“A woman named Lydia was listening; she was a seller of purple fabrics from the city of Thyatira, and a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.”* (Acts 16:14)

There are verses in Scripture that answer a question, and there are verses that create several more. Acts 16:14 is one of them. Lydia heard Paul preach, but Luke tells us something happened that Paul could not accomplish by preaching alone: the Lord opened her heart to respond.

That immediately raises a question. What exactly did God do? Was Lydia already willing to hear the truth, and God gave her understanding? Did God soften a heart that otherwise would not have responded? Did God make her able to believe? Scripture does not explain the mechanics. It simply tells us that God opened her heart and Lydia responded.

Jesus said something very similar:

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” (John 6:44)

I have to take that statement seriously. Jesus did not say people simply discover Him on their own. Something must happen first. The Father draws.

Yet Jesus also gives an invitation:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

And near the end of Scripture we read:

“Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost.” (Revelation 22:17)

But not everyone is thirsty. Not everyone desires what God is offering. That fits directly with what Jesus said in John 5:40:

“And you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”

The invitation is real, but so is the refusal. Jesus did not say they wanted to come but were unable because God would not let them. He said they were unwilling.

Stephen said something even stronger:

“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 7:51)

Apparently, people can hear truth, experience the work of God around them, and still resist.

Why would someone refuse life? Jesus gives us part of the answer:

“The Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)

Could it be that some people simply love their sin more than they desire God? Coming to Christ means admitting that we are wrong, that we need forgiveness, and that we no longer belong to ourselves. Some people do not want what the truth would require of them.

Creation itself testifies that there is a Creator. Paul wrote that God’s eternal power and divine nature can be seen through what He has made, leaving mankind without excuse (Romans 1:19–20). David said:

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1)

God has not left Himself without witness. But creation does not tell us the full gospel. A person can look at the stars and recognize that there must be a Creator, but the stars will not tell him about Christ dying for his sins and rising from the dead.

That message must be proclaimed.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

That takes us back to Lydia. She was already described as “a worshiper of God.” She was listening. Paul preached Christ. Then the Lord opened her heart to respond.

There is a remarkable combination in that little story. Paul spoke. Lydia listened. God opened. Lydia responded. Scripture records all of it, and we should be careful not to remove any part simply because it does not fit neatly into our theological system.

This is where arguments about Calvinism, Arminianism, election, and free will can become larger than the actual text. One person emphasizes God’s action. Another emphasizes Lydia’s response. Scripture records both.

Then comes an even harder question: If God opened Lydia’s heart, why does He not simply open everyone’s heart in the same way?

I do not know.

We can build theological systems to answer it. We can argue about irresistible grace, prevenient grace, election, human freedom, and God’s foreknowledge. Some of those discussions can be useful. But eventually we reach a point where Scripture stops explaining.

What Scripture does tell us is that people can harden their hearts.

“Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 3:15)

That warning would make little sense if our response did not matter.

Romans 1 describes something even more frightening. People suppress the truth they have been given, continue rejecting God, and eventually God “gave them over” to the direction they had chosen (Romans 1:18, 24, 26, 28). That ought to sober anyone who thinks, “I can deal with God later.”

Can someone reject God’s dealing with his heart until the opportunity is gone? Scripture certainly warns us not to presume upon tomorrow. But can I look at another person and say, “God has given you your final chance”? No. God has not given me that knowledge.

Even Pharaoh’s story reminds us how dangerous continued rejection can become. At times Scripture says Pharaoh hardened his heart, and at other times it says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Whatever mysteries remain in that account, one thing is unmistakable: repeatedly resisting God has consequences.

We should never assume that because we can say no to God today, we will always have the same desire or opportunity to say yes tomorrow.

This brings us to free will. I believe human beings make real choices and are responsible for those choices. Scripture repeatedly commands people to repent, believe, come, obey, and choose. Joshua told Israel:

“Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15)

But human choice does not mean God stands at a distance doing nothing. Jesus says the Father draws. Acts says the Lord opened Lydia’s heart. Scripture presents God’s action and man’s responsibility together.

God also knows what we will do before we do it. David wrote:

“Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, Lord, You know it all.” (Psalm 139:4)

God’s knowledge does not turn people into puppets. He knows what we will choose, yet Scripture still holds us responsible for the choices we make.

Perhaps our problem is that we want God to explain the exact point where His sovereignty and human responsibility meet.

He has not.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Maybe that is where some of our theological arguments need to stop. We can spend years debating whether Lydia proves Calvinism, Arminianism, irresistible grace, free will, or something in between. Meanwhile, people around us are dying without Christ.

God told us enough to do what He commanded us to do. He told us to preach the gospel. He told people to repent and believe. He told us that the Father draws, that hearts can be opened, that people can resist, and that people can harden themselves against the truth. What He did not tell us is every detail of how those things fit together.

If God wanted us to know every detail, He would have told us.

So instead of spending all our energy arguing about exactly how salvation works behind the scenes, perhaps we should concentrate on doing what God clearly told us to do: point people to Jesus Christ.

Tell them who He is. Tell them what He did on the cross. Tell them that He rose from the dead. Tell them that forgiveness and eternal life are found in Him. Warn them not to harden their hearts, and then trust God to do the work in the heart that only God can do.

We do not have to understand every mystery of salvation before we can faithfully point someone to the Savior.