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From: randall@ncr-sd.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.religion.christian
Subject: Who can resist God's will?
Message-ID: <7082@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Mon, 17-Nov-86 01:01:14 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.7082
Posted: Mon Nov 17 01:01:14 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 17-Nov-86 02:40:20 EST
Sender: hedrick@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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Approved: christian@topaz.UUCP

Dear Stuart:

The following is my opinion, but I trust close to the truth: Regarding
Romans 9:14-21, specifically v18 "So then, God has mercy on anyone He
has mercy, and He makes stubborn those whom He resists", think of it
this way..."So then those who desire and ask for mercy, and are
continually desiring mercy, God is merciful, but to those who are
continually stubborn, and willful, implacable,full of pride, and not
wanting to change, He solidifies in their stubborn determined choice"
etc,etc. The point Paul is making about the clay pot is that God has
given us, via our human nature, basically 2 choices. We can choose His
mercy, to make us merciful, as an imparted virtue, or we can choose to
NOT have God's mercy, leaving us implacable, hard, stubborn,
resistant, and proud. The choice is ours, however, we are still the
clay, and the choice one way or the other, is going to determine the
shape of that clay. Can we choose not to be either
merciful/unmerciful, say tribulifont? or medicanditorious? No, those
choices do not exist, except in our imagination, as the valid choices
have already been predetermined, long, long before we were even born.

Yes people are of infinite value in God's eyes, as He did die for all
of us, however it is the low value that people place upon themselves
and the rejection of God's mercy that makes them into worthless
vessels. Finally God is not afraid of being questioned by His
creation, as He delights in honest questioning, but woe be to the one
who challenges His authority, and does not want to be under His rule,
as he will get what he really is asking for, and that is an eternity
without God, with the eventual end of eternal death and destruction.
The choice is ours, let's make the most of it.

"Choose you this day life, that you may live...Do I have any pleasure
in the death of the wicked? says the Lord"

Hope this goes toward answering your concern...Sincerely, Randall