Regeneration: Forced or Voluntary?

[b]Regeneration: [/b]

- Is regeneration “gracious ability” or obedience to “gracious illumination”?

- Is regeneration forced or voluntary; is it by causation or by influence?

- Is regeneration the reception of a new faculty or the proper use of an existing faculty?

[b]WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?[/b]

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is [b]profitable for doctrine[/b], for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.” 2Tim 3:16

I propose that the bible nowhere says that regeneration consist in the reception of a new faculty, (freewill) neither in the healing of a broken faculty, (freewill), but regeneration is synonymous with conversion – cleansing – washing – renewing, which is the proper usage of the already existing freewill, which proper use the Spirit of God brings about, not by force or causation, but by the influence of the truth upon the mind of man, and when the will yields to, submits to, and obeys, the revelation of the Spirit perceived by the mind, then a sinner is regenerated/converted.

[u][b]1.[/b][/u] Regeneration by the Holy Ghost through the means of Revelation:

“And ye shall [b][u]know[/u] the truth[/b], and the truth shall make you [b]free[/b].” John 8:32

“Who will have all men to be [b]saved[/b], and to come unto the [b][u]knowledge[/u] of the truth[/b].” 1Tim 2:4

“And be [b]renewed[/b] in the Spirit of your [b]mind[/b].” Eph 4:23

“And have put on the new man, which is [b]renewed in knowledge [/b]after the image of him that created him.” Col 3:10

“According to his mercy he saved us, by the [b]washing of regeneration[/b], and the [b]renewing of the Holy Ghost[/b]” Titus 3:5

“[b]Grace and peace[/b] be multiplied unto you through the [b]knowledge[/b] of God, and of Jesus our Lord.” 2Peter 1:2

[u][b]2. [/b][/u]Because regeneration, or conversion, is brought about by the influential means of the illumination or enlightening of the Holy Ghost, who reveals truth to man’s mind which man’s freewill ought to submit to, the Spirit is striving with all men, convicting (or convincing) their mind of the truth, bringing to their attention afresh the truth which their own reason and conscience cannot deny:

“And when he is come, he will [b]reprove[/b] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” John 16:8

[u][b]3. [/b][/u]In evangelism, seeking the regeneration/conversion of sinners, we are to work hand in hand with the Holy Ghost in a synergetic relationship for the salvation of others:

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” 1Cor 3:6

“For we are [b]laborers together with God[/b]: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” 1Cor 3:9

[u][b]4.[/b][/u] In such a synergetic relationship, we are to preach sin, self-control, and judgment to come, teaching all of the commandments of God, as the Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come:

“Go ye therefore, and [b]teach[/b] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [b]teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you[/b].” Matthew 28:19-20

“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days [b]reasoned[/b] with them out of the Scriptures.” Acts 17:2

“And he [b]reasoned[/b] in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” Acts 18:4

“And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and [b]reasoned[/b] with the Jews.” Acts 18:19

“And as he [b]reasoned[/b] of righteousness, temperarance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled.” Acts 24:25

[u][b]5.[/b][/u] This regeneration by revelation is a gracious act of God, so regeneration occurs always and only with “gracious illumination”. Regeneration is not the impartation of “Gracious ability”, for freewill already exists in all moral agents, but rather regeneration is the conversion of the heart brought about by “gracious illumination”:

“For the [b]grace[/b] of God that [b]bringeth salvation [/b]hath appeared to all men, [b]teaching us [/b]that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Titus 2:11-12

[u][b]6. [/b][/u]The sin-servant hood of sinners is not the absence of freewill, but is a voluntary yielding of freewill to their own selfish desires, so sinners are willful servants of sin. Willfulness precedes the servant hood, (for what a man obeys a man is serving, obeying = serving), so that the willfulness causes sin as opposed to the servant hood causing sin.

“Jesus answered them, verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever [b]commits sin [/b]is the [b]servant of sin[/b].” John 8:34

“Know ye not, that to [b]whom [u]you yield [/u]yourselves servants to obey[/b], his [b]servant you are to [u]whom you obey[/u][/b]; weather of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Rom 6:16

[u][b]7.[/b][/u] Sinners are also in the bondage of willful self deception, of voluntary ignorance, and therefore must be freed by the knowledge of the truth (the truth shall set you free):

“Because that, when [b]they [i]knew[/i] God[/b], they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but [b]became vain in their imaginations[/b], and their [b]foolish heart was darkened[/b].” Rom 1:21

“Having the [b]understanding darkened[/b], being alienated from the life of God through the [b]ignorance[/b] that is in them, because of the [b]blindness of their heart[/b].” Eph 4:18

“Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their [b]mind and conscience is defiled[/b].” Titus 1:15

[u][b]8. [/b][/u]The Holy Spirit uses the means of revelation to bring about regeneration/conversion, and those who obey the revelation of the Spirit, out of their freewill, are thereby regenerated/converted,

“But God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but ye have [b]obeyed from the heart [/b]that form of [b]doctrine [/b]which was delivered unto you.” Romans 6:17

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always [b]obeyed[/b], not as in presence only, but now much more in my absence, [b]work out your own salvation[/b] with fear and trembling.” Php 2:12

[u][b]9.[/b][/u] But those who obey not the gospel are condemned.

