Calvinist want us to believe that God is unjust, unmercilful and unrighteous, because that is what they believe that he is. If you believe that God chose "some certain persons" to be saved and damned the rest to hell, then you would be justified in believing that about God. They frequently refer to Romans chapter 9 to make their point. I have done an indepth study of Romans 9 and have found that their beliefs and accusations are false. This article is rather lenghty. Please bear with me.
Romans 9:1-5. The oracles of God were committed to the Jews. They were God's chosen people in the sense that it would be through the Jewish people that the savior of the world would come. Just as the Jews were the keepers of the law and the oracles of God, it was also God's plan that they would also be the keepers of the Gospel. It didn't completely work out that way.
Romans 9:6-9. "They are not all Israel which are Israel". Abraham had spiritual descendants and physical descendants. The spiritual descendants of Abraham are Gods people and are Christians. "In Isaac shall thy seed be called" Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau.
Romans 9:10-16. It was Gods plan that Jacob was to be one of the Patriarchs that would lead to Christ. Only one son could be a Patriarch. God chose Jacob. Esau was not a spiritual descendant of Abraham. Esau was of the flesh. He was more concerned about the things of the flesh than spiritual things. Jacob loved the spiritual things of God. Jacob loved God. It is only natural that God would love those that love him. There is nothing in Romans 9 about Esau being predestinated to hell because he was hated by God. Esau represents the fleshy, ungodly, things of the world. God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion". This does not mean that God is fickled. This means that God is the one that shows mercy. We have nothing to do with God showing mercy or being compassionate. It is one of God's attributes. The point being made here is that God is merciful and compassionate.
Romans 9:17-21. God did not harden Pharaohs heart. If God did that he would be unjust. However, God did use this rebel to demonstrate his power to the Israelites. The scripture is refering to the plagues that God brought upon the Egyptians. "Who has resisted his will?" All have, we are all sinners. God does not create evil people so that he can vent his wrath on them. "The vessels of wrath fitted for destruction" are Christ rejecting unbelievers. "Hath not the potter power over the clay?" Yes, God has the power to create evil people. The scripture does not say that he does. If he did that he would not be just.
Romans 9:22-27. Here we come to the "What If" scriptures. What follows the "What If" scriptures is NOT what God does. Paul is theorizing. "What if God was willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering on the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction?" Paul is asking a question. Actually this is what God did when he sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world. We are all the vessels of God's wrath because we are all sinners. But God in his great mercy sends his Son Jesus Christ into the world to become sin for us. Verses 25 and 26 is about the Gospel going to the Gentiles so that they can be saved.
Romans 9:28-30. "For he will finish the work and cut it short" Jesus's ministry was only for about three years. That is how long it took him to defeat sin, death and the devil and in doing so perfected our humanity and took it back to heaven. Paul makes a comparison between the Jews that tried to be justified by the law and the Gentiles that were justified by faith. The Jews stumbled at the stumbling stone, who is Jesus and then ends the chapter with, "Whosoever that believes on him (Jesus) shall not be ashamed".
Romans 9:1-5. The oracles of God were committed to the Jews. They were God's chosen people in the sense that it would be through the Jewish people that the savior of the world would come. Just as the Jews were the keepers of the law and the oracles of God, it was also God's plan that they would also be the keepers of the Gospel. It didn't completely work out that way.
Romans 9:6-9. "They are not all Israel which are Israel". Abraham had spiritual descendants and physical descendants. The spiritual descendants of Abraham are Gods people and are Christians. "In Isaac shall thy seed be called" Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau.
Romans 9:10-16. It was Gods plan that Jacob was to be one of the Patriarchs that would lead to Christ. Only one son could be a Patriarch. God chose Jacob. Esau was not a spiritual descendant of Abraham. Esau was of the flesh. He was more concerned about the things of the flesh than spiritual things. Jacob loved the spiritual things of God. Jacob loved God. It is only natural that God would love those that love him. There is nothing in Romans 9 about Esau being predestinated to hell because he was hated by God. Esau represents the fleshy, ungodly, things of the world. God said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion". This does not mean that God is fickled. This means that God is the one that shows mercy. We have nothing to do with God showing mercy or being compassionate. It is one of God's attributes. The point being made here is that God is merciful and compassionate.
Romans 9:17-21. God did not harden Pharaohs heart. If God did that he would be unjust. However, God did use this rebel to demonstrate his power to the Israelites. The scripture is refering to the plagues that God brought upon the Egyptians. "Who has resisted his will?" All have, we are all sinners. God does not create evil people so that he can vent his wrath on them. "The vessels of wrath fitted for destruction" are Christ rejecting unbelievers. "Hath not the potter power over the clay?" Yes, God has the power to create evil people. The scripture does not say that he does. If he did that he would not be just.
Romans 9:22-27. Here we come to the "What If" scriptures. What follows the "What If" scriptures is NOT what God does. Paul is theorizing. "What if God was willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering on the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction?" Paul is asking a question. Actually this is what God did when he sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world. We are all the vessels of God's wrath because we are all sinners. But God in his great mercy sends his Son Jesus Christ into the world to become sin for us. Verses 25 and 26 is about the Gospel going to the Gentiles so that they can be saved.
Romans 9:28-30. "For he will finish the work and cut it short" Jesus's ministry was only for about three years. That is how long it took him to defeat sin, death and the devil and in doing so perfected our humanity and took it back to heaven. Paul makes a comparison between the Jews that tried to be justified by the law and the Gentiles that were justified by faith. The Jews stumbled at the stumbling stone, who is Jesus and then ends the chapter with, "Whosoever that believes on him (Jesus) shall not be ashamed".
