One less Calvinist verse, as it seems...

As always, there are times when we'll have a biblical verse that does not support one of the categories we force Scripture into. At first it's hard to see these verses as saying anything other than what we have thought in the past but sometimes the evidence will lead us to reconsider our interpretations. At times we will support "the right doctrine from the wrong text" (to borrow G. K.a Beale's words).

Though I am a Calvinist, I have come to find that many of the verses which I thought taught it really do not. At the same time, however, I have come to rely on a smaller list of passages which I think teach it strongly (Rom. 9; John 6; 1 Pe. 2, etc.)


Anyway, here's one that has been crossed off the list in my mind:

Matt. 13:14-15 from Isa. 6:9-10

After Jesus' disciples ask him to explain the parable of the sower, Jesus responds by saying that the disciples have been given the secrets of heaven but not the crowd. He then supports his statement by saying that he speaks to the people in parables basically to condemn them (a citation of Isa. as seen above).

I always thought the citation taught God's hardening of people's hearts before their own decision. What is apparent in Isaiah, however, is that God only does this after people have already hardened their own hearts first. Chapters 1-5 of Isaiah describe the plentiful sins of the people of Israel and their outright rebellion. This is followed by the famous calling of Isaiah in ch. 6.

The dual-purpose of the NT quote is to call attention to the remnant in Isa. 6:13 ("the holy seed is its stump") and the imminent release of God's wrath upon the rebellious "until the land is utterly desolate" (v. 11). God pulls out a purified remnant from the group who have also purified themselves; they are "the stump." Matthew (and Jesus) uses typology (the repetition of a pattern in history) to apply this passage to their own contemporary audience. They are essentially asking their readers, "are you going to be part of the remnant? the seed is coming to your territory, will it land on good ground?" This is still a highly relevant question to ask ourselves today.

Verse 11 speaks of the granting of the "mysteries of the kingdom." Mark Nolland summarizes it best, "What has been given to the disciples has been withheld from the crowds. These contrasting states are presumably assumed from the disciples' attachment to Jesus...and the crowds' failure to move beyond curiosity, being impressed and wanting to benefit from Jesus' ministry; they have not repented..." (his commentary, p. 533). This is something obvious I missed for years.

It's also important to note that those who are about to endure God's judgment are still called to repent elsewhere in Isaiah's context because God's mercy is still within arm's reach if they would only humble themselves. If anything, this passage emphasizes human responsibility and not divine sovereignty. God's sovereignty seems to be a secondary issue here and essentially a reaction to what humans have disobediently chosen.

I tried to make this as short as possible all to only say that this no longer holds much water for the Calvinist view in my eyes. Not that it contradicts it, only that it should not be used to buttress the argument. Comments are appreciated; more of these to come.