The best, most direct, simple answer to the question above is: �In order to demonstrate His power, and in order that His name might be proclaimed throughout the entire earth.�
The reason that is the best, most direct, simple answer to the question is because it is God's own answer. See Exodus 9:16 and Romans 9:17.
God raised up Pharaoh and hardened Pharaoh's heart in order to promote His own glory.
�But,� you may say, �that doesn�t sound right to me. It just doesn't seem to me that God would arrange for a person to actually sin and rebel just to make Himself great.�
At which point I would ask, �How do you propose that we determine the truth about what motivates the heart of God? Will we base our conclusions on our own feelings about what seems right? Or will we base our conclusions on what God Himself says in the Bible to be true about what motivates Him?�
Many wise and reputable commentators propose that when the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, what it really means is that God simply facilitated a process that Pharaoh himself initiated. After all, the Bible repeatedly also states that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, i.e. Exodus 8:15 and 32.
Dr. Norman Geisler, for instance, a scholar whose work we regard highly and frequently cite in this publication, holds that God did not directly harden Pharaoh's heart (or anyone else's heart for that matter) contrary to their own free choice, but only indirectly, through their own choice. In their excellent book When Critics Ask (�1992 Victor Books), Geisler and Howe say,
�God in His omniscience foreknew exactly how Pharaoh would respond, and He used it to accomplish His purposes. God ordained the means of Pharaoh's free but stubborn action��
And that's the position of many other respected commentators. But not all. There are those who believe that the simplest and most accurate reading of Exodus chapters 4-9, and the corresponding text in Romans 9:17ff, rather indicates that it was God Himself and none other who was the primary, initiating, direct, and driving force behind Pharaoh's choice to harden his heart.
Romans 9 is perhaps the most difficult chapter in the Bible to read, accurately understand, and fully accept, because what Romans 9 teaches flies in the face of our human inclination to be independent, self-determining, and proud. Romans 9 indicates that it is God, not us�not me�who is in control. In fact, it shows that God is in such total control that He can and does sovereignly elect to show mercy to some people while hardening the hearts of others. And it shows that He is just in doing so. And it shows that I am in no position to challenge Him on the matter (Romans 9:20-21). And it shows that I am also still fully responsible for all of my actions and accountable for all of my choices.
Am I then saying that God Himself actually arranged for Pharaoh to sin?
Job was attacked by Satan.Yes, in much the same sense that He arranged for Joseph's brothers to sell Joseph into slavery (Genesis 50:20), Satan to attack Job (Job 1:12), Jews and and Romans to crucify Jesus (Acts 2:23), and sin to exist in the first place.
Well, if that's true, how can we explain what seems like a contradiction�that God wills sin which is, by definition, against His will.
Theologians have often handled this paradox by concluding that there are two wills in God, sometimes referred to as God's sovereign will and His revealed (perceptive) will, or His will of command and His will of decree. And also by understanding that in God's view and plan, it is good that there is evil in this world. Note�that is not to say that evil is itself good; only that evil serves a worthy end and is therefore an important and integral part of God's good purposes.
But isn't God compassionate toward all men�even sinners? And if so, how could He harden Pharaoh's heart while simultaneously loving him and feeling compassion for him?
Dr. John Piper addresses this as follows:
�There is a genuine inclination in God's heart to spare those who have committed treason against his kingdom. But his motivation is complex, and not every true element in it rises to the level of effective choice. In his great and mysterious heart there are kinds of longings and desires that are real� Yet not all of these longings govern God's actions. He is governed by the depth of his wisdom expressed through a plan that no ordinary human deliberation would ever conceive (Romans 11:33-36; 1 Corinthians 2:9). There are holy and just reasons for why the affections of God's heart have the nature and intensity and proportion that they do.�
1. This topic is a rhetorical question. It was posted not to inquire about, but to start an argument, quarrel, however you wanna put it. It was posted knowing that several people here wouldn't agree with it. So, I'm not going to put in my two cents about the "posted topic".
2. I will, however, comment on a few things I have come across in a few replies:
ManOfGod:
A) You said:
"God cant be all knowing and yet not know what we will do.
This is a contradiction and it limits God,and its not biblical."
Basically, you are saying that God can't know EVERYTHING and NOT know (insert here). This is a contradiction and limits God.
In several books of the Bible, we are told that God not only forgives our sins, but He FORGETS them. Completely erased from His memory. WE aren't limiting God. He is limiting Himself FOR US! He is deliberately forgetting our transgressions when we repent. The all-knowing God is erasing from His memory for our sakes. If you want some verses, I will be glad to look them up later for you. Just let me know. (trying to keep reply short-ish. lol)
B) You said:
"So how could he create beings that he did not know what they would do.The answer is he could not. Thus, ..."
