The Basis of God’s Choices

Transcript

GR 1449
11/07/10
The Basis of God's Choices
Rom. 9:6-13
Gil Rugh

We're in Romans 9. We're moving into a section of the word of God that unfolds in some detail the subject of the sovereignty of God. It is a subject that is a great comfort and a great blessing to us as believers, but it is one that often touches an emotional nerve and people become readily upset when we say we're going to talk about the doctrine of election. We're going to talk about God's sovereignty in the work of salvation; we're going to talk about the fact that God has chosen some to experience the blessing of His salvation and He has not chosen others. And these are matters that we want to be careful to be sure that we understand in a biblical context. If we just run off with our emotional concerns and feelings, we are in danger of failing to appreciate the great comfort and encouragement and blessing it is to understand the sovereignty of God.

How do we get to this subject in Romans? Well the first eight chapters basically have unfolded the wonder of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Starting out showing that we are sinners under condemnation but moving on to show that God, in mercy and grace, has provided His Son to be the Savior to provide righteousness for us. Then he moved to sanctification, how we live in light of the new life, and the righteousness of Christ that has been credited to us. But in this discussion there have been references to Israel. In chapter 2 and the first part of chapter 3 he demonstrated that Israel is under the same condemnation that the Gentiles are. And yet God's salvation is secure; the promises of God are sure. Well then what about Israel? If God's eternal purpose is being worked out what about His promises to Israel? What about His revealed plans to Israel throughout the Old Testament? As we've noted at the end of chapter 8, if nothing can separate us from the love of God, what about Israel - the nation upon whom God bestowed His love? That's what is being answered in Romans 9-11. To understand that, you have to understand something of the sovereignty of God in dealing with men - men individually and the nations of the world. And that sovereignty relates to His dealings with the nation Israel; it relates to His dealings with us as His people today. In fact you really don't understand God's work in the world in any way if you don't understand something of His sovereignty. He is a God in complete control down to the smallest details. It is His plans that are being carried out, so nothing can frustrate His plans.

As we opened up chapter 9, we looked through the first five verses where Paul expressed his great burden, concern, and the depths of His love for the nation Israel. And why? Because they are God's special people. And he enumerated something of their blessings, beginning in verse 4. They “are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh who is over all, God blessed forever.” All the blessings of God have been bestowed upon the nation Israel, the only nation upon whom these blessings have been given. And the culminating one is the Son of God, Jesus Christ, God blessed forever. He was born into the human race as a Jew, a descendant of Abraham, through David to fulfill all the promises God gave for His people Israel.

Well, they are wonderful promises. Israel has been given the adoption as sons, verse 4; Israel has had the glory of the presence of God, the covenants have been given to Israel, on we go. Verse 6 begins, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed.” because look around, we don't see any of this happening. The failure to realize this was manifest as Paul wrote to the Romans, but it wasn't a failure of what God has promised. People misinterpret the word, they did then and they do today. They think that God has replaced Israel with the church, that God has changed the program and redone the promises. But you understand it is not as though the word of God has failed. You ought to have that underlined in your Bible, the beginning of verse 6, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed.” That really gives you the subject of Romans 9-11, basically, demonstrating that the word of God has not failed and particularly as it applies to Israel. But that is our security as well because it is the fact that God is sovereignty working His purposes; that assures the fulfillment of all the promises to Israel and it assures the fulfillment of all the promises to us as well. The only confidence, the only security we have is knowing that God is sovereign. And there is no partial sovereignty in the work of God; He is completely sovereign. This sometimes unsettles us because we like to think we are free and we make our own choices. We are responsible before God - we make choices. But there is no such thing as total freedom. And as we have seen in the book of Romans so far, you are either a slave of sin or a slave of righteousness, a slave of the devil or a slave of God. We have to understand these important matters.

