Well, why does Christ want some to not believe?

That's a perplexing question for a lot of Bible readers who scratch their heads when they

meet texts like Matthew 13, 13, and Luke 8, 10.

Today the question arrives from a listener named Max, a question from Pastor John, who joins

us again over Skype today.

Hello Pastor John.

Explain Jesus's parable in Luke 8 verses 9 to 15, in which he quotes Isaiah 6, 9.

In Isaiah 6, God says to quote, make the hearts of this people callous otherwise they might

see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and be healed.

What perplexes me is that God purposefully keeps people from salvation, even though first

Timothy 2, 4 states that God wants all people to repent and receive salvation.

Please help me to understand this seeming paradox and if possible, God's reasoning behind

hardening certain hearts to keep them from repentance.

Pastor John, what would you say to Max?

There really are two questions here.

They're both good.

One is, does first Timothy 2, 4 imply that God's desire for all to be saved, rule out.

Does it rule out?

Is decisive sovereignty over who is in fact saved?

So if he desires all to be saved, are you going to draw the inference?

Well then he can't be involved in choosing something to be saved and some to pass over

and not be saved.

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