The Calvinism Debate - Way of Life Literature

gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye wouldnot!”God has made man in His image. Man is not a robot. Hecan exercise his will in saying no to God, and from Genesis toRevelation the Bible says man has said no to God and hasresisted God. If God’s sovereignty means that His will isalways done, this world would make no sense! It is God’s will,for example, for every believer to “Be ye holy; for I amholy” (1 Pet. 1:16), but we know all too well that this is notalways the case and is never the case perfectly.h. God’s blinding of Israel was not a matter of sovereignelection but it was because they first hardened their own hearts.Consider Ezekiel 12:2; Matthew 13:15; and Acts 28:26-27.Ezekiel 12:2 - “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of arebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; theyhave ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellioushouse.”Ezekiel says the cause for Israel’s blindness was her ownrebellion and refusal to hear.Matthew 13:15--“For this people’s heart is waxed gross,and their ears are dull of hearing, and THEIR EYES THEYHAVE CLOSED; lest at any time they should see with theireyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand withtheir heart, and should be converted, and I should healthem.”Matthew says Israel closed her own eyes and that is thereason they were not converted. ere is no sovereignreprobation here.Acts 28:25-27--“And when they agreed not amongthemselves, they departed, aer that Paul had spoken oneword, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophetunto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say,Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeingye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this peopleis waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and33