Featured The doctrine of Hardening

Ro 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

1. Hardening has its only internal source with the fallen human nature.

2. Hardening is a process and is progressive rather than a punctilliar event - Rom. 1:18-32. In Romans 1:18-32 suppression of the truth and digression in to hardening is the only option mentioned as this is necessary response of the fallen nature due to what it is.

3. Every member of the fallen race when the facultiy of conscience and intellect are sufficiently mature to comprehend and recognize light as light always respond initially by resistance and rejection due to what fallen nature "IS" - Rom. 8:7-8; Jn. 3:19-20.

4. Every cognant fallen member of the human race is in the process of hardening.

5. The process or progression is mapped out for us in Romans 1:21-32 and Psalms 1:1 and all fallen cognant mankind is somewhere in this process.

6. Spiritual ability or the ability to see, hear and respond to light is only and inseparably inherent in the new heart given by God - Deut. 29:4; Ezek. 36:26-27; 2 Cor. 4:6; etc.

7. The climax of hardening is found described in Romans 1:32 and Psalm 1:1c. God can save fallen man even in the final stage as Paul was so hardened to the light that he expressed himself in its uttermost form - destroying God through killing those expressing that light through them. He can also freely choose to not save them but glorify himself in their just damnation.

CONCLUSION; The fallen nature is the source and cause while hardening is the necessary consequence and is contempoary with the fallen nature. The extent of hardening is due to exposure to light and the kind of response (searing, choosing to directly confront and/or deal with the light they are exposed to).

 

Natural versus Supernatural sight is the distinction between the faculty of conscience in the fallen man (Rom. 2:15) and the new heart (Deut. 29:4).

The faculty of conscience is designed by God to RECOGNIZE light and thus this is the capabiliity of SEEING and HEARING light. Hardening is the response of a fallen nature to exposure to such light.

Spiritual perception, ears to hear and eyes to see has to do with the new heart (Deut. 29:4) and refers to the POSITIVE RESPONSE or abililty to respond positively to light.

The fallen nature has no such SPIRIUTAL ability in regard to POSITIVE RESPONSE - Rom. 8:7-8; 3:9-18. Thus the fallen nature is spiritually dead or without the ability of POSITIVE RESPONSE but not without the ability of RECOGNITION of light and NEGATIVE response - Rom. 8:7.

Hardening is the ONLY response to light by the fallen nature due to what it "IS" by character - Rom. 8:7-8.

Hence, a SPIRITUALLY blind and deaf man can RECOGNIZE light as light but cannot respond positively (Jn. 3:19-20) but can respond in keeping with the very nature of his fallen condition (Rom. 8:7-8). He progressively shuts his eyes or the ability of recognition of light by his progressive negative reaction to light as he is exposed to it and how he reacts to it.

Negative reaction can be ignoring it, creating or conforming to a false religion or philsophy to explain away that light or by directly confronting and continuing to fight it.

 

That is spelled out in Romans 1:18-32 in regard to Gentile heathens hardening to light - Just look at the obvious progressive digression - it is obvious!

Can you find ANY OTHER RESPONSE than hardening even mentioned in this passage??????

That is spelled out in Romans 2:1-5, 17-3:8 in regard to Jewish hardening to light - Philosphical and Religious hypocrisy are form s of hardening

That is spelled out in Psalm 1:1 in regard to progressive hardening.

Hardening progresses in multitudes of different areas of a person's life.

Can you find any other response but hardening mentioned in Romans 1:18-32??? Where is your theological position of alternative response to light other than hardening in Romans 1:18-32?????

Look at the preceding context in Matthew 8-12 - there is progressive hardening among them. Note they were not as hardened in Matthew 8-10 as they are in Matthew 11-12. In Matthew 12 they came to the apex of hardening by blaspheming the Holy Spirit - Matthew 13 is EXPLANATORY of Matthew 8-12 and the progressive hardening toward Christ His teaching.

 

So find your idea in Romans 1:18-32 where clear progressive and digressive hardening is spelled out in no uncertain terms? Where is your alternative response to light to be found here? Answer: NOWHERE!

 

Hardening has to do directly with the conscience and its ability to recognize and discern between light and darkness. The fallen nature has ability to recognize and discern between light and darkness when mental faculties mature sufficiently to interact rationally with conscience. This is SIGHT of recognition of light as light. This is not SIGHT of spiritual enlightenment which gives growth in spiritual understanding. The fallen nature has ability to recognize what it hates but it does not have ability to submit to what it hates. It can SEE light for what it is but it cannot SEE light for what it provides.

