The human heart possesses a remarkable and often terrifying capacity for what we might call “pigheadedness”—an inability to be budged or moved even in the face of overwhelming evidence. While we often treat stubbornness as a minor character flaw or a quirky personality trait, the biblical perspective reveals something far more malignant. In the opening chapter of the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul speaks of “suppressing the truth”. This suppression is not a mere intellectual oversight; it is a willful, moral act that leads to profound folly and a destructive unwillingness to submit to God’s authority. To understand the exceeding sinfulness of stubbornness, we must trace its progression from the rejection of clear facts to the eventual hatred of those who embrace them.
The Personal Face of Stubborn Pride
Stubbornness often manifests as a form of “stubborn pride,” where an individual converts their unbelief into a source of personal identity. This was vividly illustrated by a father who, when presented with the facts of the Gospel and the authentic witness of his believing family, proudly declared himself to be “hardhearted, self-directed, and stubborn” against any claim that God might have authority over his life. This was not a lack of information; it was a proud refusal to capitulate to the truth, a sentiment echoed by others who have maintained their denial of Christ even onto their deathbeds.
However, we must distinguish between different types of stubbornness. It is not inherently sinful to be immovable; indeed, we are called to be stubborn regarding the authenticity of Scripture, the virgin birth, and the essential tenets of the faith. The sinfulness arises when stubbornness is rooted in the remnants of sin—such as pride and self-justification—that we must wage war against daily. Even in mundane life, such as a “bullheaded” refusal to ask for help with a plumbing repair, we see how stubbornness can lead us to “shoot ourselves in the foot,” costing us time, money, and peace of mind. When we drill down into the nature of this trait, as the Puritans were known to do, we find that it is a persistent rebellion that causes significant damage when we choose persistence over repentance.
A Biblical Study in Rejection: The Case of Lazarus
The most dramatic demonstration of sinful stubbornness is found in the response to the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus performed a sign of absolute authority by raising a man who had been dead for four days—a man who was already decomposing and “odiferous”. This was perhaps the greatest demonstration of Christ’s power over life and death imaginable.
The reactions to this event perfectly illustrate the divide between faith and stubborn rebellion. While many who witnessed the sign believed in Jesus, others immediately went to the Pharisees to report Him. The religious leaders did not deny the fact of the miracle; instead, they asked, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs”. Their concern was not with the truth of the resurrection, but with the threat it posed to their political status: “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation”.
From this account, we can observe the four markers of “exceeding sinfulness” in stubbornness. First, it involves rejecting the truth—not because it is misunderstood, but because it is seen in its fullness and purposefully denied. Second, it is persistent; it is not a temporary struggle for clarity but a long-term refusal to be humbled. Third, stubbornness justifies itself; once the truth is rejected, the individual creates a rationalization for their denial, such as Caiaphas’s claim that it was “better… that one man should die for the people” to save the nation. Finally, this persistent rejection produces a hatred for the truth-tellers. The Pharisees did not stop at rejecting Jesus; they made plans to put Him to death and even sought to kill Lazarus because his very existence was an undeniable testimony to the truth they hated.
The Modern Suppression: Science and the Pre-born
This biblical pattern of stubbornness is mirrored today in the global debate over the sanctity of human life. We are confronted by a scientific truth as bold as “Lazarus coming out of the grave,” yet it is consistently suppressed. It is an established, non-debatable fact in every science book in the world that human life begins at conception. Opponents of the pro-life position often reject this truth not as scientists, but as “abortion rights advocates” who simply do not want the truth to be clear.
Consider the evidence found in secular medical textbooks used at major institutions like the University of Central Michigan, Wake Forest, and the University of Buffalo. The textbook The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology by Keith Moore and T.V.N. Persaud explicitly states: “A zygote is the beginning of a new human being. Human development begins at fertilization”. It describes the zygote as a “highly specialized” cell that marks the beginning of each of us as a “unique individual”. This is not a religious “proof text”; it is the standard scientific curriculum. Yet, the “hardness of heart” revealed in the cultural grain leads many to reject this evidence on the spot, preferring to “suppress the truth” rather than align themselves with the reality of human development.
The “Hand of Hope” and the Refusal to See
A poignant example of this suppression occurred around 1999 with the work of AP photographer Michael Clancy. Clancy was invited to photograph a revolutionary surgical procedure for spina bifida performed on a child while still inside the mother’s womb. During the surgery, the baby’s hand reached out through a small incision in the uterus and grasped the surgeon’s finger. This “arresting picture” went viral, appearing in USA Today and Life magazine.
For Clancy, who was not a pro-life activist, this image “ended the debate” because he saw the humanity of the child with his own eyes. He expected the rest of the world to receive this truth and celebrate the medical advancement. Instead, he was shocked to find that many viewed the photo as “misinformation” or “medically inaccurate”. People chose to believe the facts were being distorted rather than accept the truth that there is a human being inside the womb. This was a classic manifestation of stubbornness: the truth was “bold” and “cut and dried,” yet it was actively suppressed to protect a preferred narrative.
The long-term story of that child, Samuel Armis, proves the reality of that humanity. Photos of him as a seven-year-old rowing a boat and later as a teenager standing with his mother demonstrate the life that was saved and the individual who was revealed in that surgical moment. One can either receive this truth and defend it, or persistently reject it. Disagreeing with the humanity of the pre-born child in the face of such evidence is not a neutral stance; it is an active “suppression of the truth”.
Cultivating a Love for the Truth
To combat the “sin of stubbornness,” we must recognize it as a “rebellious and hardcore” state that converts itself into self-justification and eventually hatred toward those who follow the truth. In the context of global missions, where the United States accounts for only 3% of abortions and 97% of the crisis exists as a mission challenge, we must be prepared to speak the truth even when it is rejected. We often use tools like the “tiny baby” model—a medically accurate representation of a human at nine weeks of age—to help people visualize the truth and overcome their stubbornness.
The remedy for this sin is two-fold. First, we must strive to be lovers of the truth. This involves training ourselves to respect and welcome truth, even in small, uncomfortable moments—such as admitting when a spouse is right during an argument. The more we value truth over our own ego, the less room there is for stubbornness to take root. Second, we must have the courage to stand on the truth. Just as the religious leaders hated Jesus for revealing the truth, we must be prepared to “take our lumps” and face rejection from those who remain in the grip of stubborn rebellion.
Ultimately, stubbornness is a war against reality itself. Whether it is the resurrection of a friend, the clear words of a medical textbook, or the tiny hand of a surgical patient, the truth is there to be received. We must pray for the humility to receive it and the strength to stand for it without flinching. God bless.
This article is adapted from the episode transcript.