Does God truly shows mercy And compassion on whom he chooses to have mercy and compassion ON?
“I will have mercy on who I will have mercy on, and I will have compassion on who I will have compassion on. “Romans 9:15-16. Exodus 33:19
Often time when we read that passage of the bible, we are quick to think that verse of the scripture is actually speaking of the mercy of God in a general context to a few sets of people chosen by God to show his mercy even though knowing that the mercy of God is for all generally.
We often think that the mercy of God is only made available for some few sets of people or that the mercy of God or God’s compassion is not for everyone but for those whom God chooses to show mercy.
This in a way has made many supposed Christians to give up on God and even on their personal pursuit in life, such that after trying and failing so many times, they will now result to saying “After all, it is not about what you do in life but about who the lord has chosen to show mercy on or to whom he decided to show his compassion to.”
With this mindset, many people have over time laid back in their course of endeavors in life instead of them to believe in themselves to be successful in whatever they do in life, they began to think God is responsible for their failures in life generally.
They begin to think that maybe God has not chosen to show them mercy that is why they are where they are in life.
What this set of Christians doesn’t seem to understand is that they are indirectly painting God to be partial in his blessing to humanity. Where he (God) is made to select a few to show forth his mercy to, while he (God) leaves the others to suffer in the world themselves. Forgetting this same God causes the rain and the sun to fall and shine on the farm of both the good and the bad Mathew 5:45-47
Now this is the description of God’s perfect nature.
The people who often read this verse of scripture this way, are always the people who usually put prosperity and worldly success to everything in their relationship with God or they are those that always put prosperity and worldly success to every passage of the scripture that they read in the Bible and also think Godliness is gained. They are never patience to read a whole bible passage to the end to truly know what the writer’s context of discussion is about.
That is why I often tell people to be careful with how they read their minds into the word of God.
If you study that book of Romans 9:15-16 carefully, you will come to understand that the Bible verse wasn’t speaking about the selective mercy of God to some set of people or to a few even though knowing that the passage was speaking about the mercy of God toward us the elect (the believers in Christ).
When he said “I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy and I will show compassion on whom I will show compassion” he was referring to the grace and the mercy of God toward us all who receive and believe in the mercy, finish work of God through Christ Jesus toward us the elect.
He was speaking of his mercy that was to come, and which has already been shown forth toward the believers who are in Christ Jesus.
So as a believer, today, being in Christ made you the elect of God. And his mercy and compassion have been being shown forth towards you already in Christ Jesus.
This was what that passage of the scripture was speaking about when he said, “I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy on and that I will show compassion on who I will show compassion on.” It wasn’t speaking of a none defined area of God’s mercy and compassion toward a few.
It is why God will say in the same domain of discussion, that Esau have I hate, and Jacob have I love_ Romans 9:13.
If you view this context correctly, you will come to understand that Jacob wasn’t even as rich as Esau who is seen to be loved by God. Who was said to be shown mercy and companion. And Esau that is seen to be hated by God even though knowing that the word hates there doesn’t actually mean the human definition of hate. Rather it means to prefer to the other.
This is to also show to us that the passage of the scripture was not actually speaking of material success or worldly success. Or God’s love and hatred toward some people.
Rather that passage of the bible was speaking of the difference between grace and the works of the law.
It was speaking of God’s choice of grace over the works of the law for the salvation of humanity generally.
When you start reading from that book of Romans 9 from verse 1, you will see that the conversation was about the adoption of the children of Israel as the elect for the journey of redemption by grace Which started with Abraham when God made him a promise of a child. And these children of promise are counted as the seed.
In verse 10 and 11 of that same Romans 9 God made us to also understand that it was on this same reason that when Rebecca was pregnant, a word was said of about the two children that were in her womb that says, “Jacob have I love, and Esau have I hate”. This was also of the representation of the place of grace over works.
So, the verse 11 says, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to the election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth:
12. It was said unto her; the elder shall serve the younger
13. As it is written, Jacob have I love, but Esau have I hated.
At first whenever I read this story of Jacob and Esau in the book of Genesis 25:23 I often would think how unrighteous God is to make such a destiny declaration over a child who have not live to do anything wrong to be hated by God.
But when you read the verse 14 of the same Romans 9, it says after all this, ” what shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Then the writer said God forbid.
If that statement was a direct statement from God on the elder son without this explanation, it will be ok to say God is unrighteous. But that is not the case. God hate no one. infact God does not have hatred in his nature as such God cannot hate anyone. And he does not have the ability to hate.
The whole story was of a figurative acting of the difference between grace and work. Esau was only taking as a representation of works and Jacob represented the elect, which is of grace as God choice for the redemption of humanity.
It was upon this choice of grace over works from the very beginning, starting with Abraham, that this statement in verse 15 and 16 was made that was said unto Moses in exodus 33. That was featured in this book of Romans 9:15.
15. For he said unto Moses, i Will have mercy on whom I will have mercy on, and I will have compassion on who I will have compassion on.
16. Said “so then it is not of he that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
And when you read the verse 17, you will also discover that it was also on this same course that king pharaoh was also featured in the scheme of the event.
17. For the scripture saith unto pharaoh, even for this same purpose, have I raised the up, that I might show my power in the. That my name might be declare in throughout all the earth.
It is on this I will often tell people that they will be surprised see both Esau and even king pharaoh and the like in heaven if the at the end believe in the gospel. Although this is my thoughts.
The reason is because this people were just playing out their part in the scheme of event map out by God for them.
So being in heaven or not has nothing do with the part they played in the scene if they believed in the gospel, they played a part in, they will all be saved.
If after Jesus died and went to hell to preach the gospel to them and they believe in him, they will all be a candidate of heaven. If not, they will all remain in where they are, in a state of judgment and condemnation.
I hope I am teaching good.
I call you the reform
Ehigamen kingsley
Writing to reform the mind.