“But unto them that are contentious, and [b]do not obey the truth[/b], but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath.” Romans 2:8

“But they have not all [b]obeyed the gospel[/b]. For Isaiah said, Lord, who has believed our report?” Romans 10:16

“O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should [b]not obey the truth[/b]” Gal 3:1

“You did run well; who did hinder you that you should [b]not obey the truth[/b]?” Gal 5:7

“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that [b]obey not the gospel [/b]of our Lord Jesus Christ” 2Thes 1:8

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if the first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that [b]obey not the gospel of God[/b]?” 1Pet 4:17

And so regeneration/conversion is never a forced change, but is always a voluntary change, which in essence consists in the cleansing of the heart - in a changing of the inner man – which is a radical change of man’s freewill from evil to righteousness.

The Spirit of God regenerates men, not by force of causation, not by giving them some new faculty or repairing an old one, but the Spirit of God regenerates men by illuminating their minds, convicting their hearts, and thus influencing their wills to voluntarily be converted unto God.

If God wants everyone to be saved, and regeneration/conversion is inevitable, why isn't everyone regenerated/converted?

The whole idea of an unavoidable salvation seems to leave room for either:

1. A God who doesn't love everyone, but makes the salvation of some unavoidable and the condemnation of others unavoidable

2. A God who loves everyone and therefore makes the salvation of everyone unavoidable - Universalism

To escape both of those traps, I wrote the original post.

What Jesse is promoting is Pelegianism. This is bad.

Unregenerate man has no free will to "choose to obey" God. His will is bound by the Devil:

2 Timothy 2:24-26 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, (25) In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; (26) And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, [b]who are taken captive by him at his will.[/b]

[i]1 Cor. 2:14; "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."[/i]

The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, and HE CAN NOT know them. Eyes to see and ears to hear is something granted by the supernatural revelation of the Spirit, and the ability to obey is a gift of grace. A carnal and unregenerate man cannot obey God unless God grants him the gift of faith with the ability to understand and obey. Regeneration most certainly involves receiving as a gift of grace the ABILITY to obey God by faith, otherwise, man can of his own free will only choose to be in slavery to Satan. "Unless a man is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God". He has to be born again before he can see into the Kingdom to obey the King. And the new birth is a gift of God's grace.

[i]Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.[/i]

Unless we are first regenerated and abiding in Christ, we can't bring forth any fruit of obedience to God. We have to be abiding in the True Vine. Without Him we CAN DO NOTHING.

Furthermore, scripture calls us children of wrath by nature (Eph 2:3). You might as well start hoping to see a leopard change his own spots or an Etheopian change the color of his own skin and have more hope of that happening than for a sinner to change his own nature:

Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

Scripture says that the unregenerate are blind and deaf to the things of God. You have better luck hoping for a blind man to open his own eyes or for a deaf man to start hearing by human effort than you have of hoping that a sinner can see and hear on his own power to obey the things of God. Christ has to give sight to the blind! Christ alone! The most the blind man can do is look pitifully helpless and lost as he cries out in desperation, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Scripture says we are dead in trespasses and sins. You might as well just as much hope to see Lazarus rise from the dead on his own power as you will see a sinner be born again and choose to obey God on his own power. Only Christ can raise the dead! Christ alone!

Here's a couple quotes I find most true and applicable to refute the original post:

[i]Man's depravity, as a result of the Fall, is total. All men are born into this world spiritually dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; the sinner's heart is desperately corrupt. His will is not free; it is in bondage to his evil nature. Therefore, he has lost his ability to choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. It takes more than the Spirit's assistance to bring the sinner to Christ -it takes regeneration by which the Spirit makes the sinner alive and gives him a new nature. Faith is not something man contributes to salvation but is itself a part of God's gift of salvation - it is God's gift to the sinner, not the sinner's gift to God. Psalm 51:5, 58:3; Isaiah 53:6, 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:3, 8:44; Romans 3:10-12, 5:12; Ephesians 2:2-3; I Corinthians 2:14[/i]

[i]"...if man is totally depraved, how is it that he can bring forth so many good things? This question is indeed valid but misunderstands what is meant when we talk about man as being rendered depraved by the fall. So what is meant, then, by the total depravity and spiritual inability of the natural man? It means that man's many good works, even though in accord with God's commands, are not well pleasing to God when weighed against His ultimate criteria and standard of perfection. The love of God and His law is not the unbelievers' deepest animating motive and principle (nor is it his motive at all), so it does not earn him the right to redemptive blessings from a holy God. The Scripture clearly implies this when it states "...without faith it is impossible to please Him." (Hebrews 11:6a, NASB) and "whatever is not from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23)[/i]

Josef, all of the Early Church Greek Fathers believed in freewill. For the first 5 centuries of the Church, freewill was a pillar of the faith, questioned only by the pagan philosophers of the day, which the Church Fathers faught viciously against. The Early Fathers even spoke of "self-election" believe it or not. But freewill is not pelagianism, freewill is an unquestioned doctrine of the Early Church and is even classical arminianism. Augustine was the first necessitarian to enter the Church, all the fathers before him were libertarians.

