Jacob I Have Loved, Esau I Have Hated

Here is a brief (and belated) response to a comment on my post on the justice of God.

Morsec0de wrote:  "You have two people who live identical lives. The one and only difference is that one is a believer, and the other is not. Do you view it as just that one of those be tortured for all eternity and the other not? I’m sorry, but that is an absolutely revolting concept, and the being who instituted it would be despicable. I’m quite glad there is no good evidence to support such a being actually existing."

My response:

I quoted from Romans chapter 9 in my last post concerning God's choice of Jacob over Esau and I think that shedding further light on this will answer Morsec0de's question.  Readers be warned, this answer will probably not be a popular one, but it is a biblical one.

The Justice of God

In my last post, Are We Justified by Actions or by Beliefs? which was in response to the post prior to it, Will Atheists go to Hell? I received further comments from a couple of atheists questioning the goodness and justice of God in sending people away to eternal punishment.  I will attempt to answer their objections here.

I wrote, "If my justification depended on my actions I (and everyone else) would be doomed to damnation."

Morsec0de wrote, "Doesn't that suggest too high of a standard?"

My response:

Yes! That's the whole point of the biblical tension between  law and grace.  Logically, one leads to the other.  Here are a few biblical facts about the law of God: