Romans 9:1-13
Paul loves his people of Israel, hoping them could be the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.
God over all, forever praised!
Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children, On the contrary, "it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned(計算)."
In order that God's purpose in election might stand.
As Paul dwells on Gods glorious prvision for all who are 'in Christ'. he is fulled with distress for Israel, God's own specially chosen and privileged people. How could they refuse to believe in their own, prmised Messiah?
The Gentiles responded eagerly to the gospel - but not the Jews. And Paul would have sold his own soul to have had it otherwise.
How can he account for this strange anomly? God has not broken his word. All along he exercised his sovereign right of choice.
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He talks about God hardening people's hearts, but in every instance these are people who have exercised the freedom God has given us not to listen to him - our right deliverately to go against him if we so decide.
God never hardens the hearts of those who want to know him and do his will:
'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'(10:12).
Human being are not helpless pawns in the hands of a capricous (任性的) god. The Bible teaches God's sovereign right to choose those he will save. It also teaches humans responsibility.
It may be beyond our limited understanding how God's 'election' and human fredom can operate simultaneously (just as it is hard to understand how scientists can describe light in terms of waves and particles - two idesa which seem mutually contradictory). God is not subject to the things which limit our understanding. So we can only take God's word, holing on to both his sovereighty and our freedom to choose - not trying to find a compromise between them.
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How?
God over all, forever praised! I am a little man I can not fully understand the whole thing and ways of God, listen to his word and obey his words is blessing
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