The Most Despised Verse in the Entire Bible!

By Frank Hall

"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." Romans 9:13 

This is perhaps the most despised verse in the entire Bible! 

Contrary to popular religious opinion, God does not love all people.

There are only two kinds of people in this world--Jacobs and Esaus.
These two men represent the entire human race.
Jacob represents God's elect--and Esau represents the reprobate.
Jacob is loved by God--and Esau is hated by God. 

God's love is sovereign and free. God's love for Jacob did not depend on Jacob. God loved Jacob, simply because He chose to love Jacob--not because He saw something in Jacob that merited His love. In fact, Jacob proved himself to be completely unworthy of God's love--as do all whom God loves.

God's love depends on God, not Jacob. Jacob can't earn God's love, and Jacob cannot lose God's love--because it does not depend on him. The love of God is completely sovereign and free. God gives and withholds His love as He sees fit.

God's love is discriminating love. Love is always discriminating. By definition, love is never common to all. Jacob was set apart by God's love, and being set apart by God's love--he had God's special favor and the affection of God's heart. God's love is always particular and distinguishing. He does not love all people--He only loves Jacob. 

God's love for Jacob and hatred for Esau are according to His eternal purpose, not according to their works. "Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works, but by Him who calls . . . Just as it is written: 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.' What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy!" Romans 9:11-16

Jacob was elected to salvation before he was born, and Esau was rejected by God before he was born--according to God's eternal purpose.

Because Jacob was loved by God--God sent His Son into this world to redeem him from his sins. Christ died for Jacob--not for Esau! "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

Thoughts on the Sufferings of Christ

 Too often our focus is on the physical sufferings of Christ, while little thought is ever given to what else the Lord Jesus suffered. There are three points that come to mind in regards to the sufferings of Christ. What are these points?

 (1.) Christ's Mental Sufferings! The Lord Jesus suffered in his sinless soul on earth by the sin and degradation He seen and experienced from men on a daily bases.
 (2.) Christ's Physical Sufferings! The Lord Jesus suffered in His body through the brutalities inflicted upon Him by men through the beatings, scourging, and crucifixion.
 (3.) Christ's Spiritual Sufferings! The Lord Jesus suffered the full wrath and punishment of His Father for our sin during the three dark hours on the Cross during His crucifixion. 

 It is the third point that interests me at the moment. To date, I cannot ever remember reading or hearing a sermon on this aspect of Christ's sufferings for our sin during these dark hours on the Cross. Such sufferings are as mysterious as the scene at Calvary was shrouded in darkness. Does not this part of Christ's suffering deserve our attention as well?

Consider this dichotomy. (1) Christ endured Man's wrath; (2) Christ endured His Father's wrath. The first, shows man's attitude towards God's sacrificial love; while the second, shows God's attitude in response to man's sacrilegious hatred. It wasn't the "nails" that kept the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. The only thing that kept Him there was His Unconditional Love for us! As sinners, we deserve the full wrath of God for our rebellion against Him. Instead, God came in the flesh and became our substitute, and took upon Himself the punishment for our sin that we so rightly deserve. Praise God He loved us so!