Dear Carlos,<br><br>IRT:<br>"John 8:46 <br>Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God. <br><br>John 1:12-13<br>But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become (15) children of God, even (16) to those who believe in His name, <br>13 (17) WHO WERE BORN, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but OF GOD. <br><br><br>Is this not clear????? I think the grammar and the flow is pretty clear."<br><br><br>It is very clear. The phrase 'because you are not of God' indicates that God did not choose to give His grace to these individuals because He knew that they would harden their hearts against the truth and against His grace. The phrase 'WHO WERE BORN, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but OF GOD' makes it clear that it is not man who has sought God, but God who has sought man and chosen certain of them to be saved (based on His foreknowledge). No problems from either passage.<br><br>IRT:<br>"A. God regenerates the person (" born of God") [john 3]. Remember, natural man is 'DEAD', spiritually. That is why they are regenerated; it gives spritual life, gives them a ' heart of flesh'. Thus:<br><br>B) they 'hear' & 'believe' and love the word of God and accept Christ as Lord and Savior."<br><br>Men are not born of God or regenerated before they are saved-- there is no Biblical indication of this. God sheds His grace upon them, enabling them to humble themselves, hear Him, repent, and believe the truth. The 'heart of flesh' is given by God to those who are born again. Note in Ezekiel 11, that God will give Israel this after they show the fruits of repentance, not before.<br><br>IRT:<br>"JoshT that is why in John 3 it is stated that unless one is born again, He "CANNOT SEE" the kingdom of God. Natural man is 'BLIND'."<br><br>The kingdom of God in John 3 refers to the eternal kingdom. In other words, one cannot see God's eternal kingdom unless he is saved. Natural man is blind, until God gives him grace enabling him to see.<br><br><br>In Christ,<br>Josh
