Greetings

I am from Pakistan. I have studied your web site, and have found it to
be one of many wonderful sites offered on the internet which gets to the
Truth of the Word of God. As is the case with others whom I have
contacted, you have created material which is full of knowledge
concerning development of religious faith. Living in Pakistan, we
Christians face many obstacles in getting access to God’s Word. Most
people in Pakistan speak Urdu, and are not capable of understanding the
English language. Because of limited access in our native tongue, my
people have a true hunger for fresh Christian Perspectives.

Proficient in both English and my native languages, I would like to
offer my services as a translator to you. Presenting your material in
both Urdu and Punjabi would be a true blessing to the Pakistani and
Indian people. For a nominal fee, I will enable you to bring the message
of Salvation to a most deserving people. Please contact me for
reasonable rates.

Blessing you in advance for your consideration,

In Christ,
Waseem Yousaf

Email: life4lord76@gmail.com

Romans 11:33-35

The Lord is sovereign and He is good.

Romans 9:14-18

To God be the Glory.

If he picked you I’m sure you do have peace. Are you concerned about the 100′s of millions he didn’t pick? Perhaps not since you can’t help them…..

No, they wouldn’t be able to say that. Even if they were able to think or voice it, they would have no grounds to demand from God that He should have given them grace. Grace is grace, it is not required, or it would no longer be grace. If we were in their place we would recognize that God is completely justified in eternal punishing someone who’s sin is utterly sinful and has no place in the presence of God. When you come before God with sin you are coming before the one being that is more opposed to sin than any other being. In the holy presence of God, our awareness of our sinfulness would be so incredibly magnified that we would have no excuse.

Consider Isaiah’s response:
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isa 6:5 ESV)

Consider God’s response to Moses on the Mountain:
“you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exo 33:20 ESV).

We are all without excuse, we can’t even use not having a chance to believe in Christ as an excuse:
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Rom 1:20 ESV).

We are in no place to answer back to God:
“You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will? But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” (Rom 9:19-20 ESV)

Scripture tells us this gives Glory to God:
“What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory–” (Rom 9:22-23)

If so what would the Judge’s response be, I didn’t choose in the beginning to put your name in the Book of Life and you were not able to live a sinless life so whether I made a path to redemption for you or not the result is ethernal damnation? How does this bring GOD glory? Still stuggling in COLD Minnesota…..

The two versus you mentioned are in different contexts and use different literary devices. Perhaps going back to this passage in Malachi will bring better understanding:

““I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the LORD of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.’ ” Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the LORD beyond the border of Israel!” ” (Malachi 1:2–5, ESV)

The Lord’s hatred towards Esau is associated with his hatred of the wicked; and it lasts forever.

As for the other question about Pharaoh, how does God harden someone? He uses many ways, so I would look at the ways in the Bible by which evil was allowed to occur. God pointed out Job to Satan and gave Satan permission to torment (Job 1:8). God threw people into confusion (Egypt 14:24, Deut 7:23). He sends evil spirits (1 Sam 18:10, Judges 9:23). There are more Scripture like this and you can find plenty of instances where God is carrying out His sovereign plans. I would just be careful to think that God is the author or cause of sin in any of these instances, however He does it, He does it in a way that He remains sinless and perfect and He does it for His glory and for good and perfect purposes.

Thankfully, the essentials are easy to understand through the help of the Holy Spirit. The details of how some of these things work (e.g. election, the Trinity, sovereignty) is where it can get very complex.

Disclaimer, I have no Greek, Hebrew training, or seminary. I took one undergraduate course on systematic theology, but have invested thousands in books, and have been a long time supporter of Ligonier and 9 Marks ministries. I’ve also jumped at nearly every opportunity to discuss Scripture in challenging ways, not to be quarrelsome (although sometimes I am and do), but for the purpose of finding the truth, understanding it, teaching it and sometimes getting rightly correct in the process. I suppose you can say I’m getting on the job training although my job is not a full time pastoral position, my job title is “Christian” and my job description is “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb 10:24-25)

You guys are very very informed… It’s almost seems to someone like me that the scriptures need a decoder ring to really understand it. I’m not intetionally being disrespectful but I just kinda read it and take it for what it says, literally. I have to as I know no greek or hebrew. It’s amazing to me how I can read the KJV and then someone comes along and says, “what God really is saying is” because you have to have Greek or Hebrew to decipher it. No wonder there are so many views…..