1. 1 “it was said to her, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ Just as it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’ ” Ro 9:12–13 We need to have an answer for this so that our hearts will no longer object to what it is trying to convey to us. We can’t look at the life of Jacob and say he was a far more godly man that Esau. He haggles with his mother over responsibility for any curse that might have fallen to him over lying to his father. He selfishly cheated Esau over the birthright rather than trusting God and he selfishly battled Laban over wages. How do we account for the difference between Jacob, who God said He loved, and Esau, who He said He hated?

2. 2 “it was said to her, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ Just as it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’ ” Ro 9:12–13 Why do you suppose God made this statement concerning these two men before they were even born? We can’t look at the life of Jacob and say he was a far more godly man that Esau. He haggles with his mother over responsibility for any curse that might have fallen to him over lying to his father. He selfishly cheated Esau over the birthright rather than trusting God and he selfishly battled Laban over wages. How do we account for the difference between Jacob, who God said He loved, and Esau, who He said He hated? Does anybody have a problem with God saying that He hated Esau? God says that He loved the world. Jesus loved those who betrayed and cursed him. How can God love the world and hate Esau and be consistent? A Christian’s life is not about what he does. It is about what he IS in Christ, what Jesus is in him and what God does through him. All that we do apart from Him is just selfish wood, hay and stubble and all of it is offensive to God. So it is no wonder that God hates what people do in rebellious independence from God.

3. 3 “it was said to her, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ Just as it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’ ” Ro 9:12–13 Why do you suppose God made this statement concerning these two men before they were even born? We can’t look at the life of Jacob and say he was a far more godly man that Esau. He haggles with his mother over responsibility for any curse that might have fallen to him over lying to his father. He selfishly cheated Esau over the birthright rather than trusting God and he selfishly battled Laban over wages. How do we account for the difference between Jacob, who God said He loved, and Esau, who He said He hated? But an unbeliever has no ability for righteous activity because he is not in union with God. All that he does is self-serving and wicked. Because God is in believers and works through them He can love what He does in them, but the works of an unbeliever cannot possibly be separated from what they are, which is purely selfish and wicked. We ARE righteousness, the very righteousness of Christ, but they are evil, sinful and totally selfish in their essence.

4. 4 But – someone is going to say that they know this wonderful old couple, married for 60 years and are deeply in love – but are atheists. Do they love? This is important. Their lives may be filled with kind deeds and even self- sacrifice for the other. How can you scrutinize that? Any way you look at it, being kind to an unbelieving mate is always better than fighting with him, but it is nothing more than a satanic imitation of God’s design. There is no way that a person is capable of love without some connection with the Source of love. Love does not seek its own 1Cor 13:5 therefore what they claim is love is actually only selfishness giving others a reason to give them what they want. It is only refined selfishness. You can’t love unless you are connected with the Source.