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Romans Commentary Chapters 9-16  /  Romans 9:10-13 the Two Nations from Jacob and Esau Part Two  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 3
Clifton claims God chose Jacob and rejected Esau “because of future unrighteousness,” appealing to God’s “perfect foreknowledge”; what do you find most compelling—or most troubling—about the idea that God’s choices are not arbitrary yet are made “before they were born,” and how does that affect your view of God’s justice?
Another way to ask: Clifton says God chose Jacob and rejected Esau because He knew their future choices, even before they were born. What feels most convincing or most troubling about that, and how does it shape your view of God’s justice?

Direct Answer Based on the transcript, the compelling claim is that God’s pre-birth choices are grounded in “perfect foreknowledge” of character, not randomness—so God is not unfair even when He speaks before events unfold. The potentially troubling part is emotional: God’s decision is announced before any visible “evidence,” yet Terry argues God is later “vindicated” because foreknowledge proves true.

Support from Transcript:

  • “For the children not yet being born, neither having done any good or evil… the purpose of God according to His choice might stand.”
  • “Before they were born, God knew what type of men these brothers would grow up to be.”
  • Clifton states: “Jacob would become a righteous man, while Esau would become a profane man.”
  • Quoting the (so-called) Otterate: “God did not wait for the evidence of events… he foretold the difference… from foreknowing their dispositions.”
  • “For God’s choice is not arbitrary, but in accordance with the character of men.”
  • “Was this unfair on God’s part? No, for his foreknowledge is infallible. God was vindicated for Jacob went on to live a godly life, and Esau an ungodly one.”
Discussion Follow-ups How does “foreknowledge” function in your mind: comfort (God sees truly) or discomfort (God decides early)? What would it mean to trust God’s justice when you cannot see the “vindication” yet?

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