The Lord helping me this morning,
the scripture that I'll direct you to is found in that chapter
that we read, Romans chapter 9 and the 14th verse, Romans
9.14. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. What shall we say
then? Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid. On several occasions recently,
as I've been preaching here at Salem, we've been looking at
Paul's epistle to the Romans. The last four times I've preached
here, we have been in Romans chapter 8. Last time, two weeks
ago, we considered Romans 8.32. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? But on the previous occasion,
before that, we were looking at those words of the Apostle
in verse 31. What shall we then say to these things? What shall
we then say to these things? Paul is referring to what he'd
been previously saying in the Epistle, and then he goes on
to ask five rhetorical questions. The first rhetorical question
he asks is, if God's before us, who can be against us? And the
second, the words which we considered more closely last time, he that
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? And then the third
question is in verse 33 of that chapter, who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? Then the fourth is in verse 34,
who is he that condemneth? then the fifth is in verse 35,
who shall separate us from the love of Christ? And that question
of course leads up to the great tremendous crescendo that we
have at the end of Romans chapter 8. What shall we then say to
these things? Well here in Romans 9, in the
words of our text, verse 14, we have similar words. What shall
we then say? And again, we have a rhetorical
question. Is there unrighteousness with
God? But then, here, there is this
most vehement answer. God forbid! God forbid! Now this 9th chapter of Romans
is a very doctrinal passage of Scripture. Indeed it is a much
neglected chapter which deals with a much neglected doctrine
in some quarters. The doctrine of divine sovereignty
and particularly of divine sovereignty in the matter of salvation. The
whole of the Epistle of Paul to the Romans is of course full
of doctrine. Yes, it is experimental in places
such as in Romans 7 where Paul describes the internal struggle
between the old man of sin and the new man of grace which there
is in the experience of every true child of God. And it's practical
too, as you see in chapter 12 and the following chapters. But
nevertheless it is a very doctrinal epistle. It teaches the truth
of man's total depravity, his sinnership before God. It teaches
the truth of particular redemption, that Christ has redeemed his
elect, the sheep, that he laid his life down for. It teaches
the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, that all those
who are chosen and redeemed shall persevere to the end, to heaven
itself, by the grace of God. It teaches the doctrine of irresistible
grace. It teaches the doctrine, the
grand doctrine, of unconditional election. Now I know that there
are some who do not like the word doctrine. But you know,
it is a biblical word. What it really means is teaching.
And sadly there are some even in our chapels who not only dislike
the word doctrine but they also dislike the preaching of doctrine
or doctrinal preaching. But the Apostle Paul exhorted
Timothy to preach sound doctrine. 1 Timothy 4 verse 6 If thou put
the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a
good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of
faith, and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. Verse 13 of that chapter. Till
I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. And verse 16, take heed unto
thyself and unto the doctrine. Continue in them. For in doing
this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee. In his
second epistle, he says, preach the word. Be instant, in season,
out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exalt with all
longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine. Likewise, in Titus we read that
a bishop, that is an overseer, a pastor, must be blameless,
holding the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he
may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince
the gainsayers. It is written concerning God's
elect in the prophecy of Isaiah, They also that erred in spirit
shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall
learn doctrine." I believe it was Martin Luther who said that
doctrine is heaven. So we must not despise or neglect
doctrine and the preaching of it. For I give you good doctrine,
we read in the Proverbs. And in Deuteronomy, our God says,
My doctrine shall drop as a rain, my speech shall distill as the
dew, and as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers
upon the grass. Well here then, in the doctrine
of the Word of God, there is refreshment for the saints, and
the means of their growth in grace. Paul is not writing of
the elect, but of the reprobate when he says, for the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But after their
own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching
ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and
shall be turned unto fables. Yes, they are the reprobate who
will not endure sound doctrine. Now the particular doctrine that
we have in the ninth of Romans is the doctrine of election. Not that conditional doctrine,
which is the doctrine of the Arminians, but the doctrine of
an unconditional election, which is the doctrine of the Word of
God. From verse 10 we read, And not
only this, but when Rebekah also had conceived by one, even by
our father Isaac, for the children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said
unto her, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Paul is establishing
here the doctrine of unconditional election, and he establishes
his doctrine from the Old Testament Scriptures. For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that called it. It was said unto the younger,
the elder shall serve the younger. The elder shall serve the younger.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. In verse 12 he is quoting Genesis
25 and verse 23. And the elder shall serve the
younger. In verse 13 he quotes Malachi. Malachi 1, verses 2
and 3, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I
hated. Now there are some who say that
God does not hate anybody. God loves everybody! Oh, God
hates the sin, but He loves the sinner. But here we see that
God does not love everybody. He does not love every sinner. Indeed there is at least one
individual whom God has hated, Esau. Esau have I hated, the
scripture says. Now there is an interpretation
that waters down and undermines and overthrows what Paul is saying
here and I've heard this interpretation even amongst professed Calvinists.
