Ghamph said on Jan 17, 3:26 pm:
If God wanted us to believe He would snap his
finger

If God the Father wants people to have a saving
faith in His Son Jesus Christ, He miraculously gives
them this faith: "For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God" (Ephesians 2:8). "Not of yourselves" means that
people cannot gain a saving faith in Jesus Christ
except by God the Father's miraculous gift: "No man
can come unto me, except it were given unto him of
my Father" (John 6:65). "No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John
6:44). "As many as were ordained to eternal life
believed" (Acts 13:48).

Ghamph said:
The alleged (all powerful super being) God ...

Not alleged; God truly is omnipotent: "Ah, Lord GOD
[YHWH], behold, thou hast made the heaven and the
earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and
there is nothing too hard for thee" (Jeremiah 32:17).

Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Father, is also God,
for "unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for
ever and ever" (Hebrews 1:8); and so Jesus too is
omnipotent: "And Jesus came and spake unto them,
saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in
earth" (Matthew 28:18).

Ghamph said:
... God doesn't want us to know that He exists.

He must, for "the heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day
uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth
knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where
their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out
through all the earth, and their words to the end of
the world" (Psalms 19:1-4).

There is no excuse for people not believing in the
existence of God, "because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it
unto them. For the invisible things of him from the
creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse. Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but
became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish
heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools" (Romans 1:19-22). "The fool hath
said in his heart, There is no God" (Psalms 14:1).

So it's not that God doesn't want people to know that
He exists; it's that people don't want to retain the
knowledge that He exists, but want to replace it with
foolish inventions of their own imaginations.

But even if people do come around to admitting that
God exists, that still doesn't save them, for "Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know,
O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James
2:19-20). This means that what matters is what works
accompany belief in God's existence; a merely
intellectual acknowledgment of His existence means
nothing, for even the demons headed for hellfire
believe in His existence. People can "profess that
they know God, but in works they deny him, being
abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate" (Titus 1:16).

"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we
might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said
unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe
on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:28-29). So the
first work people must do to be saved is believe in
Jesus Christ, the Son of God: "For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life ... He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not
the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on him" (John 3:16,36). "Jesus saith unto
him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6);
"Jesus Christ of Nazareth ... Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved" (Acts 4:10,12).

But a merely intellectual acknowledgment that Jesus
of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God, means
nothing, for even the demons headed for hellfire
believe that: "And devils also came out of many,
crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of
God" (Luke 4:41); "And there was in their synagogue
a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out,
Saying, Let us alone, what have we to do with thee,
thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us?
I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God" (Mark
1:23-24).

What matters is what works accompany belief in
Jesus: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven"
(Matthew 7:21); "He [Jesus] became the author of
eternal salvation unto all them that obey him"
(Hebrews 5:9).

The first thing people who believe in Jesus must
do to do the will of the Father and to obey Jesus
is to "Believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). "And [Jesus]
said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it
behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead
the third day: And that repentance and remission of
sins should be preached in his name among all
nations" (Luke 24:46-47). "Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark
16:15). "I declare unto you the gospel which I
preached unto you, which also ye have received, and
wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye
keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye
have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first
of all that which I also received, how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures; and
that he was buried, and that he rose again the third
day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians
15:1-4).

Once people have faith in the gospel, this still
doesn't assure their salvation, for they, by their
own free will, can choose to turn away from this
faith and believe instead demonic doctrines which
support their continuing in their favorite lusts:
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience
seared with a hot iron" (1 Timothy 4:1-2). "Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and
doctrine. For the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts
shall they heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears
from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables"
(2 Timothy 4:2-4). "Because iniquity shall abound,
the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:12).

"It is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift,
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have
tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the
world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew
them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an
open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain
that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs
meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth
blessing from God; but that which beareth thorns and
briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose
end is to be burned" (Hebrews 6:4-8).

Even if people don't commit apostasy, but continue
to have faith in the gospel, this still doesn't
assure their salvation, for they, by their own free
will, can choose to continue in their favorite lusts
without any repentance, wrongly thinking that God's
grace covers even unrepentant sin: "For if we sin
wilfully after that we have received the knowledge
of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for
sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment
and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died
without mercy under two or three witnesses; of how
much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be
thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son
of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant,
wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and
hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"
(Hebrews 10:26-29).

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). "Now the
works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of
the which I tell you before, as I have also told you
in time past, that they which do such things shall
not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-21).

"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish"
(Luke 13:3).

No amount of good works done in the name of Jesus
can ever outweigh unrepentant sin, for "Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast
out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works? And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity"
(Matthew 7:22-23).

They must have not repented, for "If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
(1 John 1:9).

Repentance, like saving faith, is received as a gift
from God to those He chooses: "God peradventure will
give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth; and that they may recover themselves out of
the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him
at his will" (2 Timothy 2:25-26); "He that committeth
sin is of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

God allows some people to continue in their sins for
so long that they no longer feel guilty for them,
"having their conscience seared with a hot iron"
(1 Timothy 4:2). "Because sentence against an evil
work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart
of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil"
(Ecclesiastes 8:11).

God can even harden some sinners so that they will
never repent: "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he
will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou
wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault?
-For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who
art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing
formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made
me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of
the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and
another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew
his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with
much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction: and that he might make known the riches
of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had
afore prepared unto glory" (Romans 9:18-23).

This doesn't mean that God ever makes anyone sin,
for "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted
of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted, when
he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then
when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and
sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death"
(James 1:13-15).

So when God hardens somebody, He's simply causing
them to persist in what their own lust has already
drawn them into over and over and over again. It's
only by God's miraculous grace, through Jesus Christ,
that people can ever escape from their slavery to
sin: "Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of
sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for
ever, but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed"
(John 8:34-36).

If people want to be freed from the terrible,
urgent, dictatorship of lust in their lives, day
after day after day, all they can do is cry out to
God, through Jesus Christ, and ask that He would
deliver them from all lust, temptation, and sin,
every sinful thought and action: "Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing
into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). "And ye know that he
was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is
no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not:
whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known
him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he
that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he
is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the
devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he
might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is
born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed
remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is
born of God. In this the children of God are
manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever
doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he
that loveth not his brother" (1 John 3:5-10).

But people have to be diligent in crying out to God;
they have to be willing to cry out over and over and
over again; they have to make sure that they truly
do not want to ever sin again, and that they truly
believe that God has the power, if He wants to give
them repentance, to snap His fingers, and, voila,
their lustful fantasies will no longer appear, the
images of sinful actions will no longer come
forcefully into their minds; temptation's urgent,
"DO IT NOW!", power over their will will vanish;
and they will realize that sin's chains have
melted away, that they are truly free.

But none of this liberation is possible if people
have chosen to reject their knowledge of God's
existence, for "without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).

People must be willing to not only believe in God's
existence, but also to diligently seek Him, through
Jesus Christ, over and over and over again, if they
are ever to be freed from sin, their adversary: "And
he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men
ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, There
was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither
regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, and
she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine
adversary. And he would not for a while, but
afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not
God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth
me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming
she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust
judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect,
which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long
with them? I tell you that he will avenge them
speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh,
shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:1-8).