Posted on 10/27/2004 8:25:49 AM PDT by ksen
Does regeneration necessarily precede conversion?
By Tom Schreiner
The answer to the question is “yes,” but before explaining why this is so, the terms “regeneration” and “conversion” should be explained briefly.
Regeneration means that one has been born again or born from above (John 3:3, 5, 7, 8). The new birth is the work of God, so that all those who are born again are “born of the Spirit” (John 3:8 ESV here and henceforth). Or, as 1 Pet 1:3 says, it is God who “caused us to be born again to a living hope” (1 Pet 1:3). The means God uses to grant such new life is the gospel, for believers “have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Pet 1:23; cf. Jas 1:18). Regeneration or being born again is a supernatural birth. Just as we cannot do anything to be born physically—it just happens to us!—so too we cannot do anything to cause our spiritual rebirth.
Conversion occurs when sinners turn to God in repentance and faith for salvation. Paul describes the conversion of the Thessalonians in 1 Thess 1:9, “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” Sinners are converted when they repent of their sins and turn in faith to Jesus Christ, trusting in him for the forgiveness of their sins on the Day of Judgment.
Paul argues that unbelievers “are dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1; cf. 2:5). They are under the dominion of the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph 2:2-3). Every one is born into the world as a son or daughter of Adam (Rom 5:12-19). Therefore, all people enter into this world as slaves of sin (Rom 6:6, 17, 20). Their wills are in bondage to evil, and hence they have no inclination or desire to do what is right or to turn to Jesus Christ. God, however, because of his amazing grace has “made us alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:5). This is Paul’s way of saying that God has regenerated his people (cf. Tit 3:5). He has breathed life into us where there was none previously, and the result of this new life is faith, for faith too is “the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).
Several texts from 1 John demonstrate that regeneration precedes faith. The texts are as follows: “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him” (1 John 2:29). “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whomever has been born of him” (1 John 5:1).
We can make two observations from these texts. First, in every instance the verb “born” (gennaô) is in the perfect tense, denoting an action that precedes the human actions of practicing righteousness, avoiding sin, loving, or believing.
Second, no evangelical would say that before we are born again we must practice righteousness, for such a view would teach works-righteousness. Nor would we say that first we avoid sinning, and then are born of God, for such a view would suggest that human works cause us to be born of God. Nor would we say that first we show great love for God, and then he causes us to be born again. No, it is clear that practicing righteousness, avoiding sin, and loving are all the consequences or results of the new birth. But if this is the case, then we must interpret 1 John 5:1 in the same way, for the structure of the verse is the same as we find in the texts about practicing righteousness (1 John 2:29), avoiding sin (1 John 3:9), and loving God (1 John 4:7). It follows, then, that 1 John 5:1 teaches that first God grants us new life and then we believe Jesus is the Christ.
We see the same truth in Acts 16:14. First God opens Lydia’s heart and the consequence is that she pays heed to and believes in the message proclaimed by Paul. Similarly, no one can come to Jesus in faith unless God has worked in his heart to draw him to faith in Christ (John 6:44). But all those whom the Father has drawn or given to the Son will most certainly put their faith in Jesus (John 6:37).
God regenerates us and then we believe, and hence regeneration precedes our conversion. Therefore, we give all the glory to God for our conversion, for our turning to him is entirely a work of his grace.
Dr. Schreiner is a Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Southern Seminary. Before 1997, he served 11 years on the faculty at Bethel Theological Seminary. He also taught New Testament at Azusa Pacific University. Dr. Schreiner, a Pauline scholar, is the author or editor of the following books: Romans in the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament; Interpreting the Pauline Letters; The Law and Its Fulfillment: A Pauline Theology of Law; The Grace of God, The Bondage of the Will (a two-volume set which he co-edited with Bruce A. Ware); Women in the Church: A Fresh Analysis of 1 Timothy 2:9-15; The Race Set Before Us: A Biblical Theology of Perseverance and Assurance; and Paul Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology.
Here we go again...how could he have "heard" if he had not been regenerated?