They say, well, what Paul means is that the Lord loved Esau less
than he loved Jacob. The love with which the Lord
loved Jacob made his love towards Esau look like hatred, by comparison. Now this is clearly an erroneous
interpretation, as we see by looking at the passage in Malachi
chapter 1. Malachi chapter 1. the burden
of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you,
saith the Lord, yet ye say wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau
Jacob's brother, saith the Lord? Yet I loved Jacob, and I hated
Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the
dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Eden saith, We are impoverished,
but we will return and build the desolate places. Thus saith
the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down,
and they shall call them the border of wickedness. and the
people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever. Esau was clearly under the curse
of God. It was not that he was loved
less than Jacob. He was, as is clearly stated
here, hated. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, but Esau have I hated. The word hated means exactly
that. Hated. God hated him. There are other scriptures where
we read of the holy and just hatred of God towards sinners. In Psalm 5, for example, For
thou art not a god that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither
shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in
thy sight. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Often the same people who misinterpret
Romans 9.13 also misinterpret 2 Peter 3 verse 9. The Lord is
not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness.
But his longsuffering to us would not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance. Oh God is not willing that any
sinner should perish they say. But that's not what Peter is
saying there. God is long-suffering to usward,
he says. He is long-suffering to his elect,
not willing that any of them should perish. And Paul doesn't
say that God is not willing that any sinner should perish, he
says quite the opposite. What if God willing to show his
wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." God is long-suffering,
yes, to the reprobate, not because he's not willing that they should
perish, not because he's willing to save them, but rather because
he's willing to show his wrath against them, justly, for their
sins, and to make his awful power known. Towards his elect it is
otherwise. God is not willing that they
should perish. It is his will that they should
all come to repentance. That is what Paul is saying here,
under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, verse 23, "...and
that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels
of mercy which he had aforeprepared unto glory, even us whom he hath
called not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." There is probably no other doctrine
which is more hated, more attacked, more misunderstood and more maligned
than this doctrine of election. And yet it is a teaching which
runs through the whole of the scriptures. And Paul shows us
here in Romans chapter 9. We'll go on to consider these
things in a moment. I'll just remind you of what
Calvin says concerning election. in his institutes. He says that
election is the very origin of the church. If there were no
election, then there would be no church. It's as simple as
that. The church was chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world. Now, one of the arguments leveled against the
doctrine of election is that it isn't fair. It's not fair! How many times have I heard this?
