To "hear" in scripture is like the word "called" in scripture. As regards hearing, one may hear without heeding what is heard, or may hear in the sense of heeding what is heard. As regards calling, one may have been called but do not answer the call, while another may be called and answer it.
Regarding two kinds of hearing or hearers, James the Lord's brother, wrote:
"22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." (James 1: 22-25 nkjv)
Here we see these two kinds of hearers. We also see these two types of hearers in the parable of the sower and the seed where each soil type (representing people) "received" the seed, that is, they "heard" the word preached (“When anyone hears the word" - Matt. 13: 19).That parable is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke and in each of them the Lord concluded his explanation of it with an exhortation to listen well to His words (Matt. 13: 9; Mark 4: 9; Luke 8: 8), saying "Therefore take heed how you hear." (Luke 8: 18)
However, in the scriptures a "hearer" of the word is a term for those who have not merely heard the word but believed and obeyed it. We see this usage of "hearer" in these words of our Lord: "He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” (John 8: 47 nkjv) The hearers Christ speaks of in these words are they who are people who are "of God," who have not only heard the word but have been changed by it. In verse 43 Jesus says to the same people: "Why do you not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word." By "cannot hear" he does not mean that they were not hearing audibly what Jesus was saying but that they were not hearing it with understanding nor heeding or believing it. The saved are they who are hearers in the sense that they "listen" attentively with the intent of learning. This is what "hearing" means in these words of the Father:
"While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matt. 17: 5 nkjv)
In this text the command of the Father to "hear" his beloved Son means more than just to hear but means to hear so as to heed what is said. So the writer of Hebrews speaks of "giving the more earnest heed to the things we have heard" from the Lord and his apostles. (Heb. 2: 1) Many translations often use the word "listen" instead of the word "hear" or the word "hearken." So the Lord says: “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!" (Psa. 81: 13 nkjv) And, "Give ear and hear my voice,
Listen and hear my speech." (Isa. 28: 23 nkjv)
Salvation is promised to those who not merely hear the word of God but who hear it, heed it, believe it, and obey or follow it. So said the Lord:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (John 5: 24 nkjv)
Jesus also identified the saved with those who hear his voice. In John chapter ten, in that memorial discourse about his being Shepherd of the sheep, Christ said:
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." (John 10: 27-28 nkjv)
Many unsaved people heard the voice of Jesus but were not saved by it. The ones who hear it and are saved by it are they who were affected by it so that they became followers of Jesus. These are the kind of hearers of the word or voice of the Lord that are promised eternal life.
In hearing the preaching of the gospel or word of God, people hear God say to them -- "if you will hear his voice" (Heb. 3: 7, 15, 4: 7), they will be saved. Here again the word "hear" does not mean simply hearing the words but hearing them in the sense of listening to them with the intent of believing and doing what the voice of God says. They are told not to "harden" their hearts when hearing the voice of the Lord.
"Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.” (Heb. 4: 6-7 nkjv)
By "if you will hear his voice" means "if you will hear in the sense of heeding his voice." Many hear this voice but do not heed it, but harden their hearts against what they hear. So the same inspired writer warns in the same Hebrew letter:
"See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” (Heb. 12: 25-26 nkjv)
When I was with the "Primitive" (aka "Hardshell") Baptists, I heard it taught that only the elect hear the voice of the Son of God. I often heard them preach upon these words of the Lord:
"25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." (John 5: 25-29 nkjv)
I already mentioned verse 24 above where Jesus said it is those who hear and believe his word who shall be saved. There is no essential difference between hearing the "word" of Jesus versus hearing his "voice." It is rightly believed that the hearing of the voice of the Son of God in verse twenty five is what takes place in raising sinners out of spiritual death when they are saved, regenerated, or reborn. That interpretation is deducible from the fact that Jesus says "the hour is coming and now is" (meaning it is happening now and will continue to happen in the future), whereas verse twenty eight is talking about a strictly physical resurrection, which is future only, and involves "all who are in the graves." It is argued that just as all who hear the voice of the Son of God in the end-time resurrection will in fact be raised, without exception, so all those who hear the voice of the Son of God for spiritual resurrection will in fact be raised in spiritual resurrection. That being so, only those who are saved have heard the voice of the Son of God.
Is it true that the unsaved never hear that voice? What is meant by "hearing," seeing we have already shown how "hearers" of the word are of two kinds? Are there any scriptures that say that the lost hear the voice of God, or the Son of God, but who are not saved by it?
The above texts show that people are called upon to "hear" the voice of the Lord and to not refuse to hear (listen or heed) what the Lord says to them. The "if" in Hebrews 4: 7 is what is called a "third class condition." I have written a few posts on the four types of conditionals found in Greek. (See these in particular; here and here) This indicates that it is not certain that anyone in particular will "hear" the voice of the Lord. Some will hear it but will not heed it and this is further evident when the Hebrew writer says "see that refuse not him who speaks from heaven." All the Israelites who were assembled around Mt. Sinai when the Lord appeared there to enter into covenant with them heard the voice of the Lord. Yet, many of them were not saved by merely hearing the voice of the Lord. Many people in the time of Christ heard the voice of Christ but were not saved by hearing it.
Consider also that among all those who are in the graves and who hear the voice of the Son of God in the coming day of the resurrection are all not resurrected "unto life," for some are resurrected "to condemnation" or eternal death. Likewise, many who hear the gospel or word of God through preachers, or by reading the bible, will not be saved by hearing the voice, while others will be saved. Some will hear the word of voice of the Lord via preaching but who will not be saved (resurrected to spiritual life) by it for they will "refuse him who speaks to them from heaven." This truth is further substantiated by these words of the apostle Paul:
"14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (II Cor. 2: 14-16 nkjv)
Both the saved and the perishing were recipients of the diffusion of the fragrance or aroma of the knowledge of the Lord and yet in one case that fragrant knowledge gives life to the spiritually dead and to others it leads to further death, yea, to the "second death."
Further, we must decide what kind of hearer is alluded to by Jesus when he says "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear shall live." What is meant by "those who hear"? Is it all who merely hear the word audibly or rather they who hear in the sense of listening and heeding? Recall the words of the Father who said "this is my beloved Son, hear him." Does he mean simply give him an audience without giving credence to what he says?
The Called of Jesus Christ
Paul addressed believers as "the called of Jesus Christ" (Rom. 1: 6). By this he does not designate any who have been called by the gospel but who did not answer or positively respond to the call. Jesus indicated that many are thus called but who never heed the call and were not of the chosen when he said: "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22: 14).
In chapter fourteen of my series on "Prevenient Grace" I showed how "the called" may designate two different sets of people. (See here) In that post I wrote:
"When anything is drawn it is drawn away from something and to something else. A thing cannot be said to have been drawn to something if it has not reached the point to which it is being drawn. You cannot therefore say that a sinner has been drawn until he has come to Christ. It is like the word "called." We can see two ways to interpret the word "called." If I call a person on the telephone, I can say that I called that person even if the person does not answer the call. On the other hand, by saying that we called a person may mean we called a person and that person answered our call."
When Paul speaks of "the called of Jesus Christ" he does not denote all those who hear the call of the gospel but rather those who hear it and positively answer the call. In Proverbs "Wisdom" says to all:
"24 Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, 25 Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, 27 When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you." (Prov. 1: 24-27 nkjv)
So, some are called by Wisdom, or God, and yet refuse and reject that call and the results of doing that are stated in the text.
So, in conclusion we say that the non-elect do often hear the voice, word, or call of the Lord when they hear or read the word of God but are not saved by it. They hear it in one sense but not in another.
No comments:
Post a Comment