One of the Scariest Sentences in the Bible

"But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you." -- Exodus 7:3-4

This verse makes me shudder. Pharaoh was hardened to the message of God. Several passages tell us that Pharaoh hardened his own heart and would not allow the people of Israel to leave Egypt. But Pharaoh's thoughts and decisions were not the primary cause of his hardness of heart. Don't get me wrong; Pharaoh's contribution to his hardening was entirely his responsibility. He acted according to precisely what he wanted to do. God did not force Pharaoh, against his will, to reject Moses' request. But God did cause him to do precisely that! And Pharaoh did it willingly.

God rules the minds of men, either allowing them to think and act according to their fallen nature, or changing their hearts and minds to think and act according to a new nature.

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." -- Ezekiel 36:26-27

According to the New Covenant, God causes his people to carefully obey. How? By giving them a new heart. God fixes our wants; we used to want things according to our fallen natures, but God, in a miracle of new birth, gives us new desires. God is the primary cause of my desiring God.

So why is this sentence so scary? Because God could have hardened my heart.

Todd

A Paper on The Problem of Evil

In my Personal Reformation post, I mentioned a couple of papers that I had written that were formative for my life and theology. I posted the first about God's sovereignty about a week ago, and I just posted the other, a paper on the problem of evil.

I have no delusions; I do not claim to be a good writer or wise scholar. I just wanted to share with you how God has worked in my life.

Please feel free to comment, but only with graciousness, please. ;-)

Todd

Paper on God's Sovereignty

In my last post, I made reference to a paper I wrote in Systematic I entitled, God's Sovereignty, Human Moral Freedom, and Responsibility. Well, I think I have figured out a way to publish it for anyone interested in reading my feeble exercise. Posted here. I'll be working to upload other stuff, too.

By the way, I think Google is taking over the world...

Todd

UPDATE: I uploaded the file as a PDF to better preserve the formatting...

"You Will Hear But Never Understand"

At the end of Acts (28:17-31), Paul arrived in Rome and asked to speak with the leaders of the Roman Jews. They appointed a time for him to speak and many Jews came to hear Paul. He spent all day trying to make them see the "light of the glory of the gospel of Christ," but they were divided. So Paul quoted Isaiah and said,

"'You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.'
Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen."

These Jews were responsible for their sinful rejection of Jesus, but God ordained this from the beginning. God's chosen would reject the Christ so that God could extend his grace to the Gentiles. We owe our salvation, in part, to the Jews' rejection of their Messiah!

We could thank them, but our hearts are broken that they rejected Christ. This is the epitome of mixed emotions.

Todd

In Honor of Luther

I am reading a book on the doctrine of sin entitled With Willful Intent and I have happened upon the portion of the text that covers Luther's view on sin. Ten days before Reformation Day, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pass along a quote. This is from page 66:

Luther acknowledged that the idea of God willing humans to sin seemed clearly to suggest that He was, therefore, the cause of sin. To continue to insist that God had also made the law and expects humans to keep it creates intense conflict. Luther's response to such a dilemma? 'This is too deep for us. God's will is involved, but I am not supposed to know how this all happens.'

Yes, we all struggle with this, don't we? I'm glad the dead guys struggled with it, too!

Todd

Asking the Question Correctly

While speaking at the Desiring God 2006 National Conferece, Voddie Baucham asked this question regarding the problem of evil (or, if God is good and in control, why do bad things happen?):

How on earth can a holy and righteous God know what I did and thought and said on yesterday and not kill me in my sleep last night?

Why does evil exist? God's magnificent grace!

Humbled to the dust...

Todd

The Election of Paul

In Acts chapter 9 we find this man Saul terrorizing the church; he sought and received authority from the high priest to arrest men and women who were following Christ. Luke is such a good story teller! Saul is on his way to Damascus to apprehend more believers, when he is himself arrested by God Almighty! Jesus appears to Saul in his glory, convicts him of his sin, blinds him, and commands him to go on to Damascus and wait.

Why do you think Jesus confronted Saul? Because Saul was persecuting the Church? Was Jesus simply protecting the saints from this zealous Pharisee?

Actually, we find in verses 15-16 the answer to this question. The Lord explained to Ananias exactly why Saul of Tarsus was arrested (or elected):

"For he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."

