Is God able to change a person's will?

[Rescued One]

Do humans possess desires? - Obviously we do.

Can a person who desires his own will instead of God's be changed by God? - If one sincerely accepts Jesus, we ask Jesus to help change us and He does so because we asked and we go through the changing process throughout our human life. He calls or "woos" everyone to turn to Him ... not everyone answers. He will not violate a persons will ... He will only become actively working in a persons life ... if a person asks Him to do so.

Isaiah 45:22

"Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.

If he can't be changed why was he made that way? Again, one can be changed through Jesus ... turning to God.

Do you pray for unbelievers? Yes of course, praying they will turn to God and accept Jesus.

John 3:16

Romans 3
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Without the Spirit, no one will turn to God. The natural man can't understand spiritual truths.

 

[setst777]

Humility comes to the person who has been regenerated.

Holy Scriptures teaches that regeneration only comes by the indwelling Spirit recreating us from within. We only receive the Spirit by faith.

We only receive the Spirit by faith:

Acts 5 (WEB) 32 We are His witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.

Galatians 3:2 (NIV) Bolding mine… 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?

Galatians 3 (NIV) Bolding mine… 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

Galatians 3 (WEB) Bolding mine… 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”[a] 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Ephesians 1 (WEB) 13 in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.

Acts 2 (WEB) 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Regeneration only by the Indwelling Spirit

John 7 (WEB) Bolding mine…
37 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!
38 He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus wasn’t yet glorified.

John 4 (WEB) Bolding mine… 13 Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

The Spirit of Christ living IN us regenerates us unto eternal life after we believe according to the above Scriptures.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.
10 If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Only by faith are we born of God:

John 1 (NIV) Bolding mine… 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.

Galatians 3 (WEB) 26 For you are all children of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.

Regeneration (New Creation) only by faith

2 Corinthians 5 (WEB) Bolding mine… 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

The “New Creation” only comes by being ‘IN Christ.’
We are IN Christ when His Spirit indwells us (Eph 1:13-14).
Christ’s Spirit only indwells us by faith as we saw by Scripture.

The “New Creation” only comes by being ‘IN Christ.’ We are IN Christ when His Spirit indwells us (Eph 1:13-14). Christ’s Spirit only indwells us by faith as we saw by Scripture.

God does not regenerate anyone to be humble; rather, God saves those who humble themselves.

 

[setst777]

Romans 3
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Without the Spirit, no one will turn to God. The natural man can't understand spiritual truths.

Sinful man does not seek God. Rather, God seeks us through the Gospel invitation and the drawing of the Spirit. Yet, many will resist the Spirit and refuse the Gospel by their own choice - the are the proud and arrogant.

Those who learn from God, and accept God's invitation, are the humble.

And those that believe receive God's Spirit, being born of God:

John 7:37-39 (NIV) Bolding mine 37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, 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 born of God.

 

[Rescued One]

Do humans possess desires? - Obviously we do.

Can a person who desires his own will instead of God's be changed by God? -

If one sincerely accepts Jesus, we ask Jesus to help change us and He does so because we asked and we go through the changing process throughout our human life.

The person who desires his own will is under Satan's power. He doesn't see a reason to ask Jesus anything and what Jesus says makes no sense to him.

He calls or "woos" everyone to turn to Him ... not everyone answers. He will not violate a persons will ... He will only become actively working in a persons life ... if a person asks Him to do so.

Isaiah 45:22

"Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.

If he can't be changed why was he made that way? Again, one can be changed through Jesus ... turning to God.

How can he turn to God? His desire is to sin.

Romans 8
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

John 10
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

Do you pray for unbelievers? Yes of course, praying they will turn to God and accept Jesus.

John 3:16

How will an unbeliever find faith if he doesn't understand spiritual things?

 

[Rescued One]

You believe because God chose to effectually apply the redemption of Christ to you savingly. He could have left you to continue in your rebellion, and you had every right to be punished so.
This is in line with all Scripture ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
And this : As Jesus lamented over Jerusalem: "I would have ... < saved > your children (the Israelites) , but they were not willing"

This is not >>
If Christ saves you, he will do so without your consent.

If Christ didn't change my heart, I wouldn't have given that consent!

 

[timothyu]

If Christ didn't change my heart, I wouldn't have given that consent!

What of those in the world who hate what their fellow man does even if it is not done to them. Do they not seek, hope for change? Upon being shown the Gospel of the Kingdom available for almost 2000 years, would they not jump at the chance for an alternate way of life? Would they not be more understanding of it in the first place? Were their hearts not changed long before finding the Kingdom?

 

[setst777]

The person who desires his own will is under Satan's power. He doesn't see a reason to ask Jesus anything and what Jesus says makes no sense to him.

How can he turn to God? His desire is to sin.

Romans 8
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

John 10
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

How will an unbeliever find faith if he doesn't understand spiritual things?

You wrote:
How will an unbeliever find faith if he doesn't understand spiritual things?

My reply:
Faith comes by hearing the Gospel of Christ

Romans 10:17
7 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

The Spirit works with the word to draw all people to Christ, but many will resist - the proud.

The humble will listen and so be drawn to Christ at the hearing of the Gospel.

 

[timothyu]

through the word about Christ.

Which should be first.. word of the Christ or, later word about the Christ?