And this objection Paul deals with here in verse 14. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid! Well, it's not so much then the
subject of election that we shall be considering this morning,
but rather the question of the righteousness of God in his electing
purpose. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. Well, we shall consider
firstly then the objection expressed in the question, is there unrighteousness
with God? And then, secondly, the objection
objected to. In the words, God forbid. So firstly then, let us consider
the objection. What should we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Now we have to say that this
is actually a blasphemous suggestion. Even to suggest that there is
unrighteousness with God. But you know, that is the natural
man's response to spiritual truth. But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, because they are foolishness
unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned." Well, two things we notice here. Firstly, that
although the setting forth of such high doctrine as this does
bring the enmity of the carnal mind, and does cause some to
murmur against God, and against his word, and against his gospel,
yet nevertheless the apostle does not shun to declare all
the counsel of God. There are those who would tell
us, well, you ought not to preach election, even though it's clearly
taught and revealed in the Word of God. It's fine for the study,
but you shouldn't bring it into the ball pit. What, are they
wiser than the Apostle Paul? Are they wiser than the Holy
Spirit, who has inspired the written Word? Those same people
who would tell us not to preach election would have us preach
and teach that God has loved everybody, a doctrine which is
nowhere to be found in the entire Word of God. Paul preached election
even though it would meet with such blasphemous suggestions
as this. Is there unrighteousness with God? He could say, and every
true and faithful minister of the Word of God, and I underline
the words, every true and faithful minister of the Word of God should
be able to say, I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel
of God. And the second thing we notice
is this, that had salvation been by works or merit, Had salvation
been conditional, then this objection would not arise in the mind of
the natural man. Had the apostle been setting
forth the doctrine of salvation by works, then the natural man
would have no objection. Why? Because he is by nature
wedded to the law of works. We work for our reward, we work
for payments. and we get what we deserve. And
so the natural man would have no objection to such a setting
forth of the gospel, a false gospel, though it is. Had the
apostle been propounding a doctrine of conditional salvation based
on what God foresaw in his people? Oh, that God would... he foresaw
who would believe and so then he chose them. Well, If the apostle
had been putting forth such a gospel as that, then there would be
no objection. Is there unrighteousness with
God? If Paul had been teaching that faith is a work or a duty
which must be performed in order to be saved, and that God foresaw
who would believe and therefore chose them, then there would
be no occasion for such an objection as this. Is there unrighteousness
with God? There will be no question of
God being unjust, and the objection will not arise. But it is precisely
because Paul is preaching an altogether unconditional election,
an election that is without any conditions whatsoever, and also
the doctrine of reprobation, of course, that this objection
arises in the minds of some. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? This is the objection. Well,
let us go on to consider, in the second place, the objection
objected to. And we see the objection objected
to in the words, God forbid! God forbid! Paul strongly refutes
the suggestion that there should be any unrighteousness with God.
Righteousness is one of his glorious attributes. The psalmist says,
under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, in Psalm 92, that
the Lord is upright. He is my rock and there is no
unrighteousness in him. And again in the Psalms, in Psalm
11, for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness. Righteousness
is one of his attributes. And the Lord our God always acts
according to his nature, never contrary to his nature. The Lord
is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. In his sovereign dealings with
angels and men there can be no injustice. Justice and judgment
are the habitation of thy throne. Now in order to meet the objection,
Paul shows that no injury is done to the righteousness of
God in choosing some to salvation. and that no injury is done to
his justice in the reprobation of others. These two points of
the Apostle's argument commence with the word for in both verses
15 and 17. For he saith to Moses, verse
15. For the scripture saith unto
Pharaoh, verse 17. In the first part of his argument
he shows that there is no unrighteousness with God in his dealings with
the elect. In the second part of his argument he shows that
there is no unrighteousness with God in his dealings with the
reprobate. So let us consider briefly these
two points of the Apostle's argument. Firstly, Paul shows from the
Old Testament Scriptures that there is no unrighteousness with
God in his dealings with the elect. For he saith to Moses,
I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then, it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Paul is quoting from Exodus 33
verse 19. And it shows from that scripture
that the salvation of any of Adam's sinful race is according
to the mercy of God only. God's mercy only. There is no
violation of his justice or of his righteousness in showing
mercy to millions of Adam's fallen descendants. Yes, they deserve
to be eternally damned, as do the reprobate, because of their
sin. They were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others. But the punishment for their
sins was meted out on Christ, the divine substitute, to whom
they are given, and who is given to them, and who was given for
them. Romans 3. Paul says, But now
the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being
witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness
of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon
all them that believe. For there is no difference, for
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through
faith in His blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare,
I say at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Not only is the believer
justified, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. But
God himself is justified, yes! God himself is declared to be
righteous. That's the meaning of justification.
The justice of God and the righteousness of God are fully satisfied, for
sin has been punished and dealt with in the person of his only
begotten Son. There is absolutely no unrighteousness
with God, but there is mercy. There is mercy with him. The
elect of God were chosen in Christ Jesus before the world began. They were given to Him in the
eternal covenant made before the foundation of the world,
and for them the Lord Jesus died in order to bear away their sins
in His own body on the tree. Christ has made complete atonement. for all the sins of all his elect,
it is at the cross that we see the justice of God as well as
his mercy, the mercy of God, shining, as it were, in a blaze. Is there unrighteousness with
God? God forbid! God forbid! It cannot be argued
that the giving of a people to his Son out of his mere mercy
and grace is an act of unrighteousness. It is an act of stupendous love
and grace towards undeserving, indeed hell-deserving sinners.
