Thread: Jesus teaches that Regeneration precedes Faith
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Jesus teaches that Regeneration precedes Faith
Posted : 14 Oct, 2011 04:15 PM
Jesus Teaches that Regeneration Precedes Faith
by John Hendryx
"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out." (John 6:37)
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64But there are some of you who do not believe
...And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." (John 6:63, 65)
According to Scripture, all people are born dead in sin (Eph 2:1). This simply means that, as a result of the Fall, people are born without the Holy Spirit and therefore, (left to themselves and being spiritually dead) are hostile to Christ (Rom. 8:7) and unable to understand to spiritual things (1 Cor 1:21). It does not mean they can do (or think) nothing in their fallen state, but it means they can do nothing spiritual or redemptive ... that they will always think God's word is foolish (1 Cor 2:14) until the Holy Spirit, who comes from the outside, works grace in their hearts (Ezek 11:19-20). The natural man may be alive to carnal things, but he is dead to spiritual things. So to the question: can any person come to faith in Christ apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, both the Arminian and the Calvinist would definitively answer "no".
The Arminian asserts that this "prevenient grace" is ultimately resistible by the fallen sinner. Arminian prevenient grace affirms that man in indeed dead in sin, that is, unless the Spirit grants the type of grace that places them in a kind of post-regenerate - pre-conversion state so they can have the opportunity to choose whether to believe or not. As most Arminians will admit, however, this is a logically deduced, rather than biblical, assertion. On the other hand, the Calvinist is convinced that the Bible teaches that regenerative grace itself opens our blind eyes, unplug our deaf ears and gives us a new heart (Ezek 36:26, John 6:63) making God's call effectual, infallibly bringing the sinner to faith in Jesus Christ.
Arminian synergists assert that prevenient grace resolves the problem of human boasting since God initiates with grace. But in reality this sleight of hand does not resolve the problem at all and only begs the question. For if God gives this prevenient grace to everybody, we must ask: why do some respond positively to Christ and not others? What makes them to differ? Jesus Christ or something else? The problem of boasting is not removed, for if God gives grace to everybody and only some believe, then the heart that believes still thinks that it made the wiser decision by improving on grace while others did not. The person affirming prevenient grace still must ultimately attribute his repenting and believing to his own wisdom, prudence, sound judgment, or good sense. So in the Arminian belief system, they are not willing to confront the obvious question of why some believe and not others? The only answer I have ever heard to this question in all my years debating this was "because some believed". But, this avoids the question, because I did not ask them what they did, but why they did it? And the "why" seems to be a question that Jesus goes out of his way to answer. (John 8:46-47 & John 10:26)
There are many texts which affirm beyond doubt that regeneration is indeed monergistic ... that the implanting of the new heart is what gives rise to understanding, love of Christ and faith. One of the most important discussions in the Bible about this is where Jesus was speaking to some fellow Jews who did not believe in him (John 6:64) . He said to them:
�All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.� ( 6:37) �
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. (John 6:44)
"� no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." ( 6:65)
The reason I bring these three verses to your attention is because, they are spoken in the same context (John 6) and in this long discussion with Jesus and the Jews about faith these three verses are essentially speaking of the same issue. In fact they share more than one thing in common. They all use the phrase "come to me" and they each make a universal declaration ("no one" or "all"). When read in context the phrase "come to me" is spoken in the same breath as the word "faith". It is a synonym. Likewise the phrase "draws him" is used in parallel with the phrase "gives me" or "granted him". Our Lord declares that "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. (John 6:44) and "All that the Father gives me [draws to Me] will come to me." (John 6:37). In other words, the passage simply states that no one will trust in or have faith in Jesus unless God grants it (John 6:65), and ALL to whom God grants (or gives/draws to Jesus) will believe. Not some of them, but all of them. This universal positive and universal negative means that we are forced to conclude that all that God draws to Jesus infallibly come to faith in him.
Just to demonstrate that "come to me" is identical to "faith" see that just prior to verse 37 Jesus says, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.� Here we observe that Jesus uses the phrase �believe in me� and �come to me� interchangeably. Even more clear is that the context of John 6:63-65 forces us to understand "come to me" to mean "believe in me" or "have faith in me". In verse 64 Jesus says, "But there are some of you who do not believe " For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. 65And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."
