“for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.” John 12:43
We’re told in Verse 37 “But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him”. The next two explain, this was in fulfillment of what Isaiah had written; how God had “blinded their eyes and hardened their heart”. But notice what Today’s Verse says, “for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.” The emphasis is not on “God”, but on “they”! This explains how He Blinded and Hardened them. He allowed these “rulers” to express the true nature of their hearts!
The same holds true every Sunday. All across the nation, people will go to church, read their Bibles, sing God’s songs, pray, and hear a man speak to them about the Bible, and still be guilty of the crime above! This is why Repentance is so vital in preaching. Without it, we love God too little and Man’s approval too much. Until we truly learn to Hate the things God hates, and the Love the things God loves, we may continue on along that Broad Road thinking All Is Well, until that last Day when we hear the words “Depart from Me!”