Saul did not pray a prayer to be saved. Saul was saved whether he liked it or not; and we know from his writings that he liked it very much (Philippians 1:23). Ananias laid his hands on Saul, prayed that he might be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he baptized Saul without so much as a profession of faith recorded in Scripture! To quote the great theologian, Nebuchadnezzar:

"I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounting as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, 'What have you done?'" (Daniel 4:34-35)

I find great comfort, and I stand in awe, that God saves or arrests or elects sinners like me despite our best efforts not to be saved. It is true that we must put our faith in God, but we must also realize that God first loved us (1 John 4:19).

I pray that you will be comforted by God's electing purposes!

Todd

Ezra on Providence

Ezra, in chapter 8, confesses that he was ashamed to ask Artaxerxes for an escort because he had told the king,

The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him. (Ezra 8:22)

Sound familiar? Romans 8:28 says,

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

So, Ezra fasted and prayed for God to provide them safety on their journey, and God answered their prayers.

May God give us faith to trust him!

Todd

How Theology Helps Us Cope With Life

My son, Brandon, was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes on Wednesday of this week. He had been drinking like a fish, urinating frequently, having occasional headaches, and he had lost about 5 pounds in the last month. Heather mentioned that she was thinking about having him checked for diabetes, but I blew it off. It's been really hot here, and I just attributed his thirst and urination to normal bodily functions for someone playing outside and getting hot and sweaty.

On Tuesday, we went to the Kentucky State Fair with our friends, Logan and Allison. Heather mentioned Brandon's symptoms to Allison (who just happens to be a nutritionist and used to work with diabetic patients), and she instructed us firmly to consult his doctor as soon as possible.

So, Wednesday, Heather and Brandon visited his pediatrician, and they stopped by my office to give me the results. I asked my son, "So how did it go? What did the doctor tell you today?" He replied in a quivering, frightened voice, "They said I might have type I diabetes." The doctor's office had performed a blood test (ouch), and found that Brandon's blood sugar level was about 450. Four hundred fifty. What does that mean? Next thought; what's normal? So I asked my wife, "What's the normal level?" Normal is 80-100 for a child his age. Heather said, "We're on our way to the endocrinologist; wanna come?"

At one point in the conversation I asked Brandon, "Do you trust God? Because we know that God works all things together for those who trust him." He said, "I do trust God."

We found our way to Dr. Raghavan's office, not far from my workplace. While we waited, I read a Richard Scarry book to Brandon that I am pretty sure I read as a kid. About 1:30p or so, the doctor saw us and we learned that Brandon would have to begin to have his blood tested several times each day, and the results of his blood sugar test would indicate how much insulin he would need.

Heather and Brandon had not had lunch yet, so the doctor sent us to get some lunch. We went through the drive-through at McDonald's and found a shady place to eat in the car. I lead my family in a prayer of thanksgiving for the food and a prayer for strength and courage for the trial we were facing. As we dried our eyes, I asked Brandon again, "Do you still trust God?" Again, he replied, "I trust God, Daddy."

We headed back to the doctor's office for Brandon's shot, some prescriptions, and our instructions for the evening. Brandon was terrified, and I had to restrain him for his shot, but once it was all over, he realized the shots were not too bad. Heather dropped me back off at work, headed home with Brandon to get some clothes, drop off the prescriptions, and then meet me back at the hospital.

As I continue to process what God is doing in our lives, I am thankful I have not been tempted to ask, "Why me? Why my son? Why now?" and on and on. I am thankful that I do not have to develop my theology during the storm. Instead, I get to stand on it during the storm. And it is rock solid. We trust God because he works all things together for those who love him and are called according to his purposes (Romans 8:28). Instead of asking, "Why me?," we are asking, "What are you doing, Father? How, and for what purpose, are you shaping my son (and his mom and dad) for the future?"

I'll continue to post reflections on this as they develop. Please pray for our family to continue to trust in our Heavenly Father.

Todd

Entirely For Us

I listened to a sermon this morning by John Piper on Romans 8:28-32, and once again God helped me understand clearly that he is "entirely for us":

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). God is entirely for us, and never against us. None of our sicknesses is a judgment from a condemning judge. None of our broken cars or failed appliances is a punishment from God. None of our marital strife is a sign of his wrath. None of our lost jobs is a penalty for sin. None of our wayward children is a crack of the whip of God’s retribution. If we are in Christ. No. God is for us, not against, in and through all things – all ease and all pain.

What a blessing! If God is for us, who can ultimately prevail against us?!?!

Enjoying God,

Todd