"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which
is born of the Spirit is spirit," (John 3:6).
This was Jesus' response to Nicodemus' question, “How can a
man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb
and be born?” (John 3:4). But Jesus wasn't talking about physical birth; He was
talking about spiritual birth. He was describing a birth that is accomplished
by the Spirit of God alone. The phrase "born again" literally means,
"born from above." This is what John makes so clear in the very first
chapter of his Gospel.
"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were
born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of
man, but of God," John 1:12-13.
Which Came First the
Chicken or…?
Which comes first, the faith or the regeneration? Arminianism
rightly believes that we are saved by grace, through faith, but erroneously contends
that faith comes before regeneration.
A person believes and then they are born again. This is what many Christians
are taught and it sounds perfectly fine on the surface. But the problem with faith
preceding regeneration is that it fails to explain how someone who is dead in
their trespasses and sins, hostile to God, and not yet renewed by the Holy
Spirit is able to produce faith.
The burden of proof is on the Arminian to show from Scripture
how someone in the flesh (prior to regeneration) can initiate genuine faith. Any
"faith" they produce will be a work of the flesh. Jesus said what is
born of the flesh is flesh. Further He said, "It is the Spirit who gives
life; the flesh profits nothing," (John 6:63). So the flesh produces
flesh, it profits nothing, and only the Spirit gives life. Yet Arminianism
would have us believe that someone who is spiritually dead can generate saving
faith prior to the Spirit's work in their hearts. No, Arminianism has it
backwards.
Regeneration Precedes
Faith
Regeneration must precede faith. This is the
only real option because those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom.
8:8). They can't initiate saving faith because everything they do proceeds from
the flesh. Again, only the Spirit gives life.
When discussing the ordo
salutis (order of salvation), Reformed theology is not teaching a
temporal progression as much as a logical progression. Regeneration is
instantaneous. All we are saying is that logically, an unregenerate person cannot
have genuine faith because they are still in the flesh. The Spirit must quicken
them first so that they are able to respond in repentance and faith.
"And those whom he predestined he also called, and those
whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also
glorified," (Rom. 8:30).
In Romans 8:30, we see a logical progression in God's work of
salvation. Notice that these are the actions of God, not man. God calls, God
justifies, etc. And everyone who is called is
justified. There are no drop outs along the way. If you are predestined and called,
then that calling is efficacious and results in justification. Remember, we are
not talking about a chronological order but rather a logical order in God's
decree to save His people, (2 Tim. 1:9).
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God,” (John
3:3).
If you cannot see or enter the kingdom unless you are first born
again, how in the world can faith precede the new birth? Where does this faith
come from I wonder? Moreover, how can the Arminian avoid taking some credit
(however little) for believing in Jesus? I know they virulently deny this, but
if, in their view, faith is not a
gift of God, but rather conjured up somehow by spiritually dead people, then
consistency should force them to admit they contributed to their own salvation.
This is why Arminian soteriology doesn't have a leg to stand
on. So instead of trying to prop it up; it simply needs to be abandoned.
Salvation is the work of God alone.
Why Does it Matter?
You might be thinking: why does it matter how we are saved, so long as we are
saved? Well the simple answer to that question is because theology matters. How
we view God and salvation has eternal ramifications. In the final analysis,
either you were saved because you were better than others, (you had faith and
they didn't) or you were saved because of God's grace alone. Knowing that we
had nothing to do with it guards our hearts from taking any credit and causes
us to give all the glory to Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith,
(Heb. 12:2).
