Dear Susan,<br><br>IRT:<br>"We don't like the term God forces us to change, but what else could Saul do when he saw the Lord?"<br><br>There is no implication in scripture that a person cannot fully and finally resist God drawing him or her, Acts 7:51 proves this point. I do believe that it was fully within Paul's capabilities to resist God even when His glory was fully manifested (the same had been done before by Israel during Moses' time and when Jesus walked the earth); for men who are determined to be wicked will not repent, though the truth is plainly shown to them (Luke 16:29-31). I believe that the misunderstanding we have here is about how we define "regeneration," or being "born again." The idea that is believed by Calvinists is that when God draws a man to Him, He recreates (or regenerates) him so that he will have no other choice but to believe in Christ. I agree with the idea that it is necessary for God to do something to a person's heart before they can truly believe on Jesus Christ; for Jesus made it plain that no man can come to Him unless the Father draws him first. But the scriptures do not support the idea that a man is recreated so that he can be saved. <br><br>Even the reference you gave about hearts of stone and flesh speaks of those who will still cling to their wickedness (Ezekiel 11:21), proving that some will still resist God even then. You wrote concerning this passage:<br><br>"We had a heart of stone and he gives us a heart of flesh. Hearts of flesh do not turn back into hearts of stone."<br><br>That's a bit of an overdrawn analogy. Hebrews 3:8, 15, and 4:7 all give warnings to believers against hardening our hearts. I take them very seriously.<br><br><br>In Christ,<br>Josh