Since light comes from many different avenues (creation, cultural mores, direct and indirect revelation) and comes in many different degrees of light it is possible that a person can digress in a specific area of revelation while completely open in other areas where light has not yet been confronted. So digression can be completed in one area and not another area. So those completely hardened in one area of contact with light may not be hardened in other areas that have yet to be confonted with light and the same process of hardenng can yet occur in other areas.

The difference between a person just maturing to the ability of recognition of light but who has not gone to the end process of hardening is the differenence between a fallen nature which will not be subject to the Light and experience of conscience being exposed to the light. Experience of being exposed to the light results in progessive hardening according to the intensity of light being exposed to.

The fallen nature has no ability to submit to light although it has ability through the faculty of conscience to recognize light. Hardening is that process whereby the faculty of conscience loses the ability to recognize light and discern between truth and error. However, the fallen nature never has the ability to receive what it recognizes or comprehend it with understanding that makes it of value to growth.

Hence, the sight of conscience is not ability to submit to light but only to recognize light as light. Hardening is the loss of ability by the conscience in whatever specific area it is confronted by light to recognize it as light. Therefore, this SIGHT is not spiritual sight that comes only by new birth or a new heart that understands and perceives and receives truth.

 

Correct

The "mental capacity" is in connection with the faculty of conscience rather than merely a mental ability. It is true the faculty of conscience alone cannot function properly without mental maturity but it is not the function of the mind but of the conscience that recognizes light to be light.

Ability to recognize light as light is one thing, but ability to perceive, hear, and understand light SPIRITUALLY is not possible as their spirit is "dead" and separated from God.

Generally speaking yes. I would add that the unexposed fallen man is a man not matured mentally to recognize light. The first exposure to light is uncomfortable and always is responded by some measure of resistance. In addition the process of hardening is varied between persons and between various aspects of life.

 

There is no favorable response to spiritual light. However, they do and can respond to moral light or else immediate self-destruction of civilization would occur. The LIMITED ability to recognize and respond to moral light is essential for SELF-existence. Cultural mores and civil laws can be recognized and seen as necessary for SELF-preservation.

Progressive hardening is a further plus that preserves civilizations from immediate destruction.

I have already fully addressed this statement. You interpret this as a proving a possibility whereas, I treat it as proving an impossibility, if this were case but it is not. In the immediate context (Mt. 13) it refers to hardening in the sense of blaspheming the Holy Spirit of which there is no forgiveness in this age or the age to come (Mt. 12).

 

Moral light and spiritual light are not the same. Moral light is the product of conscience and intellect on the life of men. It can vary from one person to another and from one culture to another. It may be morally wrong to kill your mother but not someone elses mother in another tribe.

Spiritual light comes directly from God and is unchangable and absolute and received only by direct revelation through the spirit of man made alive to God. Neither conscience or intellect are essential to comphrend spiritual light as it comes directlly from the Spirit of God to the spirit of man by revelation.

 

They had been calloused to the point of blaspheming the Holy Spirit which by divine decree is not forgivable in this age or the next. Those not calloused to that degree are subject to possible salvation as all men are hardened to some degree and this is not an hindrance to God's grace or purpose of grace. But God has sovereignly decreed that blaspheming the Holy Spirit, which consists of light in MIND; intent to intentionally ascribe the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan and commitment to kill Christ.

 

Did I ever use the term "non-elect"??????? Where do you get the justification to impute that terminology to anything I said? I never said anythng about election or non-election!!!

Here is a good example how you take my words and twist them toward the point you wish to make but completely contrary to a single word I said.

Those who blasphemed the Holy Spirit are non-elect by anyone's definition of election but that does not mean all others are elect or non-elect.

You are certainly free to believe what you like but that does not mean you are correct. Any careful reader can see a process of hardening in the leaders and crowds from Matthew 8-11 which ends in blaspheming of the Holy Spirit.

This blaspheming has to do with intentionally attributing the works of the Holy Spirit that were designed to prove Jesus was the Son of God and true Messiah. They were already in UNBELIEF and resisting His every word but they had not yet blasphemed the Holy Spirit. Blasphemey requires light in the MIND, malice in the heart in ultimate hardening (Mt. 12) and that is the condition Isaiah is referring to that charaterized the leadership of Israel and the nation as a whole (Mt. 13).