quote:
God does not withhold the opportunity for salvation from anyone. Every "human" being has the opportunity to believe in Christ but Scripture tells us that men will never believe apart from God's mercy!
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Scripture tells us that none of us have an excuse. We are all aware of the presence of God (as you say), and on this matter we can all agree. It's just that you give "natural man" way to much credit. Scripture tells us that apart from the mercy of God, "natural man" would never make the "right choice!"
As I understand it, belief precedes baptism, which is associated with "being born again of water and the Spirit" and "dying to sin" in Scripture. All Scripture says is that we can't believe without grace; it places no restrictions on what we can do with God's assistance.