Chapter 10
Wait A Minute, This Just Doesn’t Seem Fair
Fair is an interesting word. What is fair? What seems fair to one person is not fair to another. Whose sense of fairness counts? Is it God’s view of fairness or ours? When a child is born with a birth defect, does that seem fair to you? Is it fair that some people are born with more intelligence than others, are better looking than other people, or have more health problems than others? Is it fair that some people can eat much more food than others yet not gain weight, whereas some starve themselves but can’t lose the extra weight? As I am writing this, Japan has just experienced an earthquake and tsunami of catastrophic proportions. Over 10,000 people have already died. Does that seem fair to you? Yet we as Christians know that God controls and determines all such matters.
The Blind Man Jesus Healed
Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” (John 9:1-3)
Does it seem fair to us that this man spent the first part of life into adulthood blind? It wasn’t because he or his parents did anything wrong that caused his blindness. It was a decision God made before he was born. His blindness was going to be used so that the power of God would be displayed in Jesus healing this man. We need to be careful not to be critical of the fairness of God in His plan for mankind. This is especially so when it concerns His salvation plan.
The Fairness of God in Salvation
I want to examine closely what the Bible has to say about the fairness of God with regard to the salvation of man. The best way to do that is to examine Romans 9:8-24 because this passage addresses not only the salvation of man but also God’s fairness in His free grace to us.
The first eight verses of chapter nine deal with Paul’s heaviness of heart that many in Israel rejected Christ. However, God has made promises (vs. 4) and is going to reveal to us how He makes good on those promises of salvation in His sovereignty over mankind.
Individuals and Not Nations
8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
Notice here that the Lord is talking about individuals in this passage.
I bring this up because some want to lessen the impact of these verses here in Romans chapter 9 by saying they are referring to nations that come from Jacob and Esau and not about their personal salvation. Abraham is mentioned along with his wife, Sarah, their son Isaac, and also Isaac’s wife, Rebecca. Esau and Jacob, Rebecca’s twins, will be mentioned as well as, later, Pharaoh. These are all people, individuals, not nations. Although it is true that nations will spring forth from Esau and from Jacob, those who are being discussed here are named individuals. God will bless Israel over the heritage of Esau but what is being addressed in these verses is God’s sovereign decision regarding the salvation of men.
The Purpose of Election
11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls),
In verse 11, God is going to be discussing His purpose in election. Why would God elect some and not others? God is going to address that question for us. God does have a purpose for everything He does and such is the case in His free grace of election. As you recall, this election took place before the foundation of the world, from the very beginning (Eph. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 1:9). None of us had been born at that time. The “children not yet being born” refers to Rebecca’s twin sons, Esau and Jacob, not to nations. God is about to explain why He chose Jacob over Esau for salvation through the process called election.
In verse 11, we see some crucial aspects to God’s election of men. God makes it clear that this election of Jacob and rejection of Esau took place before these two boys were born and before they had done anything good or bad. Why does He mention this? He wants us to know that the cause of election which leads to our salvation has nothing to do with what people do in their lives. If it does, then salvation is a reward for whatever they did in life that motivated God to choose them for it. Although it is true that God knows in His omniscience what people are going to do in their lives before they do it, God’s choice of words here telling us His election took place before the boys were born and before they had done anything good or evil, prevents us from believing that God chose Jacob and not Esau because of what God foresaw these two would do in life. These words used by God in verse 11 disprove the foreknowledge or free will view of election which holds that God elected people based on His foreknowledge of their choices. God’s choice of Jacob over Esau for salvation had nothing to do with what they did in life, neither their works nor their choices. It was a sovereign decision made by God based on His unconditional love for Jacob before the world was formed. It is not based on works or what people do in their life; it is based on Him who calls. God has a purpose in election, and He wants us to clearly understand it. It is unmovable. It must “stand” and not be tampered with or the grace of God is damaged.
Election is based on what God does, not on what people do. This is perhaps the greatest stumbling block to many Christians. The purpose of election is to prevent people from thinking that they are saved by what they do in life, whether it is by their works, or by their wills. It is all about God and not about us. Election, if properly understood, prevents us from taking any credit in our salvation. Election makes all the credit go to God. Without election, we have salvation based on the efforts or actions of men. With election, we have salvation based on grace, God’s free grace, and His election of grace. (Rom. 11:5-6)
Jacob and Esau
12 it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
In verse 12 we see that before Jacob and Esau were born God told Rebecca that her older son would serve the younger one. This is the reverse order of how things were done in that society. God is providentially setting the stage for His preferred choice of Jacob over Esau. In Verse 13 God says He loved Jacob and hated Esau. This verse comes from Mal. 1:2-3 where God states clearly He loved Jacob but hated Esau. No one has a problem with God loving Jacob, but His hating Esau is difficult for us. We have always been taught that God loves everyone. First, let's see what the word translated hated here means from the Greek. We will again use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible to get the Greek word and translation that is used.