It is not as though the word of God has failed. What he is going to be demonstrating is that God gave specific promises, He entered into covenants with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But He never promised every physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they would experience His blessings and His salvation. So God, in His sovereignty, limited His promised covenantal blessings to a certain line of descendants from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We need to understand this sovereignty and it will be demonstrated and manifested when we get to chapter 11 and we'll be reminded that that sovereignty impacts us as Gentiles as well.

Picking up with verse 6, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed.” The word of God as He promised it which we read beginning in verse 4 and verse 5, starting with they are Israelites. We went back to Genesis 32 where Jacob wrestled with the incarnate God through the night and was given the name Israel - the one who strives with God. And he has brought the blessing of God - that which was most important to him was to receive the blessing of God and that covenant blessing. Why have not the promises of God failed? If Israel, even at this early stage in the church's history as Paul writes to the Romans is not experiencing the wonder of God's salvation, is not experiencing the blessings promised, what do you mean the word of God has not failed, fallen, collapsed, failed to be realized? For they are not Israel who are descended from Israel, they are not all Israel who are out of Israel. Not everyone who is a physical Jew is in the line of the promises to the Jews. Now this does not mean that these promises we're talking about are not focused on the physical Jews, but not every physical Jew is promised that he will receive the promises. Not every descendant of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, is promised that he will receive the promises. Not every descendant of Abraham is promised that he will receive the promises.

So they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel, who are from Israel. This concept has already been dealt with in Romans. Come back to Romans 2. In showing that the Jews were under condemnation as sinners just as the Gentiles, Paul made clear in Romans 2:28, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.” It is not enough to be a physical descendant of Abraham; it is not enough to have experienced physical circumcision. But he is a Jew, a true descendant of Abraham. It was still limited to the physical descendants of Abraham. He is not calling Gentiles Jews here and no one would have understood it that way when Paul wrote it. “…he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men but from God.” (Rom 2:29). He is clarifying here, not every physical Jew is a recipient of God's salvation. The Jews thought it was enough if you are born a Jew and you are circumcised, salvation is settled. That's all there is. Like some people today -they believe if they are born into whatever, a Catholic family, Lutheran family and they get baptized, we're in. Then you just sort of toe the line from there on but the basics are settled. That's why certain things are so important to them. But here Jews had the idea, I'm born a Jew - we are the chosen people - we are not sinners like the Gentiles, we don't need salvation like the non-Jews do. We are God's people.

What was made clear and we studied this is some detail, verse 29; “…he is a Jew who is one inwardly.” You not only have to be a physical descendant of Abraham, you have to also be a spiritual descendant. You have to experience the circumcision of the heart by the Spirit. That's not new. In the Old Testament, the prophet's instruction to Israel was circumcise your heart - the sin and guilt must be removed. So already covered that.

Come over to Galatians 6. You know if we just let the word of God speak for itself, we solve a lot of our theological problems. Verse 16. And the book of Galatians started out, what Paul has to deal with is the Judaizers, those Jews who were trying to say Gentiles had to submit to the Mosaic Law if they were going to be saved. Paul is demonstrating that anyone who teaches that is not truly a recipient of God's salvation. So he started out in chapter 1 by pronouncing an anathema, cursed to hell are those who would teach you have to be circumcised to be saved. Now here he wraps up the letter and he says in verse 15, “…neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.” He's not talking about the church there; no one would have understood it that way. Israel is Israel. The Israel of God are the believers within the nation Israel, like the Apostle Paul was. He was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, but he had become a believer in Jesus Christ. He is part of the true Israel - the Israel of God.

So the promises of God to the nation through Abraham are not given to every physical descendant of Abraham - the Jews got confused here - but only to those sovereignly chosen by God to experience His salvation as Jews.

