"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and turn,
And I would heal them."
-John 12:40
In this verse (quoted from Isaiah 6:10), Jesus is responding to the unbelief of the Jewish audience which heard His words and saw His miracles, yet refused to believe. He describes the sad sentence on them, not for their unbelief, but as the reason for their unbelief: God had blinded them. In theology, we call this reprobation.
Paul describes the same principle: "So then, He has mercy on whomever He wills [i. e., election], and He hardens whomever He wills" (Romans 9:18).
No principle displays the absolute sovereignty more forthrightly than this one, which is why it may be the most hated doctrine in Scripture, even among self-described Calvinists. It completely eliminates the spiritual autonomy of men, striking at the fallen heart of the unbeliever, and even pricking the remaining pride in the believer. Yet Scripture reveals it, so that we are compelled to believe it.
Succinct yet powerful.
ReplyDelete