G3404. μισέω (1) to hate, pursue with hatred, detest (2) to be
hated, detested.
So, it is clear that God hated Esau. God here is talking about two individuals and not nations. Besides, what is worse from a human perspective, hating an individual or an entire nation? Next we have to determine why He loved Jacob and hated Esau. We have only two possibilities.
One, God loved Jacob and hated Esau based on His foreknowledge of what they would do in their lives. The problem with this is it makes Jacob’s election and salvation a reward based on what Jacob did in his life to earn God’s love and salvation. The other problem with this is Jacob did not lead a good life. He deceived his father Isaac and stole his brother’s blessing. His open favoritism of his son Joseph caused great dissention in his family. This option cannot be correct. This is the free will view of conditional election.
Two, God loved Jacob and hated Esau before the foundation of the world before the boys had done anything good or bad (vs. 11). This makes Jacob’s salvation a free gift from God because it was not based on how he lived his life. Jacob would never have received God’s love or salvation if it was based on his life because he committed so much evil. Also, this view agrees with verse 11 where we see that God’s election is not based on what people do, it is based on God who calls. This view also squares with verse 12 where we see that God’s decision for the elder to serve the younger was made before the boys were born and before they had done anything good or evil. Verse 13 is a continuation of God’s actions and dealings with these two boys before they were born. He loved Jacob and hated Esau before they were born. This is the free grace view of unconditional election.
God is using Jacob and Esau as examples to show us about His loving some, His elect, and rejecting others before time. We do not know why God loved Jacob and hated Esau before the foundation of the world, only that He did. This is His sovereign right as God the Creator. Does this seem fair to you? Let’s see what Paul has to say about this issue.
Is There Unrighteousness with God?
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Paul brings up a crucial point here. He asks, “Is there unrighteousness with God?” His reply is God forbid anyone thinking such a thing. Paul is asking if God is unrighteous or unfair if He loved Jacob and hated Esau before they were even born, before they had done anything good or evil. His answer is there is no unrighteousness with God. Now, if Paul thought the foreknowledge view of election was correct, the view that states God chose us based on what we do in our lives, why would he ask this question? The foreknowledge or free will view of election was designed by men to present a fair picture of God in election by basing it on what people do. It is only the belief in God’s unconditional election or the free grace view that is based on God’s sovereign choice that most would object as unfair or unrighteous. Therefore, it is clear that by raising this question, Paul is defending God’s unconditional election of people based on His sovereign choice according to the good pleasure of His will. Paul could have used this opportunity to make the case for the foreknowledge view, but he doesn’t. He instead defends the free grace view of unconditional election.
Verse 13 is an extremely difficult verse for us to come to grips with so I want to add some additional thoughts here. If God loved and chose some people for salvation and hated and rejected the rest of humanity all before the foundation of the world without regard to what they did in their lives, how would that make us feel? How would most of us respond to that? We would strongly object, as most Christians do, and say that was both unfair and unrighteous. We would then, in effect, be saying that God was unfair and unrighteous if He did that. This is exactly why Paul asks the question in verse 14, “Is there unrighteousness with God?” He already anticipates what the common objection is going to be. God doesn’t run away from dealing with this complaint. He answers it in verses 11-24. Paul raising this question in verse 14 immediately after verse 13 is proof that he is defending the free grace view which is the view most object to as being unfair or unrighteous. He is also defending God’s sovereign right to love some and hate others before time. God is not unrighteous to unconditionally elect some and reject others before time because He has the right to do with His creation whatever He wants to do with it as we will see in the following verses. Remember, God’s ways are not man’s ways. (1 Cor. 1:26-29)
Paul would never have raised this question if the free will view was correct because that view was designed by men to make God appear to be fair and righteous. Paul would also not have raised the issue of God’s righteousness if God loved Jacob and hated Esau based on what they did in their lives. No one would think God was unrighteous for that. He would only be charged with unrighteousness if He loved Jacob and hated Esau before they were born and before they had done any good or evil. This proves that Paul is truly defending God in His loving Jacob and hating Esau unconditionally before time. Paul is defending the free grace view in these verses.
To bolster the free grace view of God’s unconditional love and election, Paul quotes the Old Testament in verse 15 concerning a conversation that God had with Moses. He tells Moses that He will have mercy and compassion on whomever He chooses. When He uses the word “whomever” He is talking about individuals. God’s point here is that His gifts of grace and mercy are bestowed unconditionally on those He chooses. They are not gifts of mercy and compassion but a reward if they are in some way merited or earned or based on foreknown acts or decisions. Verse 15 is again a defense of unconditional election or the free grace view.
