Hard Headed vs Hardened Heart - GraceAndWorks

As I was researching this, I found they are directly involved with each other. I want to take a look at what God has to say through the scriptures about each of them. We’ll start with being hard headed.

Hard headed , by definition means stubborn. One who is set in their ways. Doesn’t want to change, but will if shown a better way. In the New Testament, we see examples of stubbornness. When Jesus healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, the Pharisees’ hard headed manner grieved and angered Jesus. Instead of praising Him for His healing power and acknowledging Him, the Pharisees’ hard heads caused them to try to kill Him (Mark 3:1-6). When Stephen was closing his speech before the Sanhedrin, he chided them for their foolish stubbornness: “You stiff necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: you always resist the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 7:51) When Paul preached to the Jews in Corinth, they continued to reject his message of Salvation through Jesus. Paul tried to reason with them for three months, but “some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly spoke evil of the Way” (acts 19:9). As a result of this, Paul took the disciples and left the unbelievers in their stubbornness and non-belief. This is a fate for those that reject Jesus. Romans 2:5: But in your accordance with your hardness and impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God.

The Bible considers the heart to be center of our personality. Scripture tells us that Grief (John 14:1); desires (Matthew 5:8); Joy (Ephesians 5:19); Understanding (Matthew 13:15); Thoughts and reasoning (Mark 2:8); and the most important, faith and belief (Romans 10:10) are all products of the heart. Considering all of this, it becomes easy to see how a hardened heart can take away a person’s ability to perceive and understand. Anyone’s heart can harden, even faithful Christians. Hardness of heart will cause the Christian to have an inability to see, understand, hear, and remember. Too often we forget what God blesses us with and what He has done for us. We need to remember God said, “I will never leave you and I will never forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) Sin causes the hardened heart, especially continual and unrepentant sin. Pride will cause hearts to harden. The pride of life and of heart will deceive you. If we can bring ourselves to repent of sin, only then can a hardened heart begin to be cured.

Hearts become hardened when we suffer setbacks and disappointments in life. No one is immune to the trials and tribulations that we encounter through life’s cycle. Paul tells us in Romans 5:3-5, “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

My conclusion: Hard Headed will lead to Hardness of Heart!!