Anything done apart from the Holy Spirit is a human "work."
All true Christians believe that.
A change of mind not enabled by the Holy Spirit is a human "work," which works do not, and cannot, save (Eph 2:8-9).
Can you show me that a "change of mind" is efficaciously enabled by the Holy Spirit?
A change of mind is
encouraged by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God on the spirit, mind and conscience sinners indiscriminately.
However, many can and do
resist the Spirit (
Acts 7:51) or
refuse the grace offered to them through the Gospel (
Matthew 22:3;
Romans 10:21-22;
2 Thessalonians 2:10).
Acts 7:51 (WEB) 51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always
resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.
Romans 10:20-21 (WEB) 20 Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.” [
Isaiah 65:1] 21 But about Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a
disobedient and
obstinate people.” [
Isaiah 65:2]
Matthew 22:3 (NIV) He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but
they refused to come.
2 Thessalonians 2:10 (NIV) They perish because
they refused to love the truth and
so be saved.
God graciously calls
all people
without favoritism or
discrimination to repent and believe to be saved, even though many refuse.
Romans 2:3-9 (WEB) Or do you take for granted the riches of His
kindness and
tolerance and
patience, not knowing that the
kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of
your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath
for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. 6 who “will pay back to everyone according to their works:” [
Psalm 62:12;
Proverbs 24:12] 7 to
those who by
perseverance in well-doing seek for glory, honor, and incorruptibility,
eternal life; 8 but to
those who are
self-seeking, and
don’t obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be
wrath, indignation, 9 oppression, and anguish on every soul of man who does evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Therefore; God's Word and Spirit are not efficacious in how they work to convict and call people to repent and believe; in that, many people to
refuse the Gospel invitation, and they do
resist the Spirit.
The sinner is
made alive (born again) by the
indwelling Spirit (
Romans 8:9-10) and the Gospel Word (
Romans 10:17;
Ephesians 5:25-26;
1 Peter 1:23;
James 1:18)
through our faith in Lord Jesus (
John 3:1-18;
John 7:37-39;
Ephesians 1:13-14;
Galatians 3:2;
Galatians 3:5;
Galatians 3:14;
Acts 2:38).
We pass out of spirit death onto spiritual life by believing, not so we can believe.
John 5:24 (WEB) 24 “Most certainly I tell you, he who
hears (
present and continuous hearing) my word and
believes (
present and continuous believing) him who sent me
has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has
passed out of death into life.
God, by his Word and Spirit, convicts the hearts of all people to repent and believe, and the sinner can either repent and believe or refuse the conviction and the grace offered to him through the Gospel. The humble and crushed are the sinners who are clearly receptive to the Gospel invitation by the Word and Spirit, while the proud and arrogant will resist.
If one's "faith" does not obey, then it is not saving faith, it is counterfeit faith, which does not save.
However. . .it is not the works of true faith which saves, it is the faith only, apart from the works, which saves (Eph 2:8-9).
There are different interpretations of "
Ephesians 2:8-9." But you agree that faith is not a work.
Repentance is innate within a true Gospel Faith in Lord Jesus by which God elects to save us.
Acts 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked. But now
he commands that all people everywhere should repent
Acts 20:20-21 (WEB) 20 I didn’t shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, teaching you
publicly and from
house to house, 21 testifying both to
Jews and to
Greeks repentance toward God, and
faith toward our
Lord Jesus.
2 Corinthians 7:10 (WEB) 10 For godly sorrow produces
repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world produces death.
Luke 24:46-47 (EWEB) 46 He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that
repentance and
remission [forgiveness] of sins should be preached in his name
to all the nations,
beginning at Jerusalem.
However. . .it is not the works of true faith which saves, it is the faith only, apart from the works, which saves (Eph 2:8-9).
The evidence of one's faith is a sanctified life of righteousness and love, of which Baptism represents (
Matthew 28:19-20;
Romans 6:1-8;
Colossians 3:1-17). These are the only ones God sanctifies to himself.
God surely does judge the genuineness of our faith by our works - whether we listened to and followed Lord Jesus into a sanctified life of righteousness and love.
John 10:27-28 (EWEB) 27
My sheep hear [listen] my voice, and I know
them, and
they follow me. 28 I give
eternal life to
them.
They will never perish, and no one will snatch
them out of my hand.
The “
them” and “
they” who are granted eternal life are the ones who
listen to and
follow Lord Jesus, confessing him as their Lord. These are the ones Lord Jesus identifies as his sheep.
The "sheep" whom Lord Jesus saves are those who evidence their faith by a life of good works (
Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:31-46 - King James Version).
Matthew 25:46-47 (KJV)
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye
did it not to one of the least of these, ye
did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment: but
the righteous into
life eternal.
1 John 3:7 Children, let no one lead you astray. He who
does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
1 John 3:10 (WEB) In this the children of God
are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t
do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother.
1 John 1:7 (WEB) But
if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son,
cleanses us from
all sin.
1 John 2:6 (WEB) 6
he who says he remains in him ought himself also to walk just like he walked.
