How we respond to God’s gift of eternal life will directly impact our reward in the life to come. Did you know the bible speaks of some church members being vessels of honor and others, dishonor in the sight of the Lord? The greatest risk God took was offering free will to humanity. What we do with free will, ultimately determines our eternal reward and with it an opportunity to rule and reign in the life to come. Why does the bible say God hated Esau? Join Carl now to find out more…
Here is a complete transcript of the broadcast (below)…
Friend, I want you to get a hold of what I’m about to say to you. Are you ready? Your faith won’t go further than your understanding of God’s word. An absence of knowledge about a topic in the Bible leads to doubt. Once you have a hint of doubt, then your ability to believe in God’s promise in that area will be hindered in some way. That’s why we have these daily teachings about God’s word on the radio, because with teaching comes knowledge and then understanding. When understanding comes, your faith will rise in the glorious God we serve and your doubt will dissipate rapidly. Once you have understanding of God’s word, you will better be able to trust in God in specific areas in your life. Friend, a faith that’s not practical is no faith at all. We need to make sure the promises of God leap from the pages of our Bibles and into our hearts. Once his word abides within us, we may better appropriate these promises in our lives.
Remember what Jesus said in John 15:7, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.” Remember the word must abide in you in order for it to manifest in your life. Now I’m going to give you some precepts here in the next few minutes that I live by, and they’re an amalgamation of findings by biblical scholars down the years to help us rightly divide the word of God. Now one thing we need to be very careful of when we read the Bible, friend, is who is saying what to whom and when was it said. Because not all scripture is inspired by God, but all scripture is given by inspiration. I’ll say it again, not all scripture is inspired by God, but all scripture is given by inspiration.
In fact, did you know there are lies in the Bible and they’re accurately recorded? So we need to be very careful what we take on board as truth to live by when we read God’s word on a daily basis. Just because something is stated in the Bible does not make it doctrine or even God’s will. So you need to be very careful when reading the word of God and always ask the Holy Spirit to assist you in fully understanding its meaning. We need a reoccurrence of several scriptures to correctly forge orthodox doctrine from the Holy Writ. We also need to judge everything in the Old Testament based on what we know in the New Testament. We interpret the old in light of the new because we have a better covenant. For example, much has been revealed in the New Testament that was not privy to the Old Testament saints, specifically about Satan, his nature, and his scope of operation. The best example of this is when it comes to the book of Job. In fact, many things Job said were wrong and God later rebuked him for it. Twenty chapters or so contain well-meaning but incorrect advice from Job’s friends, which represents more than half of the book of Job. Many false doctrines regarding suffering have been forged by theologians down the years, using the book of Job as a case in point. Heck, people have even written volumes about it, when all the while they fail to check up on who said what and to whom.
Did you know that only chapters 38 through 42, that’s five chapters, are God speaking and addressing Job directly? 29 out of 42 chapters document what Job and his friends spoke, and they were rebuked for it. So why on earth should we base doctrine on what God rebuked them for? I don’t think so. Therefore, 69% of Job can be thrown out of the window when it comes to using it as a source text for our theology. Friend, only what God said himself has value for doctrinal purposes, so we need to be careful. Remember, God reproved Job for his arrogance. Job chapters 32 through 37 was spoken by Elihu, who was not mentioned previously. And what he said has merit and agreed with God’s narrative later on. He was not listed as one of Job’s three friends either, and is somewhat of a mysterious character. More on that another time. Friend, I’d like to make something very clear to you when reading the Bible. Choice always wins, and God honors our choices because He’s not a respecter of persons. There’s a vast difference between foreknowledge and predestination. God knows everything that will happen in advance. This is foreknowledge. In other words, God already knows the choices man will make, but He did not predestine them to happen.
If God predestined man’s choice, that would mean He is somehow covertly influencing man behind the scenes without His knowledge to sway him in God’s direction, but this is not so. I touched upon this when I spoke about God’s sovereignty in another broadcast several weeks ago, so if you missed that, go to our website. In fact, in that message I listed 17 things that God cannot do, and perhaps there’s even 30 things He cannot do according to Scripture, so check that out. To reiterate, God doesn’t tamper with man’s free will ever, and this is a boundary He will not cross. Friend, God’s word is both a curse, it’s a blessing to those who rightly divide it, and a curse to those who wrongly divide it. We have commands and statutes to live by in the New Testament, and there are consequences for disobeying God’s word today, but not many of us want to hear this. It’s not a popular topic, so we need to rightly divide the word of God or we will fall into error. That’s why we need to dive in the Bible for ourselves and not let someone else tell you what’s in the word, even your pastor for that matter, and that includes me, friend, on the radio. Read it for yourself.