Come back to Romans 9. Now what he is going to do is give two examples from the Old Testament, showing it is not enough to be a physical descendant to be saved. First, are Abraham's immediate descendant, Isaac, and his other descendant, Ishmael. So verse 7, “nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, (or Abraham's seed, literally), but: ‘THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED’.” - your seed will be named. And you'll note that last part of verse 7 is quoted from the Old Testament, “‘THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED’” from Genesis 21:12. And in the context in Genesis, Abraham has already fathered a son through Sarah's handmaiden, an Egyptian woman, Hagar—Ishmael. Now Sarah has been blessed to have a child with Abraham, his name is Isaac. Now there is some antagonism in the family as you might expect. And Sarah gets upset with Hagar and her son, Ishmael. And she tells Abraham that they have to go. Ishmael will not be an heir with my son. Abraham is saddened by this because Ishmael is his son, his firstborn in that sense. He has been his son for years - his only son, until Isaac is born. And then God appears to Abraham and says listen to your wife. Sarah is telling you what you need to do. And then you have this statement; “through Isaac your descendants will be named.” He becomes the child, the seed of promise.

So what he says then, Romans 9:8, “That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.” Now note here, the children of the promise. You see God's sovereignty entering in here. Upon what basis does He make His choice? God tells Abraham that it is through Isaac your seed will be named. In other words, the line of covenant promises is not going to be to all your descendants. Ishmael is not included. God promises to do certain things for Ishmael, make of him twelve princes, and give him land and so on. But the covenant promises, the Abrahamic Covenant made with Abraham, will be passed on through Isaac.

So it's not the children of the flesh who are children of God, verse 8 says. The physical descendants alone, that doesn't make them God's children, the chosen ones of God, the ones in whom His promises will be fulfilled. But it's the children of the promise, God's promise. God has sovereignly made a choice. He chose Isaac, not Ishmael. And verse 9, “…this is the word of promise: ‘AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON’ ”. That's back in Genesis 18, so that goes back even before the event in Genesis 21 of the separation. But, reiterating, before the conception of Isaac ever occurred, God had made His choice and it would be the child through Sarah. So what does that demonstrate? You could be a physical descendant of Abraham but not an inheritor of the covenant promises of Abraham, which include his salvation blessings.

So that establishes it. But some might say, I can see reasons why God would choose Abraham. Because Abraham fathered Ishmael but he fathered Ishmael with a servant girl who was an Egyptian. So Ishmael, while he is a descendant of Abraham, he is not with the true wife of Abraham, Sarah. Not the way God intended. All right, that's true. But at least you have to acknowledge not every physical descendant of Abraham is in the line of promise.

But to solve that issue there is a second example given. Verse 10, “And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac.” So you have Abraham, Isaac. Now Isaac is married to Rebekah and Rebekah conceives with Isaac twins. “When she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac.” So this is as close as you can get. You have one man, one woman, one act of impregnation, twins born. I mean that's as close as we can get. You have the same father, the same mother and there are twins. “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.’ Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.’ ”- Verse 11. And the middle of verse 11, “so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand,” really gives you the completion of the thought of verse 6. We noted in verse 6, “it is not as though the word of God has failed”, “but it is so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand”, would abide, would remain, not fail, and not fall.

So what we're doing here is operating on the basis of God's purpose - God's purpose according to His choice. The same thing we had back in chapter 8 verse 28, “for 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.” We noted when we looked at that that God is working according to His sovereign purpose - what He has determined to accomplish and bring about.

So verse 11 says, “though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice.” We have that word, His, inserted, but that gives you the idea it is His choice. But, literally, God's purpose according to election - the according to election purpose would be a literal translation. Some people get concerned about the word election. Here we have it again. They say, ‘I don't believe in election.’ Well, I'm sorry you don't believe the Bible. I believe the Bible - I just don't believe election. Well then what do you do with Romans 9-11 that we're dealing with God's purpose according to election. We say we may have a different understanding of election - what it involves. So we need to be careful we don't say we don't believe election because election is just a biblical term. It means to choose. The right word choice here is a fine, accurate translation. But I want you to understand the theological word we often use is the word election. And that's what we're talking about.

