This is always where this debate lands. You think YOU decided, by your intellect and wisdom to conceive and birth yourself to be a Born again Child of God. You had NOTHING to do with your physical conception and birth, so what on earth would make you think you had something to do with your Spiritual conception and birth?
God specifically says it WASN'T by YOUR will (choice)!
John 1:12-13 New King James Version (NKJV)
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.
YOU made a "choice" to put (YOUR?) faith in God? I have asked this question before, and haven't gotten a concrete answer. If this faith you had to believe on Jesus Christ wasn't a gift from God, where did it come from?
And if GOD gifted you that faith, and it is only by GOD'S Will that you are born, as SPECIFICALLY stated above, then why do you insist that YOU are the one who decided to be His Child?
God specifically says it WASN'T by YOUR will (choice)!
John 1:12-13 New King James Version (NKJV)
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.
YOU made a "choice" to put (YOUR?) faith in God? I have asked this question before, and haven't gotten a concrete answer. If this faith you had to believe on Jesus Christ wasn't a gift from God, where did it come from?
And if GOD gifted you that faith, and it is only by GOD'S Will that you are born, as SPECIFICALLY stated above, then why do you insist that YOU are the one who decided to be His Child?
This is simple Gospel truth. Why else does so many scriptures say to believe if it wasn't a choice?
John 1:12-13 New International Version (NIV)
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Did you not read the first verse? Receive him.
The word receive means 2983 lambánō (from the primitive root, lab-, meaning "actively lay hold of to take or receive," see NAS dictionary) – properly, to lay hold by aggressively (actively) accepting what is available (offered).
Believed in His name.
Believe means in this context as
I believe, have faith in, trust in; pass: I am entrusted with.
4100 pisteúō (from 4102 /pístis, "faith," derived from 3982 /peíthō, "persuade, be persuaded") – believe (affirm, have confidence); used of persuading oneself (= human believing) and with the sacred significance of being persuaded by the Lord (= faith-believing). Only the context indicates whether 4100 /pisteúō ("believe") is self-serving (without sacred meaning), or the believing that leads to/proceeds from God's inbirthing of faith.
The hear, believe, repent, and confess Jesus as Lord is the dual relationship of human believing and sacred persuasion by the Spirit = faith-believing. Once confessed or the inviting of the Lord into our heart then it is all God who causes the born again part.
The Bible is a relationship book.