If we place these statements all together, (understanding that "come to me" and "believe in me" are synonymous), then the magnitude of the Jesus' words become evident, for it allows for no synergistic interpretation. And what does this have to do with regeneration. Well in verse 6:63 Jesus directly alludes to it: "It is the Spirit that quickens ... No one will believe in Me unless God grants it... and ALL to whom God grants it will believe�. Jesus is making sure that no one thinks that anything apart from Jesus is what saves them. That even the very new heart we need to understand spiritual truth, love Jesus and believe is itself a gift of God. This text leaves no room for any other interpretation. This is profoundly important because it creates the inescapable conclusion that the quickening grace of God is invincible. This is why just prior to saying �no one can come to me UNLESS God grants it�, Jesus says, �It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail.� This means that it is the Spirit who raises our dead spirits to life, makes us born from above John 3:3, 6. The flesh, that is, our sinful nature, cannot regenerate itself and can do no redemptive good of itself, including believe the gospel until quickened by the Holy Spirit.
Faith, Jesus is saying, is not a product of our unregenerate human natures; It is, rather, the product of new life that only He can give us through the quickening work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit alone who, uniting us to Christ, gives life to our dead souls that we may believe. Jesus is affirming the same truth to Nicodemus in John 3, using the same type of language. In verse 6 Jesus tells him, �That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.� And unless one is born of the Spirit he can neither see nor enter the kingdom of God. Jesus never gives Nicodemus an imperative (command) to be born again, but instead, tells him what must happen to him for eternal life to be a reality. Belief springs from a change of nature, for the old man considers the gospel foolish and thus cannot comprehend it (1 Cor 2:14).
This does away completely also with the Arminian argument where they point to John 10, "when I am lifted up I will draw all men to myself". While we already demonstrated that "draw him" (v. 44) is parallel with "gives me" (v. 37) because it is spoken in the same context with multiple parallelisms so we concluded that ALL the Father gives (draws to) Christ come to him. But the Arminain must reach outside of this passage (out of context) to a completely different situation where Greeks approach Jesus. There is no indication that Jesus is referring to the same issue. In fact, when read in context, Jesus is telling them that he is fulfilling the promise to Abraham that he would become a father of many nations. Not only Jews but gentiles will be included, so Jesus is establishing that He will draw (not all men without exception) but all men without distinction (Jews and Gentiles).
On a side note, it is interesting to note that the passage on regeneration in John 6:63-65 is one of the most explicitly Trinitarian passages in all of Scripture. It speaks of this work as the powerful, supernatural work of the Triune God. The Father grants faith in Christ the redeemer (John 6:65), through the quickening of the Holy Spirit by means of the spoken word (John 6:63). So the Spirit is the Agent and the word is the instrument used to germinate spiritual life in us, apart from which, no one would believe (V.65).
I have often heard preachers say to people, �all you need to do is believe,� as if this were the easiest thing in the world, but the natural man is unwilling to submit to the gospels' humbling terms. It is a massive affront to our pride to believe that we have no hope save in Jesus alone. J.I. Packer once wisely said, "Sinners cannot obey the gospel, any more than the law, without renewal of heart." We see this at work in this passage when, at the end of John chapter six many of those who previously were with Jesus left because his teaching was too hard, and only the twelve were left. Peter confesses belief however, and Jesus says to him, ��have I not chosen you?� But what is so hard about this passage that everyone else leaves Jesus? It is hard because the gospel of grace alone strips man of all hope that he could have to contribute something, be it ever so small, to his own salvation. Never underestimate the reality of our sinful nature deceiving us this way. The gospel forces us to see our own spiritual impotence and bankruptcy in contributing anything, or even lifting a finger toward our own salvation. But of those who do believe the gospel, we can know with certainty that the Holy Spirit has quickened them and is doing a work of grace in them. Trusting Christ is the immediate result of the new birth, not the cause of it, as John notes in his first epistle:
�Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God� (1 John 5:1)
It is also important to further understand that Jesus �will never cast out [those the Father has given Him].� (John 6:37). According to Jesus, those whom He draws are the same as those he will raise up at the last day (John 6:44). This is important because those who reject the perseverance of the saints, believing that Christ does not preserve us to the end, are in effect saying that we must somehow maintain our own justification before God. This is to believe that Jesus� atonement for us is not sufficient for salvation.