One point I want to get across to you is the more faithful you are to being diligent to understanding God’s word, more understanding will be given to you. The more faithful you are with what has been given, the more you will receive. It’s like when you enter a dark room and turn the light on. Initially you squint your eyes as there is a lot of light coming into the room, then gradually you allow more light to come into your eyes as you adjust to the greater light of the light bulb. It’s the same with God’s word. God’s word is light. As it penetrates your spirit you have the option of opening your eyes of understanding to more understanding, or shut them all together and walk away. This is what the Pharisees were doing.
Now let’s read Matthew chapter 13 verse 15, and this is Jesus speaking here, “For this people’s heart is wax gross and their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes they have closed, lest any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart and should be converted and I should heal them.” Because the Pharisees hearts were not open to hearing the truth, the little light that they had was diminished. God was not closing their eyes, but they closed their own eyes because they didn’t accustom their eyes to the little light that they had. As a result, their hearts waxed and they became spiritually blind. When you choose not to hear the truth you become more blind to spiritual things. In other words, the light came, they squinted their eyes and closed them. We all have a choice whether to squint and close them or to open our eyes further. We’re all accountable friend for the truth that is revealed to us. When we hear the truth we’re no longer ignorant and have to make a choice.
One of the favorite verses people use to validate their belief in predestination is Romans 9:13, when God says, “as it is written, Jacob I have loved but Esau I have hated.” However, the Hebrew is better translated as loved less rather than hate in this passage, but that’s besides the point. But why did God say this? Once again foreknowledge comes into play. God knew in advance of Esau’s choice to reject his own birthright, but God did not predestine it. God knew Esau’s DNA and his personality etc. because he created him. But choice always wins friend. No man is not predestined. God simply reads your mail before you’re born. He foreknows the choices you’ll make. Even to the point he knew that Adam and Eve would sin in the Garden of Eden long before it happened. God wanted a creation who would reciprocate his love. He didn’t want robots. If your mother or father or wife grabbed your hand and with teary eyes said, I love you because I have to. He wouldn’t be too pleased with that friend because it wasn’t a choice for them. But as far as God’s concerned, he loved us when we were sinners in a rebellious state. Romans 5 8 says, “but God commends his love towards us in that whilst yet we were sinners, Christ died for us.” Wow! Christ died for his enemies and we were his enemies because we were hostile toward God because of our sin issue.
Now another aspect of so-called predestination that I’d like to raise today in addition to Romans 9:13, is in 2nd Timothy 2:17-20, and I’ll read this passage to you now, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, but shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness and their word will eat as doth a canker of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless, the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal the Lord knows them that are his, and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and earth, and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meat for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” This passage is sometimes used out of context to say that some people are vessels of wood and some are gold, some are worthless and some are valuable to God.
In other words, some people are born poor and that is the way they have to stay. Some people are important in life because God made them that way and others aren’t, and they use this scripture to validate this false premise. Some contend that God decides in advance who’s going to be special and who’s not. But notice, friend, in this passage Hymenaeus and Philetus were marred by their own choices. Clearly, they strayed in their doctrine and began teaching that the resurrection of the dead in Christ had already occurred, which was false. Let’s read verse 21 one more time, shall we? “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to honor, and some to dishonor.”
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meat for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Friend, did you catch that? It says if a man purges himself from these, purges himself from what you’re asking? From iniquity. It says in verse 19, “let everyone that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” Friend, iniquity is another way of saying get rid of deliberate sin in your life. Get it out, confess it, and ask the Lord to help, but purge it out. God can’t get rid of it for us, otherwise he wouldn’t be telling us to get it out. It’s the same iniquity that was found in Lucifer. But the reason there’s no redemption for Lucifer is because there was no one to tempt him in the first place. But Adam and Eve were tempted. That’s why God sent Jesus the Redeemer to make us right with him.
