Hardness Towards Truth Leads to Unbelief in Christ
Mark 6:45-52 – 45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Unless someone is a brand new Christian, we don’t have to wonder why there is a turning away from the Lord or a consistent pattern of sin or indifference to the things of Christ—those things are always due to a hardness of heart or, in other words, a heart that is set on living for oneself. That may not manifest itself in loose living or drunkenness or filthy speech, but it may simply be expressed by a selfish use of time or an absolute commitment to one’s comfort and promotion of one’s preferences. A hard-heartedness is made evident by any resistance to God’s truth; anytime we ignore Christ’s commands or try to excuse our disobedience on the basis of someone else’s disobedience. That’s why after the explanation of the pre-converted, hardened heart in Eph. 4:17-19, Paul continues on to say: 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,22 to put off your old self,[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
That’s the life of someone who knows Christ. It’s someone who fights to get rid of the hardened heart, replaces lies with the truth of Scripture, and then walks in Christlikeness. No one is going to do that perfectly, but there will be an increase in victories over our flesh over time because the Holy Spirit brings power over sin into our lives as we trust in his word.