How are we saved? It is a question that many theologians have pondered and sought to answer. As many godly men have studying the scriptures, they have found that salvation contains many parts and elements, such as election, sanctification, the gospel call, as well as others. Furthermore, passages such as Romans 8:29-30 speak to these parts occurring in a progression which is sometimes temporal (occurring at different times) and other times logical (parts occur so closely together that it would appear to be simultaneous, yet one still is said to come before another). As is often the case with theology, debates have long existed over the proper ordering of the elements. One such debate is whether regeneration comes before or after conversion. Like many areas of doctrine, the conclusions drawn from scripture carry with them implications for our lives as believers. In the case of this debate, the implications pertain to how we witness to others. It therefore is crucial that a right conclusion be found, so that we do not fall into error as we share the gospel with others. Before determining the proper order, it is important to fully define the terms. Conversion is the turning away from sin and going to God for salvation. Conversion has 2 key components, which are repentance and faith. Repentance is a sorrow and regret over sin (Matthew 5:2-3), necessarily accompanied by a forsaking of it (Ezekiel 18:22-23). Faith (in a salvific sense), meanwhile, is the trusting in and accepting of Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior (Romans 3:23-25). Both are necessary components to conversion, as one cannot be truly done without the other. Conversion, therefore, is the turning away from sin in repentance, and the turning to God in faith.
Regeneration, quite simply, is being “born again.” It is the transformation of dead into alive, as is spoken of by God in Ezekiel. “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) While conversion is an act of man, regeneration is an act of God, and the apostle John, referring to the children of God, says ”who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13) Thus we see that regeneration is, in essence, God taking that which is dead and making it alive
As we consider the order of salvation then, we see that one must precede the other. Either repentance and faith lead to one being made alive, or one must be born again before they are converted. We therefore find 2 views among protestants as to the ordo salutis, the first commonly called “prevenient grace” and the other “effectual grace”
Prevenient grace is the idea that conversion must come before regeneration. It is typically held by those of Arminian and Wesleyan traditions, though it is important to mention that among “traditional” Arminians and Wesleyans there is not a widespread agreement on every nuance of the doctrine. What all would agree on, however, is that conversion is the necessary precursor to regeneration, and thus it is that “umbrella” view that shall be in focus. Prevenient grace argues that the natural man, having original sin, is unable to come to God on his own accord. Thus, God applies “prevenient grace” to an individual (usually after the proclamation of the gospel), which gives to them the ability to come to God in repentance and faith, yet the one endued with such “grace” still retains the ability to reject God. The followers of Jacob Arminius laid out this doctrine in the 1610 Articles of Remonstrance
That this grace of God is the beginning, continuance, and accomplishment of all good, even to this extent, that the regenerate man himself, without prevenient or assisting, awakening, following and cooperative grace, can neither think, will, nor do good, nor withstand any temptations to evil; so that all good deeds or movements, that can be conceived, must be ascribed to the grace of God in Christ. But as respects the mode of the operation of this grace, it is not irresistible, inasmuch as it is written concerning may, that they have resisted the Holy Ghost. Acts vii., and elsewhere in many places
Schaff, Philip. 2007. The Creeds of Christendom, with a History and Critical Notes. Vol. 3. Whitefish, Mt.: Kessinger Publishing
Those holding to this view would argue that regeneration (and salvation as a whole) is purely a work of God. A common analogy is that of a drowning man. If left alone, he will surely die, yet God throws to him a life preserver (the gospel call). The man has a choice, he can refuse the buoy and die, or take hold of the preserver (conversion) and live (regeneration). Thus, as no one would reasonably say that the drowning man saved himself, it is incorrect to say that one who accepts the gospel call saved himself. For without prevenient grace, he surely would have perished.
A few passages of scripture tend to be referrenced in support of this view. As is mentioned above, in Acts 7, Stephen accuses the Jewish scribes and elders of “resisting the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 7:51) In the story of the Rich Young Ruler, Jesus declares “only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:23) The argument being that if it is more difficult for one group to enter the kingdom over another, there must be some ability to resist the gospel call. Another passage is found in the book of Revelation where Jesus says to the church in Laodicea “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20) The derivation from this verse is fairly obvious, Jesus is the one who knocks, yet it is up to the individual to either open the door or leave it shut.
It is important to note that if grace is resistible, conversion must precede regeneration. For one cannot be regenerated and yet unsaved, for one who is born of the spirit cannot also be born of the flesh. (John 3:6) Prevenient grace necessitates both conversion and regeneration. If regeneration is a work of God alone and comes before conversion, man cannot choose to resist it. Thus, a view that requires resistible grace must place conversion before regeneration.
A clear strength of the view is the insistence that salvation is a work of God alone, and its attempts to explain passages that seem to suggest a resistible grace. Unfortunately, this view falls short in a number of key ways.
