Dear Arthur and Sandra:

I also have a question for you guys! This past week at Bible study I led a study on the first half of James 2 on favoritism. I was [saying] that God does not show favoritism and [someone] asked me, "What about when God says Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated?" I wasn't sure how to answer it so I said I'd get back to them after I had looked around and asked some people on their opinion.

Thanks for writing. I'll put my remarks in CAPS after your comments and hope it helps. If you need clarification or more on a subject, let me know.

YOU ARE RIGHT IN SAYING THAT GOD DOESN'T SHOW FAVORITISM IN THE SENSE WE KNOW IT. IN THIS WORLD, AND IN THE CONTEXT OF JAMES 2, WE SHOW FAVORITISM TO ONE PERSON OR CLASS OF PERSONS OVER ANOTHER OR OTHER CLASSES BASED ON SOME TRAIT OR QUALITY IN THAT PERSON (I.E. BEAUTY, WEALTH, STATUS, RACE, SIZE, ETC.) THAT'S WHAT GOD IS TELLING US NOT TO DO, ESPECIALLY IN CHURCH!

IN THAT SENSE, GOD DOES NOT SHOW FAVORITISM, FOR HE IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS (I FORGET THE VERSE REFERENCE). HE DOESN'T FAVOR PRETTY PEOPLE (WE'RE ALL UGLY COMPARED TO HIM), SMART PEOPLE (WE'RE ALL DUMB COMPARED TO HIM), BLACK OR WHITE, ETC.

GOD IS IMPARTIAL TO ALL, ACCORDING TO ROMANS 2. ALL PEOPLE ARE DREADFULLY SINFUL AND ALL ARE GUILTY, NO PARTIALITY. GOD, IN HIS MERCY, THOUGH, PROVIDES ATONEMENT AND SALVATION; AND, IN FACT, SALVATION AND MERCY ARE OPEN TO ALL CLASSES OF PEOPLE, JEW & GENTILE, MALE & FEMALE, ARE THEY NOT? (READ ROM. 2 & 3; 1COR. 12:13;)

SO GOD IS INDEED IMPARTIAL IN THAT SENSE. HOWEVER, GOD IS VERY PARTIAL IN ANOTHER SENSE. HE IS DEFINITELY PARTIAL TO THOSE WHO REPENT AND OBEY HIM, FOR THEY ARE HIS CHILDREN AND NOT HIS ENEMIES. THIS IS RIGHTEOUS. GOD NEED NOT GRANT BLESSING AND HONOR TO THOSE WHO ABHOR HIM OR REFUSE TO GIVE HIM THE TIME OF DAY, RIGHT?

THIS KIND OF GETS INTO THAT OVERUSED, OVER-SIMPLIFIED TERM CHRISTIANS USE, GOD'S "UNCONDITIONAL LOVE". AGAIN, IN A SENSE, THAT'S TRUE BUT IN A VERY REAL SENSE, IT IS NOT. IT'S TRUE THAT GOD MADE THE PROVISION AND DEVISED THE PLAN AND SACRIFICE OF OUR SALVATION UNCONDITIONALLY; AND OUR ELECTION WAS UNCONDITIONED UPON WHO WE ARE (ROM. 9 "for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad so that God's pupose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls").

HOWEVER, OUR SALVATION ITSELF IS VERY CONDITIONAL. OUR RECEIVING OF OUR SALVATION FROM GOD IS CONDITIONED UPON OUR REPENTANCE AND TURNING OUR LIVES OVER TO HIM. THEREFORE, GOD GRANTS US THIS BLESSING CONDITIONALLY. HE DID IT WITH ADAM AND EVE TOO IN WHAT IS CALLED THE COVENANT OF WORKS, WHERE HE MAKES THE DEAL WITH ADAM AND EVE IN GEN. 2. IF THEY OBEY HIM, HE'LL BLESS THEM; IF THEY DISOBEY, THEY DIE. HIS FAVOR WAS CONDITIONED UPON THEIR OBEDIENCE.

I came across a passage in Romans 9:10-18 which says:

And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, out father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her "the older will serve the younger." Just as it was written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." What shall we sat 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." So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raise you up, to demonstrate my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth." So then He has mercy on whom He desires and He hardens who He desires. THE POINT HERE IS THAT GOD IS THE ONE IN CONTROL AND THAT ALL CREATURES ARE RIGHTFULLY SUBJECT TO THEIR CREATOR, FOR "IT DOES NOT DEPEND ON THE MAN . . . BUT ON GOD . . . " IF YOU CONTINUE IN THE PASSAGE, IT BASICALLY STATES THAT THE POTTER HAS THE RIGHT TO DO WHAT HE WANTS WITH HIS CLAY. AND YES, THIS DOES HAVE TO DO WITH PREDESTINATION. THE KEY THING TO NOTE IS THAT IT IS GOD'S CHOICE AND HIS CHOICE IS BASED ON HIS OWN PERFECT WILL (EPH. 1:11) AND NOT HOW GOOD WE ARE. THAT'S WHY PAUL BELABORS THE POINT IN ROM. 9 THAT THE TWINS HAD YET TO DO ANYTHING GOOD OR BAD, SO WE KNOW FULL WELL THAT HIS CHOOSING JACOB WAS NOT BECAUSE HE WAS MORE RIGHTEOUS.

When I read this I was reminded of a lesson that Arthur taught when I was still in TD about God being just and merciful. God is just and fair to everyone...and SOME receive mercy. But, you can't say that God isn't being merciful to you or that it's not fair that you aren't receiving mercy because we don't deserve mercy. So although God is fair to Jacob and Esau, Jacob is just getting "extra" that no one deserves. He's still being fair to both Esau and Jacob... but gives Jacob "more." However, I talked to two of the [people] a couple of days ago and they said, "but isn't that STILL showing partiality...although he's being fair, he's giving one person extra.. which means he's partial to him." At the time, all I could think of is that the world's standard of fairness is that everyone gets the same amount of everything...whether we deserve it or not, but God's standard is different from the world's.

I was thinking about it (and even in the verse in Romans) and wondering if it has to do with predestination...and can be paralleled to God's election of the saints. He loves EVERYONE, but only some go to heaven.

HE LOVES EVERYONE IN CERTAIN SENSES BUT NOT ALL THE SAME. ALL PEOPLE HAVE COMMON GRACE BUT NOT EVERYONE HAS SAVING GRACE. BUT YES, ALL HAVE BEEN SHOWN MERCY AND GRACE TO SOME DEGREE.

Another thing I was thinking about was maybe God loved Jacob because he is associated with Israel and hated Esau because it is associated with Edom (right? I'm not sure about this) and Edom messed with Israel (is that right ??).

JACOB IS ISRAEL. REMEMBER THAT GOD CHANGED HIS NAME FROM JACOB TO ISRAEL.

IT'S GETTING LATE. I BETTER STOP FOR NOW. I HOPE THIS HELPS A LITTLE. FEEL FREE TO PURSUE THIS FURTHER IF YOU'D LIKE.

MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS YOU!

ARTHUR