Ergun and Romans 9

The October 16th's post on Ergun Caner's Blog:

Just some food for thought, from the 1859 sermon by Charles Spurgeon entitled JACOB AND ESAU.

"Why does God hate any man? I defy anyone to give any answer but this, because that man deserves it; no reply but that can ever be true. There are some who answer, divine sovereignty; but I challenge them to look that doctrine in the face. Do you believe that God created man and arbitrarily, sovereignly -— it is the same thing - created that man, with no other intention, than that of damning him? Made him, and yet, for no other reason than that of destroying him for ever? Well, if you can believe it, I pity you, that is all I can say: you deserve pity, that you should think so meanly of God, whose mercy endureth for ever."

CITATION: Charles Spurgeon, Sermon: JACOB AND ESAU (January 16, 1859)

I read recently that I "“turned Romans 9 upside down". ” Well, then I stand in good company... with Spurgeon... against those who embrace reprobation.

This is a refutation of the charge that Ergun had mishandled the Word of God? First of all, the charge against Ergun is about his sermon in which he misquotes Romans 9. I listened to that sermon, and he clearly stated that God loved Jacob and hated Esau based on what they would do. So let's see what the text says shall we?:

Rom 9:10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
Rom 9:12 it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER."
Rom 9:13 Just as it is written, "JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED."
Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!
Rom 9:15 For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION."
Rom 9:16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

Now that you have read the text, does it have anything to do with Spurgeon's quote? Does it have to do with what God expressly commands and wills? Ergun most certainly overthrew the text in favor of his Tradition.

What do we do with the following portion of the text? Should we ignore it?

Rom 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH."
Rom 9:18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
Rom 9:19 You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?"
Rom 9:20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it?
Rom 9:21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
Rom 9:22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
Rom 9:23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
Rom 9:24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

Here we are specifically told that God did in fact raise Pharaoh for a purpose. That purpose was to display His wrath. Ergun would do well in learning the major differences in the terms "Election" and "Reprobation". In fact, I have even Blogged about the terms in the past. If I can understand them, shouldn't he?

I do however have a question for Dr. Caner. If God knew beforehand that perhaps billions of men would choose to go to hell, and He knew beforehand there was nothing he could do about it, why did He create them? How does his position solve anything?

The problem with attempting to make Spurgeon a non-Calvinist is that history won't let Dr. Caner. With the advent of the Internet and easily researchable engines to give large amounts of information, the truth is easily found if wanted. Dr. Caner may attempt to go the road of Dave Hunt, but Hunt was soundly refuted. Perhaps Dr. Caner would be wise to read a little more before he tries to manipulate citations.