What do you do with Jonah 3? The city of Nineveh was sent Jonah to tell them they would be overthrown. They all humbled themselves in sackcloth and ashes and "When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it."
And can you please explain how these OT brothers were righteous before God by how they lived if they were evil?
- These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. Gen 6:9
- But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” 1Sa 13:14
- because David did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 1Ki 15:5
- And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done. 1Ki 15:11
- He (Jehoshaphat) walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 1Ki 22:43
- And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 2Ki 12:2
- So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 2Sa 8:15
- Asa pleased the LORD, his God, by doing what was right and good. 2Ch 14:2
- Throughout all Judah, King Hezekiah did what was right and what was pleasing to the LORD his God. 2Ch 31:20
In light of the passages above, your use of Jeremiah extends further than it was meant.
From Life Application: Not even the threat of captivity could move the people to repent. The people had become so accustomed to doing evil that they had lost their ability to change. God never rejects those who sincerely turn to him. God was warning them to repent before it became impossible to change. We must never put off until tomorrow those changes God wants us to make. Our attitudes and patterns for living can become so set that we will lose all desire to change and will no longer fear the consequences.
Mat 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
The Lord did indeed give, commit, deliver, offer, to put into the hands of Israel repentance first than everyone afterwards.
Your use of "give" in this passage is misled to fit your Calvinistic dogma. The sentence above puts the word give in the proper context. Jesus didn't zap people with repentance. He gave them, offered them, committed to them, delivered to them, gave into their hands repentance first and then to us Gentiles afterwards.
Peter preaching to the Jewish crowd after healing a man by faith in the Lord's name, "God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” Acts 3:26
Did every Jewish person repent? No, we know they did not. If Jesus gave them repentance how is it they didn't repent?
If man does not have the freedom of will to repent, have a change of mind, then why does God command men everywhere to do so? Does He not know man cannot do so? Or is it man can do so and God commands men to think things through and come to Him? Did Jesus taste-experience death for everyone for nothing? He was sent by God to be the propitiation for the whole world. Salvation is brought to man, and man can be saved or not depending upon their response.
It really is off base to think a person cannot have a change of mind about themselves. People regret their behavior and decide to change it all the time. So, when God presents His living Word to people, they have a choice to either repent and live a life of belief in Jesus Christ or not. That is freedom of will.
I agree man cannot stop sinning on his own, but man can decide to turn to God and live his life to Him instead of a life of sin. Because we have decided to live our life to please God in faith of Jesus Christ, we receive the forgiveness of sins and the Spirit of God whom we live our life to His leading. All of this because God provided salvation for all men everywhere, which requires man to repent and believe.
Man does not have a bound will that stops him from making decisions. That is quite obvious since we are living proof. What man cannot do is save himself as you falsely think when one hears the Gospel and then acts in repentance and faith that God will save Him.
God Bless
