The average sinner, who has not been drawn by the Father, is in a totally different condition.

1 Cor 2:14 (NIV) The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

They are making decisions that are based on lies of Satan. They think they understand what life is all about, but don’t. To them, Christianity is nothing but a bunch of fake rituals and meaningless information. When we talk to them, they don’t understand a thing we are saying.

The decisions they are making aren’t based on any rejection of the truth. It isn’t until the Father decides it is time for them to understand, that He starts drawing them. If it were up to them or up to us, we would start trying to push them into the things of God prematurely. Or, they would get involved in Christianity before they were properly prepared.

John 6:44 (NIV) No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Luke 10:22 (NIV) All things have been committed to Me by My Father. No one knows Who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows Who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.

Luke 10:23 (NIV) Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.”

As you can see, the Father draws a person, we present the good news message to them, and then Jesus starts revealing the Father to them.

The moment they start understanding spiritual things is the moment they start becoming responsible for them. But, because the Father decides when to start drawing them, they start understanding spiritual things at the perfect moment in their life.

But, the “once been enlightened” person is making decisions based on more than adequate information. They have been drawn by the Father. They do understand the basics of spiritual concepts.

When they reject God and the things of God, they do so while knowing fully what they are rejecting. Their eyes, which once saw more than enough, are now becoming totally diseased. They saw, they made a knowledgeable decision, and lost their ability to see anymore.

Rom 1:21 (NIV) For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts WERE DARKENED.