This passage (John 6) is one of the most forceful passages in all of Scripture relating to the invincibility of saving grace. The grace of the Holy Spirit in regeneration is not only sufficient but efficient, unfailingly bringing about God�s desired result. We may resist the gospel when hearing the outward call and even resist stirrings of the Holy Spirit, but no one resists the inward quickening and call of God (Rom 8:30; 1 Cor 1:22-24). In the Old Testament sometimes God would discipline Israel by telling them their crops would fail even though they labored to sow seed. This is proof that all that we do in this world, such as planting crops, requires the prior blessing of God if it is to be fruitful.
Similarly Paul uses an agricultural metaphor when speaking of casting the seed of the gospel. He says, �I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.� This means that people need to hear the gospel in order to be saved, but we can preach till we are blue in the face and nothing will take root unless the Holy Spirit sovereignly applies that word to the heart that one might hear.
To use some biblical imagery, we cast the seed of the gospel indiscriminately because the Holy Spirit alone can �germinate� the word unto life in Christ. The fallow ground of our hearts must first be plowed up by God, for the soil of our heart is not good by nature, but only by grace. The seed will not find good soil until God makes it so. For Ezekiel the prophet says:
�I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.� (Ezekiel 36:25-27)
Notice that this passage demonstrates that in order for obedience to take place the Lord must first cleanse our hearts, put a new spirit in us and remove our hardened uncircumcised heart. No one believes and obeys while their heart is still stone. Our blind eyes must be opened, our deaf ears unstopped, and our corrupt nature supernaturally changed by the Holy Spirit, before we can begin to have any good thoughts about Christ. The Bible likens the new birth, or regeneration, to the first creation (2 Cor. 5:17). God let light shine into what was darkness. And God breathed life into lifeless man and then man, because of the new principle of life now within him, breathed and walked. Likewise regeneration can be likened to God's first breath in man, and faith, to Adam's first breath. The former is monergistic and the later, while it springs from the principle of grace that now exists within, is participatory. Both the creation and the maintaining are all of grace, but only God's breathing life into us (ex nihilo) is monergistic (that is, it is the work of God alone). When God brings forth something out of nothing, it is monergistic, but when we breathe (or have faith) as a result of God's act, we are now participating, so by definition this is not monergistic, but all springs forth from God's initial monergistic act of giving life from nothing.
"Regeneration is the fountain; sanctification is the river." - J. Sidlow Baxter
"...since you have been born again [by the agency of the Spirit], not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God [instrument]" 1 Peter 1:23
Important note: Some who oppose the biblical teaching on monergistic regeneration will argue that this cannot be true because no one can be regenerate and not saved. If regeneration precedes faith, they reason, then there is a time, be it ever so short, where one is regenerate but does not yet believe. But this is to misunderstand what regeneration precedes faith actually means. It does not temporally precede faith but rather causally. What do I mean? An example would be one pool ball striking another. Does one ball temporally strike the other first. No they both hit one another simultaneously ... YET the one which rolls has causal priority. The same could be said of heat and fire. Likewise when God, the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the word, opens our heart to the gospel and gives us new eyes to see the beauty, truth and excellency of Christ, our response is immediate.
"No sooner is the soul quickened, than it at once discovers its lost estate, is horrified thereat, looks for a refuge, and believing Christ to be a suitable one, flies to him and reposes in him."
-C.H. Spurgeon
"Faith in the living God and his Son Jesus Christ is always the result of the new birth, and can never exist except in the regenerate. Whoever has faith is a saved man."
C.H. Spurgeon
For More on this Subject
Monergistic Regeneration - Part I by Dr. Art Azurdia III (On Effectual Calling)
Monergistic Regeneration - Part II by Dr. Art Azurdia III (On Regeneration)
A Short Response to the Arminian Doctrine of Prevenient Grace
One of the fatal flaws of Calvinism (i.e., Reformed theology) is its twisting of the Biblical concept of faith. Calvinism reckons faith as a work that man does, and therefore constitutes a contribution by the sinner to his salvation. The reasoning is that since faith is a work, and works are the fruit of salvation, then faith exercised must be the result of regeneration. The argument is made that since lost men are spiritually dead in sins, they have no capacity for faith. Regeneration in the elect grants them the ability to believe, and they embrace Jesus Christ by faith as a result of regeneration. The example cited as the strongest proof of this is the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. He was summoned to life, and then came forth.
