Bible Truth #83 - Romans 9:14-18

Romans 9:14-18
14  What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!
15  For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16  It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.
17  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
18  Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

Talk about something that couldn’t be more clear! WOW!!

God said to Moses that He will choose upon whom to have mercy and upon whom He will have compassion and then the KICKER of a verse - “It doesn’t depend on man’s desire or effort...” That easily refutes the "free will" theory of “God has mercy and compassion upon those who believe in Jesus and repent of their sins.” So even if a man desires to be saved (which he won’t), it doesn’t depend on that! Even if he makes an effort to enter through the narrow gate (which he won’t), it doesn’t depend on that! It depends ONLY on God’s mercy, not man’s desire or effort (verse 16 above).

Then God told Moses to tell Pharaoh (Exodus 9:16) that He, God, raised him up for this very purpose. What purpose? To smack him down and destroy his army that God’s name would be proclaimed in all the earth. God had a purpose. Although He gave Pharaoh the opportunity to repent, Pharaoh would not, nor COULD NOT, repent. God raised up Pharaoh for one reason and one reason only. To squash him like a bug. The Arminian may say, “Well that’s not the God of love I believe in.” Therein lies the problem. The Arminian has fabricated a God that fits HIS idea of a Creator and NOT the Sovereign Creator of the universe written of in the Holy Scriptures - in other words, he does not believe in the God of the Bible.

You know the verse - the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). God could have ended Pharaoh’s life when he was a child the first time he sinned. But God put up with his sin over and over and over. You can say God endured with much patience the vessel of wrath prepared for destruction (Romans 9:22). Why? Because He had a future purpose for him that would bring Him glory.

Truth won't set anyone free. Truth has to be known and THEN it will set you free (John 8:32). And a lost man will never know the Truth, only the saved know it, and they know it because God revealed it to them (Luke 10:22). In the meantime, God will keep it hidden from those not chosen (Luke 10:21).

Truth is painful for those who don’t believe. But if you know the Truth, the Truth will set you free!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!