Romans 9: 13-14

(Romans 9: 13-14)

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.  What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

 

This is how a righteous God chooses people. 『What is Written』 is from Malachi 1:2-3. Malachi is the last prophet in the Old Testament. But in Malachi 4:5-6, ``Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. This is a story about John the Baptist.

 

People say, "God is a God who wants all people to be saved. Why does God say this?" From the point of view that God is love, we can ask such a question, but in each age, God did not save all people. This is God's righteousness. Those who do not repent are under the wrath of God. Repentance is a command from God. By the way, it is said how a sinner man can repent. You are speaking as if you cannot repent unless God helps you. John the Baptist said, "Repent, for heaven is near." Jesus said the same thing when John the Baptist died. The apostle Paul also spoke of what God commanded (repentance) to King Agrippa before his death in Rome.

 

Repentance is a command of God, but humans hate it. So, it seemed to be a being who could not repent. If man does not repent, sin cannot be resolved and he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Today the church is talking about salvation too easily, without an accurate word of repentance. Repentance is realizing that the sinner has left God and turning to God. In Romans 10:9『 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 』

 

By the way, this is the way a person who is chosen after repentance believes in God. This is because they overlook the difference between what God says and those who believe it is repentance. To those who do not repent, God approaches with righteousness. However, God approaches those who repent with love. In the parable of the ten virgins, all ten virgins regarded the Lord as the bridegroom. However, only the five wise virgins entered the wedding feast.

 

In 9:13, there is a story about Isaac's sons. Abraham's son Isaac has a baby, and twins fight in Rebekah's womb. Before children were born, God said, "The great will serve the little." Jesus said, "The first one becomes last, and the last one becomes first." It means that the Lord is not standing on the side of those who overcome the competition in the world. It is also a story of the salvation of Israel and the Gentiles.

Gorinthians 1 1:27-29『 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 』 God calls those who are not qualified. Those who are not qualified become those who repent. In all ages, they have the same appearance as Jacob and Esau. Jacob had no birthright, but Esau considered a bowl of red bean porridge more important than the birthright. God was angry that Esau, who came first with his own power, considered the birthright in this way. The Bible says, "Esau was in tears and asked for an opportunity to repent, but He did not give it."

 

God has mercy on those who are merciful, and hardens those who make it harder. You cannot know until you repent. Regarding the unrepentant, the psalm says, "He who is in honor but does not understand is like a beast that perishes." These words refer to Noah's time. Because not everyone repents, we are talking about what God judges with water. Man is made in the image of God, but those who do not understand the meaning of repentance are perished. Humans, created in God's image, must respond to God's command, but Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden did not respond and did not respond to God's command. So God made them go out of the Garden of Eden. God said to King Saul who broke the command (to kill King Amalek), "Because you have forsaken me, I will forsake you." This is God's justice.

 

God's love is achieved only in Christ, who died on the cross. He only loves those who are in the ark and those who participate in the new covenant. It is repentance to enter the ark. The meaning of entering into it is to put down the free will of self. There were 7 people in the family who heard Noah's "Intentions". The beginning of the Gospel is 『the intention of righteousness』, not 『the way of love』. The seven members of Noah's family who entered the ark were also subject to God's judgment, but they were those who repented of what Noah was crying out and entered the ark. Noah told people for 120 years to abandon evil and turn to God. The Bible says that except Noah, everything from children to adults is evil in thinking and planning. By proclaiming through Noah by God, only those who realize that everyone is the object of judgment will know and repent. When it rained, the doors of the ark were closed, and everyone, from adults to newborns, died. Does it make sense to say “God is love”?

 

God is righteous. God's election is a righteous result. The Lord did not regard Noah as a relative, but allowed the repentant to enter the ark. God made hell to judge Satan and his followers. Hell is said to be a place that burns but does not die. Those who do not realize God's righteousness and speak only of love will regret it later. If people do not repent, they become those who speak love before God's righteousness. Those who repent are those who fear God. In Romans 9, "Is there injustice with God? Is it impossible." Those who take free will for granted hate words of repentance. Those who have free will believe that God loves everyone.