1. God is. God indicates there are 3 parts to the Godhead, called Father, Jesus/Son, & Holy Spirit. Each has unique roles but remain equals in unity. God indicates His primary name is “I AM” with more than 20 others based on a description of His character and used in context of the particular subject matter. (Ex LORD = all 3 as ultimate boss)
a. God exists, He is real, He is truth, He is righteousness, He is just, He is holy, and He is love – to mention a few things about His demonstrated character.
i. Ps 119:160, Is 30:19, I John 4:16, Is 57:15
ii. Jer 10:10, Is 45:5-6, 7, 21c, Ps_145: 1-7
1I will extol You, my God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
4One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
6Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
7They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
4One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
6Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
7They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
b. God is the planner, inventor, designer, fabricator, constructor, assembler, of all the physical creation. It is apparent that all materials for creation He brought into existence.
i. Gen 1:1, Ps 102:25, John 1:1, Ps 90:2
ii. Heb 1:10, Is 44:24
c. God is owner, controller, operator, and sustainer of all of creation. Man has only a glimpse of the hugeness of the universe or greatest detail in the tiny particles that make up His creation.
i. PS 89:11, Is 44:6, Ps 44:2, 3
ii. Jer 10:10, Is 43:13
d. God is the ultimate, supreme, power, and authority over His creation and everything else. He has set all events in His creation from start, including significant milestones, to the future as they occur exactly as He dictates and in His timing.
i. Is 46:8-9, 10, 11, Is 40:12, 13-14, 15-16, 17
ii. Acts_17:24-28
24“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
, Col_1:15-18 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
, Revelations covers the last 1007 yrs.
Comment: God informs us what He has done, is doing, and will do in the future in His book (Bible – Word of God). For today’s discussion please note God hasn’t provided the intricate details of how He did creation, He just gives a hint by saying He spoke and it existed. This might be because it would take a mind like God’s in order to understand how He did it and man has no capability even close to grasp the how but we sure have some of the evidence of His work. Since God is truth, we know what He says about creation is true, therefore we accept it even though we don’t have all the understandings of how it all works. Secular man strives to examine the evidence God leaves but doesn’t attribute it to God’s work.
2. Inside of God’s creative work, He made a most unique creature called human beings.
a. These creatures have some god-like characteristics: a living being with physical and spiritual elements, capability to communicate, move, work, think, logic, love, conscience, make decisions, part of procreation for children, subdue and rule the earth, and more.
i. Zech 12:1, Is 45:12,18
ii. John 10:34, Ps 82:6, 111:3-4
b. In addition to those capabilities, God has “hard wired” into human beings (man & woman) some basics: an understanding that God’s creation evidence provides mankind with a cognizance that God exists,
i. Rom 1:19, 20, 21, 14:17
ii. Ps_19:1-6
1The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
2Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
3There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
5Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
6Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
, Ps 97:6, 147:4-5And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
2Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
3There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
4Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
5Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
6Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
Comment: God informs us what He has done, is doing, and will do in the future in His book (Bible – Word of God). For today’s discussion please note God hasn’t provided the intricate details of how He made man from the dust of the earth. Since God is truth, we know what He says about making man is true, therefore we accept it even though we don’t have all the understandings of how He did it. Secular man strives to examine the evidence God leaves but doesn’t attribute it to God’s work.
3. There are so many things that we have not been given the details of how God accomplished His work. How does God provide the Holy Spirit into our heart, what holds protons together in the nucleus (like charges repel), why deciduous trees go to all the effort make leaves and then 6 months later throw them away and start all over next year, how the human body heals itself, how does the atmosphere stay at 19% oxygen and 79% nitrogen despite that man pollutes it, how does sound waves travel though the air to our ear drums in which the ears translate that into signals sent to our brain which decodes those signals into words which our brain processes and makes decisions, why do we lose the sense of gravity just a few hundred miles from earth yet the earth rotates around the sun some 93 million miles away and just doesn’t fly away, and so on, the subject is endless. We live on God’s earth actually totally dependent on what He provides; we need the air, water, food, heat, earth, just to exist. We run around not thinking about the amazing process that goes on automatically to change a peanut butter sandwich into nutrients for our cells. We struggle to understand so many things and take so much for granted yet we think we know and are intelligent and have invented all kinds of explanations for the physical world (evolution, big bang, etc.) yet Psalm 19: 1-2 says “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”
4. There is one of these kind of subjects that man has tried to determine how God works for thousands of years man has discussed, argued, fussed over, written endless books, theories, denominations, conditions of fellowship, unanswered questions, in the past lives were lost over this subject, etc., and this is the topic of God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. It brings up subjects like does God create humans for destruction or hell? How does this all work, man makes decisions based on the info in his mind, he is not a robot, yet God is in control of everything, nothing is left to chance.
