Rufus
Are the New Covenant promises of God in these two central OT passages (Jer 31 and Ezek 36) bilateral or unilateral? Conditional or unconditional?
Which logically means unilateral/unconditional. God is sovereignly decreeing what he will do under the terms of the covenant. There are no conditions nor any record of Israel or anyone else agreeing to obey the terms of NC, which differs greatly from the OC since there are plenty of "IF"'s stipulated throughout the covenant plus Israel agreed multiple time to abide by its terms.
Rufus:
Secondly, what were the conditions under which God loved (chose) Jacob and hated (rejected) Esau in Rom 9?
God blessed Esau temporally but he was excluded from the Abrahamic Covenant, which means he was not a child of promise, according to Paul (Rom 91-15), whereas Jacob was. Furthermore, God rejected Easu from participating in the Abrahamic Covenant, whereas God elected Jacob to participate in eternity before they did anything good or bad (vv.10-13).
Rufus:
And lastly, why can't the biblical doctrine of Unconditional Election be referring solely to the absolute and total moral/spiritual bankruptcy of sinners to teach us that there is no good thing inherent in any sinner that would warrant God's attraction to him?
Of course it is. See Romans 8 and 9 for starters. Also, the natural condition of all unregenerate sinners is darkness (Eph 5:8). God delivers his elect from the darkness and brings then into the kingdom of light (Col 1:13). And he shines his light into the hearts of his elect to give his chosen ones "the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2Cor 4:6). And Jesus taught that sinners do not come to the light because they LOVE the darkness their deeds are evil and they HATE the light (Jn 3:19-20).
Your high view of God-hating, dead sinners is totally unjustified.
Are the New Covenant promises of God in these two central OT passages (Jer 31 and Ezek 36) bilateral or unilateral? Conditional or unconditional?
Bilateral. The text does not say whether they are conditional or not.
Rufus:
Secondly, what were the conditions under which God loved (chose) Jacob and hated (rejected) Esau in Rom 9?
Esau the patriarch eventually submitted to God's election of Esau to serve the younger Jacob, and God blessed that Esau. Esau's descendants departed from their patriarch's godly submission and sought to destroy Jacob's descendants. Those were the conditions under which God declared 800 years later through Malachi, that he loved (would preserve) Jacob, despite Jacob's rebellion, and had hated (had destroyed) Esau for His rebellion.
Rufus:
And lastly, why can't the biblical doctrine of Unconditional Election be referring solely to the absolute and total moral/spiritual bankruptcy of sinners to teach us that there is no good thing inherent in any sinner that would warrant God's attraction to him?
Because the doctrine of Unconditional Election is not biblical. There is the light of God in every man that attracts God to all men as potential saints and children of God, if they are willing to stop distrusting God and to begin trusting Him. Also the doctrine of the total moral/spiritual bankruptcy of sinners is not biblical.
Your high view of God-hating, dead sinners is totally unjustified.