God is a debtor to no man. He doesn't owe you or me anything. He has compassion on whom he
will have compassion. This is the burden of the Apostle's
counter-argument. Therefore have he mercy on whom
he will have mercy. And secondly, there is no unrighteousness
with God in his dealings with the reprobate. For the Scripture
saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised
thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name
might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath
he mercy, on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Pharaoh's heart was hardened. His heart was not softened by
divine grace, his heart was hardened. It is only grace that can melt
the sinner's heart. And where there is a withholding
of divine grace the heart will be hardened. None can accuse
God of an injustice if he leaves the sinner to go on in the sin
which he loves. If he gives him over to a reprobate
mind if he doesn't bestow on Esau the favour which is his
prerogative alone to give. Esau and Pharaoh and all the
reprobate were shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin. They are
estranged from the womb and they are transgressors from the womb. Is there unrighteousness with
God then if he does not bestow on them the favour that is his
prerogative alone to give and which no man has a right to. I'll put it this way, it's an
imperfect illustration but suppose a man, a rich man sees a hundred
slaves in a marketplace and he decides to buy just one of them
and to set that slave free although he could afford to buy them all
and set them all free. Can the other 99 complain of
an injustice, because they are left in their chains, especially
considering that it was because of their debts which they incurred
that they were sold into slavery in the first place? Of course
not! There is no injustice in that
situation. In 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 4,
We read that God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast
them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness
to be reserved unto judgment. There is no unrighteousness with
God in this, and I hear no one complaining of an unrighteousness
with God in this, that he dealt so with the angels that sinned.
Well why should it be thought then that there is unrighteousness
with God if he spared not men that sinned? and has decreed
their destruction from eternity. Out of all the fallen mass of
mankind whom he will, he hardeneth. Sin is the chain that drags the
souls of men down to hell. And men in a state of nature
will not part with their chains though all heaven were offered
to them. Is there unrighteousness with God then if he leaves them
in those chains which they love? What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. The great question
is, and it's one which vexes many, a true child of God. How
may we know that we are of that elect number, the sons of Jacob
whom God has loved and who are not consumed? How
may any sinner know that he or she is one upon whom God has
had mercy and has had compassion? Well I found that little work
by Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man, very
helpful here. Mr Scougal says that the elect
soul, and I quote, need not desire to pry into the hidden rolls
of God's decrees, or search the volumes of heaven to know what
is determined about his everlasting condition, but he may find a
copy of God's thoughts concerning him written in his own breast. His love to God may give him
assurance of God's favor to him. and those beginnings of happiness
which he feels in the conformity of the powers of his soul to
the nature of God and compliance with his will are a sure pledge
that his felicity shall be perfected and continued to all eternity. Now I ask you, as I must ask
myself, do you have a copy of God's thoughts concerning you
written in your own heart? We love Him because He first
loved us. Your love of God is a copy, as
it were, albeit a faint copy, a very poor copy, of His love
for you. Are you happiest when doing the
will of God? Does sin distress you and make
you sad? This is a sure pledge that your
fullness to your happiness shall be perfected and shall continue
to all eternity. The sons of Jacob know something
of wrestling with God in prayer. Jacob, you recall, wrestled until
the break of day. And so the spiritual sons of
Jacob wrestle in the night season of their souls under conviction
of sin and under a felt sense of the judgment of God in their
consciences. until the days start arising
in their hearts. They wrestle as Jacob did, for
the blessing. And he said, I will not let thee
go except thou bless me. The hymn writer expresses it,
give me Christ or else I die. That is essentially the same
prayer that Jacob prayed, I will not let thee go except thou bless
me. The blessing is in Christ. Indeed,
Christ is the blessing. The blessing is the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. As David says in the Psalms,
He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness
from the God of His salvation. This is the generation of them
that seek Him, that seek Thy face, O Jacob, see Thou. The
blessing is eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ. For the
wages of sin is death, But the gift of God is eternal life through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Again the psalmist says concerning
Zion, for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore. That's the blessing. It is for
this blessing that all the elect, the sons of Jacob, wrestle with
God in prayer. Have you been brought to wrestle
for that blessing? To cry to God that he might have mercy
upon your poor soul? And this present time state is
to the spiritual sons of Jacob a night of darkness. And they
must continue to wrestle with God in prayer until the breaking
of the eternal day. Cross providences without. Felt corruptions within. The
hidings of God's face. Opposition from the world and
from the devil. All these things will bring the elect sinner to
his knees in prayer. Like Jacob of old, he will often
be found wrestling with God in prayer. This is the mark of a
true Christian. Behold, he prayeth. Behold, he
prayeth. Do you pray? Only the true sons of Jacob truly
pray. And furthermore, we may know
whether we are of the number of God's elect, or of the reprobate,
by our response to the Word of God. Do we receive the Gospel,
or do we reject it? Are our hearts softened under
the ministry of the Word of God, or are they hardened? It is written in the book of
the Acts of the Apostles, when Paul and Barnabas preached the
gospel and as they were and as and as many as were ordained
to eternal life believed. That's the question isn't it?