You are telling me that there is something God CAN'T do? "The answer is He could not." I'm afraid you just contradicted yourself. You describe God as all-knowing, powerful, perfect, yet you are telling me what God can't do... hmm...
We know that God hates sin. We also know that God is love. We know that God doesn't tempt us to sin., nor can HE be tempted by evil. God tells us of some of His traits. Knowing some of these, I'm gonna say that God wouldn't create a being in a way that no matter what, it would sin. He would be creating something that He knows will do what He hates the most. That is not the God of the Bible. If you believe it is... then I am truly sorry for you. I really don't know what to say there. I don't know everything (though sometimes I like to think I do, lol :goofball:)
Tarasye:
You said:
"He gave us free will, which means He knows every possibility of what we can or would possibly do, which is what makes us fascinating, and what makes Him God."
Then, you said:
"You see, I think we have trouble understanding..."
You hit the nail dead on the head. (Hah, I'm a poet!) WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND GOD, AND WE DON'T LIKE THAT! So, we make God make sense to us! I struggle with this, too. It is SO frustrating to not know about Him sometimes... in fact, a lot of the times! lol. I don't have to fully understand Him, though. I just have to TRUST Him. Beautiful! :angel:
Phoebe:
You said:
"Wonderful post, ought to study. Thank u."
I say:
"Wow. Everyone listen to this. Study it for YOURSELVES. Yes, listen to what others have to say, because God may be using them to get to you in your MIS-understanding, but study it for yourselves, also. Great advice, thank YOU."
Final comments:
Sorry if I have come across sharp to anyone. Anything intended to rebuke someone usually comes across thata way. I HONESTLY am not trying to down anyone. I have an immense love for ALL of you. You may not realize it, but EVERY one of you have truly encouraged me and helped me out. Thank you VERY much.
(The dang reply ended up being long anyways... crud. Sorry, lol)
I would just add that if one was to read Exodus from the perspective of Isaiah, then the hardening of heart language is really a language of idolatry. Pharaoh is both an idolater and an idol in Egyptian culture. He has become what he worships. When we have this dangerous spiritual truth in mind (see, e.g. Psalm 115.1-8), there is no difficulty to understand how both God and pharaoh worked together to achieve God's intentions i.e. a clear-cut victory over the gods of Egypt and a strong testimony to the whole world expressed in the repetitive use of the phrase "so that they (Israel, the Egyptians and the nations) may know that I am Yahweh".
Reading all these wonderful posts over again leads me to contemplate the condition of the heart. I think our hearts are intended to be soft, pliable, vulnerable, much like a loaf of bread that you just bring home from the store and open and it is so soft and fresh. But if we do not tend that loaf, and forget to bind it up closely, the air gets in and the next time we come to get a slice, it has started to dry out, and become hard. The world around us is like air in that sense. The Lord is like our protective wrapping from the world.
I have come to the conclusion that the Lord didn't harden pharaoh's heart, because He didn't have to, the world does that to our hearts if we choose not to listen or follow the Lord. Seeds are scattered, but they will not grow where there is no tending. The only thing that can keep our hearts soft is the Love of God in our lives.
Soon we shall see a godless world. Wherever we are at that time, I think we will know what is going on in the world. When the Spirit of the Lord is removed, God's love and those that dwell in Him will be removed with it. I think at that time, the wickedness of the world will escalate far more quickly than we can imagine. There will be no more compassion, no forgiveness, no mercy, for those are things of God. We are pretty much watching the heart of men lose its freshness before the world with each passing year. The things that appalled men when we were younger, are so well tolerated to the point of common place and accepted more and more with each passing year, to the point of often not considered to be wrong at all. This is a hardening of the heart.
I don't think God hardens our hearts, I think He merely stops refreshing them once it becomes pointless. Not sure how that fits into your thoughts there Steve, but I am thinking it may actually make more sense to you than some of my other thoughts. I know I don't interpret scripture the same way you do, but I am truly not sure that we are all that far apart, My Brother.
Did God harden pharoahs heart? -- Does it really matter?
Personally, I think he did harden pharoahs heart. Why? We will never KNOW while we're on this earth, but perhaps it was for the greater good.
God parted the Red Sea and allowed Moses and his followers(sheep) to live and then killed the Egypitans (goats) when they followed.
Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter.
We are not here to question God's motives, we are here to live by His words and that includes to love one another and to treat others as we want to be treated.
