"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.[Matthew 23:13]
Now, if you let this verse stand alone without further investigating how God deals with both His ppl and the reprobates, this verse would suggest that Pharisees, Saducees, Scribes, religious Jewish leaders, &c were blocking ppl who were truly seeking God from going to heaven. But let us delve deeper and investigate this.
In John 6:37, Jesus stated thusly "All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away." We can take great comfort in knowing that the calling of God is via an effectual means, Him drawing us unto Himself. So, if someone was truly seeking God and God allowed these religious leaders to successfully keep them from going through the portals of heaven, that would make God the cruelest being of all time. Yet, we know that God is not this way, and welcomes all who approach Him in true faith and repentance. As Jeremiah the prophet wrote You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.[Jeremiah 29:13] So anyone who is truly seeking God, they will find Him, as it is Him who was first at work changing their heart to be able to seek Him.
The problem stems from ppl's wicked hearts. As unregenerate, they have zero desire to seek Him. Their mind is an enemy of God[Romans 8:7], their hearts do not desire to love Him, as anyone who loves God, this love is wrought within them by God.{1 John 4:7] God does not hold anyone back from coming to Him, as we can read But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."[Romans 10:21] Jesus is standing with his hands stretched out, but the problem is no one, of their own choosing, will willingly come to Him. This is why it was God who first chose us, and not vice versa. As Jesus told His disciples "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you."[John 15:17] No one seeks God.[Romans 3:11] That is why God first came looking for Adam after he sinned. Adam wanted nothing to do with Him, as he and Eve ran and hid in the bushes.[Genesis 3:8] That is why God sought out Abram who was a pagan living in a pagan country, whose pagan father made idols.[Genesis 12] That is why it was God who sought Moses out as he was hiding in the desert for 40 years after killing an Egyptian.[Exodus 3] That is why God sent Samuel to find David as he was tending to the flock.[1 Samuel 16] So the reoccurring theme of the bible is it is God who seeks the unregenerate out and effectually draws them to Himself.
So, getting back to Matthew 23:13 to close this post out...If anyone truly seeks God, they will find Him. If ppl are trying to block them from entering, He will either send someone to help them, or remove the stumbling block, or both. I will close with this verse..."It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God. Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me."[John 6:45]
Now, if you let this verse stand alone without further investigating how God deals with both His ppl and the reprobates, this verse would suggest that Pharisees, Saducees, Scribes, religious Jewish leaders, &c were blocking ppl who were truly seeking God from going to heaven. But let us delve deeper and investigate this.
In John 6:37, Jesus stated thusly "All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away." We can take great comfort in knowing that the calling of God is via an effectual means, Him drawing us unto Himself. So, if someone was truly seeking God and God allowed these religious leaders to successfully keep them from going through the portals of heaven, that would make God the cruelest being of all time. Yet, we know that God is not this way, and welcomes all who approach Him in true faith and repentance. As Jeremiah the prophet wrote You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.[Jeremiah 29:13] So anyone who is truly seeking God, they will find Him, as it is Him who was first at work changing their heart to be able to seek Him.
The problem stems from ppl's wicked hearts. As unregenerate, they have zero desire to seek Him. Their mind is an enemy of God[Romans 8:7], their hearts do not desire to love Him, as anyone who loves God, this love is wrought within them by God.{1 John 4:7] God does not hold anyone back from coming to Him, as we can read But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."[Romans 10:21] Jesus is standing with his hands stretched out, but the problem is no one, of their own choosing, will willingly come to Him. This is why it was God who first chose us, and not vice versa. As Jesus told His disciples "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you."[John 15:17] No one seeks God.[Romans 3:11] That is why God first came looking for Adam after he sinned. Adam wanted nothing to do with Him, as he and Eve ran and hid in the bushes.[Genesis 3:8] That is why God sought out Abram who was a pagan living in a pagan country, whose pagan father made idols.[Genesis 12] That is why it was God who sought Moses out as he was hiding in the desert for 40 years after killing an Egyptian.[Exodus 3] That is why God sent Samuel to find David as he was tending to the flock.[1 Samuel 16] So the reoccurring theme of the bible is it is God who seeks the unregenerate out and effectually draws them to Himself.
So, getting back to Matthew 23:13 to close this post out...If anyone truly seeks God, they will find Him. If ppl are trying to block them from entering, He will either send someone to help them, or remove the stumbling block, or both. I will close with this verse..."It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God. Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me."[John 6:45]
