The exclusivity of Jesus Christ in salvation:
The apostle Peter says in Acts 4:11-12:
"This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (emphasis mine)
And Jesus Himself says in John 14:6:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (emphasis mine)The New Testament is clear, there is no other way of obtaining eternal life other than through Jesus Christ. Peter filled with the Holy Spirit declared this truth to the Jewish leaders after his arrest. Jesus taught this same truth to alleviate Thomas` uncertainty regarding His resurrection and ascension. The exclusivity of Christ in salvation naturally excludes a works based form of salvation in which we earn our salvation through good deeds or meritorious behaviour. We cannot inherit eternal life by way of religious piety; we cannot win over the favour of God by loving our neighbour and being kind to people, or by performing alms and being charitable. Neither can sincerity in one`s religion lead to Heaven. It doesn`t matter how devout a Muslim, Buddhist, Jew or Hindu you are, all other means of salvation outside of Christ are idolatrous. There is no power to save in any alternative "salvation" outside of Jesus Christ.
The exclusivity of Jesus Christ in salvation is by virtue of two things - the eternal decree of God the Father and the inability of mankind to satisfy the righteousness of God. Regarding the eternal decree of God the Father in making Jesus the sole means of salvation for mankind Ephesians 3:8-11 says:
"To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord," (emphasis mine)And Acts 2:22-24 records:
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it." (emphasis mine)Jesus` first coming was not an afterthought by God in response to the fall of mankind in Genesis 3. The book of Acts clearly teaches that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus was the result of God`s sovereign will. To God alone belongs the glory of salvation because God alone ordained it to happen.
Concerning the inability of mankind, Jesus` death is the exclusive means of salvation because only Jesus could fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law and provide satisfactory propitiation for human sin:
And in chapter 10 the author of Hebrews writes:
"For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." Hebrews 2:16-17 (emphasis mine)
"For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Hebrews 10:1-4 (emphasis mine)Jesus being both God and man was able to fulfill the requirements of the Law leading a sinless and perfect existence. Through the incarnation Jesus was the Son of God with all the attributes of the deity (Philippians 2:6, Colossians 2:9) as well as fully man yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Therefore, Jesus was the only person who could fulfill the unique requirements of the Law for the purification and redemption of sin through the sacrifice of His life upon the cross. No other being on earth past, present or future could fulfill the requirements for our atonement because of sin. None of us has any inherent righteousness of our own with which to offer ourselves as a sacrifice for sin. We are all like those blemished lambs disqualified from the sacrifices made on the Day of Atonement and the Passover in Exodus. Only a pure lamb, without defect was worthy and likewise only Jesus is worthy of making propitiation for mankind`s sin.
The means of salvation:
Having established that Jesus is the only way to salvation, how does one become saved? The Bible does not teach universalism and makes clear that some will believe and others will not (John 3:16-18, Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 20:15). The consequence for unbelief and a recalcitrance to repent is hell. So how does one become saved?
In the introduction to his letter to the Romans, Paul says:
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17 (emphasis mine)Jesus` death and atonement are effectual to all who live by faith in Jesus. That is the very Gospel Paul preached for which he was not ashamed. The righteous shall live by faith. Faith is not a mere intellectual assent to Jesus` sacrifice and person-hood as the Son of God, nor is repentance merely remorse for sin. Faith is an active verb, it is an on-going trust in Jesus for our salvation and righteousness. Faith bears fruit. John the Baptist when rebuking the Pharisees told them to bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:7-8). It means turning from our sin in repentance (the Greek word for repentance Metanoeo meaning a change of heart), denying ourselves and following Jesus (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34). The direction of our faith and the person we place our faith in is Jesus.
How does a person believe?
Can a person just believe? Can someone will themselves into believing in Christ? Are we capable of saving faith without divine assistance? I believe we cannot. I do not believe we have the capacity in and of ourselves to have a saving faith in Jesus Christ without the assistance and help of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 6:20 says we are by virtue of our sinful nature, slaves to sin. Ephesians 2:1-3 says that we we are dead in our sin (under condemnation and judgement), following the ruler of the prince of the power of the air (Satan), and carrying out the desires of our bodies. Mankind is in the grip of sin, enslaved to its passions and in obedience to the Satanic order in direct conflict with the Kingdom of God. That does not mean every non-Christian is a Satanist or Satan worshiper, nor does it mean that every person is as sinful and bad as we possibly can be. But we are constrained by our sin from believing in Christ without the help of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 3:23 also teaches:
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"The Greek word for sin, Hamartano, means to miss the mark, to fail to hit the target. Paul teaches that all mankind has sinned and therefore has failed to live up to the righteousness of God, falling far short of the glory of God. The imagery is that of an archer taking aim but missing his target. No matter how hard we try we can never meet the expectations of the righteousness of God.
