“ASK” is a special series where I dive into questions that come my way, whether through the blog or other platforms. Sometimes, after a Q&A session at church, a stream of thoughtful questions emerges, and this series is where I aim to address them. Keep an eye out for the ASK tag on future posts, and stay tuned as we explore each question together.

The Question

Romans 9:18 says, “So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.” Meanwhile, Hebrews 4:7 says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” How can these two verses be harmonised?

The Answer

The question seems easy enough – who hardens man’s heart, is it God or man? In Romans, it seems to suggest that it is God, and in Hebrews, it seems to suggest that it is man. We must first remember that easy questions do not necessarily deserve easy answers. That’s a rule that many seem to forget especially in a debate. You’ll hear someone say something like, “Hey, it’s a simple question! Yes, or no!” Now, apart from the shameless sidestepping that politicians and many political preachers tend to do, it does not follow that this is the case with all simple questions. A simple question does not deserve a simple answer, it deserves a clear one.

Here is the crux of it though

The Bible teaches that God is sovereign over all, including the doings and keepings of man, and man is responsible for all his doings and keepings. No, this does not mean that God is passively sovereign, like a great watcher who sees all from beyond space and time, but intrudes only when absolutely necessary. He is actively sovereign, writing the story of history with every molecule in its place at all times – where God sustains and governs all things down to the smallest detail (Colossians 1:17, Ephesians 1:11).

the heart of man plans his way, the Lord establishes his steps,

Proverbs 16:9

God actively shapes our paths within His perfect plan. But simultaneously, man is entirely responsible for his choices and actions. How can this be?

Consider Joseph’s words to his brothers in Genesis 50:20: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” God’s sovereignty encompassed even their sinful actions, directing events toward His redemptive purposes. Similarly, in Isaiah 46:10, God declares, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,” showing His sovereign hand in all history, from grand events to individual decisions.

Yet, while God ordains all, Scripture affirms our responsibility for our choices. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God calls His people to “choose life” by following His commandments, and in James 1:13-15, we’re told that God does not tempt anyone to sin; rather, temptation arises from human desires. Each person bears the weight of their own actions, accountable before God.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

2 Corinthians 5:10

Again, how can this be? This harmony between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility is a, wait for it, mystery. Yes, a mystery. Do you know what that means? It means that there are no easy answers to this one. Romans 9 speaks of God’s authority as the Potter over the clay, yet Paul also writes in Romans 10:13 that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” We’re faced with a biblical tension, not a contradiction. Both truths are presented side-by-side: God as the Author of all and humans as real agents in their own choices.

So, now what?

What do we do? How do we square this of? Well, that’s precisely the point, we don’t. As mankind, we have to learn as we see constantly taught in Scripture that we don’t always need to know ‘why’. Our job is to trust in God, have faith in his goodness and his purposes.

 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

His ways and thoughts are higher. Not the kind of height that you can reach by wearing heels or standing on the dinner table. This is God’s way of saying that you cannot reach those heights and you were not meant to. It is for God to choose what he must reveal and what he mustn’t. It is our job to trust his choosing.

So it is with this mystery. God is entirely sovereign and man is entirely responsible. In Romans 9, we see one side of the coin that describes God’s soverign rule over the heart of man to hearden it and to soften it, and in Hebrews we are called as men not to harden our hearts. We are to trust both entirely and leave the innerworkings of that mystery to God.

You are fully responsible for your choices, actions and conduct. But you are not alone Christian. His Holy Spirit dwells inside of you.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as inmy presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13 [emphasis mine]

What a lovely verse this is! In it, man is called to work out his salvation with fear and trembling. He is to get to work on his choices, actions and conduct. He is to use all of his faculty of thought, emotion and action to do the work that he must. But in the same breath, he must realise that God is at work in his work. That has he wills, God wills through his will and as he works, God works through his works – all for God’s own good pleasure.

So, come, all of you, today is the day of salvation. If you do not know Christ, do not harden your hearts but turn to him and put your trust in him. If you do, it will have been his grace at work in you that brings you to this faith, and keeps you in this faith.

Come to Christ – O Christ, bring them to you!