One of the things that is frustrating about this board is how some people often ignore biblical arguments made by another and respond by throwing out a few verses to support their own presuppositions. It's as though the other person never said a word. Not only is that rude, but it's unscholarly. I'm not making a personal attack here, so please don't respond as though I am. Why not at least attempt to deal with the biblical argument your opponent in the discussion makes? Amazing things happen when that is done. First, you immediately have respect in the eyes of the other person. When someone takes the time to respond to my argument it says to me, "Even though I disagree with you, I respect you. I am going to give your argument careful consideration and respond accordingly." If all did that I have a feeling that much of the rancor, sarcasm, and insults on this board would simply vanish.
Okay, end of rant.
Umm...actually, I'm not. The cap letters from the Romans 3 passage appear that way in my bible program because it's a quote from the Old Testament.
You will hear no argument from me, or anyone who holds to Reformed theology, that salvation is by faith alone.
Sola fide accurately describes the biblical view of salvation. However, regeneration
does precede faith, and it's not necessary for every biblical writer to state it that way.
In Galatians 3 Paul was dealing with the issue of the Law being mixed with grace. He wasn't writing a polemic on the
ordo salutis (the order of salvation), so it wasn't necessary to delve into regeneration. If we want to do the issue justice we need to consider the whole counsel of God. In a past post I quoted this Pauline verse to defend the point that man not only doesn't desire to understand God, he is incapable of doing so:
1 Corinthians 2:14 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
Besides the fact that no one has yet dealt with that passage, this verse doesn't stand alone in emphasizing mankind's total inability (the opposite side of the total depravity coin). Ephesians 2 displays another instance of total inability.
Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
Ephesians 2:4-7 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
First, Paul explains to the Ephesians, that in their prior "unsaved" state, they were spiritually dead. The word for dead is
nekros, not
thanatos.
nekros means physically dead, as in a corpse. It is the word that would be used to describe a dead body. Modern medicine uses it to describe dead skin -
necrosis.
thanatos means a state of death. If I were to walk into a party and everyone was sitting around doing nothing, I could say, "This room is
thanatos." Paul used a physical word to describe the Ephesians prior condition. It's meaning is very clear. When's the last time you went to a viewing and saw the body get up from the casket and have a conversation? Obviously, never. And why not? Because the body is
nekros - dead. The body not only has no desire, it has no ability. Later, in verse 4, Paul writes that God had to take action first in order to save His elect. Verse 5 says, "even when we were dead in our transgressions..." There is the word
nekros again. Even when we were a spiritually cold corpse; unable to respond to the stimuli around us, God made us alive. How did God make us alive? By what means? A quick trip to the Old Testament may shed some light on this.
Ezekiel 36:25-26 25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
This passage in Ezekiel reveals and explains regeneration. Regeneration has often been called the "quickening work of the Holy Spirit." Here is where God takes the
nekros heart and transforms it in an instant. What was once dead becomes alive. Whereas the individual once had no desire and no ability, now he posses both; an unquenchable desire for God and the ability to believe in Him by faith.
The
ordo salutis is a theological term to describe the order of salvation. It basically states that scripture teaches regeneration, faith, salvation. Regeneration is when the Holy Spirit breathes life into a stone dead heart. Once that heart has been quickened, or made alive, the individual is then able to exercise faith (believe). Once belief takes place salvation is completed. There is no convincing evidence in Scripture to support the contention that a person can be regenerated for a lengthy period before they exercise faith. The events of the
ordo salutis happen so quickly that they are indiscernible. However, regeneration occurs by necessity before faith is exercised. If it didn't then it would be impossible for man to employ faith because, in his sinful condition (1 Cor. 2:14) he has no desire or ability.
Please forgive me if it sounds like I'm lecturing. I honestly do not mean to come across that way. But these truths need to be explained. Perhaps some of my dear brethren on this board have explained them in the past. If so, then a refresher is never a bad thing.