Job 15:25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God and defies the Almighty, running stubbornly against him with a thickly bossed shield;
Job 15:31 Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment. It will be paid in full before his time,
Isaiah 44:20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
The verse, “running stubbornly against Him with a thickly bossed shield” can describe many non-believers. They have not only chosen to disregard God’s call to salvation they also put up a strong shield against that call from God. I wonder what is was that hardened their heart to the point of actively shielding their heart, mind, and soul against the call of God. There are those who believe there is a “god” but just don’t believe in God’s wrath and judgment. They see no need for salvation because they are good enough and sin is what bad people do. They are much better than these bad people. There are those who do not believe in God and live according to their culture and the idols or gods their culture accepts. They close their ears to the call of God and chose to believe a lie and cling to false hope. There are those who know God and the need for salvation/redemption is real. They hear the call of God and come to Him for a one and done salvation moment. They seldom study God’s Word and seem to never grow in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom of God. There is really no apparent change in their life that can be seen by practical application of the principles of God. They chose to live as an infant.
I really don’t know what person is worse, the openly hardened heart and the defiant person or the complacent, lukewarm, neglectful “Christian”. The openly defiant person is recognizable and stands up for and defends what they believe even if it is a lie. People who see them can see a vast difference between them and others. They can say that life is wrong and I don’t want to be like that. They may even be driven closer to God because these defiant people expose a choice that needs to be made.
The lukewarm, complacent, and neglectful Christian seems to have a more devastating effect. People who see them will never see any difference in their lives. They will never see how Love for Jesus Christ’s sacrifice has changed and continues to change their life. They will never see what it means to be a humble servant. They will never see what it means to live in such a way to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in what is said and done. They will never know how what thankful worship is. But the worst of it is that some may think if this is all a Christian life is I see no need for it, it adds no benefit or change to a person’s life.
We can say all we want about how bad a hardened and defiant hearted person is but truly the person doing much more harm is the acknowledging Christian who lukewarmly waters down the sacrifice Jesus Christ made by living in a chosen state of neglect and complacency.