March 2, 2006
-
Brian Patterson asks:“So does regeneration produce only assent? If someone claims that regeneration produces more than just assent, is that person unsaved? ”
My Response:
G’day Brian,
How are you?
To answer your first question: YES, regeneration is simply God “begetting by the word”. Of course, the moment someone believes the gospel they will love God, because they know they are are justified. So, yes, there is an immediate love that believers have when they first believe. However, I don’t like calling this love a “saving grace”. It makes it sound like there is something meritorious or that it is a requirement in order to be saved.
Now, what exactly is the regeneration that causes someone to believe? Most Calvinists teach that regeneration is an “infusion of grace” or a “change in dispositions of the heart”. They say that this moral changes occurs in someone BEFORE they have faith. This has lead to all sorts of heresies. For instance, it’s made some Calvinists divide unbelievers into two groups. They say, “Oh, it looks like the Holy Spirit is working in this unbeliever … look at their conviction or sin”. The Calvinist then says there’s another group of unbelievers who “resist the workings of the Holy Spirit in them.”
John Owen thought that regeneration was an “infusion of grace” and a “change in dispositions” that happens before faith. Well, this lead Owen to assert that believers could doubt the gospel !! After all, said Owen, as long as you have “good dispositions of the heart” you are regenerate. He writes,
” When the saints enter into rest … Faith shall be heightened into vision, as was proved before; which doth not destroy its nature, but cause it to cease as unto its manner of operation towards things invisible. If a man have a weak, small faith in this life, with LITTLE EVIDENCE AND NO ASSURANCE, so that HE DOUBTS OF ALL THINGS, QUESTIONS ALL THINGS, and HATH NO COMFORT from what he doth believe; if afterward, through supplies of grace, he hath a mighty prevailing evidence of the things believed, is filled with comfort and assurance; this is not by a faith or grace of another kind than what he had before…” [http://www.reformed.org/books/owen/vol7/spiritual_006.html]
My response: Owen says that believers can have a faith with “no assurance” (his words) !! The “greatest Puritan” John Owen said believers can have a faith which “doubts all things”!!!
It makes sense that Owen said that someone can doubt the gospel, and still be saved. After all, Owen said that regeneration was a change in dispositions. So, as long as you have a change in dispositions you’re regenerate. Now, that means that someone can doubt the gospel and still be regenerate!!
On the other hand, if you teach that regeneration is a change of mind about the gospel, then anyone who doubts the gospel is not regenerate. If they were regenerate, they would have had the change of mind.
Here are some Scripture that teaches that regeneration is ONLY the Holy Spirit giving someone a change of mind about the gospel.
“the dead SHALL HEAR THE VOICE of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” Jn 5:25
Paul says: “for in Christ Jesus I begot you THROUGH THE GOSPEL” 1 Cor 4:15-17
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, BY THE WORD of God.” 1 Pet 1:23
Now, there is so much confusion out there about what in means to have Christ “in you”. Most Calvinists seem to think that their “christ” or “holy spirit” witnesses to their spirits APART FROM THE BIBLE. The Puritans thought that God “called” them to the ministry OUTSIDE THE BIBLE. But the Holy Spirit does not utter a single syllable outside the Scriptures.
In fact, since the Holy Spirit and Christ are 100% God, they are equally present everywhere. This means that when the Bible says Christ “abides” in a believer, it means that the THOUGHTS of a person have become Christ like. It also means that God the Holy Spirit CONVICTS our consciences that the Bible is true.
The problem with the Pharisees is that did “not have His WORD ABIDING ” in them. Jn 5:38
For beleivers, is ”THROUGH FAITH Christ may dwell in your hearts” Eph 3:17
Let’s move onto sanctification. To sanctify means to set apart. Believers are commanded to think thoughts that are true and not false. They are to set apart their mind for the task of deducing more and more truth. Also, they are to physically labor. They are to set apart time and energy for work to support their family and other believers.Now, what about love, joy, and peace in believing? Do all believers have these? Yes, these are “the fruits of the Spirit.” But how does the Spirit make a believer joyful? Is it through a warm-fuzzy feeling in their stomach? Is it through speaking nonsense (in “tongues”)?
No. The only reason a believer loves God is because they intellectually know that he has justified them by Christ’s work. “We love Him because He first loved us.”
And how do they know Christ died and obeyed the Law for them? By Scripture. So we see that believers deduce their election from the Scripture (the Scripture says that all who believe are elect, I believe, therefore I am elect.) And the moment someone knows they are justified from all things, they will REJOICE.
Thus, when a believer says “Praise God”, it is solely because that believer knows by the Scripture that all who believe are justified and since they believe, they conclude “I am justified”.
This means that love, peace and joy do NOT come from prayer, or taking communion. Instead believers pray BECAUSE they know in their minds they are justified. And believers take communion BECAUSE they know Christ their propitiation.
ALL sanctification occurs BY THE WORD
“sanctify them BY THE TRUTH”, Jn 17.
“sanctified, BY FAITH that is toward Me.” Acts 26:18
“as newborn babes desire the pure soul-nourishing milk [THE BIBLE], that you may GROW BY IT” 1 Pet 2:2
The reason most Calvinists doubt their salvation is because they do not understand the doctrines of regeneration or sanctification. They are looking for mystical ”motions” of their “holy spirit” in themselves. They say that a “mere assent to the gospel” is not saving faith. So they are always wondering if they have saving faith.
I was talking to a man the other day who said “we cannot describe what saving faith is in words.” This man — as long as he holds this to this damnable heresy — cannot have assurance (knowledge) of salvation.
Think about it. In order to know we are saved, we need to know that we have the “equally precious faith” of the apostles. Now, if saving faith is “beyond words” that means that the apostles could not have described their faith in the Scripture. And if the faith of the apostles is “beyond words” we can NEVER know whether or not we have the same faith as they did. If saving faith is “beyond words” we cannot even know any other believers. After all, another believer would never be able to describe their belief (if it’s beyond words)!!
In the Scripture, saving faith is simply believing/assenting to the propositions that
1) the God-man Jesus Christ lay down His life for the sheep (died according to the Scriptures) and
2) Christ obeyed the Law and imputes His righteousness to all who believe.
If that is saving faith, then a believer can NEVER doubt their salvation. They will know BY THE WORD that “the one abiding in the doctrine of Christ HAS THE FATHER AND THE SON” (2 Jn 9) and that “everyone that BELIEVES that Jesus is the Christ is BORN OF GOD.” (1 Jn 5:1)
Full assurance of salvation is the privilege of every believer.
Andrew Bain
Sydney, Australia
Comments (4)
I don’t have time for a long response, but you said:
“Here are some Scripture that teaches that regeneration is ONLY the Holy Spirit giving someone a change of mind about the gospel.”
Reading the verses listed, I believe that you have taken them out of context. These are not saying that the Holy Spirit is only changing our minds about the Gospel, they are saying that we are saved through hearing the Gospel. (effectual calling)
“Most Calvinists seem to think that their “christ” or “holy spirit” witnesses to their spirits APART FROM THE BIBLE.
I have never heard a Calvinist say this. From what I’ve heard, Calvinists believe in something called effectual calling…that it is through the Word of God that the Spirit calls and changes us, prior to faith.
However, that aside, the things that you say one must believe in order to have saving faith are true. But you’re jumping to conclusions saying that no one can ever doubt these. We are still in the flesh, and we still sin. Doubting may be a sin, but following your logic, if any believer ever loses their temper or commits any sin, then they are lost.
Doubting our salvation might be a sin, but praise be to God that He forgives the sins of His children and rid them of their doubts because of the blood of Jesus Christ!
Hi andrew, thanks for responding, I was sure you wouldn’t but I am glad you did. I agree that the words “infused” are wrong, infusion is a teaching that actually comes from the roman catholic church. Regeneration is the making alive that which was spiritually dead. I am however, surprised that you say faith comes before regeneration. Spritually dead people are dead to the truth and cannot give true assent to it, for it contradicts their very nature, no? Do you not fall into the trap here of saying that God rewards the human work of assent with regeneration? I’m surprised… that sounds just like an arminian to me, and I don’t believe in arminian theology. From some of the things you point out, I don’t believe Calvin’s either, as he is too works oriented, I see you mentioned the “preperationalist” camp of calvinists… true many of those out there. Unfortunate to see that so many calvinists don’t actually believe in free grace but are legalistic and depend on works.
You say “the Holy Spirit CONVICTS our consciences that the Bible is true.” I agree. Doesn’t it also convict of sin when we aren’t living according to the Bible? That’s using the Bible, not some outside revelation to convict of sin.
I agree with much you say, but it’s really sad how just a few points that seem to be taken from arminianism affect your view of things. Well probably the errors of legalistic calvinists do too, but I digress. You say saving faith is merely and only assent, that this comes first before a man is rewarded for this assent by being given regeneration. Regeneration that is a reward of a human action. Then to me it just looks like the pot calling the kettle black when you rightly critisize many calvinists that assure themselves by their works.
“The reason most Calvinists doubt their salvation is because they do not understand the doctrines of regeneration or sanctification. They are looking for mystical “motions” of their “holy spirit” in themselves. They say that a “mere assent to the gospel” is not saving faith. So they are always wondering if they have saving faith.” I agree with your consternation about their looking for ‘mystical motions’, and like you said earlier about the guy saying ‘we are assured by our works’. The Bible itself tells us that there is a struggle with sin in the believer in Romans 7, and this is the result of regeneration, it is not a looking for works like those others said. But true assent to the gospel, infers a belief that is true to the gospel and true to Christs’ words in the Bible. So for instance, if I think I can just live in my sins and be religious, that little pet sins really don’t matter, then I have really not assented to the gospel. This is not because as the heretics teach, that salvation must be worked for by fighting against sin, or that sin can make you lose your salvation, no… that is heresy. True regeneration that produces a true and sincere assent produces a regenerated (spiritual death to spiritual life)nature that naturally struggles with, and turns away from sin. The believer is also diligent in doing so because as you say, that they are grateful.