Whether enslaved to the carnal passions of the flesh, deceived and led astray by the false gods created to keep people in spiritual bondage by Satan or trying in our own righteousness to earn our salvation we cannot come into saving faith without the work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said of the Holy Spirit:
"And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;" (emphasis mine)
One of the primary purposes of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. The Holy Spirit is actively engaged in the work of illumination, casting light into the darkness of the unbelievers` hearts and revealing the truth about Jesus to the world. The work of Satan is in complete contrast to the work of the Holy Spirit as Satan blinds the eyes of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4), whereas the Holy Spirit has come to spread the light of the truth of the Gospel. Without this vital work of the Holy Spirit no-one would be able to come to a conviction of their sin and understand their very real need of Jesus as their saviour. Only then can the grace of God be perceived for what it is, unmerited mercy and forgiveness. We cannot comprehend the grace of God without first comprehending our sinfulness and total inability to meet the standard of the glory of God. And we cannot comprehend our sin without the Holy Spirit`s convicting work in our lives.
Jesus declared Himself to be the Light of the World (John 8:12) and He also declared His disciples/Church to be the salt and light of the world:
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16 (emphasis mine)
The Church is anointed with the Holy Spirit. Through the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit the Church and by extension individual believers can and do shine with the light of Christ in the world. Jesus is working through His Church by the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit to cast out the darkness of this world and bring the light of the Gospel, which is the light of truth to people living in bondage to sin.
One of the ways in which the Church does this is by the preaching of the Gospel. Paul says in Romans 10:
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written,“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." Romans 10:14-17 (emphasis mine)
Here Paul reveals the link between faith and preaching. The world cannot believe in Jesus if it has never heard the Gospel; and the world will not hear the Gospel unless the Gospel is preached by the Church. But the Church cannot preach the Gospel unless it is commissioned to do so by Jesus. Notice here that it is not the words of the Church that produce faith but rather the word of Christ. The Gospel is not a man-made creation; the Gospel is not the result of human imagination.The Gospel is the work of God who in His sovereignty predestined that Christ should give His life as a sacrifice for sin. Paul claimed he did not preach the Gospel with eloquent words lest he empty the cross of its power (1 Corinthians 1:17). Paul also revealed to the Galatians the true source of the Gospel he preached to them:
"For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." Galatians 1:11-12 (emphasis mine)
The Gospel is not the wisdom of Man. Paul goes so far as to say the Gospel is a stumbling block to both Jews and Greeks because it is not the wisdom of Man (1 Corinthians 1:22-23).
The Church has been given a mandate by Christ to preach the Gospel leading to the salvation of everyone who believes (Matthew 28:16-20). Therefore, the Church has been sent by Jesus to proclaim the Gospel, which itself is 100% of God, and anointed with the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish and fulfill that mandate being the light of the world in Jesus` physical absence. Salvation is a totally God-centred initiative. God initiates and through the work of the Holy Spirit man responds.
This is seen and illustrated in the Old Testament example of Jonah:
"Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” Jonah 1:1&2
Jonah not wishing Israel`s enemy Nineveh to be forgiven for their sin and desiring that they be punished by God ran away in an attempt to thwart the plans of God. But God caused a great storm to appear engulfing the ship Jonah was fleeing on, causing Jonah to recognize his sin and be thrown over board to save the lives of the sailors. Jonah was swallowed by a great fish and after three days was spat out near Nineveh. Obediently Jonah went to Nineveh and there proclaimed God`s message of repentance or judgement:
"The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it." Jonah 3:6-10
Would the King and people of Nineveh have repented had they not heard Jonah`s proclamation? There is no Biblical data to infer they would have. There was no remorse or repentance of sin prior to Jonah`s arrival. Nineveh would have most likely carried on in their sin and have been punished by God. But as Jonah proclaimed the impending judgement, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the King and the people repented and were saved. Salvation is completely God-initiated.
Does regeneration precede faith?
Calvinists believe that regeneration logically and spiritually precedes faith. If mankind is dead in their sin how can they respond to the Gospel without first being regenerated by the Holy Spirit? It also logically follows that only those who have been unconditionally elected will be regenerated and come to faith.
