The problem with this analogy is that the latter part starts with you believing God. You'd do it because you trust Him.
But how did you come to trust Him?
A more accurate (or parallel) analogy would be:
Some stranger that you are inclined to hate (you are inclined to hate him for reasons you don't understand, but that's just how you feel), comes along and tells you that if you soak your head in a vat of grease you'll grow hair.
What would you do then?
Are you desperate enough to try it, against your natural inclination?
If so, how did you get that desperate?
And so on...
You crack me up. :laugh: No, God can do whatever He desires. However, He does not lie, and He does not save you unless you believe the gospel. Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day. Calvinism is not the gospel.
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
My hearing and faith did come from God.
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Don't worry, B57, I won't try it, I am not God. Without God I have nothing, do nothing, and am nothing.
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
That is Romans 10:17 (incase you didn't recognize it). It says that hearing comes by the word of God. So, you and I agree, without God there is no hearing. God gave us His word, His word brings about hearing, and hearing brings about faith. Therefore, hearing and faith are given by God. Do you see it yet? We agree.
Add to that the fact that the Greek for "word" in this case is "rhema", not "logos". Literally, hearing comes by the utterance of God.
Some would argue this makes little or no difference to the meaning of the text, and they may be right.
But I read it as faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes when God says so.