Hisalone,

But what about Malachi 1:3:

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The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi.

2 "I have loved you," says the LORD But you say, "How have You loved us?" "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD "Yet I have loved Jacob;

3 but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness."

The apostle Paul quotes Malachi 1:3 in Romans 9:13. And he goes on to say

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13 Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."

14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!

15 For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION."

16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH."

18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.


Can one really talk about God's love without also understanding the above? I could not see that Carson refers to these verses.

As for preaching the gospel my personal view always was that we have to do that irrespective of who is crossing our path because God's elect is not known to us. Why am I lying to a person when I am telling him/her that God provided the sacrifice for our sins and that God so reconciled us with him?



Johan