 

[Rescued One]

Sinful man does not seek God. Rather, God seeks us through the Gospel invitation and the drawing of the Spirit. Yet, many will resist the Spirit and refuse the Gospel by their own choice - they are the proud and arrogant.

I was a sinner. Sinners need to be set free from Satan's power.

Those who learn from God, and accept God's invitation, are the humble.

Who makes the lost humble?

 

[Rescued One]

You wrote:
How will an unbeliever find faith if he doesn't understand spiritual things?

I was following a gospel; the one taught by Joseph Smith.

My reply:
Faith comes by hearing the Gospel of Christ

Romans 10:17
7 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

The Spirit works with the word to draw all people to Christ, but many will resist - the proud.

The humble will listen and so be drawn to Christ at the hearing of the Gospel.

So just hearing the message doesn't mean everyone has ears to hear.

The lost aren't humble; humility comes from God.

 

[setst777]

If Christ didn't change my heart, I wouldn't have given that consent!

Yes, you would have and you did.

God only changes your heart after you first repent and believe:

“A new heart and a new spirit” is defined as regeneration – a new creation that is accessed only by a repentant faith.

Ezekiel 18 (NIV) Bolding mine… 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?

In Jeremiah 18:2-11, God (the Potter) purposes to form into a vessel of honor only those who repent. We must repent first.

Again, in the following Passage, repentance is demonstrated by the Jews when they take away all the detestable things and all its abominations. Only then will God give them a new heart and a new spirit.

Ezekiel 11 (WEB) Bolding mine…
17 Therefore say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
18 They shall come there, and they shall take away all the detestable things of it and all its abominations from there.
19 I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh; 20 that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for them whose heart walks after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their way on their own heads, says the Lord Yahweh.

A Bible Faith always includes repentance from the former life of slavery to sin, of which Baptism represents (Romans 6) – only then does the Spirit indwell the believer to renew him so the believer can live out his commitment to deny self and then to follow Christ daily:

Acts 20 (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.

Acts 2:38 (WEB) Bolding mine… 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 6:3-4 (NIV) Bolding mine… 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Baptism represents our dying with Christ (repentance) and then, after that, we rise to a “New Life” (regeneration). Therefore, God gives a new heart and new spirit (regeneration) to those who first repent. . .

“Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed” (Ezk 18:31)

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

If Christ didn't change my heart, I wouldn't have given that consent!

Really!? Would you choose instead the other option !?

The original languages much much better convey what Yahweh does ,and what Yahweh does for us, and what we do once, or once for all time, or once over and over again, and so on.

He Graciously Bestows BOTH the Desire to seek Him, and the POWER to be becoming Sons of Yahweh.

Now, recognizing it is His Grace Alone, we have nothing to offer Him... except our willingness...

so if Yahweh granted you , in answer to someone's prayer in union with Jesus praying to the Father Yahweh for you,
if Yahweh granted you, as written , the desire to seek Him, would you seek Him then ? Or would you reject your own willingness , would you reject His Preciousness ?

Would you reject His Preciousness TODAY ? (NO WAY ! Heaven forbid! )
but you could if you wanted to.... most people on earth do.... only a few do not reject His Preciousness.

 

[timothyu]

Sinners need yo be set free from Satan's power.

Do not humans need to take responsibility for their own actions rather than blame an outside source? Mankind since the Garden has been adversarial to the Father by our own choice preferring our will over God's. Self justification is part of that adversarial spirit which likes to place blame on others just as Adam did when he blamed Eve.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

footnote:
-----------------------------------------------------------
GOSPEL is GOOD NEWS.

Joseph Smith is destruction/ lost souls / bad news. i.e. a fake gospel.

I was following a gospel; the one taught by Joseph Smith.

----------------------------------------------------------

 

[timothyu]

I was following a gospel; the one taught by Joseph Smith.

Whose gospel did you switch to next? Christianity's or Jesus'

 

[Rescued One]

Really!? Would you choose instead the other option !?

I had no fear of hell. Neither does an atheist.

 

[setst777]

I was a sinner. Sinners need to be set free from Satan's power.

Who makes the lost humble?

Answer: Throughout the Old and New Testament Scriptures, God commands us to humble ourselves. God is with the humble, but against the proud. If you accept God at His word, then that is the Word of God. God never states that he made makes anyone humble.

The whole purpose of the Gospel was to fulfill God’s promise to save the humble. The humble will listen to the Father and will be drawn to respond to God’s gracious Gospel invitation in faith.

Luke 18 (WEB) 13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Jewish Rabbi and the tax collector both believed in God and prayed to God. Only the tax collector humbled himself (Luke 18:13-14) and so was justified by God – not that God irresistibly enabled him to believe by a process of regeneration of the Spirit.

The Spirit was not even sent yet until Christ was glorified. Think of all those in the Old Testament, and all those in the Gospels, before the New Covenant in the Spirit of God was established, who humbled themselves and feared or reverenced God. God looked upon them with favor before the Spirit was ever sent to the world.

 

[Rescued One]

footnote:
-----------------------------------------------------------
GOSPEL is GOOD NEWS.

Joseph Smith is destruction/ lost souls / bad news. i.e. a fake gospel.


----------------------------------------------------------

I know, but I didn't know any other gospel in those days.

 

[Rescued One]

TTYL. I have to go.

 

[setst777]

Which should be first.. word of the Christ or, later word about the Christ?

The Gospel is the word about Christ. We learn of Christ Jesus and His redemption through the Gospel message.