Calvinism also insists that placing regeneration before faith excludes man as a contributor to his salvation, and therefore preserves all the glory for God. The Reformed argument juxtaposes monergism (God is the only one who works in bringing salvation) over against synergism (God and man both work to bring about salvation), and insists that monergism alone is Biblical. The reasoning is that if regeneration is contingent upon faith, then man has worked to bring it about, and God does not get all the glory.
Analysis
Faith is Pleasing to God
The problem with this erroneous logic that continues to be propagated by R. C. Sproul and others is that faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). The Bible suggests that the stronger a man is in faith, the more God is glorified (Romans 4:20). Biblical faith speaks of man casting himself upon the mercy of God with an awareness of his total and absolute inability to contribute one iota to his salvation.
In passages such as Romans 4:5, 16, the apostle Paul paints a stark contrast between faith and works, and excludes faith from the works category altogether. Paul taught that it was faith that enabled grace to make the promise sure to all the seed (i.e., the elect). Reformed theologians who label as synergists and semi-Pelagians those who defend the Biblical position of faith before regeneration have absolutely no foundation upon which to stand!
Insight from John Wesley
John Wesley, in a message entitled The New Birth, speaks of the two great works of justification and regeneration in connection with our salvation. He rightly reasons that though both of these Divine acts take place instantaneously in a moment of time, justification must logically precede regeneration. His thought is that in justification God does something for us, clearing away our sin and guilt, so that in regeneration He is free to do something in us. It is admittedly a fine point to argue since the Scriptures represent faith as prerequisite to both righteousness and life. The point is that Wesley properly understood the relationship between faith and regeneration. Belief precedes birth!
Jesus and Nicodemus
Jesus Himself taught that this was the case. In John 3, Nicodemus had asked: "How can these things be?" in response to our Lord's teaching on the new birth. In His answer, Jesus reached back to the Old Testament incident involving a snake-bitten people, and a brass serpent on a rod in the middle of the camp (John 3:14-15). The word went forth that a provision had been made for snakebite. Those who had the death sentence in themselves could receive healing and life for a look of faith! So which came first, the look or the life? Jesus taught that in the new birth (i.e., regeneration) the believing set the stage for the birthing!
John concluded this chapter saying: "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 upon him" (John 3:36). Did you catch that phrase in the middle? He that believeth not the Son shall not see life!
For the intellectually honest student of scripture, That single phrase alone slams the door shut on the regeneration-before-faith doctrine, and essentially destroys the entire system of Calvinism!
According to the Calvinistic view of depravity, a sinner must receive life before he can believe. According to Jesus and John, a man must believe before he can receive life! Who do you trust on the matter?
Jesus and Lazarus
The argument from John 11 regarding Lazarus appears rather formidable if you assume that Jesus meant it as a picture of the new birth. But did he? The problem with this assumption is the conflict it creates with John 3. The fact is Lazarus' resurrection was intended to portray a physical resurrection in the future, not spiritual regeneration. When Jesus called Lazarus by name, he was not addressing the dead corpse. He was summoning the spirit of this saved man from Abraham's bosom in order to reunite body and spirit. In so doing, He demonstrated His power and glory as the Resurrection and the Life! Regeneration, on the other hand, takes place under an entirely different set of circumstances; that is, with soul and body still in tact.
Paul and the Ephesians
The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians concerning "all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). The operative phrase is "in Christ" or its equivalent. He included the relationship between the work of the Spirit and their faith, saying: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in who also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). The word trusted is italicized in the Authorized Version. The verb itself is not there, but the Greek construction implies that the Ephesians had trusted Christ in like manner as did Paul and his associates (1:12). The phrase after that ye heard is the translation of an aorist active participle. The literal rendering is, "having heard, ye also trusted in Him." The phrase after that ye believed is also an aorist active participle. The literal rendering is, "having believed, ye were sealed." In Paul's mind, the hearing comes first, then the believing, and then the sealing.
