What if?

What if? Romans 9:22-29.

What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? Romans 9:22-24 (NKJV)

It is nice to know that "What if" questions never go out of style. Paul was laboring to explain that though a person is a descendant of Abraham, they are not necessarily a child of God. God accepts only certain people who have humbled themselves, admitting their sins, and seek a sacrifice to cover their sin. Everyone else will pay for their sin by their own blood.

People ask, "Why does God not punish those who do bad or wipe them out?" To which we answer that God is long suffering and waiting for people to repent. Inside of the heart of God is not only love, but grace for people who are willing to accept it.

Paul's "What if" statement was intended to place in the minds of the reader that God is holding out until the perfect time. He will then show His power and will be totally justified, pouring His wrath out in judgment of the way people lived. In addition, His mercy will be evident as those who are saved from their sins are ushered into heaven.

This leads to some "What if" questions of our own. What if God wiped out every person who did something evil? The answer is there would be no one left. If God yielded immediate justice, then all who have sinned would be destroyed and the human race would be annihilated.

You might remember that He did this when He destroyed the world by flood. There were none that did good except for Noah and his family. Warnings were preached as the ark was built, but they mocked and jeered Noah. Then the day came when God poured out His wrath, but in grace God saved Noah.

What if God killed only the really bad people, judging them immediately? Where this would calm our fear of bad people, this would be like posting a final score before the big game was played. Grace could not be true if a chance was not given and to every person a chance is given.

Because God has such an open call and the ability to hold back His anger, the gospel has been extended beyond Israel and to the rest of the world thus fulfilling the promise to Abraham that through his seed all the world would be blessed.

As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved." "And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,' You are not My people, 'There they shall be called sons of the living God." Romans 9:25-26 (NKJV)

People like to be exclusive. We have desires to be unique; achieving higher standards for every new generation. To do this a person must separate themselves to do good. However, recognizing this about ourselves, we must remember to remain open for others who have just begun or are about to begin their steps towards change. For we all start at the same place, recognizing that God is Lord.

What if God were to stop offering grace one person short of your own child being allowed to have it? Would that be fair? Of course not and no matter what sins people have committed or will commit, we must be patent and offer them grace.

Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved. For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth." Romans 9:27-28 (NKJV)

Israel becomes the example to the world in regards to the feelings of exclusivity. Wanting themselves to be obedient to God, they took Him serious in being a particular people and with that they separated themselves from the world.

Gentiles were considered as dogs, because of the way they acted and believed. There was not much room for offering passage for others to know God and participate in the Jewish customs. Yet in their very scriptures, God's plan to reach the entire world was there. As quoted from Isaiah, "I will call them My people, who were not My people."

Yet Isaiah also warns by teaching that not all of Israel will be saved, but only a remnant. This remnant is those who took the time to understand God's grace and were faithful to live righteously. This also sets the example to the world that though people carry religiousness about themselves, not all will be granted grace, even among the Jews.

There is also coming a time where God will stop His work. Just as the Old Testament ended and a New Testament began, the era of grace will be over. At that time the earth will be full of people and no longer will they have opportunity to receive grace for their sin.

And as Isaiah said before: "Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah." Romans 9:29 (NKJV)

God began His work before the world was ever made as He established the plan that Christ would die. In His plan it includes a seed of hope; a seed of salvation which grows inside the heart of people. Some of the seeds do not make it into fertile soil or the soil they do land in grows with weeds, choking out the very life of the plant. Yet year after year, the message of grace given because of sincerity and repentance had been planted, grown, and reproduced; even as the plants wither and die, the see goes on.

Without the promise and the gift of grace sin would have ravaged man and God would be forced to deal brutal destruction, but God loves. God extends His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He has a plan, a way, a warning, and a promise, which is fairly distributed through the whole earth and to each generation. This plan waits for those who will seek Him and take hold of His mercy and grace. The only thing you must ask your self is, "What if you do not reach out for it?"