You know, I have noticed that some of the wisest people on this forum are very young. Thank you both for your wisdom, for it is refreshing, and kind and I need to be reminded of some of the most simplest of truths sometimes.
BrownEyedGirl, you are right, it doesn't matter, what matters is our walk with Him now.
And Garrett, your posts also, just really pull a simple truth out of the air and land it right where I need to hear it time and time again.
As we enter into this week of Thanksgiving, I want to thank both of you, as well as all my other brothers and sisters on this forum that truly help me focus my walk in Christ. I know that walk is less about me, and more about the lives I can touch and change for Christ.
So I am going to take that wonderful advice and worry less about Pharaoh's heart and more about the hearts that cry out in our community for something to fill the emptiness of their suffering.
dear folks, its just another angle to try to prove that GOD could and would just choose to save a few elect individuals and harden all the others hearts and make em not choose HIM,and that JESUS did not die for all men , just the chosen few..
i dont believe that and no matter how much i am forcefed it , my heart and the bible tells me different..
JESUS died for all men to have the opportunity to repent and accept HIM as their personal SAVIOR..
First of all,you people act like I invented the doctrines of grace....Did you know that our founders were mostly calvinists...most early american churches were calvinists...Martin Luther....where all protestent churches come from was a strong calvinist(before Calvin).It seems that none of you are that interested in the hundreds of verses Ive shown you.....One guy even called reformed Christianity a fringe group....He he he....ever heard of the reformation?Its where Martin Luther broke off from the catholic church because of some of there practices,all protestant churches came from that.
Im Not teachable?ok kettle .....your black
the puritans? The pilgrums.....Why do you think we left Britain.....because we were being persecuted for Calvinist beleifs.Im not making this up.Its all true
Armininism crept into american churches only recently,
Now if your not an arminian,your some kind of wacko,cmon people,you need to see past your own little boxes
The grace verses I have shown you outnumber the misinterpreted "choice" verses 100 to 1,yet your eyes are still blinded.I dont even think you read the verses,you just say I think gods like this,or like that,
The term Reformed is a historical term that goes back almost five centuries. It refers to a period when the church underwent a Reformation in attempting to return Christianity to the authority of Scripture. The desire of the Reformation was not to change God's word but rather to bring the church back into accord with it. Led by Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin, the Reformation churches split off from the errors of the medieval Roman church and began what we know today as Protestantism.
WHAT DID THE REFORMERS TEACH?
Martin Luther spent a great deal of time attempting to convince the church that man was saved by God's grace alone through faith alone. He believed that all teachings and doctrines should be based upon Scripture alone. Coupled with the works of Calvin, these theologians recognized the clear teaching of Scripture that God is a sovereign God.
They believed that God was not an idle viewer but was active in all of nature and the affairs of man and that "He who keeps you will not slumber." (Psalm 121:3). They taught, as did the apostle Paul, that "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). They were sure that God ruled over his creation sovereignly and that all events came to pass by God's design, for everything is "according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:11).
IS GOD A SOVEREIGN GOD?
Does the Creator of all have the right to do whatever he wants with the peoples of the earth? The Reformers believed not only that he had that right but that he exercised his will righteously and that this principle was clear in Scripture. "All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?" (Daniel 4:35) His sovereignty was especially realized in the salvation of the elect. The teaching of the French reformer John Calvin emphasized the sovereignty of God and his work is often summarized in the "Five Points of Calvinism." The simple acronym "TULIP" explains these five points.
HOW ABOUT A TULIP?
Early Protestant leaders found that they had to defend the scriptural teachings of the sovereignty of God against those who denied God these rights. Many felt that salvation was at least in part by their own hands and were aggravated that anyone would bring this pride under the authority of Scripture. Church leaders valiantly proclaimed the biblical answer to this attack on God's rightful place as Lord over his creation.
Total Depravity: Man in his fallen, sinful state, "does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1Cor. 2:14). God's own assessment of the descendents of Adam's fallen race was "that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Gen. 6:5; 8:21). All the "good" that man thinks he does throughout his life is but "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). What was true of King David is also true of us all that we must realize that we were, "brought forth in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5). Natural man is not sick, not terminally ill, but DEAD. The Apostle Paul reminds those who are Christians of their past when he graphically says, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others." (Ephesians 2:1-3)
Unconditional Election: God has chosen "us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" (Ephesians 1:4). This means that those who will be saved are those who have been chosen to be saved by the sovereign Lord - "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy" (Romans 9:15). He does not base his election on any condition within man, "lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:9).
Limited Atonement: Christ's atonement is specifically for his people - "I lay down my life for the sheep" (John 10:15). He did not shed his blood for those who would not come to him. He has not paid the price for their sin - this they must do on their own. "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours." (John 17:9).