Friend, our own personal choices will determine if we’re going to be wood, earth, gold or silver, and a valueless or valuable vessel in the hands of the potter. The choice is up to us. If we cooperate with God’s Word, we can be more useful to him because he trusts us, and thus we can become a vessel of honor at the judgment seat of Christ, a vessel that honors him, one who is obedient and fruitful, and a good steward of the resources that were granted to him. It is at this judgment seat that we Christians will be judged according to our works for the service of the gospel, because our salvation is assured already. In sharp contrast, all unbelievers will have to stand before the great white throne judgment because they have no covenant with God, but unfortunately their works won’t be good enough in the eyes of God because the Word says there is none righteous, no not one.
Friend, it’s obvious from this broadcast that God didn’t predestine some men for honor or dishonor. It was up to them to respond correctly to the potter’s hand and to the Word of God, and God equips us and helps us to respond correctly as we work in fellowship and unison with the Spirit of God and his Word. Understand, friend, that you can change the situation you’re in right now. Seek the Lord, get obedient to what he’s asking you to do, and you too can be a vessel of honor. Until tomorrow, good night, God bless, and remember to spread the good news.
https://carljosephministries.com/podcast/the-true-vine-john-chapter-15/
https://ernestangley.org/read/article/purged_through_the_blood
Title: Purge yourself for Honor
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Six Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What does it mean that some Christians are “vessels of honor” and others “vessels of dishonor”?
This concept comes from 2 Timothy 2:20–21, where Paul describes believers as different kinds of vessels in a “great house.” Some are gold and silver (used for honorable purposes), and others are wood and clay (used for dishonorable purposes). The podcast explains that this distinction isn’t predetermined by God, but instead is based on personal choices. If a person purges themselves from iniquity, they become a vessel of honor, fit for God’s use.
2. Does God decide in advance who will be honored and who won’t?
No. The podcast emphasizes that God does not predestine people to be vessels of dishonor. Instead, He gives every person free will—the ability to choose how they will live, respond to His Word, and whether they will walk in obedience or rebellion. God may know the choices a person will make in advance (foreknowledge), but He does not force or predetermine them.
3. Why does the Bible say God “hated Esau”?
Romans 9:13 says, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” According to the podcast, this phrase is better understood as “loved less”, not literal hatred. God foresaw Esau’s disregard for his birthright and spiritual responsibilities. Esau chose to prioritize worldly needs over spiritual inheritance (Genesis 25). God’s statement reflects His foreknowledge of Esau’s choices—not a decision to predestine him to failure or rejection.
4. How does free will affect our eternal reward?
Free will is the greatest risk God took, according to Carl. It’s what makes our love and obedience to God meaningful. Our choices in this life—how we respond to God’s Word, how we deal with sin, and whether we walk in truth—will determine our eternal reward, including the opportunity to reign with Christ. Christians will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ, not for salvation, but for how faithfully they lived.
5. Is everything written in the Bible meant to be applied directly to our lives?
Not necessarily. Carl warns that not everything recorded in the Bible is God’s will or even doctrine. Some parts, especially in books like Job, include statements made by people that were later corrected or rebuked by God. For proper understanding, believers must rightly divide the Word of Truth—interpret scripture in context, with the help of the Holy Spirit, and through the lens of the New Covenant in Christ.
6. How can I become a “vessel of honor” in God’s eyes?
According to 2 Timothy 2:21, the key is to “purge yourself” from sin and iniquity—that is, to confess, repent, and live obediently to God’s Word. Being a vessel of honor means you are sanctified, useful to God, and prepared for every good work. It’s not about your status, background, or gifting—it’s about your willingness to submit to God and be transformed by His Spirit.
Carl is an authority. He is a biblical scholar, minister, author, husband, father, and life coach. In his mid-twenties he had a powerful encounter with God and saw miraculous healings as a result. Carl is a unique researcher who investigates current affairs, societal trends, prophecy, technology, cults, and end time events, all through a biblical lens.
Carl holds a Doctorate in Theology (Th D). His Alma Mata includes: Salford University, Manchester, UK, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK, Rhema Bible Training College (Tulsa), and Southwestern Christian University (Oklahoma City).
Carl Joseph Ministries empowers believers in Christ to fulfill their God given potential. Join Carl every other Monday on the Lions Unchained Podcast, available on Spotify, iTunes and other mainstream platforms.
He currently resides in Colorado, with his lovely wife Amy, and their three children.
