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NASB | Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 1:20 For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense. [Ps 19:1-4; Eph 2:10] |
Subject: Is God somehow responsible? |
Bible Note: EdB, you said, "That is not the only historic Protestant view. There is another that God gave man free will and allowed him choice. Just as he did with Adam and Eve he does with us all". Does Scripture not say otherwise? Jude 1:4 "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." EdB, this is one of many verses that clearly state that God decreed of old, some men to be damned for eternity. Now don't get angry at me, I'm just quoting Scripture:-) Exodus 4:21-23 "And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go." Isn't it obvious that it was God who caused Pharaoh's heart to be hardened? Not Pharaoh himself. And again, in Romans 9:22-23 "What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." I know this upsets many people, but biblically, some are indeed "fitted to destruction." Why? So God can show His love for the elect. Joshua 11:20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses". Again, it was God who "hardened their hearts". Psalm 105:25 "He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtly with his servants." Who turned their heart? --God. Proverbs 16:1 "The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD". Again, from who? The LORD, not man. Acts 17:28 "For in him we live, and move, and have our being…" In Him. Not in us. He turns our hearts: Proverbs 21:1 "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." Proverbs 20:24 "Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?" We can't understand our own way EdB! Jeremiah 10:23 "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps". And thank God for that brother EDB! Trust only in Him! Sometimes, God even stops good counsel when it serves His purpose: 2 Samuel 17:14 "And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom". Isaiah 63:17 "O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear?" Why EdB? Why does God sometimes harden people's hearts? Because He is God and He is sovereign and He makes all things work for His glory. I could go on and on and on, but I fear I've taken up to much room already! And my guess is - we might as well debate how many angels could fit on the head of a pin:-) |