The twins were not yet born, had not done anything good or bad. Some people say God makes His choice by His foreknowledge. And by that they mean He looked down into the future and saw what you would do and what you would choose and then God chose you on that basis. The problem is here it says the twins were not yet born, had not done anything good or bad. God made a choice, verse 11, that it would not be “because of works, but because of Him who calls.” If God just looked ahead to see what Jacob would do and what Esau would do and decide Jacob would make better choices than Esau, so He chose Jacob, then He chose Jacob on the basis of Jacob's works. Right? That's the very thing that the Spirit of God is saying through Paul did not happen. Because God's choices are not made on the basis of works. Now let's be in agreement here. Esau was a bad guy; he was a godless and immoral person.

Turn over to Hebrews 12. He is used as an example of a person you don't want to be like. Verse 15, keep in mind here is a person, a man who had many benefits—grandfather Abraham, father Isaac, raised familiar with the promises of God, knew them well, knew the covenant blessings that had been promised. Then it says, verse 15, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.” He sold the right that came to him as the firstborn to be in the covenant line of promises. He knew nothing of the grace of God; he was a godless and immoral man.

So when we come back to Romans 9. Some people want to read that back, and some of those I read, said we know from Hebrews 12 that Esau was a godless and immoral man, so of course God, in His foreknowledge knew that, and so He chose Jacob. But the whole point of verse 11 is, the twins weren't yet born, they hadn't done good or bad. The point is their works didn't enter into it. God's election is according to His sovereign determination - His purpose determines everything. And in light of His purpose, He makes a choice, He elects. And it's not on the basis of works; it's on the basis of Him who calls. There is our word, call; we saw it back in chapter 8. Refers to those that are effectually, effectively called by God to Himself. Doesn't depend on man's works, it depends on the sovereign God who calls someone to salvation.

This brings everything in line, working according to God's purpose. Another thing to note here. Don't want to overwhelm us, depends on how familiar you are with this material. Some people say that the election here is of nations, not individuals. And nations naturally come into view because we're having a line—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. We're going to build the nation Israel. Esau will be the father of a nation, Edom, and the Edomites. But that doesn't change the fact that individuals are chosen by God and that impacts their descendants here as well. The line of covenant promises will come through Isaac and his seed, the Israelite nation. Esau's descendants, the Edomites, will be rejected by God, become the objects of God's wrath, His destructive action. We'll see more of that in a moment.

Individuals are key through all this—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. We'll get down to Pharaoh in verse 17. When we get to chapter 10, Paul will talk about the individual responsibility that we have in hearing the gospel, to believe?to call upon the name of the Lord. So while the descendants of Jacob and the descendants of Esau are impacted here, you can't get away from the individual electing choice of God in choosing Jacob and not choosing Esau.

So that, verse 11, God's purpose according to election would stand, would abide, and would remain. So verse 6, the word of God won't fail. Why? God is accomplishing His sovereign purpose. And on that basis, He is making a choice. And that choice will not include every physical descendant of Abraham, not every physical descendant of Isaac. The point being established, to be a physical Jew will not be enough. You must be one who has experienced the sovereign grace of God as a Jew in calling you. That puts you in the line of the promises. Still physical Jews here that we are talking about.

He supports it with a quote, verse 12, “it was said to her.” So that God's purpose according to election, not of works but of Him who calls, “it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ ” That's from Genesis 5:23. Not only did God make a choice among twins, He reversed the normal pattern. The eldest was the one to receive the blessing; the eldest received the double portion and so on. So the line would normally come through the eldest. Before they are born, God made His sovereign choice. The older one is going to be subservient to the younger one. That would impact their descendants, the Edomites would never rise to the level of the Israelites, and they would be subject to them. But it's true in the line. The youngest is going to step to the head of the line and receive the covenant blessings. The action of Esau will be part of that; we read that in Hebrews 12. He sold his birthright. But you know what? God had sovereignly set that forth before they were born. The older is going to serve the younger.