I do not see this in the Bible. Ephesians 2:8:
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,"
Calvinists interpret the word "this" in verse 8 to be referring back to faith, thus making faith a gift of God given to the elect. However, as many Bible commentaries note the Greek word for "this" is neuter whereas the Greek word for faith is feminine. This means that in order for the word faith to be the object of the gift it would need to be a neuter noun in the Greek to act as the antecedent of the neuter "this". As faith in Greek is feminine the word "this" grammatically speaking must be referring to the whole process of salvation. Salvation is a gift from God.
Another argument made is from Ephesians 2:1 in which Calvinists, drawing from their understanding of Total Depravity, claim regeneration must precede faith as we are dead in our transgressions.
Paul is explaining the power of God in the lives of the gentile Christians at Ephesus (a city famous for its idolatry) so that they may know the immeasurable greatness of God's power at work in them (Eph. 1:19). Paul commands them twice to remember. They were to remember that they were (1) separate from Christ, (2) excluded from the commonwealth of Israel (3) strangers of the covenants of promise, (4) without hope and (5) without God. Paul's focus is on their exclusion from God's covenant. This Christ has abolished, uniting them along with the Jewish people under God's new covenant. Paul goes further to say that the gentiles were no longer aliens or strangers to God's covenant having been built on (1) the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and (2) Christ who is the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20). The whole emphasis is on God's covenant relationship with the gentiles through Christ. The thrust of the chapter is not in establishing that we are all spiritual corpses unable to respond to the Gospel but that outside of Christ there is no eternal life and in the riches of God's grace to the praise of His glory He has extended salvation to everyone.
Calvinists such as White, Spurgeon and Boettner often cite the raising of Lazarus by Jesus as being analogous of the regeneration of the believer prior to faith. However, there are several problems with this comparison and analogy in support of spiritual deadness in Ephesians 2:1;
The word for dead in Ephesians 2:1 is the Greek word Nekros. This word has both literal meanings (e.g. Luke 16:30) and figurative meanings (e.g. Romans 7:8). Paul could have used the Greek word for corpse Ptoma. But Paul used Nekros not Ptoma. Death is the cessation of life, the opposite of what it means to be alive. But a corpse is the physical remains of a once living, now dead body. Lazarus' body was a corpse before his resurrection by Jesus. However, how can one be a spiritual corpse? If that were so then how could Satan tempt us to follow him? How could we be enslaved by idolatry? Paul says our enemy is not of flesh and blood but the devil and evil principalities in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).
Yet if we were spiritual corpses then our spirits would be unresponsive to such evil. Nonbelievers may not come under spiritual attack as Christians do for we have become Satan's enemy. But, Satan does deceives and blind the minds of unbelievers preventing them from believing the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). How could Satan blind a mind that is already a spiritual corpse? Indeed the work of Satan in the lives of unbelievers in 2 Corinthians 4:4 & Ephesians 2:2 makes little sense if God has predestined the elect to salvation and gives the gift of faith to the elect guaranteeing their salvation. He would be powerless to do anything. Calvinists may respond by saying Satan does not know the mind of God and is not omniscient like God. But Satan does know Scripture and used it even against Jesus in His wilderness temptation (Matthew 4:5). So Satan is aware of God's salvation plan as far as it is revealed in Scripture.
Another argument made is from Ephesians 2:1 in which Calvinists, drawing from their understanding of Total Depravity, claim regeneration must precede faith as we are dead in our transgressions.
But sin is the condition that separates us from God, hence we are dead in sin for God is the source of eternal life. Our sin prevents us from having eternal life for by it we are cut off from God's life-giving grace. Thus we are dead in sin for if we persist in sin it will result in our eternal separation from God. As long as we are in sin then we are under the sentence of death. Therefore the life of sin is a foregone conclusion - it is a life of spiritual death separated from the life giving grace of God.
Does this mean, however, that we are as unresponsive as a corpse when brought to conviction by the work of the Holy Spirit?
Genesis 9:6 says:
"Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man."
Man is made in the image of God and this passage from Genesis comes after the Flood; it is a post-Flood declaration of the sanctity of life by God. After the Flood had subsided and His judgement over the sinful generation of Noah was complete, God once again reaffirmed Man's uniqueness among His creation - being made a little lower than the heavenly beings (Psalm 8:5). Mankind both before and after the Fall is made in God's image. If then we are made in God's image, despite our sinful nature, and God is Spirit (John 4:24), then how can we be spiritual 'corpses'? What part of God's image remains in us if we are spiritual corpses?
