God has Mercy and Hardens Romans 9:18

Paul the apostle told the people in Rome how God, “the scripture says unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might shew my power in you, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth”, and in chapter nine and verse eighteen of Romans, Paul concludes with his readers how God, “has … mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardens” where we read:

Therefore has he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardens.

The verse begins, “Therefore has he mercy on whom he will have mercy, ...” Paul began with the word, “therefore” which means “then, accordingly, consequently and these things being so” “has he mercy” whose name means “God has pity and compassion” “on whom” or “on the person or people” “he will have mercy” or “that God decides to have pity and compassion upon”. Paul concluded that God has “pity and compassion” on whomever He desires.

The verse goes on to say, “... and whom he will he hardens.” Paul continued with the words, “and whom” which means “and the person or people” “he will” which means “God intends, resolves, determines, purposes, wishes, desires and take delight in pleasure in” “he hardens” or “God make hard, renders obstinate and stubborn”. Paul shared how God may also “make firm” those who desire to be “obstinate and stubborn”.

When we meditate upon these words of Paul, we see how God chooses people upon which He desires to show “compassion and pity”, and should a person decide to be “obstinate and stubborn”, He can choose to “make them firm and established” in that position. Pharaoh “hardened” his own heart ten times in the book of Exodus before God “hardened” or made him “firm” in that position. God may do the same today. If a person is resistant to the gospel of Jesus Christ over and over again, God may allow them to be “hardened” in their “stubbornness” and they shall forever be doomed and separated from Him. “Today is the day of salvation”, and today is the day to submit to Jesus Christ as “Savior and Lord”. To deny Him is to reject Him, and lest God “harden” one in that position, let them accept Him today before it is too late.

Next time we see Paul refer to his readers asking, “why does he yet find fault?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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