Well, I firmly believe the doctrines of grace, and I believe that God is just.
There are those who firmly believe that communism will eventually produce a utopian society.
The fact that the two are contractory doesn't prevent them from believe it. People can believe anything they want to believe, it doesn't make it true, it doesn't make it self-consistent, it doesn't mean they aren't lying to themselves.
I don't believe He is arbitrary.
Then there are three possibilities...
1. You have a false definition of the word "arbitrary".
2. You do not believe in the "doctrines of grace".
3. You do not care whether or not your doctrine makes sense.
I only know that He didn't save me because of any good He saw in me.
If He has saved you at all it is because you understood that you are a sinful evil person and that you deserve to be separated from God forever. You likewise understood that God Himself became a human being and died the death that you deserve and then rose from the dead and that, by virtue of that righteous act, God offers salvation as a free gift to all those who would but accept it.
Belief in the gospel and thereby being saved is not more a meritorious act than is opening a gift given to your by your grandmother on your birthday. You don't feel like you've earned the gifts your family gives you by your having taken off the wrapping paper, do you?
The idea that the Romans 9 passage I quoted is addressed to nations rather than individuals doesn't fit with the words Paul uses. For instance:
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? (Rom 9:20)
It fits just fine. It really does help a lot to use a bible that isn't translated into an antiquated form of English that no one speaks any longer. It also helps to read the bible more than a single sentence at a time. I have already addressed this exact passage, by the way, and demonstrated biblically that Paul definitely was addressing the nation of Israel. Why do you ignore it?
Romans 9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 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 like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
This is DIRECTLY citing Jeremiah 18, where the author explicitly states that the "clay" is ISRAEL!!!!
Jeremiah 18:5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!
Further, Romans 9 undeniably starts by talking about Israel. Read the verse several verses...
Romans 9:1 I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Israel’s Rejection and God’s Purpose
6 But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”
10 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”
Further still, Romans 9 undeniably ends by talking about Israel....
Romans 9:30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law [d]of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, [e]by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Yet you and those who teach your doctrine ignore all of that. They somehow think that Paul starts the chapter talking about Israel's current status before God and then abruptly changes the subject to the predestination of individual persons and then just as abruptly changes the subject back again to the subject of Israel's current status before God. It makes no sense at all!
In short, both the whole chapter itself as well as the Old Testament passages that the chapter makes reference to, proves, without any doubt whatsoever, that the subject matter of the chapter has to do with the nation of Israel and not particular individual persons.
I have quoted the KJV because "who art thou?" shows he was addressing an individual.
Right, I get it, but it doesn't work like that. This isn't how any language works. Notice the use of the phrase "can I not do with you" in Jeremiah 18:6, as though Israel was a singular person. Using language in this manner is common and intuitively understood and makes perfectly clear sense. The only time it would ever be made unclear is if you quoted that single sentence by itself and read it as though none of the whole rest of the chapter existed. Context is everything.
