The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Regeneration Study

Tom,

The text reads:

John 1:12-13 (ASV) But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

My contention is, which is in total agreement with the Reformed Confessions and Catechisms, the Puritans and all historic Calvinists, that the "receiving" of Christ is synonymous with believing (faith) and the being "born of God" is synonymous with regeneration (new birth, born from above, etc.). The text clearly says that those who believed on Christ did so because they were born of God thus putting faith consequent to regeneration.

Does that help?

Additionally, if one holds to the biblical doctrine of Total Depravity as it is enumerated in the Canons of Dordt, man being "spiritually dead" having inherited a corruption of nature and whose disposition is only toward sin, then it stands that unless the whole man is given spiritual life, i.e., a new disposition, he will never nor is he able to exercise faith. Why? Because unlike modern semi-Pelagianism and the old Arminianism, the Reformed Faith holds that the will is not an independent element of man but is rather totally dependent upon that which influences it; the mind and the affections. Therefore, a simply "something" to enable man to respond in faith MUST BE effectual upon man's entire being; mind, emotions, will. That "something", therefore of necessity must be regeneration, to impart life to that which is dead... the whole man. Arminians contended at the Synod of Dordt that all that was needed was "prevenient grace" which somehow could overcome the depravity of soul yet without actually entailing the giving of spiritual life. This ALL of the Reformed churches throughout history have utterly rejected as spurious and indefensible from Scripture.

It would therefore be very interesting to find out what this "something must happen" your friend has maintained which enables a spiritually dead, morally bankrupt, God-hating sinner to believe and which is not a recreation of the soul, aka: regeneration.