The progression from Isaiah 5 to 6 really clarifies the hardening passage in Mark. When I first read Mark 4:12 it seemed harsh, but seeing Isaiah's vineyard parable first shows God actually did everything possible before withdrawing. The metaphor of tearing down hedges and letting it go wild is kinda brutal tho, like this isn't passive abandonment but active removal of protection. Reminds me of when I stopped helping a projct at work after repeated warnings were ignored, eventually had to just let people learn the hardway.
There are several examples in Scripture where God turns His face away from His people, or hides His face. This is all He need do So, perhaps it is a passive abandonment on God's part which to the human on the receiving end looks like an active removal of protection.
If the world, and every part of it, exists on an ongoing basis due to God's active will, then all it takes is His abandonment. He does not owe us existence.
The progression from Isaiah 5 to 6 really clarifies the hardening passage in Mark. When I first read Mark 4:12 it seemed harsh, but seeing Isaiah's vineyard parable first shows God actually did everything possible before withdrawing. The metaphor of tearing down hedges and letting it go wild is kinda brutal tho, like this isn't passive abandonment but active removal of protection. Reminds me of when I stopped helping a projct at work after repeated warnings were ignored, eventually had to just let people learn the hardway.
There are several examples in Scripture where God turns His face away from His people, or hides His face. This is all He need do So, perhaps it is a passive abandonment on God's part which to the human on the receiving end looks like an active removal of protection.
If the world, and every part of it, exists on an ongoing basis due to God's active will, then all it takes is His abandonment. He does not owe us existence.