I want to be honest with you. I don’t really like talking about Calvinism and Arminianism because it is such a debated and heated topic. Churches have split over it. Hundreds of years ago people were put to death over it. To discuss this issue is like walking through a mine field of theological explosions.
One of the issues at the heart of the Calvinism and Arminianism debate is when regeneration happens. If it happens before faith (salvation) then you are most likely on the Calvinism side. If it happens after faith then you are most likely on the Arminianism side. The reason is that this issue has far reaching consequences. Does God predestine? Does man have a free will? Who actually decides if a person is saved (man or God)? Most likely, your answer to the question about when regeneration happens will steer all the other questions (or vice versa). Simply put, there is a lot at stake when deciding the order of regeneration and faith.
Definitions
What is regeneration? A simple definition is “rebirth” or “to be born again.” It is the act of God giving new spiritual life. The actual word is only used two times in the New Testament, and one of those times (Matthew 19:28) is used eschatologically. The second time is in Titus 3:5, “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”. As we will see, the act is described or implied in a number of verses, but this is the only time it is used in the sense we are discussing.
Next, what is faith? In the more specific sense that we are addressing (as opposed to a general definition of faith), our doctrinal statement, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, describes it this way: “Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.” More simply, it is turning to Jesus and making him the Lord of your life.
So does regeneration precede faith? In other words, does God rebirth us (regenerate), which causes us to put our faith in Jesus, or do we put our faith in Jesus, which causes God to rebirth/regenerate us?
I am going to answer it from two perspectives. First, from the position of Island Pond (and our doctrinal statement) and then second, from my own position.
1) What our doctrinal statement says about regeneration and faith
Here is an excerpt from the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which is the doctrinal statement that Island Pond holds to. I am not quoting this to prove the point but instead to simply show you what we believe.
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
If you noticed, the doctrinal statement does specifically say the order. However, if you look at it more closely, you can see where it leans. It says that regeneration is produced by the Holy Spirit through the conviction of sin which then causes the sinner to respond in repentance and faith. In other words, the Holy Spirit works (regenerates) and then the sinner responds to faith.
That is a short description of what Island Pond believes. I will go into more detail in this next section.
2) What I believe about regeneration and faith.
Here are some of the verses that have been most influential to me in thinking through this issue.
John 3:5 – Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
John 6:44, 65 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day…” And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
Acts 16:14 – One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.
1 Corinthians 2:14 – The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Romans 3:10-12 – as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
Ephesian 2:1-2, 4-5 – And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world… But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
Colossian 2:13 – And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
Let’s summarize: Before Christ, you were dead in your trespasses (Ephesians 2:1-2, 4-5). Not “astray” or “lost,” but dead. On our own, we do not understand God (Romans 3:10-21; 1 Corinthians 2:14). Because of this, in order for us to be saved, God “grants” (John 6:65), “opens our heart” (Acts 16:14), or “makes us alive” (Ephesians 2:4-5). In other words, he regenerates.
Putting it all together, it seems very clear to me that a person is regenerated by God which then enables the person to put their faith in Jesus. We see an example of this in Acts 16:14, where the Lord opened Lydia’s heart to pay attention. Many theologians would say that this essentially a simultaneous event, with regeneration happening just moments before faith.
The Other View
There is obviously another group that believes the exact opposite of what I laid out. I did some research to find some of the main verses that are quoted for those that believe that faith precedes regeneration. Here are some of those verses.
John 1:12-13 – 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.
Galatians 3:26 – for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
John 12:36 – While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.
Ephesians 1:13 – In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Galatians 3:2, 5 – Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?… Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—
2 Corinthians 3:14-16 – But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
1 Timothy 1:16 – But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
Putting these verses together: someone hears about Jesus and then believes (by putting their faith in him). Then, and only then, is a person made a child of God through regeneration.
So Who’s Right?
You are probably starting to understand why there is so much debate about this. Both sides have valid points and supporting verses! Could I be wrong about my interpretation of the verses? Absolutely. Could the other viewpoint be wrong? Sure. Here is why I still think regeneration precedes faith.
1) The “regeneration first” verses are more clear.
As I look over both groups of verses, there is less vagueness in the “regeneration first” verses. “No one can come to Jesus unless the father draws him … You were dead… When you were dead Christ made us alive…” While at first glance many of the verses in the “faith first” group seems clear as well, there is more wiggle room. That leads to the next point.
2) The “faith first” verses have more wiggle room.
