Is God unfair to choose some? - Romans 9:1-33 Sermon

If nothing can separate us from God's love, then what about those who do not Christian? And does that mean God is unfair to choose some and not others? In this passage Paul laments over his own people, the Jews, but shows that God is acting according to his word and promises.
📘GET THE BOOK
Confused by Grace - how the Christian life really works.
Find out more: understandtheb...
⛪ CHURCH WITH UTB
This sermon is part of Church with UTB - see here for more information: understandtheb...
🖱️ WEBSITE
Understand the Bible - teaching the Christian faith online. Lots more on the website, including free courses: understandtheb...
💻 LINKS
• KZbin - / understandthebible
• Facebook - / bible.understand
• Twitter - / understandtheb1
💵 BECOME A PATRON
If you appreciate Understand the Bible, would you consider becoming a Patron? You can pay a small amount per month to support creating content. See here: / understandthebible
There is also a PayPal account: paypal.me/unde...
There are more ways to support on this page - I would especially appreciate prayer!
understandtheb...
UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE is dedicated to teaching the Christian faith online. This includes courses, sermons, Bible studies, and more. All content is designed with an eye for those new to faith, with the aim that people at every stage can watch and benefit from the teaching.

[@UnderstandtheBible]

This is part of Church with Understand the Bible: understandthebible.uk/church-with-utb/

[@TheRomans9Guy]

There are none whom God does not choose. That’s the whole point. God chooses and loves everyone. Only we can reject God.

[@UnderstandtheBible]

"No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matthew 11:27) "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." (John 6:44) "When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed." (Acts 13:48) I am not saying that God's choice is incompatible with the free offer of the gospel, as the apostles show. But clearly, God chooses.

[@TheRomans9Guy]

@@UnderstandtheBible The word "choose" is certainly in the Bible. The idea of God choosing is also in the Bible. We have no quarrel there. But the idea that there are some whom God does NOT choose is the terrible, blasphemous, unbiblical idea to which I protest. You didn't exactly defend it in letter, but it seems as if you meant to defend it in spirit? The Acts 13 passage doesn't support either side of the debate, whether God chooses all or just some, the grammar doesn't allow for it. Both the Matthew 11 and John 6 passages you cite don't really speak to the idea of whom does God chooses either. In both passages Jesus is addressing his authority, or the disbelief in it, as the Son of God. There are two key points in each of Jesus' quotes that you pulled above: In each instance, both before and after the quotes you quoted, Jesus is lamenting the people's free will choices (which I know you don't disagree with). And in each instance, Jesus doesn't go so far as to declare there are some whom he did not choose. He alludes to the idea that God could decide not to choose them, but he doesn't outright say that God does it. Paul does a similar thing in Romans 9 at verses 17-18 and 20-21. He likens the unbelieving Jews to Pharaoh, whom God hardened. The story around Pharaoh has been a difficult, deep teaching throughout history. Much like the story of Eve, where a superficial reading can give the reader the errant belief that the woman was the villain in the story and that Adam was innocently deceived, a superficial reading of Moses and Pharaoh can give the reader the belief that God caused Pharaoh to persecute the Jews. But he did not. Pharaoh chose evil towards the Jews all on his own, and chose it repeatedly. Yes, God does come in and hardens Pharaoh. It's meant to be a warning to all of us that if we willingly, purposefully, and repeatedly choose evil that God could abandon us too. The story of how God dealt with Pharaoh should humble all of us. But it did not humble the Jews in that way. Because they were the descendants of the object of God's divine intervention in that story, the Jews only saw and taught God's providence for them. They believed and taught that Pharaoh was horribly evil and got what he deserved, God's punishment. It's not biblically true, and it objectifies another human being, or rather, it dehumanizes another, but that was their belief. So when Jesus alludes to not choosing some to show himself to some in Matthew 11 , or God not drawing some in John 6, or Paul alludes to some being hardened or being prepared for destruction in Romans 9, these inferences are threats that maybe God is doing to these unbelieving Jews what they THINK God did to Pharaoh. Of course, even then, God gave Pharaoh more time to repent. And both Jesus and Paul go on to say that we still are the ones to choose. Jesus' words in Matthew 11 and John 6 come within a larger context. That context is that for thousands of years, the Jews had been known to be God's beloved chosen children, but they wrongly took that to mean they were God's ONLY beloved chosen children. (They still believe that to this day.) This belief is akin to theological racism, holy bigotry. God-declared racial prejudice. Can you imagine such a hideous thing? It's no wonder people hate Jews/Jewish ideology. Passages like Matthew 22, Ephesians 1-3, all of Romans, and many others, are all aimed at correcting that errant belief. Jesus, and later, Paul, are correcting those who thought God only chose SOME people, and they're teaching that no, God chooses ALL people. It's one of the most over-arching themes of the New Testament. It's kind of hard to miss. Paul calls it the great mystery that had now been revealed. See Matthew 22, Ephesians 2:11-21, 3:6, Romans 5:18, 10:11-13, 11:32 for some of the clearest examples.