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The Bible clearly teaches that God is good, and there is nothing evil in Him at all (Jas 1:17), so when we come across a passage that seems to suggest He is responsible for hardening a person's heart, we naturally find the idea troubling. It reopens the question of God's character. Is He pure goodness, or does He have a dark side? Could He be responsible for causing a person's stubborn disobedience, or is it our own choices that cause this? We need an answer because these two views of Him actually represent two different Gods. Can I trust that everything He does is good? Can I run to Him with any problem and assume His will is to save and restore? The statement that "He hardens whom He desires" raises this troubling issue.

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