Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
— Romans 9:13–15 —
Evis Carballosa: Evangelical Ministries of the Americas | Honduras
Sovereignty is the supreme and independent exercise of authority. God is the only being that possesses that absolute authority, and His authority is completely independent from any other being. The authority of God is not capricious, but rather based in the totality of His perfections—including His justice, holiness, compassion, and love. As the Almighty, God has the right to choose anything He wants to include in His eternal plan, including people. God chooses human beings for salvation independent of anything in them, because all men are “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1), and are therefore incapable of seeking out God. The authority of God is not capricious, but rather based in the totality of His perfections Paul makes the point that it was not Jacob whose decision was determinative, but God’s. God chose Jacob and passed over Esau. This choice was not a reflection of Jacob’s merit, but of God’s mercy. Jacob wasn’t better than Esau, but God sovereignly chose him. This in no way means that God is unjust, but shows that God acts in accordance with His own perfections. His mercy and His election are sovereign. God’s choice of Jacob over Esau was no capricious decision. It was the manifestation of His sovereign grace. The question isn’t why did God reject Esau, but rather why did He love Jacob. This was an act of mercy. This text reminds us that salvation is a gift of God’s sovereign grace. No one deserves to be saved, but God has determined to be merciful. We see that remarkable determination in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, who used His supreme and independent authority to lay down His own life for those He loved (John 10:18).
Connect with TMAI on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and increase our schools’ reach by sharing our content with your family and friends.