Salvation is Not by Man’s Will but by the Mercy of God
16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
Verse 16 is one of the key verses in the Bible regarding the subject of this book. It answers the question of the title Free Grace or Free Will? Paul starts out with the issue of the will. He says “….so then it is not…” What is Paul talking about here? He is talking about salvation because he mentions election in verse 11, God’s unconditional acceptance of Jacob in verse 13, his mercy and compassion in verses 15, 18, and the saved in verses 21,23,24.
Paul says salvation is not of him who wills! Man cannot use his will, which is not free, to become saved. Why, because the unsaved man’s will is spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. It absolutely cannot be any clearer than this in Scripture. He goes on to say it is not of him who runs or does physical works of righteousness which confirms salvation is being discussed here. Good deeds don’t save anyone. (Titus 3:5) Paul tells us our wills or works are not the reason for our salvation. He then goes on in the verse to tell us what the reason is. It is God who shows us mercy, and that mercy He gives to whomever He chooses. (vs. 15) The mercy He gives is the new birth as He draws or drags us to Himself by His grace. You will notice that the “him” in verse 16 refers to individuals and not nations.
Pharaoh and Those Whom God Hardens
17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
Now Paul brings up the issue of Pharaoh, an individual. Why did God raise Pharaoh up? God used Pharaoh for a good purpose which was to show His omnipotent power over perhaps the most powerful man in the world at that time. God would defeat Pharaoh in the battle of the wills. The world would know that Pharaoh and his gods was no match for the God of heaven and earth.
Notice, in verse 18, Paul repeats what he said in verse 15 but adds that God hardens whom He wants to harden. We know that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Why?
21 And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. (Ex. 4:21)
God hardened Pharaoh’s heart or will so that he would not let Israel go before Pharaoh, Egypt, and Israel had the opportunity to see all the might and power of God in the different plagues God sent to free His chosen people. Although at times Scripture says Pharaoh hardened his heart, it was God who purposed from the very beginning to harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let Israel go immediately. God told Moses this before He sent him. Pharaoh hardened his own heart as a consequence of God hardening it. Did Pharaoh have free will to either let Israel go or not to? No, because God hardened his will so that he could not let Israel go early on.
Not only did God harden Pharaoh’s heart so he would not let the Israelites go, He also hardened the Egyptians’ hearts so they would pursue the Israelites which ultimately led to their deaths in the Red Sea.
4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so. (Ex. 14:4)
17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Ex. 14:17)
Does all this seem fair to you? Again, God’s ways are not man’s ways. Keep in mind what He said in verse 18. He has mercy on those He chooses to have mercy and hardens the wills of those He chooses to harden. So, were the Egyptians’ wills free regarding the Israelites? No, they did not have free will because God hardened their hearts to accomplish His will and plan.
There are two views regarding God hardening the hearts or wills of men to accomplish His will. One view is that God actively hardens the wills of some men so they do His will. Another view is that God passively hardens some men by withholding His grace and letting them act out on their own sinful desires. You decide for yourself how God hardens the hearts and wills of men. The end result will be the same. The person will only do what God wills him to do by His hardening. According to verse 18, He hardens those whom He wills to harden. When God hardens the will of someone, doesn’t that mean He imposes His will over the will of that person? How then is the will of that person free?
God, Why Do You Find Fault With Those You Have Hardened?
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”
Now, the person who objects to all this says, “God, this is not fair. It is not fair of You to condemn Pharaoh for not letting Israel go when You hardened his heart so he couldn’t let them go.” How does God respond to this question?
20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”
God answers this seemingly difficult question directly and powerfully. He first puts the person who asks this question in his proper place. Who are we to question the fairness of God who is our Creator? We need to be very careful not to charge Him with unfairness or unrighteousness in His free grace salvation plan for we will have to give an account to Jesus Himself on judgment day if we do. I must respectfully state that it is the free will position that holds that God would be unfair or unrighteousness if He hardened men’s wills to cause them to do something against their “free” will. Pharaoh is a prime example of God doing just that. God does this often with men and their leaders to accomplish His own objectives.
The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of the water: He turns it wherever He wishes. (Prov. 21:1)
24 A man’s steps are of the LORD; How then can a man understand his own way? (Prov. 20:24)
Again, Paul, here in Romans, is defending the free grace view and not the free will view. We are created by God for His own purposes. We are subservient to God and are dependent upon Him. We don’t have the right to criticize God for making us the way He made us as He accomplishes His own will and purposes. Shall we criticize God on judgment day and blame Him for making us the way He did? Will that do any good for Pharaoh?
The Potter and His Vessels
21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
God is in control of all things. God, as the Creator of us all, has power over His creation to make one vessel or person for honor and another for dishonor. He makes the vessels of honor, His elect, to give them saving free grace, and He makes vessels for dishonor, the non-elect, who are passed over for salvation. Does not God have the right to do what He wants with those He has created? Do His creatures have a right to call into question His fairness or righteousness for what He does with them?
