Who Is Responsible For Unbelief?
John 12:37-41
"Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:
“Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”
Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
On a whole, the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah, as predicted by the prophet Isaiah. But this wasn't because God caused their unbelief, he didn't give them their limited faith, this wasn't simply determinism, it wasn't causally inevitable that they'd reject him, for many did believe and ultimately gave their lives for him. Many of them had an intellectual faith in the man of God, as the "prophet of Galilee," but they did not have faith which believes, trusts and devotes one's life.
God gave them grace. God gave them mercy. God gave them love, and he gave them his Son. And they rejected him despite having love and faith in the Father who sent him. God didn't destroy their free will and he didn't decree their unbelief, his moral laws simply revealed the consequences of their sin that makes them incapable of believing. Because of their sin, they turned from the light towards the darkness. And they believed the lies. They listened to the misinformation and propaganda that the chief Priests were spreading. Seducing spirits and doctrines of devils were creeping into the temple as Jesus preached there. And it is a moral law that he who turns from the light and seeks to abide in darkness will become blinded by the light when it shines into the darkness, they believe a lie and are damned by their unbelief.
Matthew 13:14
"This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.'"
So, to say that God caused their unbelief is a half-truth (which is a whole lie). They turned towards the darkness. They chose the darkness. That was their will. And God's light shines into that darkness and it's a blinding light to those who have not faith. So you see, the devil cannot have a faith that abides in Christ. He may believe, but he has not faith, because he CANNOT abide for he has chosen the darkness. Likewise, those who rejected Jesus may believe the miracles they witnessed, but still reject the Son of God, despite the One who sent him. They had already chosen the darkness and so the light that comes amidst them is a burning flame that blinds their sight and hardens their hearts towards him. They blinded their own eyes because they brought upon themselves the penalty for their rebellion. Their amoral spirits were dark, so they could only justify the courses of their lives by refusing to believe in Christ. They can only remain whole within themselves if they justify themselves by destroying the Son of God and his blinding light. And in doing so they destroy the one who sent him. They rejected their covenant with God the Father when they rejected his Son.
John 12:44-50
"Then Jesus cried out, whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me..."
Jesus talked about this rejection in the parable of the wicked tenants (Matthew 21:33-46). He described the many prophets and teachers sent to the people as servants sent to work in the vineyard. And they all were rejected and treated very badly, by the people who lived and worked there. Even going so far as to kill them. The vineyard owner finally decided to send his own son to resolve this situation.
Matthew 21:37 “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’"
It didn't happen.
(v.39) "they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him."
The wicked vineyard workers destroyed their covenant with the vineyard owner. They did that. Everything that happened as a consequence was their own responsibility.
Who is responsible for working out our salvation?
John 12:35-36
"Then Jesus told them, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light. When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them."
Jesus was speaking these words to people who had a rudimentary sense of faith in his ministry works. They feigned confusion about his leaving, they were trying to control him really, almost trying to compel him, to make him stay with them. They want his salvation, but they aren't happy about hearing that they'll be held responsible for working it out.
The Lord tells them plainly that He is sovereign, and He also tells them that they have the responsibility to make sure they are qualifying things as God qualifies them. He's telling them and us, that we have that responsibility.
The other day I saw an X post that basically said, "who, like me, is looking forward to finally having no more sin and temptation to sin in the kingdom of God?" (something to that effect)
What is that? Is that working out your own salvation or is that giving up your own responsibility? It's like saying you're not the one who has turned towards the darkness. It's like saying determinism rules all the ways of mankind.
Fact of the matter is that God is sovereign, he does direct all things, but he has also baked into the cake of our human constitution a thing called “human free agency.” We are responsible creatures who make moral choices and we are responsible for those choices. He has enabled us to do so, which is why we are responsible for those choices. If it is inevitable that we will seek the darkness then we cannot be held responsible. But we are made and enabled to make responsible moral choices. We are not automatons mindlessly choosing the sinister things in life. When we, in our depravity, decide to make amoral choices, we are purposefully turning away from our free agency and instead adopting slavery to sin. We are no longer free from the consequences of sin because we've embraced them. Freedom from sin is only achieved by embracing the light, by turning towards that light. This isn't something we are simply waiting on in some future world sin free alternate reality. Free agency means we have a moral responsibility for our own sanctification, for our own growth and advancement in the Christian life, and for accepting the free offer of the gospel light. That's a living faith, a faith that is not dead.
The truth is, God allows sin to happen, but he does not approve of our sin. God's permitting of sin is not a bare permission to sin. He is not the author or approver of our sin. He is, however, the creator and approver of our good works. We are created by God to do good works, and the good works are evidence that his Holy Spirit has sovereignly worked through us. And the Spirit cannot reside within us if we are living in the amoral darkness. And so, by design, in this way we are weighed and measured. By light and darkness.
We cannot blame God, or his prophets, evangelists, preachers and teachers for our moral failures.
We are responsible for the road we go.
Either we walk in the light, or we are followed by our sins in the darkness.
The devil made me do it is a lie.
Some so-and-so Pastor making amoral decisions is not causing you to sin.
You are responsible for you, and the road your salvation takes.
Amen.
#Salvation #Sin #HolySpirit #JesusChristIsKing #LivingFaith