hard heart? blind?

Question

fellow Christians, please help me understand the meaning of this.
The bible makes several references to God hardening the heart of people (ex. the pharoh) and blinding the faith of people (Corin 4).

Why does he do this? If we have the right to choose Him why does He make it so some peoples hearts are hardened from Him? This would mean its not our fault for not believing?? help!

Answer 1

http://www.biblemeat.com/articles/wackerly6.htm

Answer 2

This was a VERY hard concept for me as well when I became a Christian..it almost saddened me to think of our God who is just and merciful and all loving and always forgiving PURPOSELY hardening the hearts of some. But I think that, of course, God is our creator and we are his creation and maybe he is just showing us that he does have control over us..his created object. Our very existance depends on him. When we sit and try to figure out why God does things the way he does, thats when we start to question His ways and wills for our life. Isiah 55:8 says "My thoughts are not your thoughts and neither our your ways my ways" Our FINITE minds could NEVER understand the complexity of why God does what he does or how he works. It kind of goes along the smae lines of why does a 3 year old die of cancer? or a man who has dedicated his whole life to raising his children Godly have a child completely go the wrong way and fall into Satans ways? We have to have faith.

Answer 3

There is only a certain amount of Christians that believe that we have a free will. Most Calvinstic Christians do not, but they believe that man's will is depraved by sin and only allows him the ability to choose evil from his own selfish nature. God therefore becomes necessary in order to draw someone to Himself before they can become saved. The verses you are presenting are the other side of that coin, and the Bible uses the case of Pharoah as an illistration of one whose heart God hardened. We find the same sort of thing with homosexuality in Romans 1 where God declares that He gives people up to believe lies, and fall into perversion because of their rejection of Him. It is a difficult doctrine to accept but seems to be clearly taught in the Bible.

Answer 4

If you will take the whole story and realize God's Soveriegnty to do according to His own will, which is greater than ours and His ways are higher than our ways. To Pharoah he said I have raised you up for this very purpose that i might show my power through you. Now, God raised up Pharoah, built up the kingdom of Egypt in order that when in the fullness of time the children of Israel would be sent one who would free His people from bondage. However look at what Pharoah did with what God gave him - he subjegated the whole world! He put to death many Hebrews, dashed them, drowned them, and forced them to a life of object poverty and slavery, so when the time came to bring His people out of Egypt, God's word was true, Pharoah of his own free will hardened his heart several times before God hardened it, yet Pharoah still had free will - for he hardened his own heart before and afterwards.

Some would say that this is predestination, that no one chooses, no one has free will, for God knows all things how can one have free will free choice? Yet God who knows all things, can and does give his creatures to be free moral agents. For there is nothing to hard for God.

If you need more let me know

Answer 5

God does not harden peoples hearts people do that to them selfs through their anger for something that goes wrong in their lifes God did not harden pharohs heart again'' he did it to him self,people have a choice to do good or evil. he did not blind their faith, their faith was blinded by sin.

Answer 6

If you are referring to 2 Corinthians 4:3, you need to read the entire text -- before and after. Also I would suggest that you first read a paraphrased translation of the Bible. like the New Living Translation. Later you can read a more literal version. But if this is the scripture you are referring to, be sure and read verse 4 snd it tells you why the message is veiled from them. Good luck in your spiritual journey.

Answer 7

First of all, we don't find or choose Him. He chooses and finds us. Those phrases are in reference to people who has been chosen and yet they continually deny Him and/or live in disobedience to Him. When people do this, there is a place they can get to where He pulls back from the tug of His Spirit to their hearts. His Spirit allows the eyes and ears of our heart to be open and to receive. By that, His light shines on our hearts opening up our understanding of His Truths. His Truths by His Word increases our faith by the hearing of it. But not if our understanding has been shut down. Continual denial of His Spirit in our lives causes Him to draw back from pursueing a relationship with us much like it would us as well. If you are pursueing a relationship with someone and they continually give you the cold shoulder, you will eventually back off from that person. I hope this helps. PEACE!!!

Answer 8

God has set his Glory in the Heavens so that on that day no one will be with out excuse , He sends rain on the rightuess as well as the unrighteous , God gives each person a chance and the more they reject him they know in their own heart that it is wrong , so it makes there heart Harding that they could believe a lie

Answer 9

We don't know exactly why, and in this way we know that we cannot judge either.
Exodus 33:19(God is speaking to Moses):
He answered, "I will make all my beauty pass before you, and in your presence I will pronounce my name, 'LORD'; -------->I who show favors to whom I will, I who grant mercy to whom I will.<----------

Emphasis mine (obviously) .

EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT

Normally, you have to see this in light of the Bible as a whole. What was God doing? To pharoah, he appears to have been calling miracles AND weakening Egypt. Perhaps Egypt had to be weakened in order for Israel to flourish the way it did, and become the seed for monotheism and Jesus in the world. In these cases, I always ensure that the dead are God's bussiness. He was carrying out a task.

The NAB suggests the corinthians 4 indicates the Paul is saying that those who think the Gospel is veiled, believe it is such because they don't want to believe it. They deny the truth and are headed to perish. This is contrast to Pharoah.

Answer 10

Romans..9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for * this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Romans..11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

Answer 11

God uses vessels of honor and dishonor.Pharaoh was a vessel of dishonor and God used him (he rejected God and His miracles).
Accept Jesus:
Romans 10