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So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, why does He still find fault? For who resists His will

  Good morning. All right, so God chose one person over another, and chose pharaoh for destruction – what does that mean? So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, why does He still find fault? For who resists His will? In other words how can He condemn us to the bad place, since He is the one who chose us to not believe? On the contrary, who are you, O man who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, why did you make me like this, will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? Again it sounds like we don’t have a choice – it is predestination. This is what others would say, not what is reality. Then a hypothetical: what if God (Paul is not saying that God did, but rather what if He did the following), although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels ...
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For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God‘s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “the older will serve the younger.

  Good morning. So Abraham had two sons; but God chose Isaac. Paul then gives other instances where God chose one over the other. Remember that Rebekah had twins – Jacob and Esau. For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God‘s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of  Him who calls, it was said to her, “the older will serve the younger.“ Isaac did not earn God‘s choice, and neither did Jacob. And of course we also didn’t. In today’s world, people would say that God was not fair. He should’ve been all inclusive. We would’ve heard all about it over the news media. God is evil; He is not fair! What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? Never! But that is not how the news media would portray it. “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.“ So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God w...
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But is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel

  Good morning. Paul is getting ready to tell the Roman Christians something, and he wants them to know that what he saying is the truth, and that he’s not just being politically correct. I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. That’s pretty strong. It sounds like he would be willing to take their place; that he would be willing to give up his salvation, if all of them could receive theirs. Would we be willing to do that, even if they were our relatives? He then talks about the benefits of being Israelites. Remember that they are God‘s chosen people; and yet without Christ, they are doomed. Remember also the promise that God made to Abraham. But is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended...
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Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

   Good morning. Another one of our favorite verses: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Of course we already know the answer – nothing! What about all of these things that he talked about – that he actually experienced; did they get him down? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. Wait for it – for I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Whee doggies! As the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz said: “Ain’t nuttin’, no how!” Notice that it does not say that we barely make it through – it says that we overwhelmingly conquer! We don’t just win by a field goal in the last second of the game – we win by seven touchdowns! Fat...
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If God is for us, who is against us?

  Good morning. What shall we say to these things (Foreknew, predestined, conformed, called, justified, glorified)? If God is for us, who is against us? A statement of the form If…, then is called a conditional. The “then” part is guaranteed to occur, provided that the “If” part occurs. There is always a possibility that the “If” part does not happen. My Bible says that the form of the condition (in Greek) makes it clear that there is no doubt about it – the “If” part will happen - God is definitely for us. Therefore, who can be against us - no one! He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? If God did the “most-ist” “best-ist” thing for us, how could He not give us “lesser “ things? Everything else is of no consequence compared to Him giving us His Son. Who will bring a charge against God‘s elect? God is the one who justifies; Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who...
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For those whom He foreknew, He also pre-destined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

  Good morning. OK so we are called according to His purpose. Paul then gives the process by which we came to know God. They are all in the past tense. For those whom He foreknew, He also pre-destined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. There are some questions concerning these verses but no definitive answer. Is he talking about us as individuals, or the selective group of all Christians? Did God personally know each of us in the ancient past, or simply know about us; again as an individual or as a group? Is this predestination in the traditional sense? The predestination here says to become conformed to the image of His Son, not pre-destined to salvation – meaning no free will. In other words, those who do exercise their free will and make Jesus Christ Lord of their lives will be...
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In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God

  Good morning. Remember that the Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; also having the first fruits of the Spirit we groan within ourselves. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God. Most of the time we don’t realize that all of this is going on within us. We don’t have to be concerned about whether or not the Spirit is praying the right prayer like we do when we pray. My Bible comments: whether Paul means words that are unspoken or words that cannot be expressed in human language is not clear. And then one of everyone’s favorite verses: and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. There is at least one ...
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