a. God sovereignly governs everything in Creation from start to finish, every event, every decision, nothing happens outside His control. Every man’s motive, thought, decision, action, event, circumstance, happens exactly the way God planned it and makes it happen for all time. What does the Scripture say?
i. Prov 15:3 What does God see? 2 Chron 16:9, Job 31:4, Jer 16:17, Heb 4:13
ii. Prov 16:1 What does God control?
iii. Prov 16:2 What does God weigh?
iv. Prov 16:4 What does God make?
v. Prov 16:9 What does God direct?
vi. Prov 16:33 What does God control? What can be said about “luck”?
vii. Prov 19:21 What does God do with man’s plans?
viii. Prov 20:12 How does man get ability to understand?
ix. Prov 20:24 What does God ordain?
x. Prov 20:27 Where does the spirit of man come from?
xi. Prov 21:1 Who makes the king’s decisions?
xii. Prov 21:2 What does God check?
xiii. Jer 10:23 Can man direct his steps?
xiv. Acts 17:24-25, 26, 27-28; List at least 8 things God provides/controls.
xv. Ps 44:21 What secrets does God know?
b. With respect to man’s salvation, what is happening in man?
i. Eph_1:3-12
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
; When were believers chosen? ii. Acts 13:48 What are the prerequisites before belief?
iii. John 6:63 Who gives life?
iv. John 6:44,65 Who draws a man to God?
v. John 16:8-9, 10-11 Who and how is a man being prepped for belief?
vi. John_3:1-16
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? 11“Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12“If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13“No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
; John 3:16 is a summary of the typical salvation process. As the Holy Spirit often begins in a man by some unsettled convictions and starting an interest in spiritual solutions, man will generally hear the word of God in some unique way (Rom 10:14). This is unique and case specific in every person as he usually will not grasp the Holy Spirit’s functioning in his life to create this interest until later. Next Jesus says in John 3:3 that one must be “born again” (ie, a new heart (Eph 4:24, 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15), then Jesus says the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-6, 7-8) moves into the heart of man as a gift from God (called faith – essentially a belief and trust in true facts about what Jesus had done for salvation). The Holy Spirit resides in the one who has received this faith forever (2 Cor 1:22, 5:22, Eph 1:13, 14) and His evidence in a man’s life is Gal 5:22-23. 4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? 11“Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. 12“If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13“No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. 14“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
vii. Man does not have the capability to save himself. (See Rom 8:6-7, 8, 1 Cor 2:14-15) The disciples caught on to this (Matt 19:25-26 – “then who can be saved?”) where Jesus answered “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
viii. Man’s salvation is all God’s doing (I Cor 1:30) and v29 gives us the reason (“that no man should boast before God”. Also see Eph_2:1-10
1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
; and attachment. John 3:16 is a summation of God’s typical process for salvation and Tit 3:4-7 summarizes “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”5. Ps_139:1-18
1O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all.
5You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
7Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.
13For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
17How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
gives David’s understanding of God’s sovereignty of which a sample is “Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar. Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, And art intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, Thou dost know it all.” How do we put together God’s control of everything and my ability to make non robotic decisions on my own and getting the resulting consequences of good or bad recognizing God had it planned before the foundation of the world?2You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all.
5You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
7Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.
