I am not going to beat around the bush! On the offensive -1- I am now on the offensive! Lets look at some key passages that are used to try and show that God has arbitrarily chosen some for hell because he hates them. Why does Paul say that God hates Esau but loves Jacob?! Here is the statement: Romans 9:13 As it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. So there it is!! Now what does this mean in its context? 1. First of all this reference comes not from the book of Genesis with the two individuals. It comes from the book of Malachi where Jacob and Esau are a not individuals but two separate countries that come from those 2 males. In the context of Malachi this simply means that God preferred the descendants of Jacob, that is Israel, over those of Esau. Paul uses it in this exact same way. A figure of speech. To hate one more than another in biblical Hebrew is a figure of speech that simply means that one is preferred above another. Nothing else. Jesus said the same thing. He said that we are to love him and hate our parents! Why would Jesus call us to hate our parents when he told us to love our enemies?! Clearly we are dealing with a figure of speech! What does this mean? That we are to choose and prefer him above even our parents! Thats all these Hebrew figures of speech mean. And this is exactly how Paul uses this verse within the context of this chapter. Lets look at the statements before this to see how it fits within the unfolding logic. The unfolding context will define exactly what he means. Romans 9:11-13 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad-in order that Gods purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls- 12 she was told, The older will serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. 2. Did you see that? He we find mention of the two boys. And we are told that God chose one as a special chosen vessel and this above the other and that it had nothing to do with whether they did good or bad! God arbitrarily chose that the older will serve the younger! Yes God loved Jacob above Esau and this in the specific setting that the older will serve the younger!! To love and to hate is defined by Paul in this specific context to mean that God had chosen and preferred Jacob to be the father of JESUS Just look what he just said about Jacob a few verses earlier. Romans 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ Yes God loved Jacob that is he preferred him over Esau to be the father of the Messiah. It was not by any human choice it was by divine sovereign election of Grace by God alone 1. To love and to hate is a Hebrew figure of speech that means that one is chosen and preferred above another. He has told us clearly that this means that the older will serve the younger. Paul has clearly defined the figure of speech for us. Sadly Calvinists bring a different set of assumptions to this passage out of context and totally twisted it beyond recognition! To hate and to love simply means in this setting that God prefers One special group above another because he had chosen that Jesus would come from this special group. Nothing more nothing less.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 21:50:19 +0000