# Active and Passive Hardening (Bullinger vs Calvin)



## Zimon (Nov 19, 2010)

Hello,
I hope the thread fits here but because I thought this is somehow connencted with Exodus 7-11 and has something to do with Exegetics, too, I hope it does fit.
When I read a bit in the ICR by Calvin I found out he seemed to have a different opinion on the hardening of heart than Bullinger in his Confessia Helventica Posterior has.

(The following translations are by myself, I tried to do my best )

Bullinger writes:
"But we are evil and depraved enough that there is no need that God should inject more evil. If the Sriptures declare that God hardens the heart of a man it means that he does it as a fair judge: Every time it is written that God does something evil this means that he just let the Evil happen by men although he could prevent it."

Calvin writes:
"Does hardening their hearts just means that God does not soften them? In wa way, yes. But it means also more: He gave instructions to Satan to harden their heart, as he said before. [...] So you cannot say they just did it because they were missing the guidance of the LORD. Because if their hearts were hardened, this means: They were lead in this direction intentionally"

So who's right? Before I read Calvin I thought Bullinger was right but I was never totally convinced because the story of the Pharao speaks such a clear language that there seems to be no doubt it was active hardening (and not passive hardening like Bullinger writes). But if Calvin was true, why does God need to inject evilness if the human being is totally depraved? Or how do you think the hardening should be understood?

Thank you very much!
Simon


----------



## Peairtach (Nov 19, 2010)

> inject evilness



God can't inject any evilness of His own into the human heart because He has no evilness (sin) of His own, and it would be sinful of Him to do so.

But He can withdraw common grace i.e. the restraining influence of His Spirit, or use secondary means in judgment e.g. He sent an evil spirit to trouble Saul.

All things are in God's hands but He cannot directly infuse evil into someone's soul.


----------



## Zimon (Nov 19, 2010)

Things are a bit clearer now, thank you  But to get rid of the last bits of the question, could you please explain how this hardening in this example could have happened? My point is this: If Pharao would have let the Israelites go if there would not have been the influence of God, how could God prevent him from doing so by withdrawing common grace? But this seems to be a bit like the passive hardening of Bullinger, at least it sounds like this in my ears (Correct my if I'm wrong). Or do you think an evil spirit like you did describe it did his work here?


----------



## Peairtach (Nov 19, 2010)

Being a sinner by nature, and also one that had already persecuted God's people, Pharaoh had already set his heart against the true God when Moses came to Him.



> Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'" But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go." Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." (Ex 5:1-3, ESV)



Pharaoh was now hearing God's salvific words from the mouth of God's prophet but failed to take this opportunity to repent. 

There is no mention of an evil spirit or evil spirits being used in God's providence in the case of Pharaoh. Certainly it may have been enough for God to withdraw his restraining grace from Pharaoh and thus ordain that he go forward in the evil path in which his heart was bent. Of course it was in God's providence that Pharaoh's heart was bent in this direction, but Pharaoh's heart provided the evil energy and if the Devil had a hand in it, Pharaoh couldn't use this as an excuse for his own sin. No-one was "holding a gun to Pharaoh's head." 

He was a free and evil agent, like Judas, etc, and like us when we sin, except when we sin we already have saving faith in the God of Israel.

E.g.


> this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (Acts 2:23)


----------

