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Hardening of Hearts

By July 1, 2000November 9th, 2022No Comments

Q.

Recently I heard someone speak on Proverbs 1:20‒33, relating verse 28 of the passage to salvation. If that is correct, how can it harmonize with Romans 10:13? If a person continually doesn’t respond to God’s call, wouldn’t God so harden his heart that he wouldn’t even try to call on God to save him at that point?

A.
Romans 10:13 states, “For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Proverbs 1:28 reads, “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.”

The whole book of Proverbs deals with the matter of wisdom. God is the source of true wisdom and the source of our salvation. As human beings, we have a destiny. We don’t cease to exist at some point, but instead we live on forever, either in Heaven or in Hell. Wisdom dictates that we pay attention to this fundamental truth and turn to the God Who made us. God has provided salvation and eternal life through His Son, the Lord Jesus. He draws us to Himself. Through Him we who become His children respond by [calling] on the name of the Lord” (believing).

Placing our faith in Christ is the way of wisdom, but it is not difficult to locate plenty of people who care nothing about true wisdom and knowledge and who ignore and despise God, His plan of salvation, and the realities of the eternal destiny of the soul. The time span of the sealing of one’s eternal destiny does not last forever. As long as one has life, he or she has opportunity for salvation, but after life has been taken from a person, that person has no other chance. Whether a person blows this opportunity (through rejection of God and His Word) before the end of his or her life is known to God alone. But definitely after a person’s life is over, God will not undo the consequences of the person who despises Him and salvation through Son, Jesus. The Bible views such people as fools, and God will not hear their cries from Hell.

Therefore, the Proverbs passage on rejecting can certainly include the all-important matter of salvation. The book is not just for Old Testament believers. The term “man” appears often in the book, showing that all mankind are to take heed. Wisdom can and needs to be applied to all the problems and situations of life, the eternal destiny of the soul must always be the utmost issue. In fact, the settling of this issue is the point where true wisdom can begin to grow and to control an individual, and not before then.

This article appeared in the “Q & A” column of the Baptist Bulletin (July 2000) by Norman A. Olson. 

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