So you see God's sovereign action here, He made the choice. Look at verse 13, “Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED’ ”. Jacob I loved but Esau I hated. This is probably one of the verses that causes people most trouble. It sort of is something we don't want to hear. God hated Esau. Esau hadn't even done anything yet. I mean, God made His choice before Esau was born. Now you say He chose to love Jacob and hate Esau. And you hear people say, my God wouldn't hate anyone, my God is a God of love and He loves everyone. There is a sense in which it is true that God loves everyone. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, in order that whosoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) The love of God is manifest and demonstrated in His giving His Son to be a provision so that whosoever believes in Him might be saved. But you understand there is the love of God, which is His sovereign choice, bestowed upon individuals and the nation Israel as well.

Some say this means to love less. Jacob I have loved, but I have loved Esau less. And there is a reason for that. Come back to Matthew 10. In Matthew 10 Jesus is speaking, verse 37, and He says, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” Now come over to Luke 14. And look what Jesus says in verse 26, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Does He mean you have to hate your father, mother, and children? Well in comparison to Matthew 10:37, he who loves father or mother more than Me. Some people say it's a comparison. To hate, when He says it in Luke 14:26, means you love them more than God. But you can still love them; you just have to love them less. And there is an element of truth in that. We don't hate our wife, our husband, our children, our parents in that sense, but God has to be loved above all.

But that's not what we're talking about when we talk about God's love here in Romans 9. What we're talking about is the true hatred of God and His wrath being poured out. In Romans 9 when he quoted, Jacob have I loved, Esau I have hated, he is quoting from the book of Malachi. So let's go to Malachi 1, “The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi.” God speaking to Israel, “ ‘I have loved you,’ says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have You loved us?’ ” God's answer “ ‘Was not Esau, Jacob's brother?’ declares the LORD. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau.’ ” Now, not just love less. Look what His hatred toward Esau means, and to the Edomites who are the seed or descendants of Esau. “ ‘…I have made his mountains a desolation, and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.’ Though Edom says, ‘We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins’; thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘They may build, but I will tear down and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the LORD is indignant forever.’ ” You see what it has entailed into hatred of the Lord, His wrath, His indignation and His destruction. God hates Esau.

Come back to Romans. You know we have unfolded the gospel in the first eight chapters. Where does the gospel begin? From Romans 1:18 through Romans 3:20, what is the emphasis? All mankind, Gentile and Jew alike, are all under sin. Come back to Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” To whom was that wrath manifested? Who are the recipients? Who are under the wrath of God for being sinful, sinners? Well we come over to chapter 3 verse 9; “…we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.” Do you know what that means? All are under the wrath of God. Do you know what that means? All are hated by God. The wrath of God is the manifestation of God's attitude and action toward those He hates.

The problem we have when we come to the sovereignty of God, we have an idea in our minds that we are dealing with innocent people, neutral people that have yet to decide. And they have to be given free choice. We are not dealing with neutral people; we are not dealing with innocent people. We are dealing with people who are under the condemnation of God and the objects of His wrath. The problem we often have is people don't start at the beginning with the gospel. That's why we started with Romans 1:1 and have worked our way to here. Now when we get to chapter 9 we can't just forget about the opening chapters of Romans. We are all sinners. What does it mean to be a sinner? What did chapter 2 make clear? There is no partiality with God. Jews won't get a pass in judgment; no one gets a pass in judgment. So we are all in serious condition because we are all under sin. No exceptions.

