Misguided. Holy Spirit convicts us,
Think about this. The Holy Spirit convicts those he...chooses to convict.
I agree with that and we have the choice to accept His help or to reject it. God WANTS us to repent and turn to Him. For the scipture says:
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Interesting. Do you see that this verse says "my people"? This means that the verse is for God's chosen people. The very verse you use, is in regard to Solomon's dedication of the temple and God's response to his chosen people and what he will do if they repent. This verse has nothing to do with the salvation of humanity.
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
Acts 3:19
Again, Peter is talking to the people of Israel...the chosen people of God. He's calling them to repentance. Another time where you are neglecting context to try support your presupposition.
For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.
2 Chronicles 30:9b
Once again, a verse for God's chosen people.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
Who was Peter writing to? Let's look:
2 Peter 1:1
I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.
Peter tells us it is God's choice.
Now, if you've read all of 2 Peter, you will know that Peter is addressing the judgment of God that will fall upon false prophets and false teachers. He is addressing the people that his letter is written to in chapter 1. Let's read the verses before and after verse 9.
2 Peter 3:8-10
But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
Notice, he's writing to dear friends. And also notice that he's telling them about the day of the Lord. He's telling them (those to whom faith was given) that God doesn't want anyone of them to be destroyed before the day of the Lord, but he wants everyone of them to repent.
The false apostles, false prophets and false teachers will all perish. God will destroy them.
In Luke 12:49-53 we find these words of Jesus.
“I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.
‘Father will be divided against son
and son against father;
mother against daughter
and daughter against mother;
and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’
Jesus is separating the sheep from the goats. Some the Father has given him. The others, remain in the bondage of their own sin.
Let me ask you this question. Repentance. Does that require free will? Do we have to CHOOSE to turn away from our sin and turn to Christ (to righteousness)
Let's set this straight. Before a person can repent, that person must be made alive with Christ. Anything before that is just a human being remorseful and attempting to get out from under the weight of their own sin, by their own conniving and cunning. Why do I say this? Let's look at Ephesians 2:1-9
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Before God makes us alive, we are dead. We cannot choose to turn away from our sin. We cannot choose God. We can only know the weight of sin and its consequences. We are not free. We have no capacity to free ourselves. As Ephesians tells us...God, by his grace, must make us alive with Christ. Once we are chosen by God and set free, we can repent and 1 John 1:9 becomes a reality.
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.
Also, how can one 'turn' to God? Does God turn them Himself? No. Other-wise He is forcing us to not sin. WE CHOOSE TO SIN OR TO NOT SIN.
Yes, God makes us alive...Himself. We couldn't make ourselves alive. By making us alive, God is not forcing us to do anything. No, He is choosing to pardon us and set us free from the death that sin brought to us.
Second, just because God makes us alive with Christ, it does not mean we are sinless. It means that our sins are pardoned and we are called to confess our sins and walk in step with the Spirit of God.
What is so hard to understand? The scripture is plain as day!
Yet, because you try to use it to make it fit your presupposition, you take it entirely out of context. You actually muddy up scripture and try to force it to say what the context is not saying.
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:15
Spoken by John the Baptist to the chosen nation of Israel. This is not a salvation verse, but a call to the chosen people to repent.
‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.
Zechariah 1:3b
Again, a verse given to the chosen people of God. This wasn't written to a foreign nation. How could God return to the Babylonians?
How can we RETURN TO HIM if we don't make a CONSCIOUS EFFORT/CHOICE TO DO SO?
You can't. That is why God's salvation is entirely dependent upon God and his gracious choice to save you. Without God choosing and doing the work, you will be dead in your trespasses and sins. You cannot make yourself alive. You cannot choose him...because you are dead in your sins.
This is why it is...Amazing Grace. God was under no compulsion to pardon you. Your sins were an offense to him. Yet, even while you were yet a sinner...Christ died for you. He chose you...when you didn't deserve it.
Answer that. Use scriptural support if you can find any for your case that we do not have free will to choose or reject the Almighty.
My entire response is full of scriptural support. The only question now is whether you will accept the truth of scripture or whether you will demand that you are your own savior by your own choice. If you demand that you are your own cause for your salvation by your own choice, then I openly call you to repentance. You are slapping the God of grace in the face and telling him that you think his choice of you is evil and an act of evil bondage making. You are telling him that you want to be free of his tyranny and thus you are wanting to run back to vomit of your own rebellious life against God.
I have provided you with much scripture. Use your free will as a chosen child of God. Choose you this day whom you will serve.
Refer to my post above.