What does the Scripture say to Pharaoh?...

"Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth."

Paul’s conclusion from this statement (which was directed toward Pharaoh) is that God shows mercy to whom God chooses to show mercy and God hardens whom God chooses to harden.

Romans 9:17,18 is a critical passage of Scripture. If we accept it as it stands, the sovereignty of God and His elective grace are established.

Perhaps our stubborn, rebellious, self-cantered natures are willing to accuse God of injustice. If so it is because the Spirit of wisdom and revelation is not abiding in us. We are living according to our soul and human mind and have been influenced by the prevailing spirit of humanism. Let us declare God to be God!

Either the whole Scripture is eternally true or it is not. The "Laodicean" spirit that fills the world and the churches today is so occupied with "the rights of people" that it cannot accept all of God’s Word.

As we stated previously, the concept of Israel being a chosen nation establishes the doctrine of election to such an extent there should be no reason for the sincere Christian to have trouble with Romans 9:18. If one nation is chosen, and another nation is not chosen but instead suffers destruction, then the Lord God is working according to His own desires among the nations of the earth.

God will sacrifice nations of people in order to accomplish His purposes in His chosen people.

For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life (Isaiah 43:3,4).

Pharaoh was raised to great authority for one reason: that the God of Heaven might demonstrate His own power for all to see, and that His own name might be declared through all the earth. This is why Pharaoh was "raised up."

It is necessary that God’s people suffer, but woe to those whom God permits to harm Israel!

The wickedness of Pharaoh, the Philistines, the Babylonians, Judas Iscariot, Ananias and Sapphira, has been used of the Holy Spirit to bring God’s elect to the state God desires; but each of the tools of injury will suffer because of its behavior toward God’s elect.

We may ask, Did God cause Pharaoh or Judas or Ananias to rebel against the Spirit of God? No. The circumstances of their lives worked together so the spiritual message was illustrated. What about man’s "free will"?

A little reflection will reveal that only one Person in the universe possesses an unhindered will, and that is the God of Heaven.

Every human being on earth is the product of his circumstances, of the degree to which God protects Him from evil spirits, and of the extent to which God reveals to him the propose of God in Christ.

No person can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him, giving him the desire to come to the Lord. We do not choose Christ, He chooses us.

There is not a Christian living who would not fall into deception if he were not kept from temptation by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why does God protect some people from making disastrous choices and permit other people to make those choices? God alone fully understands the answer to this question.

Do we imagine that we are serving Christ by our own intelligence and strength?

We see, therefore, that there is no such thing as free will among human beings. Each of us is the product of overwhelming forces. God remains in precise control of each of these forces.

None of us would be able to stand in Christ even for one day if God were to remove from us His sovereignly appointed love and protection.

It is clear that God is bringing many sons to glory. These sons were chosen in Christ before the creation of the world. Earth’s history is a record of the events God has designed to bring forth a group of brothers of Christ who are in the image of Christ. There is no authority or power that can prevent God’s purpose or that can harm one of God’s elect outside of God’s perfect will.

The person living in the flesh will ask, "Why does God still find fault with people? Who has resisted God’s purpose?"

These are the questions we would expect from a self-cantered, stubborn, rebellious individual who is ready to accuse the Lord of unrighteousness.

It is enough for us to know that God works matters according to His own will and program and then holds us accountable for our behaviour.

The fact that our human minds cannot see the logic or justice of God working all matters according to His own will, and yet holding us accountable for our behaviour, does not authorize us to question God and bring Him to account for His actions. Let God be true and every man a liar.

God will explain the paradoxes of the Scriptures to those who love him, but the remainder of the people will remain blind.

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