Irresistible Grace: Those whom he has chosen will surely come to him. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." (John 10:27). "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, . ." (John 6:37) God sends his Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of his elect; "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you" (Ezekiel 36:26). "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;" (John 6:44). "For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29).
Perseverance of the Saints: "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:29). "and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21). Salvation was not merited by any, nor is the election of his true sheep ever purchased by the believer, for "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phillipians 1:6).
CHALLENGERS
Much of what Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and other reformers taught has been challenged by those who believe that God can be sovereign but has chosen to give up some of his control so that man's freedom is not limited. These challenges are often based upon the beliefs of James Arminius, a Dutch seminary professor. His followers are called Arminians and deny the teaching of Reformed theology, especially as it considers man's individual worth. They do not believe that man is spiritually dead, but that he is only sick with sin.
While Calvinism holds that man is saved by unconditional grace, Arminians teach that man is saved by grace based upon a condition. The condition is that each person must develop in themselves a belief in God and reach out for God's grace. The Reformers taught that man has no power to save himself and it is solely God's Spirit that gives believers new life and faith. The challengers taught that man has at least enough worth to be able to meet the conditions of God's grace.
WHY IS THE REFORMED FAITH IMPORTANT TODAY?
The Reformers four centuries ago sought to humble man and exalt God. This objective has been carried on from the beginning of time until now by those who desire to know the Lord of hosts. Reformed churches believe that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10). They want to teach and share the word of God in and out of season so that Christ's church may benefit from sound doctrine that exhorts a believer to a deeper appreciation of the God whom is to be served.
The Reformed Faith is so important today because many "Christian" churches do not teach nor believe in the Bible. It's frightening to realize that many modern churches question such basic truths as the divinity of Christ and his resurrection.
One cannot merely say, "well, it doesn't matter what you believe - it's just important to believe something." No matter what the world would have us believe, doctrine is important. What we believe is critically important. In the Book of Acts, the Bereans "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11).
It is certainly true that there are many churches which clearly teach the entire Word of God. It is not the intention here to imply that one can not be saved unless one is a member of a Reformed church. That is not true. The intention here is to point to a system of faith and theology which most closely follows the Word of God.
Salvation is not finally in the hands of man to determine. His choices are crucial, but they are not the final, decisive power in bringing him to glory, God�s sovereign grace is.
1. God elects, chooses, before the foundation of the world whom he will save and whom he will pass by and leave to unbelief and sin and rebellion. He does this unconditionally, not on the basis of foreseen faith that humans produce by a supposed power of ultimate self-determination (= �free will�).
Acts 13:48, �When the gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of God. And as many as were for ordained to eternal life believed.�
Romans 11:7, �Israel failed to obtain what is sought. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened.�
John 6:37, �All that the Father gives to me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.� John 17:6, �I have manifested my name to them whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me.� (John 6:44, 65).
2. The Atonement applies to the elect in a unique, particular way, although the death of Christ is sufficient to propitiate the sins of the whole world. The death of Christ effectually accomplished the salvation for all God�s people.
Eph. 5:25, �Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.�
Heb. 10:14, �By a single offering he perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.�
John 10:15, �I lay down my life for the sheep.�
Rom. 8:32, �He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?�
3. Because of the Fall, humans are incapable of any saving good apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. We are helpless and dead in sin. We have a mindset that �cannot submit to God without divine enabling.
Rom. 8:7-8, �The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, it does not submit to God�s law; indeed it cannot. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.�
Eph. 2:1,5, �You were dead through your trespasses and sins.�
4. God�s call to salvation is effectual, and, hence His grace cannot be ultimately thwarted by human resistance. God�s regenerating call can overcome all human resistance.
Acts 16:14, �The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul.�
John 6:65, �This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by my Father.� (Matt. 16:17; Luke 10:21)
1 Cor. 1:23-24, �We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.�
5. Those whom God calls and regenerates He also keeps, so that they do not totally and finally fall away from faith and grace.
Rom. 8:30, �Those whom he predestined, he also called and those whom he called he also justified and those whom he justified he also glorified.�
John 10:27-29, �My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me; and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.�
Phil. 1:6, �I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.� (1 Cor. 1:8).
1 Thess. 5:23, �May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful and he will do it.�
Conclusion
Romans 11:36, �From him, through him, and to him are all things, to him be glory forever amen!�
Acts 13:48 (ESV)
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
More �Powered by RefTaggerRomans 11:7 (ESV)
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,
More �Powered by RefTaggerRomans 11:36 (ESV)
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