Paul is contrasting our new life in Christ in Ephesians 2:1-10 with our old life, which was influenced and controlled by the course of the world and the prince of the power of the air (Satan) Ephesians 2:2. What is Paul's purpose in contrasting our two lives? In verses 11&12 he says:
"Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." (emphasis mine)
Paul is explaining the power of God in the lives of the gentile Christians at Ephesus (a city famous for its idolatry) so that they may know the immeasurable greatness of God's power at work in them (Eph. 1:19). Paul commands them twice to remember. They were to remember that they were (1) separate from Christ, (2) excluded from the commonwealth of Israel (3) strangers of the covenants of promise, (4) without hope and (5) without God. Paul's focus is on their exclusion from God's covenant. This Christ has abolished, uniting them along with the Jewish people under God's new covenant. Paul goes further to say that the gentiles were no longer aliens or strangers to God's covenant having been built on (1) the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and (2) Christ who is the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20). The whole emphasis is on God's covenant relationship with the gentiles through Christ. The thrust of the chapter is not in establishing that we are all spiritual corpses unable to respond to the Gospel but that outside of Christ there is no eternal life and in the riches of God's grace to the praise of His glory He has extended salvation to everyone.
Calvinists such as White, Spurgeon and Boettner often cite the raising of Lazarus by Jesus as being analogous of the regeneration of the believer prior to faith. However, there are several problems with this comparison and analogy in support of spiritual deadness in Ephesians 2:1;
"The entire problem with comparing Lazarus’ physical death and PHYSICAL resurrection to spiritual death and subsequently a spiritual resurrection is that the PHYSICAL resurrection was NOT MEANT to convey the raising of a SPIRITUALLY DEAD person to everlasting life, but:
1. To show Christ’s power over death and to symbolize His own physical resurrection from the dead (John 11:25, John 2:19, Acts 2:24).
2. To show the future resurrection of those who DIE IN CHRIST (John 6:40, Matt 22:30, Phil 3:11, 2 Tim 2:18, Rev 20:5-6).
3. That a believer does not have to wait until being physically resurrected for the assurance of salvation because Christ IS the resurrection.
To prove that Lazarus is a worthy example of Christ irresistibly saving a person spiritually dead in sin, it would obviously be necessary to prove that Lazarus was dead in sin otherwise the analogy is useless. However, Lazarus was ALREADY SAVED-of which Martha seems to agree (John 11:24)- when Christ raised him PHYSICALLY from the dead, so it is an erroneous analogy for the Calvinist to use the example of a SAVED DEAD PERSON as analogous to how Christ “quickens” a SPIRITUALLY DEAD person to life everlasting."
dorightchristians.wordpress.com
The word for dead in Ephesians 2:1 is the Greek word Nekros. This word has both literal meanings (e.g. Luke 16:30) and figurative meanings (e.g. Romans 7:8). Paul could have used the Greek word for corpse Ptoma. But Paul used Nekros not Ptoma. Death is the cessation of life, the opposite of what it means to be alive. But a corpse is the physical remains of a once living, now dead body. Lazarus' body was a corpse before his resurrection by Jesus. However, how can one be a spiritual corpse? If that were so then how could Satan tempt us to follow him? How could we be enslaved by idolatry? Paul says our enemy is not of flesh and blood but the devil and evil principalities in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).
Yet if we were spiritual corpses then our spirits would be unresponsive to such evil. Nonbelievers may not come under spiritual attack as Christians do for we have become Satan's enemy. But, Satan does deceives and blind the minds of unbelievers preventing them from believing the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). How could Satan blind a mind that is already a spiritual corpse? Indeed the work of Satan in the lives of unbelievers in 2 Corinthians 4:4 & Ephesians 2:2 makes little sense if God has predestined the elect to salvation and gives the gift of faith to the elect guaranteeing their salvation. He would be powerless to do anything. Calvinists may respond by saying Satan does not know the mind of God and is not omniscient like God. But Satan does know Scripture and used it even against Jesus in His wilderness temptation (Matthew 4:5). So Satan is aware of God's salvation plan as far as it is revealed in Scripture.
"Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 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—" Galatians 3:2-5 (emphasis mine)Galatians 3:2 says we receive the Holy Spirit by faith. It does not say we receive the Holy Spirit and then believe. Just the opposite. Again Paul in verse 5 repeats the order of regeneration, God supplies the Spirit after hearing with faith. Regeneration is different from the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and not to be conflated with one another. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world to convict the world concerning sin, yet the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit (John 14:17). Regeneration is a separate work of the Holy Spirit which begins at the point of repentance and faith. Both are works of the Holy Spirit, but they are unique.
The Greek word used in Galatians 3:2 for faith is "Pistis", which means to be persuaded of something, implying a knowledge of, assent to and confidence in certain divine truths, namely the Gospel (NASB Key Word Study Bible). The connotations therefore of faith in the New Testament are in being persuaded and convinced of the truth of the Gospel (though this is through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit as has been already established). Faith is a response. It does not, however, connote regeneration prior to believing.
Calvinists also use John 3:3-8 to defend their doctrine of irresistible grace and regeneration prior to faith.
"Jesus answered and said to him (Nicodemus), "Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God." John 3:3
"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 3:8
However, John 3:3 says nothing of regeneration prior to faith. Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). The point of new birth whether before or after faith is not identified. Secondly, John 3:8 says that the we all see and feel the effects of the wind despite its invisibility to the naked eye. Although the wind is not something we can tangibly control, nevertheless it does produce tangible effects. So too with the Christian, though the Holy Spirit is not visible physically, nevertheless there are outward signs of proof of a believer's rebirth. This again does not say anything of irresistible grace or regeneration prior to faith, but rather that the life of the true believer will be changed and produce evidence of that change even if the change was not apparent externally to begin with.
Jesus does go on to say in John 3:14-15;
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life."Jesus here is drawing from an Old Testament event found in the book of Numbers whereby God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent, which when looked at (in obedience and faith in God's means of healing) would heal the people of the snake bites that were killing them. If the people did not look to the serpent they died of the snake bites. Those who trusted God and looked towards His means of healing were healed and restored. Jesus draws a direct parallel between Himself and the serpent Moses made as God's instrument of salvation. In being lifted up Jesus is referring to His death on the cross in which he was hoisted up to die a slow, terrible death via crucifixion. Then Jesus asserts that whoever believes may have eternal life.
The Greek word here for believe is Pisteuo and used in this context by John means assent to and confidence in Jesus (NASB Key Word Study Bible). Again the connotations do not support a Calvinist understanding of the text. Rather, Jesus seems to be saying that anyone (whoever) who believes will have eternal life, which is synonymous with entering or seeing the Kingdom of God. Rebirth (regeneration) then must take place after believing for believing is the means of having eternal life (John 3:15).
There is another problem with the belief that regeneration must precede faith and that has to do with justification. Justification is the act of God declaring the Christian righteous in Christ. In Romans 3 Paul teaches:
"(Jesus) whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:25-26 (emphasis mine)Paul clearly teaches that God justifies the one who has faith in Jesus and that Jesus` propitiation is only effective for those who receive it by faith. However, Calvinists reverse this when they teach that regeneration precedes faith. For to be regenerate means to have new spiritual life, in other words it means being born again. If a person is born again prior to believing then they are justified by God prior to having saving faith. This would mean that God justifies sinners before they have repented. But God cannot justify the unrepentant and cannot co-exist with sin. Logically and spiritually therefore regeneration must come after faith. For it is through faith in Jesus that we are justified by God. We are justified by having Christ`s righteousness imputed to us. That is why it is based on faith; faith not in ourselves or our own self-righteousness but in Jesus. Once we are justified the process of sanctification begins in the life of the believer as we start to be conformed to the image of Jesus our saviour.
The initial convicting work of the Holy Spirit could be considered prevenient grace, though I am not inclined to use the phrase as it bears such strong Arminian connotations. The Calvinist may respond by saying this then only makes salvation hypothetical and not actual as it depends on the response of the person. Their view of limited or definite atonement makes the salvation of God`s people an actuality. However, this argument is not as strong as it first seems as while in Calvinist theology atonement is definite for the elect, the reprobate are condemned for not believing in Christ even though they had no opportunity or capability of believing. This is goes against what the Bible clearly teaches.
