"Though He had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 'Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?'
Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.'"
- John 12:37-40
I accept the Bible as the very word of God. Therefore, everything it says must be true. That does not mean, however, that it is easy to accept everything Scripture says. We see an example here. I accept it as truth, but an uncomfortable truth.
In this paragraph, the Apostle John describes a scene in which Jesus, even after showing His power in miracles, is rejected by a particular crowd of Jews. Yet John is not mystified by their rejection. He immediately ascribes it, under the infallible inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to the will of God, who had chosen to blind these people to the truth of what they had seen. God had intentionally and deliberately darkened their minds so that they would deny the evidence of their own eyes, and remain in unbelief.
Why these particular people, but not others, such as our author, John? We do not know. God does not deign to explain His sovereign choices to us (Romans 9:19-26). We are informed simply that it was His choice.
This is the doctrine of reprobation. Just as God chose in prehistory to have mercy on certain sinners, He chose to condemn others. And, just as we cannot know the reason for the first, we also cannot know the reason for the second (Deuteronomy 29:29).
I accept the Bible as the very word of God. Therefore, everything it says must be true. That does not mean, however, that it is easy to accept everything Scripture says. We see an example here. I accept it as truth, but an uncomfortable truth.
In this paragraph, the Apostle John describes a scene in which Jesus, even after showing His power in miracles, is rejected by a particular crowd of Jews. Yet John is not mystified by their rejection. He immediately ascribes it, under the infallible inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to the will of God, who had chosen to blind these people to the truth of what they had seen. God had intentionally and deliberately darkened their minds so that they would deny the evidence of their own eyes, and remain in unbelief.
Why these particular people, but not others, such as our author, John? We do not know. God does not deign to explain His sovereign choices to us (Romans 9:19-26). We are informed simply that it was His choice.
This is the doctrine of reprobation. Just as God chose in prehistory to have mercy on certain sinners, He chose to condemn others. And, just as we cannot know the reason for the first, we also cannot know the reason for the second (Deuteronomy 29:29).
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