22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
In verses 21 through 24, we see the predestination of God with regard to His human creatures. God has wrath against sin. He will put up with much longsuffering with the vessels of wrath that were “prepared” by God for destruction for their sins and unbelief in Christ for a day is coming when they will be cast into the lake of fire. However, God’s vessels of mercy or His elect, will receive mercy and salvation as they were “prepared” for glory before time by the predestinating free grace of God. They didn’t deserve it, but they freely received it by His unconditional love and grace. In verse 24 we see that God’s elect, chosen, and called are made up of both Jews and Gentiles or the “world”. (John 3:16)
Romans 9:8-24 may not seem fair from a human perspective, but who are we to criticize our Maker for what He does? Does He not know what is best for His people as He works out Rom. 8:28? These are tough verses but they are the Word of God, and we have a responsibility to believe them whether we like them or not. We can’t pick and choose which verses we want to believe. We must believe all of them. God is saying in these verses that He is sovereign and in control of this universe. He made it and He made us. He can do with His creation what He wants.
What About the Gentiles Before Christ’s Ascension?
As mentioned previously, God only provided salvation to the Jews prior to His ascension. The only Gentiles who were saved were those few chosen by God who received Him by the Jews witnessing to them. The rest of the Gentiles perished. This went on for many centuries. Does this seem fair to you? Whether it seems fair or not, both sides of the issue being discussed in this book agree that salvation was basically only for the Jews in the Old Testament. So, was God not willing for these Gentiles to perish? Was He willing for them to come to repentance? Not according to His plan to save mainly the Jews up to the time of Christ’s ascension. Hear what Jesus said:
You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. (John 4:22)
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt. 10:5-7)
24 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matt. 15:24)
Therefore, if you are having trouble accepting unconditional election because it just doesn’t seem fair to you, how do you handle the fact that God basically only revealed Himself and saved the Jews, His chosen people, from the time of Abraham to the Lord’s ascension. Does that seem fair to you? Yet we know this is the truth of the Scriptures.
More on Fairness
Let’s examine the fairness issue a little more closely. Neither the elect nor the non-elect deserve salvation because of their sins. The non-elect, because of their sins and rejection of Christ, get what they deserve. They get damnation. The elect also deserve damnation for their sins. However, God in His free grace, decided to give them mercy and save them by bringing them to faith in Christ. Does that make God unfair? The non-elect get what they deserve, justice and punishment. The elect get what they don’t deserve, amazing free grace and mercy. Is God unrighteous if He chooses to give some grace? No, for He says He will give mercy to whomever He wills to give mercy to. (Rom. 9:15,18) Isn’t that what grace is, undeserved mercy? Salvation is a gift, and not a reward. God has done nothing unfair to save some from hell. He has been wonderfully merciful to His chosen people.
Do you really want fairness? God would have been entirely just and fair to damn us all for our sins. Would that make us happy? I think not. No, God has not been unfair or unrighteous by choosing some to escape damnation in His free grace. God not giving grace to everyone shows how special salvation is to those of us who are wonderfully blessed to be chosen by God for that salvation. (Rom. 9:22-24) If God gives grace to some, is He somehow required to give it to everyone? Grace is special when few receive it. (Matt. 22:14) Grace comes from the well-spring of the mercy of God, and He can dispense it to whomever He wishes.
Let us never charge God with unfairness or unrighteousness in this matter of His free grace. Let us just rejoice for His wonderful goodness and free grace that He gave us so that we could believe in His Son Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords. For without that gift of free grace we would never have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This faith came directly from a gracious God and not from our spiritually dead, unsaved will.
The entire passage of Rom. 9:8-24 is all about the Apostle Paul defending the free grace view of salvation and rejecting the free will view. Rom. 9:16 could not be any clearer about the issue before us. One, we are saved by the free grace of God. Two, God is not unfair to save some in His mercy and require others to receive the just punishment for their sinfulness. Three, God is fair and just in all His dealings with man. Some get His undeserved mercy and grace and the rest get what they deserve for their sinfulness and rejection of Jesus Christ. The fact that Paul devotes this entire section to prove the fairness of God in His salvation plan is evidence that free grace is the biblical truth, and free will is not.
24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)
What about Babies Who Die or the Mentally Deficient?
As I close this chapter on the fairness of God, one topic comes up occasionally, so I would like to address it here. What about babies who die or people who are mentally deficient? Are they among the elect of God? This question is not one that is specifically answered in Scripture. However, my opinion is that these people are numbered among God’s elect. God can regenerate whomever He wills whenever He wills to do it. For with God all things are possible. My opinion is based on the following Scripture.
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little chil