Three observations from Ephesians 1:13 are in order. First, both of the aorist (past) participles are active voice. Paul as easily could have used the passive voice in both instances to convey the sense of "having been made to hear" and "having been made to believe." That certainly would have played into the hands of Calvinism. But Paul employed the active voice under Spirit inspiration to indicate that sinners are active participants (not to be confused with contributors) in their salvation. Secondly, the Ephesians had heard the word (logos) of truth. It appears that, in Paul's mind, the logos and the rhema were interchangeable, both having the ability to ignite faith in the hearers.
Lastly, we have the sealing of the Spirit taking place after faith is exercised. This fact creates a serious dilemma for the Calvinist. If regeneration (i.e., the new birth) takes place in the elect prior to their exercise of faith, at what point do they become sons? Is not regeneration synonymous with sonship? Is it possible to have an unbelieving and unsealed son without the earnest of his inheritance? Galatians 3:6 says: "ye are all the children [sons] of God by faith in Christ Jesus." In John 1:12, the power (authority) to become a son of God was granted to as many as received (aorist) Him. Sonship in Scripture is always the consequence of faith.
Conclusion
Let it be said that the regeneration-before-faith doctrine cannot be supported by the truth of Scripture. It is nothing more than philosophical rationalism�the child of human reason! The Calvinist is forced to take this position in defense of total depravity (i.e., total inability) and unconditional election.
God's eternal decree and sovereign good pleasure with regard to redemption is to save them that believe! The elect are those who have believed through grace (Acts 18:27). There is nothing meritorious or synergistic about their faith! God's work of regeneration takes place in response to faith wrought by grace in the heart of a believing sinner! This in no way detracts from the glory that God receives in redeeming His elect from the hand of the enemy! It rather affirms and promotes that glory!
Good Job Ella posting an article with no scripture to back up it's claims. You can keep your unauthored article and Wesleyanism. I will continue to worship the Holy, Loving, Gracious, Righteous, Sovereign, God of the bible. As the founding fathers did.
Pj, i am going to tell you once again what i believe, then you can take your imaginations of what i believe, and stop with your childish games.If you had read what I wrote, you would be informed as to what I proclaim. Here is the gospel, starting with the bad news: We're born in sin and are by natures children of wrath. We hate God. We rebel against him in thought, word, and deed. We are dead in our sins and are law-breakers, deserving God's righteous wrath against us. BUT the good news is that God, being rich in mercy, came down in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, being sent by the Father, to live a perfect life that we could not live due to our sin, and die a death we deserve to die. My sin deserves just reward in the form of eternal damnation and wrath of God. But on the cross, the Christ died to atone for the sins of many. He died to accomplish salvation perfectly for ALL who repent and believe in the gospel, trusting in Christ's perfect work ALONE to save them from the wrath of God. He died, atoning for sin, and he rose on the third day - showing his work was pleasing to God the Father. He ascended into Heaven, and will return one day to judge and bring us home in the New Heavens and New Earth, where all things will be made new and redeemed. This is the good news. Christ died to save sinners. Turn from your sin pride and unbelief and trust in Christ's atoning work to save you.
Donna, in your desire to defend your Calvinsits beliefs and had you READ the article and NOT SKIMMED over it you would have found plenty of scripture passages.
There realy is no need to keep arguing over this matter becasue God's Word has spoken for its self... Jesus says WE ARE TO HAVE FAITH TO BELIEVE... if you can't undertand the meaning of
Donna, in your desire to defend your Calvinsits beliefs and had you READ the article and NOT SKIMMED over it you would have found plenty of scripture passages.
There realy is no need to keep arguing over this matter becasue God's Word has spoken for its self... Jesus says WE ARE TO HAVE FAITH TO BELIEVE... if you can't undertand the meaning of
Donna, in your desire to defend your Calvinsits beliefs and had you READ the article and NOT SKIMMED over it you would have found plenty of scripture passages.
There realy is no need to keep arguing over this matter becasue God's Word has spoken for its self... Jesus says WE ARE TO HAVE FAITH TO BELIEVE... if you can't undertand the meaning of