To me it looks like you have two errors. One that regeneration comes AFTER assent. Secondly, that true assent doesn’t carry with it a change in an idividual’s heart’s desires and therefore behaviour. It is odd to think how someone could go from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive and it producing no change other than that of opinions of the mind. I would be surprised if you were to call this works salvation also, because it is something produced by regeneration, not of man’s works. Any other assent is not true assent, as Jesus said we must BELIEVE in the heart and with the mouth confess that Jesus Christ IS LORD, again the result of regeneration, not man’s works. The calvinist way of always looking inside is in error, for the regenerate person naturally always looks at Christ as the grounds, not works.
This is very strange because these are two tenets of Arminianism. And those that rely on works will be damned, yet also those that do not believe in Christ as the Lord of their lives will also be damned because their assent is false. I could be wrong but to me it looks as if you fail on these two points, forgive me for being so suspicious, but I really think this is the case. Unfortunately many people have argued from a works standpoint against you, but I hope I have made a good case with a regenerational standpoint.
Oh and by the way, I do believe that Full assurance of salvation is the privilege of every believer.
G’day Brian,
How are you?
Just looked at your comment on regeneration. You have made some serious accusations against me. And none of them are true. You write,
===”To me it looks like you have two errors. One that regeneration comes AFTER assent. Secondly, that true assent doesn’t carry with it a change in an idividual’s heart’s desires and therefore behaviour.”===
My response: I do NOT believe regeneration comes after assent. I affirm that regeneration is God giving a person assent. This is why I wrote in my earlier post that….
“Scripture … teaches that regeneration is ONLY the Holy Spirit giving someone a change of mind about the gospel.”
And I used the following verses:
—”the dead SHALL HEAR THE VOICE of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” Jn 5:25
—Paul says: “for in Christ Jesus I begot you THROUGH THE GOSPEL” 1 Cor 4:15-17
—”Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, BY THE WORD of God.” 1 Pet 1:23
And I also wrote that, “regeneration is simply God [the Holy Spirit] “begetting by the word”"
Next up, you say that I deny assent doesn’t carry with it a change in an individual’s heart. You write,
===”To me it looks like you have two errors. One that regeneration comes AFTER assent. Secondly, that true assent doesn’t carry with it a change in an idividual’s heart’s desires and therefore behaviour.”===
My comment: I do AFFIRM that ALL believers immediately love God AFTER they assent. Here’s what I wrote in my original post,
“Of course, the moment someone believes the gospel they will love God, because they know they are are justified. So, yes, there is an immediate love that believers have when they first believe.”
And I also wrote,
“Now, what about love, joy, and peace in believing? Do all believers have these? Yes, these are “the fruits of the Spirit.” “
And again, I affirmed that,
“And the moment someone knows they are justified from all things, they will REJOICE.”
So I heartily agree with this Scripture (that was in my original post)….
“sanctify them BY THE TRUTH”, Jn 17.
“sanctified, BY FAITH that is toward Me.” Acts 26:18
“as newborn babes desire the pure soul-nourishing milk [THE BIBLE], that you may GROW BY IT” 1 Pet 2:2
And last of all — God the Holy Spirit. I believe that He is the reason why one man assents and another does not. God the Holy Spirit CONVICTS the believer’s conscience that the Bible is true. It was Him who “raised Jesus from the dead” (Rom 8:11) that raises the spiritually dead.
Paul declares to the Corinthians “…you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, AND IN THE SPIRIT of our God.”
Most Calvinists deny the power of the Holy Spirit. Owen, as I pointed out in my previous post, taught that there are believers can have a faith that contains “no assurance”, “little comfort”, and which “doubts all things”. Here is the original quote from “the greatest Puritan”,
===” When the saints enter into rest … Faith shall be heightened into vision, as was proved before; which doth not destroy its nature, but cause it to cease as unto its manner of operation towards things invisible. If a man have a weak, small faith in this life, with LITTLE EVIDENCE AND NO ASSURANCE, so that HE DOUBTS OF ALL THINGS, QUESTIONS ALL THINGS, and HATH NO COMFORT from what he doth believe; if afterward, through supplies of grace, he hath a mighty prevailing evidence of the things believed, is filled with comfort and assurance; this is not by a faith or grace of another kind than what he had before…===” [http://www.reformed.org/books/owen/vol7/spiritual_006.html]
I want NOTHING TO DO with unbelievers like John Owen.
Brian, do you?
Andrew Bain
Sydney, Australia