Choices are the decisions we make by our own free will.
We do see that people who are not saved do many good things. Feed the hungry, love their spouse and family, etc.
Then why can they not please God?
I think this is because they don't know Him so He does not know them. They are not His children, they have not accepted Jesus, therefore the things that they do they do for themselves as self-righteous acts. They are not doing them from a position of right standing with God.
Just my thoughts.
Hello Deborah13,
Why do you add the number 13?
In any case, I think we agree. Mans works are filthy rags. This does not mean we are so evil that we kill everyone we come across. In the fall of man, we did not become so exceedingly evil, that mothers are incapable of loving their children. We, as fallen men are not as evil as we could be, but rather evil is a part of every part of our being. We corrupt our emotions and use them to be angry, and to hurt those we love. We corrupt our thinking and set up our own idols as in Romans 1. We corrupt our will by choosing to rebel against God. So then we are not as evil as we could be, but rather evil is in every part of our being. So then, even our love for our children is not perfect and pure enough to please God.
Of course as you also say, those who are of faith, those who trust in Christ for salvation, they are able to please God by their faith.
Heb 11:6 and without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.
In Hebrews, pleasing God with works that come from faith is repeated over and over in that Chapter. One of the things I note about the works mentioned in Hebrews, is that they all have to do with works done because of Gods promises. It seems as if when we live in light of the promises of God, then those works are pleasing. Those works honor God and his word.
Certainly when a pagan woman loves her children, it is not related to works which are done in light of God and his promises. They do not bring God glory, but as you alluded to, they bring man glory.
Concerning mans "free will..." If our sin nature then corrupts our will, we then are free to choose whatever we want, but we will always want sin and rebellion. So then we can choose good, but we will never want to make that choice. It would be much like the cow I mentioned earlier. The cow can choose to eat fetid meat, but he will always desire the hay and soy beans. Why? Because it is his nature to choose such food.
What God does, then, is to change our nature. This is called regeneration. In the scripture, it is called the new birth. When God changes our nature, he changes what we want. After regeneration, we will want Christ. John 10 tells us that those sheep who are Christs will hear his voice. And they will follow him.
Joh 10:3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Joh 10:4 When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Well, its good to talk to you. Later.