Romans 9:21-24
Does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
The Bible suggests that God designed certain individuals to be honorable and other individuals to not be honorable.
Imagine a ceramic worker who designs and creates a beautiful doll for his daughter. That same ceramic worker may also construct a toilet, out of the same kind of material. He will use them both, but one is designed to be loved and the other is designed to be filled with human waste. This is the picture that Romans 9 presents of God's sovereign design over humanity.
So why did God do this? Why did He create the dishonorable? Why does He allow them to continue to live? And why does He send them to hell?
In my opinion, the above passage from Romans answers the question beautifully:
"He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles."
Through the existence of the reprobate, we the chosen of God see His patience, His mercy, and also His perfectly just nature. Once we can see it, we glorify it. God continuously seeks His own glory -- if He did not, He would be an idolater.
While your question is a good one and perfectly valid, it brings up a few more important questions in my mind...
Why have you personally chosen to burn forever in hell? What is it about eternal torment that you find so very attractive? If you're getting exactly what you want, why would you complain?
The Bible teaches that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). There is no better time than now to come to Christ.
Comments
In my opinion, the above passage from Romans answers the question beautifully:
"He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles."
Through the existence of the reprobate, we the chosen of God see His patience, His mercy, and also His perfectly just nature.
Then what you are saying is that many must spend an eternity in Hell so that the few can experience the mercy of God. You call that justice!!! would you call that justice if you find out your one of the reprobate?Remember the reprobate can't help being the reprobate.
AH! but God does want the dishonorable people to be destroyed for if they are not destroyed how does he show mercy to the saved? Remember you said the reason why God has made dishonorable people is so that he can show mercy on the saved.
Remember also God's plans can not fail so if God has made dishonorable people His plan is to destroy them in hell not for them to repent. And beside none of us can repent of our sins anyways because we have the sin nature. We are all practicing sinners unless all your sins are brand new ones.
However Paul is not saying God has made dishonorable people. He is merely suggesting that God could have done so for his words are "What if God wishing to show His mercy bared with much long suffering those people created for Hell. Its a retorichal question meant to show How great God is because He could have but praise God He did no such thing.
Calling the reprobate anything but a skeet that God created to destroy in the predestination paradigm is deceitful, and you should be ashamed for trying to pad your doctrine with euphemisms. Your doctrine is ugly so show off how ugly it is.
Christian Perspective needs to have a real Christian authority, like an Orthodox Priest, to answer for Bible Questions, since, you know, the Eastern Orthodox Church wrote the Bible.
It was the prayer of Adam and Eve that moved God to say He will come in a bodily form to use himself as a sacrifice for mankind and after the end time man will be restored to his original home. That made Christ to come. Acts 16:31 says you believe in Christ Jesus and be saved and in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is the event if the rapture where all believers will be gathered up to meet Christ, and we will go to heaven. Hallelujah