<html><head></head><body><div><div><div>Romans 9;19-24<div><br></div><div><b>19. &nbsp;You will say to me then, &nbsp;“Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”</b></div><div><b>20. &nbsp;But who are you, a man, to answer back to God? &nbsp;Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me thus?”</b></div><div><b>21. &nbsp;Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump, one vessel for beauty and another for menial use?</b></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction,</b></div><div><b>23. &nbsp;in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory,</b></div><div><b>24. &nbsp;even us whom he has called, not&nbsp;from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?</b></div><div><br></div><div>Paul here&nbsp;is addressing those who want to blame God for their damnation.</div><div><br></div><div>Paul’s answer is, “<i>Who are you, a man, to answer back to God?”</i>&nbsp; &nbsp;Such an evil question asked in verse 19,</div><div>reveals man’s&nbsp;depravity and rebelliousness. &nbsp;How terrible that some would dare to accuse God of evil.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>This entire passage is really asking the questions, ‘If salvation is entirely the work of God, why does God not save everyone?’ &nbsp;‘Why are some saved, and others not?’ &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Part of the answer is found in verse 22, <i>“God,…..has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction.” &nbsp; </i>Meaning, God knew those who would repeatedly, willfully reject Him&nbsp;and His mercy, yet He gave them life anyway. &nbsp;Knowing beforehand that some would reject Him, is not to ‘cause’ their damnation, they remain responsible for their own destruction, not God. &nbsp;Notice that God, <i>“endured </i>(those who were rejecting Him)&nbsp;<i>with much patience.”</i></div><div>This means that those who perish were receiving a witness to God, but they were choosing to ignore that witness.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;As Paul says in Romans 1;19-25, <i>“ For what can be known about&nbsp;God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; for although&nbsp;they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. claiming to be wise, they became fool, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images, resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship, and serve the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. “</i></div><div><i><br></i></div><div>Again, the&nbsp;clear passages must shed light upon how we understand the less clear. &nbsp;We must never allow our hearts to be tempted to think&nbsp;that God is ‘unjust.’ &nbsp; God is holy, He is love, He is Just. &nbsp;These truths must steady&nbsp;us as we seek to understand today’s verses. &nbsp;When Christ died, He died for the all the&nbsp;sins of the whole world for all time, not just those who would be saved. &nbsp;God is always for us, never against us. &nbsp;He gave His Son for <i>“the world” </i>(including unbelievers). &nbsp;(see, Romans 8;31&amp;32)</div><div><br></div><div>Therefore, trying to understand how or why God allows people to exist whom He knows will reject Him, requires us to humbly recognize God works in mysterious ways. &nbsp;<i>“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways says the Lord. &nbsp;For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” &nbsp;</i>(Isaiah 55;8&amp;9)</div><div><br></div><div>The Judgement against unbelievers is a sadness to God, He is forced into condemning those who willfully rebel and reject Him. &nbsp;The&nbsp;Judgement of God is a sad recognition of a soul determined to seek condemnation. &nbsp;We cannot choose Life and&nbsp;God, but many&nbsp;certainly choose death and damnation.&nbsp;</div><div><br>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, all Your ways are righteous altogether. &nbsp;Deliver us from ever doubting Your goodness. &nbsp;Bless us to understand that our minds are limited in their understanding, <i>“We see as through a glass dimly” </i>(1 Corinthians 13;11&amp;12), grant that we abide in the gift of the Mind of&nbsp;Christ by the Holy Spirit, steadfast and in His perfect peace. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we, broken-hearted, contrite, forgiven, believing children, are His.”</div><div><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>

Romans 9;19-24
19.  You will say to me then,  “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”20.  But who are you, a man, to answer back to God?  Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me thus?”21.  Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump, one vessel for beauty and another for menial use?22.  What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction,23.  in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory,24.  even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
Paul here is addressing those who want to blame God for their damnation.
Paul’s answer is, “Who are you, a man, to answer back to God?”   Such an evil question asked in verse 19,reveals man’s depravity and rebelliousness.  How terrible that some would dare to accuse God of evil. 
This entire passage is really asking the questions, ‘If salvation is entirely the work of God, why does God not save everyone?’  ‘Why are some saved, and others not?’  
Part of the answer is found in verse 22, “God,…..has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction.”   Meaning, God knew those who would repeatedly, willfully reject Him and His mercy, yet He gave them life anyway.  Knowing beforehand that some would reject Him, is not to ‘cause’ their damnation, they remain responsible for their own destruction, not God.  Notice that God, “endured (those who were rejecting Him) with much patience.”This means that those who perish were receiving a witness to God, but they were choosing to ignore that witness.
  As Paul says in Romans 1;19-25, “ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. claiming to be wise, they became fool, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images, resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship, and serve the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. “
Again, the clear passages must shed light upon how we understand the less clear.  We must never allow our hearts to be tempted to think that God is ‘unjust.’   God is holy, He is love, He is Just.  These truths must steady us as we seek to understand today’s verses.  When Christ died, He died for the all the sins of the whole world for all time, not just those who would be saved.  God is always for us, never against us.  He gave His Son for “the world” (including unbelievers).  (see, Romans 8;31&32)
Therefore, trying to understand how or why God allows people to exist whom He knows will reject Him, requires us to humbly recognize God works in mysterious ways.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways says the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”  (Isaiah 55;8&9)
The Judgement against unbelievers is a sadness to God, He is forced into condemning those who willfully rebel and reject Him.  The Judgement of God is a sad recognition of a soul determined to seek condemnation.  We cannot choose Life and God, but many certainly choose death and damnation. 
Prayer:  Merciful Father, all Your ways are righteous altogether.  Deliver us from ever doubting Your goodness.  Bless us to understand that our minds are limited in their understanding, “We see as through a glass dimly” (1 Corinthians 13;11&12), grant that we abide in the gift of the Mind of Christ by the Holy Spirit, steadfast and in His perfect peace.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/Eric/Grandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we, broken-hearted, contrite, forgiven, believing children, are His.”
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