Understanding Divine Election and Human Responsibility

Though Jacob and Esau were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad really important really important they had done nothing good or bad in order that no Paul is explaining why he chooses the way he does in order that God's purpose of election might continue not because of works but because of and you might expect him to say because of faith no he says not because of work but because of him who calls Rebekah was told the elder will serve the younger as it is written Jacob I loved Esau I hated. [00:73:14]

The reason the promises of God to Israel have not failed even those are perishing is that quote not all Israel is Israel that is the saving promises of God do not guarantee the salvation of every single ethnic Israelite but only the true Israel that's the point of verses 6 through 8 not all the descendants of Abraham are the children of God then Paul shows the deepest root of what makes a person part of the true Israel the saved Israel and that deepest root is God's unconditional election. [00:145:45]

God's choice of one person and not another not based on any good deeds or any bad deeds not based on any good deeds or bad deeds one person is chosen and not another chosen for what or chose choice for what what what what chose are you talking about well what Paul is dealing with in verse three is how can so many individual Israelites be lost to be cursed and cut off from Christ verse three so the issue is eternal salvation. [00:191:19]

Everyone who is sentenced to eternal condemnation hell deserves to be there that's biblical teaching nobody is in hell because they don't deserve to be there they will be there because of their unbelief and their sin and Henry is saying this sounds contradictory unconditional election on the one hand conditional damnation on the other hand when God decided not to choose a person he did not base his decision on foreseen unbelief and sin but when God condemns a person in the end it is based on unbelief and sin. [00:259:419]

There are good reasons for why God elects in the beginning and the way he does and there are good reasons for why God judges in the end the way he does and these acts of election and condemnation and these reasons are not contradictory he condemns in the end on the basis of unbelief and sin because he's just and the principle of justice in the Bible is Exodus 23 7 do not kill the innocent and righteous and proverbs 17:15 it's an abomination to the Lord to condemn the righteous. [00:320:659]

God's final decision to assign someone to hell will be because they deserve it there will be no injustice no one will be in hell who does not deserve to be there and no degree of punishment in hell will be out of proportion to the greatness of the guilt of the sinner Luke 12:47 so God condemned on the basis of unbelief and sin because he's just but he elects before the foundation of the world not based on unbelief and sin because he's free and independent of all external constraints in forming his own plan. [00:373:669]

Paul puts it he seems to be laboring to make this clear though they were not yet born and had done nothing good or bad in order that God's purpose of election might continue not because of works good or bad but because of him him his purpose his will his counsel alone his freedom she was told the elder will serve the younger so here's why I think Henry says this sounds contradictory that God condemns on the basis of unbelief and sin but he elects before the foundation of the world not based on unbelief and sin. [00:419:659]

We don't know how God sees to it that all those who are not elect do in fact become guilty of condemnation let me say that again we don't know how God renders it certain or sees to it that all those who are not elect do in fact become guilty of condemnation how does real guilt become a certainty for all the non elect which is another way of asking how does a sovereign God govern the heart choices of all human beings and yet those human beings be accountable for their heart choices. [00:475:509]

Both are taught in the Bible God governs the choices of all people and all people are accountable for their choices that's not a contradiction it is a mystery or it may be a mystery some think they might have figured it out I haven't it may be a mystery that is we don't know how that's the key word we don't know how God does it but we do know he does it the King's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord and he turns it wherever he will star burbs 21:1 and that king is accountable before God. [00:529:58]

The promises of God to Israel have not failed even though many Jewish people are perishing according to verse 3 being a cursed and cut off from Christ and the reason the promises of God to Israel have not failed even those are perishing is that quote not all Israel is Israel that is the saving promises of God do not guarantee the salvation of every single ethnic Israelite but only the true Israel that's the point of verses 6 through 8 not all the descendants of Abraham are the children of God. [00:130:99]

The issue is eternal salvation Paul is burdened by his his kinsmen according to the flesh or are lost eternal curse sadness so election here means election of who will be the true Israelites verse 6 the true children of God verse 8 and who will not be now what Henry is pointing out is that the Scriptures not just Calvinists the Scriptures teach that everyone who is sentenced to eternal condemnation hell deserves to be there that's biblical teaching nobody is in hell because they don't deserve to be there. [00:230:14]

God condemned on the basis of unbelief and sin because he's just but he elects before the foundation of the world not based on unbelief and sin because he's free and independent of all external constraints in forming his own plan let me say it again here's the way Paul puts it he seems to be laboring to make this clear though they were not yet born and had done nothing good or bad in order that God's purpose of election might continue not because of works good or bad but because of him him his purpose his will his counsel alone his freedom. [00:396:889]