a charge that "Calvinists teach regeneration apart from Christ"
So I ask the Arminians here - is this how you characterize the teaching that regeneration precedes faith?
Not an Arminian, but, I'm convinced that biblically, 'regeneration' is misapplied by both Arminian and Calvinist to mean the 'heavenly birth', or, 'born from above' [Galatians 4:26] (as can drawn from that context, Isaac was 'born from above', a child of promise, so, the 'heavenly birth' is not a new thing, it's been around for a long time [John 3:8]). Christianity, the New Covenant,
IS 'the regeneration' [Matthew 19:28], the kingdom of God/heaven/Christ [2 Peter 1:11], the 'building again' of the house of David [Acts 15:14-18], the Church that Christ built [Matthew 16:18], and to even see 'the regeneration' one must first be 'born from above':
3 Jesus answered and said to him, `Verily, verily, I say to thee,
If any one may not be born from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;` Jn 3 YLT
...and to actually enter in to 'the regeneration':
5 Jesus answered, `Verily, verily, I say to thee,
If any one may not be born of water, and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the reign of God; Jn 3 YLT
I've mulled over and waffled over the years what 'born of water' means and have basically settled that it jibes with:
24 For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.
25 And
I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
27 And
I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them.
28 And
ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
29 And
I will save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine upon you. Ezekiel 36
5 not by works
done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Titus 3
IOW, I believe in order to be 'regenerated', to enter into the regeneration, one must first and foremost be 'born from above', and then save themselves from their former vain manner of life through obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.