Is God Unjust?

"For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show my power in you, and that my Name may be declared in all the earth.' Therefore he has mercy on whom he wills, and whom he wills he hardens. You will say to me then, 'Why does he still find fault? For who has resisted his will?'” Romans 9:17-19 This is undoubtedly one of the more difficult passages in the Scriptures. When you read that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, your human reaction is "that's not fair!" Anticipating that very thing, the Scripture addresses that, saying that some would ask, "Why does he still find fault, or who has resisted his will?" And at this point you're eagerly anticipating the answer… But here it is.… vs 20: "But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, 'Why have you made me thus?'" And that leaves you wondering, because it seems unjust. The whole matter depends on one thing: whether or not a person trusts the INTEGRITY of God. To trust the integrity of God means that I have to lay aside my human reasoning and surrender my opinions to the God who I believe is more intelligent than I, and that he IS fair, IS righteous, and IS right in all he says and does, because that's what he tells us about himself in his Word. If I do not have that level of respect, then the subject ends here. If you do not have that level of respect, read no further for this is not for you. If you're still with me ...let's start with the statement: "...he who does not believe God has made him a liar..." 1 John 5:10 Is it possible that God might God be a liar? According to Scripture, God is THE TRUTH personified. "I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life..." John 14:6 You'll say, "you're using Scripture to explain Scripture but we haven't determined the trustworthiness of Scripture." Exactly. The decision has to be made FIRST - whether or not to trust the Word of God. Do we believe there IS a God who created the universe? If no, then the discussion is over. Go your way. This is not for you. If yes, we have to put aside our HUMAN REASONING and surrender it to the wisdom of the God who created the galaxies, the universe, created us and gave us his Word. When we pick and choose what we'll believe, we're putting our human thinking above the wisdom of the most high God. We're saying in effect, "That can't be right because it doesn't seem right TO ME." By extension, we're saying to God, "You're wrong." If we do not believe God, if we do not have total respect for the Word of God, we might as well pack it up and move on, put him out of our lives. It is at this point that each person has to make a decision, and I challenge you right now to make that decision, and make it a lifetime decision. Accept the Word of God as truth, or leave him. Don't be lukewarm. Don't be double-minded. Make the decision today. "...he who does not believe God has made him a liar…" 1 John 5:10 When you make your decision remember that at the end of life it will be shown who was the liar. If we are to believe the Word of God we have to come to the place where we understand that it is not for us to select something from God’s Word and hold it up to the "light" of OUR understanding and then decide whether to accept it or reject it. When there is a gap between God’s Word and your understanding, you can be sure the fault lies in your understanding. We have to truly understand what he's saying when he says: "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55:8-9 And that's the answer. His reasoning is not inferior to our reasoning. His wisdom is not inferior to any man's wisdom. His ways are not inferior to ours. His thoughts and his ways are infinitely superior to that of any mortal man. He gives us his Word and it needs to be settled in our minds that when we come to a passage we do not understand, we put it on the shelf - knowing his Word is true and my understanding is limited. God doesn't just harden a heart because he likes to hardens hearts. If you investigate further you will discover that Pharaoh had already hardened his heart. "Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts,and in the hidden part, you will make me to know wisdom." Psalm 51:6 But know this also, that when one rejects truth, lies fill the void. A small glimpse into the greatness of God...