The Elect and the Hardened

Romans 11:6-10
A while back I posted three reasons election is good. In response, several people were surprised to find that I “believe in election.” In Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J.I. Packer argues that there are no Christians who do not believe in God’s sovereignty over the salvation of individuals, just some who don’t yet know that they believe it. He asks two questions to make his point:

Do you thank God for your salvation?
Do you pray for God to save people?

If your answer is ‘yes’ to these two questions, you believe God is sovereign over individuals’ salvation. But this belief has disturbing implications. What about those who do not accept Jesus? Is God sovereign over their disbelief too? Or is this outside his rule? This is the question God answers in Romans 11:6-10:

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened… (v.6-7)

The Bible bluntly proclaims that God is indeed in control over both the election of some and the hardening of the rest.

(Note: This passage is speaking specifically about what God is up to with Israel. But there are broader principles we can glean from it.)

This idea of hardening is like callusing. Hearts can develop calluses just like hands can. Two people can sit under the same Bible teaching and participate in the same local church but experience opposite effects, one being changed and molded to look more like Jesus, the other being hardened into the same old person they always were. And God is in control over both.

How do we know God is in control of this hardening? Verse eight:

…as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”

God gives some a spirit of stupor. Yet, as we’ve discussed, this does not compromise his righteousness nor the responsibility of people.

You might like: Matthew 13:45-46 // Pearl of Great Price

In verses 8-10, God gives a three-point portrait of the hardened person. Let this description inform and examine you. Let it shape how you do evangelism. And let is stand before you like a mirror, revealing your heart.

1. The hardened have a stuporous spirit. (v.8)
Stupor means numb and insensitive. Some translations render it slumber. Paul explains that those with this stuporous spirit can’t see or hear. God reveals himself and they cannot see him. God speaks and they cannot hear him.

By implication, the elect are sensitive and responsive to God. They see him and hear him when he reveals himself and speaks.

Think of the contrast between Pharaoh and Moses. God reveals himself and speaks to Pharoah in great booming plagues, yet Pharaoh stupidly ignores him. However, when Moses sees the burning bush and hears God speak, he stops and changes the entire course of his life in response.

How about you? Are you confronted and changed by God? Or are you callused? Are you numb toward God, or sensitive? Do you hear his voice in his word, or is the Bible a dead book to you? Do you confess sin and repent? Or have you lived a Christian lifestyle for years without changing to look more like Jesus?

2. The hardened are tripped and trapped by their table.

And David says,

“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them…” (v.9)

The table represents leisure, comfort, food, family, etc. They didn’t have iPads and Netflix. They reclined at the table.

You might like: Praising God with Joy and Simplicity

Paul’s point is that the hardened are tripped and trapped by their own comfort and leisure. They stumble over it. It is aretribution for them.

(Note: Referring to this as retribution implies that the hardened did something to deserve their hardening. Yet, his point isn’t to explain how all this works, but to assert that it is true: God does harden people.)

While the elect are able to use their food and drink to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31), the hardened get wrapped up in them and can’t get out.

How about you? What role does leisure play in your life? Are you tripped and trapped by it? Or are you free to use it to glorify God?

3. The hardened cannot see.

“…let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.” (v.10)

This is a practical personal darkness. They cannot see, so they must feel their way along through life, often confused, often stumbling, often running into things. They make foolish decisions. They take one step forward and two backward.

The elect, however, have increasing clarity. They’re able to see their sin clearly and to confess and repent specifically. They’re able to move forward as Christians.

How about you? Are you groping in the dark, trying to figure things out? Or are you upright and moving forward with confidence?

What to do if you suspect you are hardened
Saul was a hardened murderer before Jesus confronted him on his way to persecute Christians (Acts 9). Suddenly, Jesus stood before him in the road and told him to change. Paul responded with obedience and faith in Jesus.

If you suspect that you are one of the hardened, this passage is Jesus’ voice confronting you. He’s standing in the middle of the road in front of you. It’s time for you to change. Obey Jesus. Trust that he’ll tell you what to do next.