What About the Hardened

14 (AC)What shall we say then? (AD)There is no injustice with God, is there? (AE)May it never be! 15 For He says to Moses, “(AF)I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who (AG)runs, but on (AH)God who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “(AI)FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED [k]THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He (AJ)hardens whom He desires.

Romans 9:14-18

In this passage the author is telling us that God chooses who will be hardened and who will be used for kingdom purposes. His examples includes the pharaoh and the birth of Esau and Jacob. I didn't matter what they did, it was all about who God predestined.

I find this so hard to accept but before I continue I want to declare that I trust God and believe the scriptures. The hard thing is that people are being condemned to hell because of what God chose for them. Did they even have a chance to repent? Does God give another chance to these that had their heart hardened? Paul further explains this point by giving the example of the potter and the clay. The clay has no right to question anything that the potter does... The potter does what he sees fit.

This is all truly justified but the question comes to mind... Does God create to specifically condemn to hell? Our God is loving and compassionate? He doesn't want to be separated from any of His children. So based on that I would think that God has the right to create specifically to send to hell but doesn't because He loves all His children.

Last night I watched the recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie and it had a pretty good message. There's a main character that was evil... To the point that one missionary person said that he didn't have a chance for salvation. The daughter still believed even though he killed and was evil to the core... His heart was definitely hardened. But at the end he gave up his life, even though unwillingly, to save his daughter. I know this wasn't his choice so that may not have been enough yo save him but it still brought forth an interesting topic: anyone can be saved. I would like to believe our fair and just God would spare these souls that He Himself hardened, and give them the same opportunity to repent and be saved like the rest of us.

Father God, forgive me for even getting close to this topic but it's something weighing on my heart that I need to present You. I know this, You are the Potter and we are are the clay, we deserve death but You saved us. Help my mind be at peace with all that You do. Teach me to fall in love with You over and over again. In Your precious name Lord Jesus I pray, amen.


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