21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
I would say no one knows the heart of man better than the One who formed his heart (Psalm 52:15). These are Jesus’ own words that describe a condition of the heart of man. I believe most Christians will agree that this is man’s sinful nature, the nature with which every man is conceived and born.
What I fail to understand is how the Arminian can look at a passage like this and conclude that it is possible for a lost man, from whose heart all this evil comes, can, on his own and with no help from God, change and do righteousness, believe, and repent.
Jeremiah confirms this with his words in 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Paul tells us in Romans 3:10-12 that no one is righteous, no one understands, none seek God, all have turned away, and none that do good. But why do we even have to go to the words that Tertius wrote for Paul to the Romans when we have Jesus’ words above and in many other places, like John 8:43.
The list the Lord Himself provides details the evil that comes out of a man’s heart which perfectly reconciles with what God told us in Genesis 6:5 - every thought, not most, but EVERY thought and imagination of the heart of man is ONLY evil, continually. If every thought and imagination of a lost man's heart is only evil, continually (and it is) how can a lost man do good and accept Christ? or believe? or repent?
The simple, and only answer is, HE CAN’T!
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