(Deuteronomy 29:4)
Two sorts of people never change their mind - those suffering from delusions caused by mental illness, and the prejudiced. Mental illness can often be treated, but prejudice has no treatment.
A person whose mind is open to the truth may have very strongly held beliefs based on false information, but once they have better information, they are willing to change their beliefs. No amount of new information will change the mind of the prejudiced because they have already “prejudged” whatever they see and hear.
Perhaps this is what scripture is describing when it speaks of God ‘hardening the heart’ of Pharaoh (Exodus 7.3), or blinding the eyes and shutting the ears of those who have rejected the truth (Isaiah 6:10, John 12:38). To us that may sound unfair. Doesn’t God want people to change their minds? Yes, he does.
Their unbelief is not caused by God, that is their own choice. But once someone has made up their minds not to see or hear anything that contradicts what they believe, only God can change that. Nothing else will. God doesn’t literally close their minds, but only he can soften their hearts and open their eyes and ears. In a sense, it becomes his choice.
This has implications for evangelism. When we share the gospel, we also need to pray that God will open our listener’s ears and eyes and hearts. But it also has implications for ourselves. None of us is free of prejudice of some kind. We need to pray that God would show us where we are blind and deaf to the truth, and that he would heal us.
A person whose mind is open to the truth may have very strongly held beliefs based on false information, but once they have better information, they are willing to change their beliefs. No amount of new information will change the mind of the prejudiced because they have already “prejudged” whatever they see and hear.
Perhaps this is what scripture is describing when it speaks of God ‘hardening the heart’ of Pharaoh (Exodus 7.3), or blinding the eyes and shutting the ears of those who have rejected the truth (Isaiah 6:10, John 12:38). To us that may sound unfair. Doesn’t God want people to change their minds? Yes, he does.
Their unbelief is not caused by God, that is their own choice. But once someone has made up their minds not to see or hear anything that contradicts what they believe, only God can change that. Nothing else will. God doesn’t literally close their minds, but only he can soften their hearts and open their eyes and ears. In a sense, it becomes his choice.
This has implications for evangelism. When we share the gospel, we also need to pray that God will open our listener’s ears and eyes and hearts. But it also has implications for ourselves. None of us is free of prejudice of some kind. We need to pray that God would show us where we are blind and deaf to the truth, and that he would heal us.
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