In the new spiritual birth, one of the things that happens, is that God exchanges the stony heart of the natural man for a fleshy heart that can be pricked to feel spiritual guilt.
I do not believe the heart of the natural man starts out as hardened. I believe those who reject God "feel spiritual guilt" at first ... when they first reject truth.
However, as they continue to suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom 1:18), as they continue to reject and walk further and further away from God, their hearts become more and more hardened. Romans 1 explains how and why this occurs.
vs 21 – foolish heart becomes darkened when they knew God yet they did glorified Him not as God. They turn from God to worship idols. As they continue in idolatry, the result ...
vs 24 – God gives them up to uncleanness because of the lusts [over-desires] of their own hearts. They changed the truth of God into a lie. As they worship and serve the creation rather than the Creator, the result ...
vs 26 – God gives them up to vile affections and they do things which is against nature ... they burn in their lust toward one another. As they continue to burn in their lust one toward another, the result ...
vs 28 – God gives them over to a reprobate mind.
At any time in this downward spiral, a person can hear the gospel preached, believe the gospel, and because the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (Rom 1:16), that person who was once hard hearted is given that new heart by God.
I have listened to testimonies by people who describe themselves just as Rom 1:29-32 and who had the gospel preached to them and because the gospel is so powerful, they were brought to salvation.
Do you not understand that it is the gospel which is the power of God to salvation ??? Faith does not in any way, shape, or form, diminish the sovereignty of God ... nor the honor and reverence due to God.
Some folks have turned faith into something never intended by God ... sad, really, because Romans 1:17 tells us For therein [the gospel of Christ] is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
from faith to faith ... what this means is that what is begun in faith continues in faith. It is through faith that we live out our lives here on earth. It is not that we begin in faith and then our works take over ... our whole life is to be lived in faith. God is faithful and the born again one, as a child of God, is to live in faith to the Father Who is faithful.
Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children
ForestGreenCook said:
Notice the different responses of the stony heart of the Jews in Acts 5:33 & Acts 7:54 compared to the fleshy heart of the Jews in Acts 2:37.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The gift of the Holy Ghost is what is received by the newly born again one at the time of conversion.
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