Come over to Ephesians 2, Paul writing to the church at Ephesus, believers. But he is telling them what their condition was before they were saved. It was his condition as well. “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in 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.” That's what we were like, that was our condition. “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lust of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, - now note this - and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” Now we've seen in the opening part of Romans - we were born in sin, we were conceived in sin. Romans 5 made clear we are sinners by being descendants of Adam. We are sinners. As such we were by nature the objects of God's wrath. What's the difference? “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.” What made the difference? Mercy, love, grace. The amazing thing is not that God hated Esau; the amazing thing is that He loved Jacob. How could he love Jacob and bestow mercy and grace on Jacob? That's where we entered into chapter 3.

Come back to Romans 3:22, “…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace.” Why do we need it as a gift? Why do we need it by His grace? I deserve mercy. You can't deserve mercy, mercy by definition is undeserved; you can't deserve grace. What we deserve is condemnation. What is the issue? God provided Christ to be the Savior. Why? Verse 26, “for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” You see the real question and issue is not how can God hate Esau; the real problem and dilemma is how can God love Jacob. He can do it by providing a sacrifice that satisfies the requirements of His justice, His righteousness so that He can remain just, righteous, when He declares the sinner justified, righteous in Christ.

So the issue that needs to be resolved is not how can God hate Esau, how can God hate sinners. The issue that needs to be dealt with is how can God save Jacob. You understand God is not obligated to save anyone. We're dealing with people as sinners in Romans 9-11, that's the only people to be dealt with—sinners. God doesn't have to provide salvation for sinners. You remember Hebrews 2? At a point in time angels sinned and a large number of angels followed Lucifer?Satan, in his rebellion against God. With that, they lost their position before God as holy angels; they became defiled by sin and were placed under condemnation. Do you know what Hebrews 2 tells us? God never provided salvation for angels who sinned. Jesus Christ did not become an angel and die for angels so that angels could repent of their sin and place their faith in Christ and be saved. Do you know why? God is not obligated to provide salvation for sinful beings. He is obligated to deal righteously in accord with His holiness with sinful beings. So do you know what God will do with every single angel who sinned? He will cast them into an eternal hell. That is fair, that is just. He does not have to provide salvation for fallen angels. He did not have to provide salvation for you and me. He did not have to provide salvation for sinful human beings either. If Jesus Christ had never come to earth, never suffered and died on the cross and been raised from the dead, God could have justly sentenced every single last one of us to hell. And we would not have had one plea. That would have been fair, that would have been just.

So you see we're dealing with sinners. Jacob and Esau, both sinners, both unworthy, both the objects of God's wrath. But God sovereignly chose in accord with His purpose to place His love on Jacob. You say - why would He do that? I don't know - it was His purpose. Well, I don't think it's right .............. Wait, the amazing thing is why would He choose Jacob, the one we know as the deceiver. I mean, he is not the greatest guy, but he is what he is because of the choice of God. He is God's man; he is the recipient of God's promises.

Come back to Psalm 5. You know some people make a distinction that creates confusion. They say God loves the sinner and hates the sin. Well you understand rocks don't sin, trees don't sin, flowers don't sin, clouds don't sin. Do you know who sins? Personal beings sin, the angels sinned, we human beings sin. So you come to Psalm 5:5. Verse 4 says, “You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes, You hate all who do iniquity.” He doesn't just hate the sin; He hates the one doing the sin. “You destroy those who speak falsehood.” You see His wrath will be manifest toward the sinner because He hates them. The wrath of God and the hatred of God are inseparably joined together. “The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.” He just doesn't abhor bloodshed and deceit; He abhors the man. He just doesn't hate iniquity; He hates the ones who do iniquity.

Come over to Psalm 11:5, “The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates.” He hates the person who loves violence. One more passage in the Old Testament - Proverbs 6. And you see here the sins and the sinner woven together. Verse 16, “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him; Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And the one who spreads strife among his brothers.” You see these are things that come from the person, his action. His arrogant eyes, his lying tongue, what he does with his hands, the thoughts of his heart, his feet running to do wickedness, a false witness who lies, one who spreads strife. God hates those who are doing the sin.

