Yes it is the power of God to those who believe. How one comes to believe seems to be what is contested. That God is required to open our eyes and ears and circumcise our sinful natures and give us a new heart... all those things seem to be contested
Sister the phrases your using
“That God is required to
open our eyes and ears and
circumcise our sinful natures and
give us a new heart... all those things seem to be contested”
For instance
“circumcise our sinful natures”
It’s in the doctrine the message we’re called to listen to
“And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
Colossians 2:10-12 KJV
My point is. That
it’s not something Gods gonna magically do later, he already did it and then sent the message out to everyone saying “ believe and be saved “
do you see how im
Not saying “ we save ourselves without God he did nothing for us “
Im saying the power is in hearing and believing the gospel the power to change a persons understanding of God like this
“And call no man your father upon the earth: for
one is your Father, which is in heaven.”
Matthew 23:9 KJV
“For
if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
but
if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Matthew 6:14-15 KJV
His word sister is how God has always interacted with mankind it’s never been different. He spoke blessing to Adam and wanted them of death and Adam sinned and brought death into the world and the knowledge of good and evil into mankind’s being
he spoke a wernkng to cain to repent and do what’s right
He spoke of the flood to come and instructed by words noah in his building of the ark to save himself and family
he spoke to Abraham Noah’s descendant and made a covenant with him for all nations. He spoke to jacobs descendants from Mount Sinai he spoke to the cchildren of Israel afterwards through the prophets
finally he has spoken himself by his son Jesus Christ in the gospel .
adam could have followed Gods word but he followed temptation and deception instead . Cain didn’t have to kill his brother he chose that solution after God warned him to repent .
Noah wasn’t forced to build an ark he believed what God said to him about the flood and followed Gods instructions to build an ark to save them.
anraham didn’t have to follow Gods word when he told him to leave his home and go to an unknown land hed later find out about …abraham believes Gods word of promise and blessing like Adam and Eve didn’t , like cain didn’t ….
God didn’t create cain to murder his brother , He didn’t suggest it either . He told cain “ just do what’s right and you’ll be accepted like abel is , but if you do t do what’s right sin is crouching and waiting to grab hold of you ,
you must overcome it
God wasn’t telling cain an impossible answer for him to do , he was informing him so that if cain believed the lord he would have known how to be accepted. Instead cain followed the other voice in the world who led his parents astray also from what God had said to them in Eden
its the same thing for everyone we’re born in a wicked world and there’s evil influences everywhere around but we aren’t forced or pre destined to do those things
satan tempts us to do evil
because as men serve evil thier eyes grow finer and simmer until they can’t hear and see and turns and be saved but as men serve God the light of his presence cleanses them
“Then said Jesus to
those Jews which believed on him,
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and
ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:31-32 KJV
it isn’t I’ll make you free and force you to do what I want . It’s
if you believe then continue in my world learn from me for my yoke is easy and burden light I’ll give you rest if you come to me and follow
humans respond to a true solid message from God that’s what the gospel is hearing the truth and believing is the power God did that for us and sent that to us that’s what makes us able ect