Something Hardly Heard in the Churches: God Hates All Workers of Iniquity
What you wrote about God loving Jacob and hating Esau regarding the point that it is not an emotional feeling of hate towards Esau and those he represents but has to do with the choice God made in choosing to love Jacob and not loving Esau – is correct. It has nothing to do with emotion at all. Nor does it have anything to do with selecting one because he identifies with Israel and not selecting the other because he identifies with the Gentiles. That's not true at all.
Concerning context, it would be important to note this statement:
Romans 9:10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
God made His choice before the twin sons were born. Before either one of them had done any good or any evil. The choice of God, we are told by the Word of God, was made so that the "purpose of God according to election might stand.” This choosing of the one to love (Jacob) and the other to hate (Esau) has everything to do with God's election plan.
I did see anything about election in your note above. I'm sure if you are reading an Arminian (free will) theologians commentary, he will seek to downplay and avoid that word (and topic) as much as possible. But the word “election” is there. And when we search out that word. lo and behold. it leads to directly to the idea of God choosing people even before the world began (before any of us were born):
Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Notice in the Scriptures above that the choice of God (election) is referring to "us" and not only the one man Jacob. As I mentioned before, Jacob and Esau represent nations. But not the political or physical nation of Israel and the political nation of the Edomites or Gentiles. No. They represent the only two spiritual nations that exist. Jacob stands for the nations of them which are saved (Revelation 21:24) and Esau the nations of the unsaved.
Again, the elect were chosen by God before the foundation of the world to become saved and therefore loved by Him. This is why the love of God towards them is said to be an everlasting love:
Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
The Lord Jesus referenced His election program when He said this:
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, ...
The church, through the use of its manmade (and unbiblical) and foolishly simplistic hermeneutic of taking the plain literal statement of Scripture as the way of interpreting the Bible, has backed itself into numerous corners with various Bible verses.
They've done this with the idea that God loves everyone. The Bible’s statements concerning Esau prove God does not love everyone. And it’s not just Esau:
Psalm 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
Pastors like to say, "God hates the sin and loves the sinner". Not so. God does hate the sin but He also hates the sinner who commits the sin. He "hatest all workers of iniquity". The nation that Esau represents is the nation of the ungodly. All the workers of iniquity in the world.
Also,
Psalm 11:5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
The wicked – His soul hateth.
How awful it is that churches lie to people and tell them God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives. Really? Does God love the many that go the broad way that leads to destruction? The masses of unsaved people who descend into hell (the grave) and die an eternal death for their sins? Did God love them?
Was that everlasting love of God upon them? Absolutely not! For if God truly had loved them, they would not have perished. They would have lived as all those whom God has loved live. As the elect people of God live forevermore by God's wonderful grace.
Oh, but you see those people did not accept Christ. They refused Him, and as a result, sadly died in their sins. This is how its explained. And yet those who explain it this way do not see the pride and arrogance involved with the whole idea of being one of those wiser and better people who exercise their free will to choose Christ and become saved. Of course, men love the free will doctrine because it caters to their fleshly pride. There's something in me that was wise enough to choose Christ – unlike billions of others who perish by not choosing Him.
But it’s not true. The Bible tells us we are all sinners who have all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, 6:23). There is none righteous, no, not one. None do good (Romans 3:10-12). Not a one of us.
Is failing to accept Christ the unpardonable sin? If not, when then does God overlook the multitudes of my sins except for the one sin of failing to accept Him? Isn't that a sin also? What makes sinning that sin (of not accepting Christ) eternally deadly? While I can murder and lie and cheat and do everything other filthy deed imaginable, and none of those things prevent my salvation. Only, apparently the sin of failing to accept Christ is what kills the sinner. What a horrible and awful thing this free will doctrine is. It is very obviously a lie. And the Scriptures prove it to be a lie. Except the free will preachers will never address the tremendous number of Bible verses that will not allow it nor even begin to allow for it to get any traction whatsoever.
For example, the Lord Jesus said this:
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
The pastor cries out to the congregation and pleads, "Won't you come to Christ today?"
Ah, I would pastor, but you see "no man can come" to Jesus "except the Father...draw him".
Why do the free will churches not answer these Scriptures?
I thought I could accept Christ at any time. That's what is taught. I'm told that my will is key and I can come to Jesus whenever I want. But the Bible says that the only ones who can come must FIRST be drawn by God.
And of course, to be drawn by God fits right into His election program. God does the choosing (You have not chosen My but I have chosen you – John 15:16). And since they have been chosen, those blessed few (many are called, few are chosen) proceed to come to Christ according to the drawing power of God's will for their lives. This is the true salvation program of the Bible.
Another example of many that could be given is found in John 17.
John 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
…
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
The Father has given Christ certain ones out of the world. Jesus prays specifically for these people who were given to Him. Who are those people? The elect of God.