the question is, How does He change our hearts?
By Magic Or by people, the word. circumstances in life, and the HS
God is willing to give anyone a new heart if they choose to believe on Jesus Christ.
Hi eternally-gratefull/shrume, how can a person who needs a new heart (a person the Bible describes as being
"dead" spiritually .. Ephesians 2:1-3) choose to come to faith in Christ w/o it? For that matter, how can the dead "do" anything?
Both the Lord and St. Paul describe those who are outside of Christ in terms such as these:
.........John 3
.........3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again he cannot
see the kingdom of God.”
.........Romans 3
.........9 .....both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;
.........10 as it is written,
.........“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS,
NOT EVEN ONE;
.........11 THERE IS
NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,
.........THERE IS
NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
.........12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;
.........THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,
.........THERE IS
NOT EVEN ONE.”
.........1 Corinthians 1
.........18 The word of the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
........1 Corinthians 2
........14 A natural man
does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; and
he cannot
........understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
How can a
natural man or woman, whose heart has not been
quickened/regenerated to life by God .. Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 3:3, who cannot
understand or
accept or
see the things of God (because such things require a
spiritual, rather than a
natural, appraisal to accept/understand or even see/perceive) ever choose God? Why would they choose to do so (accept something that, when properly presented to them, seems at best, "
foolishness", to them)?
Thanks!
~Deut
.........Ephesians 2
.........1 You were dead in your trespasses and sins,
.........2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
.........of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
.........3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
.........and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
.........4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
.........5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).