First, the passages referenced do not ultimately show a “resistible” grace and cannot be made to show a prevenient grace. Acts 7, cited in the Articles of Remonstrance, does not give an indication of a “prevenient grace,” it merely shows that the proclamation of the gospel is resistible. Elsewhere in scripture Jesus makes clear that only the elect of God respond to the gospel in faith, saying “all that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37) It is then more likely that the council was not of the elect and doing that which is most natural to sinful man – resisting God. Because there is not indication of “prevenient grace” being applied, it should not be treated as an argument for such a view, lest it fallaciously be “begging the question.” The problem of the rich young ruler can be explained when the context is understood. After proclaiming the difficultly of a rich man being saved, the disciples ask “who then can be saved?” and Jesus responds “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25-26) It is clear then, that even for those who are rich, salvation is not of themselves, but a work of God. If we look at the case of Zacchaeus, who, like the young ruler was a rich man, yet unlike the young ruler was a sinful tax collector. The one who seemed righteous, who claimed to have kept the law since youth was left to perish, while the hated and despised sinner was called into righteousness. Finally, the passage in Revelation 3:20 becomes more clear in its proper context. The verse is not a call to salvation, but rather a call to a church that was becoming lukewarm and useless. In it’s proper context, this verse cannot be shown to speak with respect to the order of salvation (or salvation at all for that matter) and should therefore not be used as an argument for prevenient grace.
Furthermore, the the belief that conversion (an act of man) precedes regeneration (an act of God) is inconsistent with the testimony of scripture. As was stated in the example of the drowning man who is thrown a life preserver, faith is the hand reaching out which leads to regeneration. The problem with this example (and any example given by the Arminians) is that it cannot be said to be a pure work of God. For any act of man, even one as meager as reaching out a hand invalidates any claim to monergism, for it cannot be said that one’s salvation was purely a work of God. Another problem is that scripture does not portray a drowning man, but a dead man. Ephesians 2 does not say that we were drowning, able to reach out with our hand for safety, it says that we were dead in our trespasses and sin. If you throw a life preserver to a dead man (as was the case in Acts 7), nothing happens, for dead men cannot do anything but remain dead. Dead men do not respond in faith to the gospel, for they cannot. If repentance and faith came before regeneration, none would be saved, for none could be saved.
It is necessary, then, that regeneration comes before conversion. This view is commonly called “effectual grace” and is typically held to by reformed traditions (Presbyterians, Reformed
Baptists, Puritans, etc.) as well as other evangelicals who hold to the so-called “five points of Calvinism.” Efficacious grace begins with a similar premise to that of prevenient grace, that the natural man is born in original sin and thus incapable of bringing about his own salvation or responding to the gospel call (dead man don’t reach out to life preservers) with faith and repentance. Thus, in order for man to be converted, God must first regenerate his soul. The regenerated soul accepts the gospel with joy and gladness, without fail.
This view differs from prevenient grace is 2 key ways. First, efficacious grace argues that being born again comes before and leads to conversion. Second, the efficacious grace is efficacious, meaning that when God regenerates an individual, they will certainly accept the gospel call. Our Lord says as much in John 6:
But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:36-40
It is clear then, that only those whom God has given to the Son shall come to him, and that all who come to Jesus shall be saved. Only those chosen by God then, respond positively to the gospel call. An example of this is Acts 13:48. After the gentiles hear the gospel call, Luke recounts the following: “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed”
Later on in John’s gospel, Jesus says “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John 6:44) We see from this 2 things. First, that salvation is purely a work of God, for without his “drawing,” none would come to Him. Second, we see that the drawing is prerequisite for the “coming.” The prevenient grace view would interpret the drawing as a “wooing,” that God must “woo” before one comes. This is not, however, what the passage says. The analogy brought to mind by the passage is of one drawing water from a well. No one stands atop a well and “woos” the water into his bucket, for the water would simply remain as it was. Rather it must be drawn out of the well with a bucket. Similarly, no one comes to the Father unless they first have been drawn by Him. We’ve seen that conversion is an act of man, and regeneration of God. If then, one must first be drawn before they can come, it would follow that regeneration would precede conversion.
As with any doctrine, it is important to consider the practical implications of it. In particular, if one takes the view of efficacious grace, how should it impact evangelistic efforts, that is, the sharing of the gospel. Of upmost importance, this doctrine should not dissuade us from witnessing to others. Salvation indeed is a work of God alone, and conversion only comes after repentance, but it is a conclusion of great wickedness if we say that witnessing is futile. Quite simply, this is because Jesus commanded us to take the gospel to the nations as well as those around us. (Matthew 28:19) We, as servants of the Lord exist to do His will. Thus, if He commands us to share the gospel, we must do so.
Furthermore, this doctrine should not motivate us to laziness, but rather should encourage us to evangelize all the more. Jesus said to His disciples “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2) With this in mind, we know that salvation is a work of God alone and that only those who He regenerates will respond to the gospel call in faith. Yet we also know that God has chosen a people for Himself, and, as was said in Luke’s gospel, that the harvest is plentiful. This means that when we preach the gospel, there will be people who respond to it in faith, for there are people who have been chosen by God, but have not yet been regenerated by Him. We ought then to approach evangelism as a child would approach an Easter-egg hunt. The child may look upon a tree and see nothing at first, but he carefully searches every branch and every crevice of the tree, knowing that he will find something. In the same way, we ought to preach the gospel to whoever will listen, be they family, neighbors, or a random passerby, knowing that among the unregenerate, there are those who shall be saved. Among the graveyard, some shall be given new life.
Thus, God has indeed predestined many, and if regeneration precedes faith, our witnessing should be marked by a greater encouragement. Our lives, marked with a greater humility, for even our own decision to repent and by faith accept Jesus as our Lord and savior was not of us, but from a heart regenerated by the Father.
This was a paper written for the Ministry Training Program at Southside Bible Church. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references are from the ESV translation of the Bible.