13For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
17How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
a. God has not provided the full detailed answer to that question just like He hasn’t provided the answer to how He made the universe out of nothing. We live in His creation and it works just fine. We operate in this world of His with our own motives, facts, decisions, logic gaining their results (good and bad) and it all works according to His will. God’s will and our actions are operating simultaneously because God can do this, He can do what’s impossible for men to understand. Why hasn’t He told us how some are saved and some are not? Possibly because the explanation is beyond our abilities (Is 55:8, 9 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”). If we did understand, would it lead to pride and distinguishing between men? Also Deut 29:29 “,,,,,,
b. Secondly, we have God’s track record and know these facts about Him, He is holy, He is righteous, He is truth, He is just, He is love, and He seeks and works everything for our best interest (Rom 8:26-39). So whatever He does, He will be totally just, totally righteous, and whatever He does, it will be totally truthfully correct (Rom 9:18).
c. Perhaps the only place in Scriptures that deals with the question of God’s Sovereignty and man’s free will is Rom_9:11-33
11for 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, 12it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” 13Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”
14What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” 16So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” 18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
19You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20On 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? 21Or 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? 22What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
25As He says also in Hosea,
“I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’
AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”
26“AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’
THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED; 28FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY.”
29And just as Isaiah foretold,
“UNLESS THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT TO US A POSTERITY,
WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE RESEMBLED GOMORRAH.”
30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
33just as it is written,
“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
; read all but note these verses:14What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” 16So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” 18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
19You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20On 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? 21Or 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? 22What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, 24even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
25As He says also in Hosea,
“I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’
AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’”
26“AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’
THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED; 28FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY.”
29And just as Isaiah foretold,
“UNLESS THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT TO US A POSTERITY,
WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE RESEMBLED GOMORRAH.”
30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
33just as it is written,
“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
i. Rom 9:11-18 “for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.” What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”
ii. Rom 9:19-24 “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?” 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? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.”
1. Since God is the designer, builder, and owner of human beings, doesn’t He have the right to use them any way He wants? Is 35:4-5 “For My sword is satiated in heaven, behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom, and upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.” Rom 9:17 “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” Rom 1:28 “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,,,,”
2. From Rom 9:22-23, 24 provides 4 items (God is a mega purposing God, nothing operates outside His will/control, )
a. God wanted to demonstrate His wrath and power
b. God endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction
c. God wanted to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory
d. God called them from Jews and Gentiles
e. Note Rom 9:27 states that only a remnant will be saved.
f. See 11:25 that God has created a partial hardening of Jews 3. Paul seems to be cautioning us to not fall to temptation to be telling the Supreme Authority what to do. The clay doesn’t tell the potter to do, Is 45:9. If we think we know what God is doing, we’re putting ourselves on the same plane at God, which we have no right or ability or anything to claim that position. Here’s what Job said when God confronted Him about approaching God at His level (kind of like the clay talking to the Potter). Job_42:1-6
1Then Job answered the LORD and said,
2“I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
“Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
4‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’
5“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
6Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.”
; “Then Job answered the LORD, and said, “I know that Thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask Thee, and do Thou instruct me.’ “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees Thee; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.”Bottom line: The safest answer for this dilemma is “I don’t know, God hasn’t provided an explanation while He is controlling everything (sovereign) where it is real that I make decisions and am responsible for them (free will). It’s similar to not knowing how God built the universe, He didn’t provide the details, He just spoke and it functions according to His will – so His putting His will together with man’s works according to His plans. Impossible to understand but God handles impossibilities with ease. But I know something of His character that whatever He does, He does for His holy glory always being perfectly righteously just with benefit for humans who are called. So the goal is to match my will with His with His help.”Disclaimer: I am not a theologian, not a scholar, not a learned man, not an expert, therefore the above is my take and understanding at this point in time subject to further learning. It’s what I put together for my being comfortable with the subject of Sovereignty and Free Will with some scriptural support. Just sharing these thoughts for others to consider in their studies and/or feedback to me.2“I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
“Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
4‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’
5“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
6Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.”
• Prov 18:7 “The first to plead his case seems just, Until another comes and examines him.”
• Prov 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”
•