John 3:18 says all who do not believe are condemned already. Therefore unbelief is a condition of damnation. All those who go on rejecting Jesus will one day suffer eternal damnation. If the Calvinist doctrine of limited/definite atonement is true then the cross of Christ was never intended to make propitiation or atonement for the sins of the unelect. They are therefore being condemned for not believing in something that was not even meant for them. They are unelect and therefore reprobate, outside of the salvific provision of God in Christ. How would this be just of God to judge the unbeliever/sinner based on their rejection of Christ if Christ never died for them in the first place? This does an injustice to the character of God and goes against what John 3:18 teaches about the nature of salvation and damnation.
For whom did Christ die?
Calvinists believe that Jesus only died to make atonement for the elect. Despite Biblical evidence to the contrary (Isaiah 49:6, John 3:16, 1 Timothy 1:15-16, Hebrews 2:9, 1 John 2:2, 2 Peter 3:9) Calvinists claim, often using the double-payment argument that Jesus couldn't have died for the whole world otherwise universalism would be true as Jesus died for the sin of unbelief. But this is not necessarily so.
The key is to realise that scripture neither views the ‘propitiation made’ nor the ‘ransom paid’ as an exact like-for-like payment by Christ of an individual sinner’s ‘sin-debt’. Note what is outlined in Exod 21:30. A sum of money was taken as a satisfactioninstead of a life. In other words, ‘atonement money’ was a legal penalty demanded and accepted by the law, which enabled the righteous suspension of the literal penalty (capital punishment). When a sinner is saved, his individual debt is forgiven and cancelled, on the basis of Christ’s infinite sacrificial payment on the cross. But if a sinner refuses to accept the legal penalty Christ paid on the cross, he will suffer the literal penalty himself in hell. It must be recognized that a sinner’s suffering in hell is different both in nature and value to Christ’s atoning suffering on the cross. Christ’s infinite sacrificial payment cannot be understood as a commercially equivalent ‘eye for an eye’ transaction (so many stripes for so many sins). webtruth.org
The flaw of the double-payment argument is making Jesus' sacrifice the equivalent of our sin-debt. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was not an eye-for-an-eye transaction as stated in the quote above. Jesus' sacrifice was the legal penalty for sin not the literal penalty.
Another problem with the double-payment argument is articulated below taken from a review of the book 'From Heaven He Came and Sought Her':
"Like Owen, Williams appears to be operating from a sort of quantitative transference view of imputation: specific guilt for specific sins of the elect alone is laid on Christ. But this is problematic.While our sins are imputed to Christ, before our conversion we remain under the wrath of God as Paul states in Eph. 2:1-3. As Dabney says, God holds the unbelieving elect subject to wrath until they believe. Williams mentions this problem (486) but fails to address this objection by Dabney and others that the living unbelieving elect are under the wrath of God. Williams also fails to address how God can justly postpone the grant of faith to the people for whom Christ died, if Christ literally “purchased” faith for them." David L. Allen
Again Allen highlights another flaw in the double-payment argument related to the imputation of Jesus' righteousness on the believer:
"Just as believers are not imputed with something like so many particular acts of righteousness but rather with righteousness categorically, so also Christ was not imputed with all the particular sinful acts of some people, like so many “sin-bits,” but rather with sin in a comprehensive way. He was treated as though he were sinful, or categorically guilty of the sin of the whole human race." David L.AllenThe double-payment argument fails to understand the nature of Jesus' sacrifice and thus draws faulty conclusions of the nature of Jesus' atonement upon the cross.
A comprehensive reading of Scripture will reveal that Jesus' death was indeed for all mankind.
"But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone." Hebrews 2:9 (emphasis mine)
Here the writer of Hebrews clearly teaches that Jesus suffered death on behalf of all mankind - everyone. This "everyone" cannot be simply referring to the elect as the preceding verses make it clear that Jesus is being linked to and connected with Man (mankind) in the quotation from Psalm 8:4 (Hebrews 2:6). The Psalmist says God put all things in subjection under mankind's feet (Psalm 8:6). The writer to the Hebrews applies Psalm 8:6 exclusively to Jesus (Hebrews 2:8-9). Jesus is identified in Hebrews as the Federal Head of mankind (the new Adam, Romans 5:18-19).
Conclusion:
Jesus is the only means of salvation for mankind and we are saved solely through faith alone by the grace of God. We cannot achieve saving faith by ourselves, through our own will-power, this is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and once we have responded in faith the Holy Spirit then regenerates us resulting in the new birth. Jesus died for all mankind not just for the elect, His sacrifice making atonement for mankind's sins, to be appropriated by faith. Without faith we are under the condemnation of God and will receive the penalty for our sin resulting in hell.
