Romans 9:14 "WHAT THEN SHALL WE SAY? IS GOD UNJUST? NOT AT ALL!"
In my own observation, all Christians believe that God is sovereign. But the sad thing is some do not know what they are believing about God's sovereignty. They believe that God has a total control in every event that come to pass. And they want Him to rule over their lives. They beg for it. Ironically in salvation they want God to act according to their will, according to what they want to act the sovereign God they claimed. And when God speak "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion to whom I have compassion." (Romans 9:15)in their minds they say "IT'S UNFAIR". That might be your thinking about God's proclamation. Brothers, there is no injustice in God. It is against His character. Injustice is sin therefore there is no injustice in God. Let me help you by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and His Word to understand God's sovereignty so that we will never accuse God in our minds that He is unjust or unfair.
There 3 are Possible Reasons Why We Think That There is Injustice in God in Salvation
1) We care more about ourselves.
We accused God in our mind that He is unjust in saving others and not all because we think "What if I am part of the group He will not save?" We are so afraid to the fact that if He will not save us we are going to taste the punishment in hell forever. And because of this we might not believe this truth or ignore this truth by telling ourselves that is not just and fair, This is not God of the Bible. We are going to comfort ourselves that God is not like that and He will never treat people that way. This is what we are going to feed our minds "God is Love" just to relieve from the truth that God saves only those He wanted to be saved.
2) We care more about our rights
Maybe we think that when God wanted to save those whom He wanted to be saved our actions or volition are deprived. We think that there's no reason to strive to enter to His kingdom because it's already done. The choice has already made. We think of our rights but not the right of the owner, the sovereign God (Romans 9:19-23)
3) We care more about our good works
We may think that we are good enough to enter His kingdom. We compare it most of the time with others. This is self-righteousness and not be acceptable in God.
To Understand God's Sovereignty in Salvation
1) We must accept the fact that God is not under obligation to save humanity
The reason why we do not accept the action of God in bestowing mercy to some and not to all is that we think that God is under obligation to save the entire humanity. The thinking is that, when God saved this particular group, He must save also those whom He did not choose to be saved.
What the Armennian Theology did, they put the blame to those whom God did not saved and that is what I agree because people must not blame God because they are accountable of what they've done. What I do no agree with them is that, they leave to men all the decision to choose.
This is what they believe in Universal Atonement that I will never ever believe because they make Jesus' redemptive work in vain. They believe Jesus died for all that granted them ability or power to come to Christ and it is all up to that person whether he will respond to the Gospel or not, whether he will repent and believe or not. In conclusion, the salvation of man is in his own hand not in God's hand.
2) We must accept that we do not deserve mercy but justice
Romans 3:23 says that we are all sinners therefore we deserve death in hell forever. To understand mercy we must believe that is something we do not deserve. If we think we deserve mercy we think we have righteousness in us by which God will have a reason to save us. Therefore, it is not mercy anymore.
3) We must accept that mercy is not obligatory
Mercy is not something to earn so that God will give us mercy. When God gives mercy there is no condition. Giving mercy to others and not to all so that the purpose might stand (Romans 9:11).
4) We must accept that when others received mercy the other received justice
When others get mercy the others get justice, therefore no one gets injustice. I believe reprobates (unsaved) will receive justice at the Final Judgment Day. On the other hand those who are chosen to be saved receives mercy but still their sins received justice through the death of Jesus Christ. Mercy was given to the elect in Jesus Christ who suffered death on their behalf. That is mercy.
All sins that the entire humanity did before the Holy God will never be left unpunished. The reprobates' sins will be punished forever in hell. The elects' sin had already been punished when Jesus bore the sins in His death. GOD IS NOT UNJUST BECAUSE ALL SINS RECEIVED JUSTICE.
FOR GOD'S GLORY ALONE
05/03/11
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