Today’s passage: John 12:36-43
Helpful thoughts:
- The people saw everything we read in the Gospel of John, and they did not believe.
- They could not believe (Verse 39).
- And, they did not want to believe.
- This passage quotes from Isaiah 53:1 and 6:10.
- In these verses we see God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Both are true.
- God hardens hearts (Romans 9:14-24). And people willingly reject Him.
- God also opens blind eyes and brings spiritually dead people to life (Ephesians 2:1-10).
- See Isaiah 55:8-9
- These things can be hard to think through (2 Peter 3:15-16), but it is not our responsibility to hold God accountable to our standards. We answer to Him.
- In these verses we see God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Both are true.
- Many who heard Jesus had a hard time understanding and believing the things He said. Because of spiritual blindness/deafness, and (Or also) sometimes because they feared man more than Almighty God (Verses 42-43).
Questions to consider:
- Why is this passage hard to wrap our minds around? How does the sovereignty of God work with the responsibility of man? Is anyone going to go to hell who didn’t want to reject God (Romans 1:18-20)? Is anyone going to go to heaven who wanted to love God all on their own (Romans 3:10-12)?
- From an eternal, spiritual perspective, what must happen in order for a person to hear about Jesus Christ, hear the gospel message, and believe? (John 3:7-8, Ephesians 1:3-6, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
- From what might be considered “our” perspective, what must happen in order for a person to hear about Jesus Christ, hear the gospel message, and believe? What has God instructed us to do? What is our responsibility? (Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 10:14-17, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21)