Wednesday, December 17, 2014

He Will Not Reject Us

"Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright, For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." (Hebrews 12: 16-17)

Because we are born again by the Spirit of God (Romans 8: 15), we no longer identify with our flesh, but His Spirit:

"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4: 16)

and then

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Galatians 5: 25)

So, when we read about Esau, the older brother of Jacob, we recognize a type of the flesh, whereas we are all descendants of Abraham,  Isaac, and Jacob because of Jesus:

"Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called." (Romans 9: 7)

and then

"As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." (Romans 9: 13)

Now, was God arbitrarily punishing Esau? Not at all. Paul explains the type of law and grace:

"(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)" (Romans 9: 11)

which connects with

"16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." (Romans 9: 16)

These passages make it clear -- we are not saved because of what we do or have done, but what Jesus did:

"8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

Now, with these New Covenant revelations in mind, we can better understand what the writer of Hebrews is referencing above. Esau esteemed his flesh more than the grace of God. He tried to change his father Isaac's mind about granting the blessing to Jacob, yet Esau could have no say in reversing God's will.

Guess what? We cannot reverse what God has done in our lives, either! We are saved by grace, and God our Father invites us to keeping receiving this grace in our lives (Romans 5: 17). He will not reject us, because we are made accepted before Him in Christ (Ephesians 1: 6)

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