Does Scripture Really Teach that Regeneration Precedes (and Enables) Faith?

Thanks for watching!

[DjSostre]

Thats amazing brother. Good, good stuff!

[Daniel-SlaveofJesusChrist]

Guys I'm from India, this video made me cry. Excellent explanation.

[stevennewtotube]

Ya, I walked that isle when I was about 7-8, then got Baptized, and I lived like the devil until I was about 31. I believed that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind, but I did not live for Him at all. I praise God that His Spirit pursued me with that Irresistible Grace and saved me. After God changed me, the regeneration from the Spirit, I told my mom, who had been praying for me for decades, and she told me to "stick with John MacArthur." I stuck with that amazing advice and have never regretted it. I am now 63 and so very much in love with God and His Christ! Keep up the great work guys!

[reformedpilgrim]

That was quite helpful. Thank you. I've been studying Reformed Theology only since 2020, but had difficulty seeing where in Scripture we find regeneration preceding faith. We see in 1 Corinthians 2 that the natural man needs the Holy Spirit to teach him the things of God, otherwise they will be foolishness to him. The Holy Spirit must do something to the individual to change them, making them capable of understanding that which is spiritually discerned. These verses from 1 John were stunningly clear. Thank you for presenting this so plainly.

[RevelatingDemarchist]

In my experience, I felt like I was Jacob but instead of grasping for God for His blessing, I was trying to break away. It was by no means an "In an instant" process. Looking on the events of my life it has seemed a patient calling and waiting for the fullness of time. Like a sunrise where you start watching an hour before sunrise and you see a gradual lightening until the sun appears. Except instead of an hour it was 30+ years.
Yes, I believe the Spirit can come upon you in an instant, and you are changed forever. I just think we open ourselves to deception in the American church where we think that just one day, we pray a prayer and bam we are saved without any noticeable change in our thoughts or behavior. Love these videos.

[DaveBowen-ho]

It is the Scriptures which repeatedly tell us to "believe and be saved" not be "saved to believe." We should not be watering down the gospel or cajoling people to believe. We need to tell them what faith is, it isn't assent to a few important facts about Jesus, it is placing ones "believing loyalty" in Christ it is synonymous with repentance because we all have sin we need to turn from and to Christ in faith with believing loyalty who died and rose again for our sins. This Gospel is the power of God unto salvation and God draws all men. You guys are great. Except for the Calvinism : ) I don't think the verses you cite prove whether or not regeneration precedes faith or not, they simply prove that one has at some time been regenerated in the past. Many verses though do teach faith precedes regeneration. Colossians 2:12“…having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Raised with him "through" or by your faith. The sole requirement for receiving grace in the Bible, of having Christ's crosswork and atonement applied to oneself, is simply faith. It was Leighton Flower's Soteriology 101 site that took me from what I though I was, a Calvinist because I believed in election (still do but differently) to a convinced Provisionist who holds to eternal security.