A Tale of Transformed Faith

Not willing to ignore mistaken views to be advanced, being ready to provide a defense for God's truth, I offer this parody of a recent OP.

Calvinist: Hello there, friend. I see by the color of your cloak, the golden cross around your neck and the thick black Bible book under your arm that you are a Christian Man.

Christian Man: Indeed, that is true. You have large discernment, friend.

Calvinist: I also take it you have had years of professional Bible training, whereby you have earned a diploma signifying you are an approved Preacher and Teacher of God’s Holy Word……a man to be trusted.

Christian Man: I have studied and meditated on God’s Word, Sir.

Calvinist: And yet you believe and teach that your faith was not the gift of God?

Christian Man: Every good gift comes from God, such as the capacity to trust in God’s revelation.

Calvinist: The question is not whether unregenerate men have fleshly faith. That is a given. It is the only faith possible for them. The question pertains to saving faith…..righteous faith which justifies.

But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.

It is this righteous, justifying faith which is in contention.

Christian Man: Wait, wait, only faith as credited by God Himself, as righteousness, results in justification. Our faith of and by itself is simply a filthy rag according to God.

Calvinist: You claim God has declared the worthless faith of some fallen believers as righteousness?

Christian Man: That’s right. So?

Calvinist: Then God must be a liar. For Jesus teaches the impossibility of unregenerate man producing anything good which is pleasing to God. Have you not heard that they that are in the flesh cannot please God?

Christian Man: There you go again, no one can please God with their mind set on fleshly desires, but fallen people can set their minds on godly things, spiritual things. Jesus said, fallen unregenerate men were actually entering heaven until blocked by false teachers.

Calvinist: You claim God accepted your profane fleshly faith and patched it into His glorious regal robe of righteousness which you now presume to wear? Preposterous.

Christian Man: Based on God accepting my worthless faith as righteousness, He transferred me from the realm of darkness into the kingdom of His Son, where I was washed with the precious blood of Christ. Praise God!

Calvinist: But the new wine of the Spirit needs a new heart/bottle.

Christian Man: We agree there friend, after undergoing the circumcision of Christ, we arise in Christ a new creation, ready and able to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit!
Recall that Paul taught that if any man be in Christ he is a new creation, the old has passed away, the new has come?