Arminian theology teaches that faith precedes regeneration, that regeneration is the result of placing faith in Christ. Calvinist theology teaches that regeneration must precede faith, that one must be regenerated first in order to believe. Which is it? I believe the Apostle Paul reveals the answer in the following brief study.
Romans 8:4-9
(Ro 8:4) – 4 So that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (NET)
(Romans 8:8-9) – 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. (NET)
(Hebrews 11:6) – 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (NET)
(Ephesians 2:8-9) – 8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, that no one would boast. (WEB)
(2 Peter 1:1) – From Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, have been granted a faith just as precious as ours. (NET)
Romans 8:4 & 8-9 interprets “the flesh” that Paul talks about in verses 4-9. In these verses Paul is contrasting the unsaved – “who live according to the flesh,” and the saved — “who live according to the Spirit.” We know that’s what Paul is talking about, because “the righteous requirement of the law” (Ro 8:4) is only fulfilled in believers, who are both regenerate (born again – Jn 3:3-8) and indwelled by the Holy Spirit (Ro 8:9). In our unregenerate state we’re “unable to please God” (Ro 8:8). In addition, the writer of Hebrews says that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (He 11:6). Thus, only those who have been regenerated can place faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, and thereby pleasing God. This is why regeneration must precede faith. We must be made alive (Eph 2:5; Col 2:13) in order to understand and believe the gospel message, and thus, be saved and indwelled by the Holy Spirit at that moment of saving faith.
Salvation and faith for salvation are not and cannot be “of ourselves,” as Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8. There must be Divine intervention, where at some point in our lives, God chooses to intervene in our spiritually dead state to draw us to Christ via regeneration, and thus giving us the gift of faith in order to be saved (Eph 2:8; 2 Pe 1:1). Regeneration is accompanied by and characterized by faith, just as non-regeneration (the natural state – 2 Cor 2:14) is characterized by and accompanied by unbelief. Regeneration and faith go together, just as non-regeneration and unbelief go together. That is why everyone who truly hears and understands the gospel message (John 6:44-45) will be saved. That is why the Arminian understanding cannot be correct, which teaches that in our unregenerate state, we have the ability to believe and choose to receive Christ as our Savior. But as we’ve seen, these choices are not possible within our unregenerate state. Everyone who has been enabled to believe – via regeneration – will be saved. No one who experiences regeneration and understanding of the gospel message rejects Christ, for everyone who is regenerated receives the Holy Spirit, and thus belongs to Christ (Ro 8:9).
When Arminians teach Ephesians 2:8-9, they focus on the “works” that Paul mentions, but they overlook what Paul says before that, which is that being saved and having faith “is not of ourselves.” They believe that Paul is merely referring to the fact that it’s salvation that is by grace, but disregard faith as part of Paul’s reference. They believe that Paul is merely contrasting grace and works. However, both salvation and faith for salvation is by God’s grace; the two are one grace.
We know that faith “is not of ourselves,” because as we’ve seen, it’s not possible to have faith in our unregenerate state, because “without faith it is impossible to please God” (He 11:6), and “those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Ro 8:8). Only those who have been regenerated are able to please God. That includes the required faith for salvation. God Himself must provide that. In addition, faith is an inward “work” of the heart, but passive in nature—just as a work of the body is outward and active in nature. Both are a form of “works” that are “of ourselves.”
All of this points to unconditional Sovereign election. Which means, since salvation is “not of ourselves” in any way (Jn 6:63,65), then God must take the initiative and call those whom He has chosen to receive it. When God calls, it always results in salvation. Yes, in a general sense, the gospel goes out to the whole world, and everyone who hears it is called by that message. However, it’s God Himself who calls people to receive Christ. In other words, God Himself must make the message of Christ come to life (illuminates) in the hearts of those whom He calls (1 Th 1:4-5). Everyone whom God calls (draws), comes to faith in Christ (Jn 6:44-45), because those whom He calls He also “justifies” and “glorifies, as Paul reveals in Romans 8:30. And He does this via regeneration.
I would like to add that I also believe that up to the time of our call to salvation, God is at work in our hearts and lives via prevenient grace. This is what Arminians believe in place of regeneration. However, I believe God uses both. Prevenient grace is light that God gives to us that leads us along the path to Christ. I believe that before that time, God normally gives us a certain amount of light that prepares us for that moment when God regenerates us and completely opens our spiritual eyes to the truth. This preparatory work doesn’t have to occur, as in the case of Paul’s conversion, but I believe that it’s probably the norm.
By way of testimony, I can look back and see how God worked in my life as a child. I remember as a young boy, beginning around 3 or 4 years old, being taught about God and Jesus and the Bible (what I heard in church and from my parents), and everything I heard, I believed—in an intellectual sort of way. In the years following, I continued to learn more about God and Jesus, but it wasn’t until I was 16 that I first heard the clear plan of salvation through Christ (via gospel tract). I was ready. God had prepared me for that day. When I read the gospel message the very first time, I believed every word, and received Christ as my Lord and Savior. I believe it was at that point that God regenerated me and completely opened my eyes to understanding about His Son and the way of salvation. So I do believe God uses both prevenient grace and regeneration to call His elect to His Son. Prevenient grace prepares us, while regeneration directly completes the process.