LOLOL. While JusPasenThru has a funnier home page, Rnmomof8 takes this round. 8~)
Y'all can be pretty high strung...
Did I miss an announcement?
If he were one of the elect, he would have realized his election before he died by the possession of faith in Christ. By our fruits are we known.
Like the thief on the Cross. Like you and me.
Faith is the evidence of God's grace, not the cause of it.
I understand what you're saying. But I was responding to the way Alex framed the question.
I found this prayer of the synergist:
"God, I give you glory for everything else, but not my faith ... This is the one thing that is my very own that I produced of my natural capacities. For this little bit the glory is mine. I made better use of Your offer of salvation than others did. While You deserve glory for all I have Lord, my faith was the one part that I contributed to the price of my redemption, apart from and independent of the action of Your Holy Spirit."
Yet no synergist would pray this because they know just how prideful it is. The funny thing is that no synergist can show that this prayer conflicts with their God robbing theology. We can conclude that synergism is consistent with pride.
In the service of the Lord,
Christian.
RnMomof8: Actually under open theism God can only guess if it is true :>)
Made me laugh. 8~)
That's what I get for coming late to the party.
Made me laugh. ;-)
Late, but fashionably...
Calvin's answer was 'common grace'; same as mine.
LOL. I guess I'm hoping RnMom adopts me for the holidays. I miss the snow. 8~)
While this issue was not a stumbling block for me, it has been an interesting point to ponder. If we accept Webster's definition of "convert", namely, "reversed in position, opposite, contrary", and apply that to the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, it would seem to suggest that the two "events" are concurrent. That is, in regeneration, God removes the heart of stone (dead to Him) and replaces it with a heart of flesh (alive to Him). I can't think of a more radical reversal in position. I can't think of a position more contrary to what went before.
Now while the "events" of conversion are concurrent, the activities can be logically distinguished. Regeneration is the bestowing of spiritual life and faith. Conversion is the fruit through the first act of faith, repentence.
From another point of view, I wonder if "conversion" is similar to "salvation" in the sense that Scripture speaks of believers as "being saved", "having been saved", and "will be saved". It's a bit tempting to think that conversion begins at birth and is culminated at death. Since conversion only applies to the elect, and since God uses all the experiences and circumstances in one's life to prepare them for the work of regeneration and continues that work through the life-long process of converging one's positional righteousness with one's actual righteousness (sanctification), I wonder if there is a sense in which conversion is a cradle-to-grave experience for the elect...just a thought, not a conviction.
By the way, an excellent article. Thanks for posting it.
The point is that if you are regenerated, then you have become a new creature in Christ and you would obviously no longer be resistant to the call. So what do these Calvinists call it when you have been enlightened to the truth of the gospel, you have been convicted of your sins, but because of oyour sinful nature you continue to reject the calling of Christ? Most Calvinists insist that only the elect will ever hear and understand the gospel as the elect have no ear to hear, nor do they have understanding.
Can an unregenerate man hear the calling of the Holy Spirit? If so, then he has ears to hear and is not "dead" in the sense that the Calvinists always use to analogize. The fact of the matter is that running from the call of God is still a response to God's grace. It is the wrong response, but it is a response nevertheless.
Since I'm new to these threads, I may be covering old ground. I apologize in advance if the above post is redundant.
Well, certainly you've heard enough about illumination from me. :O)
In EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE God come to people-not the other way around. He came to Abraham, Cornelius, Lydia, Mary, Paul on and on and on. Paul says "no one seeks after God". And in EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE when God said do this or do that you can bet people did it. They didn't tell God, "My people will get back with your people."
So you're left with a position that if the Holy Spirit enlightens it's still our "choice". Do you make a "intellectual" decision? Is it a "spiritual" decision? And too bad if you have an off day.
Are you saying that there is a difference in terminology for the word conversion or that you believe that conversion, that is receiving faith and repenting, does not happen simultaneously with regeneration? I'm confused, please explain. Thanks.
The religion forum is the Free Republic Department of Redundancy Department.
And yet some STILL don't get it. 8~)
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