God ordains and opens hearts…
Act 13:48
And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
Act 16:14
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul.
Who opened her heart to Jesus? Does the Bible teach that the sinner opened her heart to the Lord, or does the Scripture teach that it is THE LORD WHO OPENS HEARTS?
God blinds eyes and hardens hearts
Joh 12:37-40
37 But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they believed not on him: 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? 39 For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah said again, 40 He hath blinded their eyes, and he hardened their heart; Lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, And should turn, And I should heal them.
Why? So God takes ownership of blinding their eyes and hardening their hearts. And then throws them in hell for an eternity?
But what about verses that mention our ability to choose?
Jos 24:15
And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.
We've all seen this verse before.
So the people get to choose. Or do they?
Pro 16:1
The plans of the heart belong to man; But the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah.
What was the answer from the tongue of the people in Joshua?
Jos 24:16-18
16 And the people answered and said, ….18b therefore we also will serve Jehovah; for he is our God.
Is this free will? It seems so because the people chose "correctly".
Here is another example of the people choosing "freely". But wrongly…
1Sa 8:4-5
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah; 5 and they said unto him, Behold, thou art old (funny), and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
Samuel prays and tells the people God's answer in verses 11-18. For instance, your king
Take will your sons for his purpose
Make your sons his horsemen
They will plow his ground
Reap his harvest
Take your fields and vineyards
Take your tenth and give to his servants
Etc
So God gives them what they want. But he lovingly tells them what the consequences will be already.
Is this free will?
If God lays out and knows the path out in front of them and tells of the consequences of what will happen, is this free will?
Here the choice was wrong.
Pro 20:24
A man's goings are of Jehovah; How then can man understand his way?
When God recognizes the wrongness of the heart of His people, He orchestrates the trap for them. And Samuel's case, God warned them plainly. And although it seemed like he gave them a choice, Israel walks directly into a trap in which God was using to expose their hearts and turn them back to him.
Free will?
Pro 21:1
The king's heart is in the hand of Jehovah as the watercourses: He turneth it whithersoever he will.
Did God turn the heart of Saul in the direction that he desired? It would appear.
And obviously we know the end of the story about Saul. God prepares David for kingship after Saul is killed.
So God turned the hearts of the people back to himself by using their wrong decision of freely choosing Saul.
Regarding the fairness of God. Is God fair?
Rom 9:14-18
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy. 17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth. 18 So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Vs14 Is God fair?
Vs15 He says "I do what I want to do" (regarding compassion or mercy)
Vs16 so it's not because of the will of man or the effort of man, it is God who has mercy
Vs18 I can harden who I want (like Pharaoh) and/or have mercy on who I want
Rom 9:19-21
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he still find fault? For who withstandeth his will? 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus? 21 Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?
Vs19 then why does God still find fault with us? Since no one can withstand his will. (Where does this leave "free will"?)
Vs20 who are you—mere man that you are—to talk back to God?
Vs21 The Potter has the right to do whatever he wants with the clay. To make vessels of honor were vessels of dishonor
Here are those whom the Father does not choose:
2Co 4:3-4
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish: 4 in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them.
It seems like they perish because the Father hasn't given them to Jesus. Are these those people whom need correction first? Probably…
God is responsible for unbelief?
What about these people?
2Th 2:10-12
10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for the perishing; in that they received not the love of the truth, that they be saved. 11 And for this cause: God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe the lie: 12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Do they "believe the lie" because they chose not to receive righteousness?
Or because they are not chosen by God?
Is this fair? Go back to the example that we discussed tonight at the beginning:
2Sa 24:1
And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.
God is angry at Israel and moves David to number Israel and Judah
1Ch 21:1
And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.
Satan (the adversary) stands up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.
The problem, restated, is:
1) No one can believe in God unless God gives belief
2) He refuses to give belief to most of humanity, hardening hearts to boot, and—here comes the problem—
3) He allegedly sends those whom He has hardened (without the proper clothing, one would assume) to an eternity of hellfire.
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