To me, some of the “faith first” verses are vague enough to not really be useful for determining the order of regeneration and faith. For example, in Ephesians 1:13, Paul says you were sealed “when you heard the word of truth… and believed in him.” But that doesn’t take away the option that God opened the heart (regenerated) first, especially taking into account that in the very next chapter Paul has some very strong words about our inability to initiate salvation. Most of the other verses can be explained in the same way. They are simply emphasizing the importance of faith.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:16, “Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” But again, does that give an order? It just talks about the importance of faith, which I will mention in a moment.
3) The “faith first” verses are mostly looking at salvation from the human perspective.
I think several of these verses are simply explaining salvation from the “human side” of things. Let me explain from Acts 16. In this passage, the Philippian jailer sees the power of God and asks Paul and Silas… “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” This is their response: And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31). Paul is telling the jailer what HE has to do to be saved. And from a human perspective, that is exactly what he had to do… believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The idea of regeneration preceding faith does not impact what a person must do to be saved from the human perspective. Regeneration preceding faith is below the water level of the iceberg, so to speak. It’s there, but it is not readily seen above the water. I like how Wayne Grudem describes it in his excellent book, Systematic Theology.
Therefore, it would be best to emphasize that we do not see regeneration but only the results of it in our lives and that faith in Christ for salvation is the first result that we see. In fact, we can never know that we have been regenerated until we come to faith in Christ, for that is the outward evidence of this hidden, inward work of God.[1]
4) Believing in regeneration first does not take away the importance of faith.
Just because a person does not believe faith goes before regeneration does NOT mean they believe faith is unimportant. Paul, who wrote many of those strongly worded verses in favor of regeneration first told people to put their faith in Jesus.
It’s sort of like looking at a coin from both sides. On one side, the Bible makes it clear that God is the one who grants the ability to believe in Jesus. But on the other side, we must put our faith in Jesus to be saved.
5) The idea of regeneration first meshes better with the doctrines of predestination, election, and calling.
Paul writes in Romans 8:29-30: For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Unless you change the definitions of “foreknew,” “predestined,” and “called,” you are going to have a hard time making a case for faith preceding regeneration.
Let’s think about this: if it is ultimately up to you for salvation, then how can God predestine or call? The idea of faith preceding regeneration takes the power out of an all-knowing, all-powerful God. If salvation ultimately starts with our faith, then how can God accomplish all of his purposes? How can he intervene in non-salvation matters and do miracles if he can’t initiate salvation?
Tough Logical Conclusions
I think the real reason many people object to regeneration preceding faith is because of the “logical conclusions” from a human perspective. For example, if regeneration precedes faith, then does that mean that God only chooses some for salvation and chooses the rest for hell? If regeneration precedes faith, does that mean that witnessing is unimportant? Does that mean that we are just puppets in God’s show? Why doesn’t God just save all people if he is the one responsible for it? If he wants all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) then why aren’t all people saved? Does that mean he is not all-powerful?
First, I would encourage you to not jump to conclusions that are not given in the Bible. From my perspective, the Bible absolutely makes it clear that God predestines and calls people to salvation. But nowhere do we see that God predestines people to hell. Hardens? Sure. Predestines others? Yes. But chooses people for hell? Can’t find any mention of that.
Another example is regarding our part of salvation. Just because God regenerates first does not mean we should not witness. You won’t find any mention of that either.
Second, I would encourage you to remember that God is God and we are not. Just because you don’t like what God might do does not negate the fact that he is God.
For argument’s sake, let’s say he does predestine people for hell (which I have already said is not ever mentioned in Scripture). Does that make God sound mean? From a human perspective, sure. But does that take away from the fact that he is God and we are not? No. If God is God
I am very grateful that we have a loving God. One who sent his own son to this world to die for us. But even if God did things we don’t like, would that suddenly put us in a position to reject God? No. We should follow God because he is God, not just because we like how he operates.
For The Greater Good
As I conclude, let me repeat that good, Bible believing, evangelical Christians have fallen on both sides of this debate. While I have my beliefs, I want to work alongside others who have different beliefs in this area so that we can promote the gospel message.
At Island Pond, you can lean in either direction and still be part of our church. There may be times where we will have to agree to disagree or that you won’t like what I teach in a sermon, but these types of disagreements should not divide us.
Yes, we should strive to know the Bible more, interpret it correctly, and pursue truth. But we are humans and we won’t do that perfectly. So let’s have a little grace with each other and be OK with not agreeing with each other 100% of the time. Let’s put aside our differences to reach people with the good news of Jesus!
[1] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 854.