankind, then some would like to believe in the church. This highway is broad, beautiful, and easy, and it keeps a sinner: blind, deaf, dead to the truth of God and His precious gospel call. As Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matt 7:13-14

 

Please understand, I say this with a burden heart for lost sinners! God puts no one there, our federal head Adam sinned and that curse was over all of us before we were born. Remember back to what Paul said, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned….But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” Rom 5:12-17

The gospel call on a sinner’s life is to respond to His complacent love. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Rom 5:6-11

 

And many will follow the path of destruction not because God predestined them there, but because of the sinfulness of their own heart. And this is why what Paul says next is so hard to wrap our finite minds around. (v14-v29) The question that some ask is, “Is it fair on behalf of God to do this? This line of questioning is only asked if you believe you are inherently good. Paul made that abundantly clear in the first three chapters of this letter. “No one is good” Rom 3:10. The gospel has always been based on justice and mercy.

 

These are the two truths are complementary components of salvation. If God showed you and me justice right now apart from His mercy we would be what? We would be in divine trouble and there is no way of escaping. “But God forbid” (by no means), that He would go against His perfections! (v14-v18) Our born again lives are all about “But God” and His mercy.

In sending His Son Luke 1:78

Returning backsliders. Joel 2:13

Calling sinners to repentance. Prov 28:13

To whom He wills. Hosea 2:23

With His everlasting kindness. Isaiah 54:8

The grounds of hope and trust. Psalm 147:11

Sought for ourselves and others. Gal 6:16

Pleaded in prayer. Psalm 25:6

Rejoiced in the saints. Psalm 31:7

Magnified by the saints. Psalm 118:29

This was demonstrated toward Lot and family, “But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city……..Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life...” Gen 19:17-19

 

Why is this all of grace and mercy? By what Paul says in the remainder of this chapter? I will never say this easy to understand and simple to explain. But if we look at what is before us….what right do we have to question a holy God what He does. We are nothing more than dirt! (v20) The pot has no right to say “I want to be like this or that or like my fellow pieces of pottery.” The pot has no right to say “I want to be this size, shape or colour.” The pot is molded and fashioned by the Maker whether is its vessels of honor or vessels of dishonor. (v21)

(v22-v23) reveals that God gets glory in His wrath, just as He gets glory in His mercy. God is never to be measured by our understanding of Justice. We are the created and He is our Creator. This doesn’t vilify that God is impersonal with His creation, as we see in Adam, “then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, (God was intimate and personal) and the man became a living creature.” Gen 2:7

 

We are never to question why God what He does,

and chooses what He chooses. He is God, we are dirt.

 

God’s encounter with Job is a perfect picture to never question a holy God about anything. Because Job said, “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.” Job 40:4. We are never to question God, many centuries earlier Isaiah used the same analogy. “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:6-8

 

Remember when Jesus said, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.” Matt 20:1. And he went and hired the workers in the morning for a set price; and later he hired some with little time left in the day to work as well. When they all were in a line to be paid. The owner started with the workers who came near the end of the day. They were paid the same amount as the morning crew, but the morning crew thought they were going to get more because they saw what the late crew got. And when they got their pay, which they agreed to, they became mad. What was the land owner’s response? “'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' Matt 20:13-15

 

The same principle applies to God working out in History those who are His and those who are not His. Again God doesn’t send anyone to Hell! (v22) is very clear. Paul says that God “has endured with much patience.” This is a passive verb which indicates that God never created vessels prepared for destruction but endures them and their rebellion. All mankind is fallen and is on their way there and God endures some because of their sin and rebellion, they are fully guilty to Hell.

 

This is why (v23) God gets the glory regardless, as the Heavens rejoice in John’ last letter. “….."Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants." Once more they cried out, "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever." Rev 19:1-10

 

Everything God does is perfect! He is the Just and the Justifier and everything He wills will come to be. This is my peace as I rest in chapter nine, because I put my faith in Him and not in me. I trust as Paul said. “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” 

1 Cor 1:26-29

 

I boast in Him because… He looked past the noble, the wise and found this weak vessel called Mike Andrews. Can I reconcile everything in this chapter and God’s outworking in redemption knowing I have loved ones who are still outside of His complacent love? The answer is……No! But I trust in God’s perfecting plan that loves the world and sent His Son to redeem fallen sinners.

 

The church is the evidence of that truth!

 

The church is demonstration that grace is given to most undeserving of all. But! I don’t hang my head in shame, but in joy and praise, as we boast in Him for His redeeming love. A God who is working all things for His glory throughout history bringing and drawing sinners to Himself. A God who loved me way before I ever loved Him, a God who loved me and gave Himself up for me. And this God is shaping and molding me into the image of His perfect Son because He is the Potter and I am His workmanship. Rest and wrestle there! And pray to God that He would save our lost loved ones, and that He would give us the words to share with a broken world.