So you would agree that God does not do an internal work prior to belief?
I feel like this is really the dividing line between the "doctrines of grace" people and those who support the call of Christ Jesus to belief.
Eze 18:30
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn
yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
Eze 18:31
Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Eze 18:32
For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn
yourselves, and live ye.
Here, God was striving with the people to repent (his will). Had the people been willing to cast away all their transgressions (their freewill choice), THEN they would have received a new heart and a new spirit, or THEN the internal work would have been done. For those who deny freewill, don't miss God's question to those who willfully refused to repent.
Why WILL YE die, O house of Israel?
It was God's will that they should repent, get a new heart and a new spirit, and live, but their will was to die, which coincides perfectly with what Peter said here:
2Pe 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God was not willing that any should perish in Ezekiel's day or in Peter's day, and he is similarly not willing that any should perish in our day. Those who ultimately will perish will be those who willfully rejected God's gracious offer of salvation, or those who willfully chose not to believe in Christ that an internal work (being born again) might be done in them.
Does this answer your question?