as long as you still believe that you have the power to choose God
Who said I had the power to chose God? There you go again assuming, because your listening to what you are taught and what people are actually saying..
you have not yet seen how wicked you are and are not yet truly humbled, but I pray that these exhortations will be used by the Holy Spirit to do so.
How wicked am I?
All have sinned and fall short. All includes me
Every moment I wake up and I am not in hell I am blessed. because that's where I deserve to be.
The tax collector did nto chose God. He chose to cry out for Gods mercy, because he understood his situation.
I did that 40 some years ago.. You should stop assuming you know what anyone did or did not do.
Those who received Christ did so because as the verse you quoted says, He gave them the right to do so and the following verse further confirms that it is of God's will and not mans.
Joh 1:13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
There you go again pulling verses out of context.
John 1: 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and
His own did not receive Him. 12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
1. The right to become Gods child comes through receiving him
2. I can not be saved through bloodline (like the jew believed)
3. I can not will myself saved (through the flesh)
4. And I can;t will my child to be saved, and they are saved.
But I must receive him.
You should watch how you cut and pic and chose verses out of context. and ask yourself why you do it.,