You can just jot down Malachi 2:16. There God says, “I hate divorce and him who covers his garment with wrong.” I mean, I not only hate the sinful action, I hate the one doing the sin. Who is God going to send to hell? Well, God is going to put all sin in hell. No, He is going to put sinners in hell.

Come to Revelation 21:8,”But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” God will cast into hell sinners. And you know what happens when those practicing sin are removed? There will be no sin practiced.

Back up to Revelation 14:8, talking about judgment on sinners here. And see what will happen. Verse 10, a certain group of sinners he is talking about here, but the principle is the same. “He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” Do you see what it means to be the object of God's hatred? You are the subject of His wrath. What happened when Jesus Christ came and died? He paid the penalty; He bore the wrath of God so that when we believe in Him His action is credited to our account. He absorbed that wrath and now I benefit from that through faith in Him. “He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger.” So you see His anger, His wrath that results in the manifestation then of His hatred, results in the manifestation of His wrath, His anger. They are “tormented day and night forever and ever.” People say, I don't want to believe in hell, that's too terrible, I can't think of God tormenting people forever and ever. You know we have a hard time grasping the infinite love of God and we have no more ability to grasp the infinite wrath of God. We are not surprised. Can I understand why God would love us enough to have His Son come to die for people who hated Him, who fought against Him, who served the devil? No, I can't understand that love, and it is an infinite love. In spite of my weaknesses and my failures and my stumbles, the love continues to be bestowed upon me. How do I understand that? I don't. How do you understand the infinite wrath of God that will be poured out throughout all eternity on those who have offended His holiness and not been sheltered by His salvation? You don't understand that. I'm not amazed that people say, I can't conceive of a hell. I can't conceive of it either. But I have a hard time grasping the wonder of heaven. But some people just decide, I'll pick this one and not this one. You understand; here is what God says. We say if it is God's sovereign choice, and it is, why am I held accountable? You are the sinner. When we get to chapter 10 he'll say, call upon the name of the Lord and you'll be saved. People are saved by virtue of the sovereign intervention of God and His electing choice. People are lost by their own choice, by their own action.

The sovereignty of God clearly set out. Goes back to the fact that we are all sinners. While we were yet sinners, while we were enemies the early part of Romans said, Christ died for us. God sovereignly intervened among sinners and among sinners, for His own purpose, He selected some for salvation and left others in their chosen condition. I'm not amazed that people are going to hell; I'm amazed that you are going to heaven. Why would He choose you? Why would He choose me? We tend to forget how sinful we were. That's why Ephesians 2 is a good passage for us.

But then why would you remain lost? Whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. If I were you, I would call on the name of the Lord. I don't know, this doctrine of election, I don't think I'm chosen. I didn't know whether I was either so I just called on the name of the Lord since He said He would save me if I did that. Go ahead and do it. Why do you sit here week after week and ignore His grace? Remember what Romans 2 said? You are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath by continuing to reject the grace of God. Call upon Him; believe in His Son today right where you are sitting. Say, Lord, I believe it. I believe Christ died to pay the penalty for my sin. I'm calling on you to save me; He said He would do it. Why would you not do it? The only reason is I refuse to believe God and I refuse to submit to Him and I'll do it my way, as the song says. I did it my way. But there is a way that seems right to man and the end thereof are the ways of destruction.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for Your grace, thank You for Your sovereignty. Lord, our security, our hope is in the fact that You are the sovereign God. We cannot grasp or understand Your infinite thoughts to choose to place Your mercy and grace upon us, that You would send Your Son to this sin cursed earth to die for people who were Your enemies, the objects of Your wrath, to provide for them so that they through faith in Him might experience what only He could provide—deliverance from wrath to come. Lord, I pray for any who are here who have yet to respond to Your gracious invitation to avail themselves of the opportunity this day of salvation to believe in Christ. May this be a day of salvation for them. We pray in Christ's name, Amen.