Amen! "Can not." Not "will not." Dead men cannot hear nor repent nor believe. They first must be born again.
Lexicons, commentaries, seminaries, counselors, miracles, logic and so on will not help someone who does not have "ears to hear."
Amen!
Salvation is a free, unmerited gift. That gift comes with ears to hear and eyes to see and a renewed mind and a heart of flesh. It's delivered by the Holy Spirit directly to each and every adopted son and daughter of God who then come to Christ with a heart broken by sin and an admission of their own inability to please God, to perform righteousness, to save themselves.
We're brought to our knees in sorrow for our sins against a perfect God and mercifully made whole again by Christ within us.
Such a deal. 8~)
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. - Revelation 1:7-8
AMEN! What wondrous assurance. Who can hurt us?
Thank you so much for your testimony, dear sister in Christ, and thank you for your encouragements!