Archive for May 26th, 2010
1)
Concerning Hardening, Blindness; How God
Is Said to Deceive and Punish Sin with Sin
Hardening, blindness, and deceit is sin because of the cause for which they occur; that which hardens and blinds with regard to men and devils, however, is sin, as is said in Ephesians 4; at other times, however, it is the punishment for sin.
We say in three senses, however, that God hardens and blinds, i.e., punishes by means of evil things former offenses with later ones. First is when He deprives men of His own light, wisdom, grace, and heavenly gifts. When, however, God withdraws from men that which is His own, darkness of necessity follows light, and ignorance, blindness, and
hardening follows wisdom; when the sole cause of punishments remains, the guilt of punishment follows, as it is said in Job 12. He withdraws their hearts and mouths from princes (cf. vv. 20, 24).
Furthermore, He is said to harden when He does not soften; does not enlighten men, but leaves them in their darkness. Thus it is said in Isaiah 6 and 63 (Rom. 6, 7). And thus the Spirit of the Lord left Saul (Lombard, Book 2, Sentences).
Third, by leaving men to themselves, He gives them up to the devil, that author of every error and evil, and gives them into the hands of sin, subjects them to the Law of men (Amos 3; Isa. 45; Matt. 13). When afterwards, men are the slaves of sin, they are inclined only to evil and led by Satan. They are falsely in error, therefore, who say (with Pelagius) that God punishes and hardens permissively.