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Chapter Five: Divine Providence

Section

5.6

: Footnotes and Supportive Scripture

As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God as a righteous judge, blinds and hardens for former sin, from them he not only withholds his grace by which they might have been enlightened in their understanding and affected in their hearts, but sometimes he also withdraws the gifts which they had and exposes them to certain objects that their corrupt state will make the occasion of sin.  God gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan, so that eventually they harden themselves under the same influences that God uses for the softening of others.

Rom 1:24-26
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
Rom 1:28
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Rom 9:18
So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
Rom 11:7-8
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 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.”
Deut 29:4
But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
Mark 4:11-12
11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”
Deut 2:30
But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day.
1 Sam 10:6
Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.
1 Sam 18:10
The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand.
Ps 81:11-12
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
Rom 1:28
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
2 Ths 2:10-12
10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
1 Pet 2:7-8
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”[a] 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
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Chapter Five: Divine Providence
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Chapter Five: Divine Providence