Are you a believer? Are you a believer? As many as
were appointed or ordained to eternal life believed. Finally in conclusion let me
Just make a few practical points concerning this doctrine of unconditional
election. This doctrine, the doctrine of
unconditional election is not a deterrent to the love of souls,
to the love of immortal souls. See how the Apostle Paul yearned
for his fellow countrymen, his kinsmen according to the flesh. I say the truth in Christ I lie
not. My conscience also bearing me
witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continual
sorrow in my heart, for I could wish that myself were accursed
from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
The doctrine of divine sovereignty and unconditional election is
no deterrent to the love of our neighbour. It is no deterrent
to compassion and concern for those who are yet in their sins.
And neither is this doctrine a deterrent to prayer. Again, see what Paul says in
chapter 10. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. And so we would pray for our
fellow countrymen, our kinsmen according to the flesh, and we
offer up our prayers to God knowing that in the words of the psalmist,
he that is our God is the God of salvation. He that is our
God is the God of salvation. It is a great mystery but I do
believe that God often calls an elect sinner in answer to
the prayers of others of his elect who are born again of the
Spirit of God. It's interesting to note that
in chapter 10, Paul says, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is that they might be saved. And then in chapter
11, verse 26, he says, and so all Israel shall be saved. The
doctrine of divine sovereignty and unconditional election is
no deterrent to prayer. And it is no deterrent to the
preaching of the gospel either. It is by this means that God
by His Spirit calls out His elect people and draws them to His
Son. Paul says again there in the 10th chapter, So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. To the Corinthians
he writes, It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching,
to save them that believe. Preaching is the God-ordained
means of calling the elect sheep of Christ to Him who is the Good
Shepherd. The minister of the Gospel has
an assurance, which the Arminian can never have, that God will
accomplish all His good pleasure, all His gracious will, as His
Word goes forth. The preaching of the Gospel is
never in vain. Never in vain. For as the rain cometh down,
and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth
the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give
seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall my word
be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto
me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. This doctrine The
doctrine of divine sovereignty, the doctrine of an unconditional
election, is certainly no deterrent to the preaching of the gospel.
Rather, it is an encouragement to preach the gospel. That was Paul's experience, wasn't
it, in Acts chapter 18, verse 9. We read, Then spake the Lord
to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and
hold not thy peace, for I am with thee, and no man shall set
on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this city. And
he continued there a year and six months, preaching the word
of God among them. There is, however, in this doctrine
of divine sovereignty and of unconditional election a discouragement
and a deterrent to two particular things. There is a discouragement
and deterrent to pride. And there is a discouragement
and a deterrent to presumption in this doctrine. When this blessed doctrine is
applied to the heart by the Spirit of God, there will
be a humbling of the elect and ransomed sinner. And there will be produced in
the heart of the elect and ransomed sinner the true and filial fear
of the Lord our God. Be not high-minded, but fear. For if God spared not the natural
branches, take heed, lest he also spare not thee. This doctrine is a deterrent
to pride and presumption. What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. Amen.