“1I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised![a] Amen.
6It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[b] 8In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”[c]
10Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[d] 13Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[e]
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses,
”I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”[f] 16It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17For 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.”[g] 18Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.”
Romans 9:1-18
Have you ever paid attention to this verse? Or have you looked over it, didn’t understand it, and went on to Romans 10.
We discussed this at church on wednesday. It’s been forever since I’ve blogged here, because no one reads it. This blog is so I can figure things out in MY head. Because at the moment, I’m completely confused on the subject. BUT I now am a member of First Baptist Church of Kountze Texas. (Yes, the one that burnt down a while back). So last Wednesday my youth minister, Justin, was talking about Romans 9. And what I got out of is was that I’ve been lied to, basically my whole life. God does hate, though you may think he doesn’t because “God is love” But my bible tells me otherwise. It says clearly “Esau I hated”.
What Justin explained was, God hates the people that will never follow him. Which kind of makes sense because he is all knowing, right? He knows who will follow him and who will not, he has chosen the people. Then that brings us to the concept of predestination. Which is where I get confused. If you keep reading to Romans 10, this whole thing seems contradictory, because it says basically that by our confession, we are saved. The point of Roman’s nine is that it is by God’s choice that we are saved. Because God knows which of us will follow him, He has chosen us first. It is by his grace that we are saved, not by our choice.
I’m completely confused, still. I can’t make sense of it all. I can’t just trust what he says, I have to investigate myself. Or I could be completely misled, and if that were the case, I would need to bring it to his attention. Or say what I know. So, what I am thinking is, God already knows who will choose him, and he HATES the people who will never choose him, the people who basically ARE sin. And he hates sin right? That’s my justification of it.
lol jk, i have some money right now for that, anyway.. this is getting me thinking, 
