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NASB | Romans 9:18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 9:18 So then, He has mercy on whom He wills (chooses), and He hardens [the heart of] whom He wills. |
Subject: God Hardens Whom He Desires? |
Bible Note: I have always found it useful - on the free will vs predestination issue - to recall Heb 1:3: 'And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power...' If God upholds ALL things by the word of His power, then this must indicate - on a purely logical assessment of Scripture - that He upholds our bodies, souls, and spirits by the word of His power, from moment to moment. That means that a decision to accept or reject Christ - a decision made by our wills, which are usually thought to be a component of our souls - is actually directly caused by the word of God's power, as is everything else. On a purely logical appraisal, based on the acceptance of Heb 1:3 as truth, free will is not free as we would like to think we are free, but has its origin in a sovereign decision made by God. However, Scripture - like God Himself - is not something that can be dissected and logically explained, like the operation of a wristwatch. The numerous scripture references to the choices that men can make - for good, or for evil (eg. Deut 30:19) - certainly point to the existence of human choice. My position is that free will and predestination are simultaneous; that is, mankind has free choice, yet those 'free' choices are also predestined by an omnipotent God. Such a position might be viewed as logically inadequate - which it is - but it has two main advantages. Firstly, it is consistent with Scripture - which makes references both to God's sovereign control of the universe, and to man's capacity to obey or disobey Him. Secondly, it diverts the energies of Christians away from dry theological debate (see 2 Tim 2:23) to prayer, obedience, and kingdom building. |