The early church declared the doctrine of synergy as orthodox and sound. I obviously do not believe in the Calvinistic doctrine of Monogism, not the Calvinistic notion that freewill has been lost.

I argue, just as the Early Church - John Fletcher - John Wesley - Charles Finney - argued, that without freewill there can be no moral character. Without the power of contrary choice, there can be no blameworthiness in doing wrong nor reward worthiness of doing right. Moral character is derived from voluntary choices only, and a voluntary choice must be an avoidable choice.

-----------------------------

Dead in sin does not speak about ability any more then dead to sin speaks of ability. If dead in sin means a sinner can't repent, then dead to sin means a Christian cannot sin. Dead is a reference to their voluntary moral condition, not their involuntary moral ability.

Men are most deffinately born physically biased towards gratification, and with a fallen body because of Adam. But free will is not a faculty of the body, but a faculty of the human personality. Even without the body, if man was totally in the spirit, man would still have a freewill.

Regeneration is totally the working of the Holy Spirit, with the cooperation of man. The Holy Spirit draws a man to repentance, convicting him of sin and of righteousness and of judgment to come, and the man yeilds himself up to God, and then God fills the man with the indwelling Holy Spirit.

I listed an abundance of scripture that list the relation of revelation to regeneration.

1. Where is there a scripture that says sinners have their wounded freewill repair, so that they can choose to be converted?

2. Where does the bible ever make a distinction between regeneration and conversion?

- If you deny freewill, you must admit involuntary/forced regeneration.

- If you admitt involuntary/forced regeneration, then you must admit personal predestination and personal reprobation.

- If this is all admitted, the only way that you can account for the fact that not everyone is regenerated, is by admitting that God does not want to regenerate everyone, and therefore that God does not want everyone to repent and be converted.

A denial of freewill lays the foundation of Calvinism. And some may disagree with me, but that'a s very dangerous and blasphemous thing, because it denies that God loves everyone and that God wants everyone to be saved.

You would have to say, because of the fact that not everyone is regenerated, that God loves only a small number of people, but actually hates the majority of the people he has created.

The only way you can acknowledge the fact that not everyone is regenerated, without denying the universal love of God, is by admitting that regeneration must be voluntary, that it's a work of the Spirit in changing a cooperating man.

I have not read Luthers writings on the will. I know Luther was a student of Augustine (Luther studied Augustines works) and Augustine in the 5th Century introduced the idea that man lost his freewill, when that was never taught by the Early Church Fathers, they were libtertarians.

I have also read Edwards on the Will. Who is a necessitarian.

But the best book on FreeWill that I know of is Asa Mahan, who was a libertarian and an associate of Charles G. Finney.

Josef, all of the Early Church Greek Fathers believed in freewill. For the first 5 centuries of the Church, freewill was a pillar of the faith, questioned only by the pagan philosophers of the day, which the Church Fathers faught viciously against. The Early Fathers even spoke of "self-election" believe it or not. But freewill is not pelagianism, freewill is an unquestioned doctrine of the Early Church and is even classical arminianism. Augustine was the first necessitarian to enter the Church, all the fathers before him were libertarians.

Don't get me wrong, Jesse. I believe man has a free will. That's undeniable. I never said he didn't. And I never said that man is not personally guilty for sin, because I still hold he is far more guilty than even you make him out to be. The thing I'm saying is that the free will of man is so Hell-bent toward sin and self-destruction as a result of sin entering in and corrupting his heart that apart from the divine influence of the grace of God, that man will choose to do nothing by his own free will except sin and reject God. Man can of his own free will choose to do nothing except earn himself a deeper crevice in the pits of hell except grace open his eyes and convert him. That self-will has to be broken and utterly crushed if he is to come to the end of self and get truly converted.

As to this "self-election" nonsense, I see no such thing in scripture. Scripture, Jesse, scripture. Not ex-pagan Greek theologians, philosophers and apologists that formed much of their doctrine on free-will based on the controversies they were having with heathen philosophers (and don't get me wrong, most of the church fathers [i]were[/i] extraordinary men of God -I study their works myself- but they certainly weren't infallible). If what they say don't line up with scripture, it must be rejected. The same with Finney and Wesley too, even though they were mightily used of God.

This one verse utterly destroys your whole theology:

[b]1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.[/b]

1. It speaks of election according to God's sovereign and unchanging foreknowledge, not according to man's self-will. This utterly demolishes your "self-election" doctrines to powder. And this verse can be cross-referenced to MANY such scriptures that say the same, proving I am keeping it's context in truth.

2. It says "Through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience..." Signifying we must be born again and regenerated by the Holy Spirit before we can follow God "unto obedience". The Spirit comes first, then obedience comes as a result. Unregenerate man cannot obey God. All he can do is sin, sin, sin! The best of his good deeds are but filthy rags! He must be born again, saved by grace through faith, and that not of himself, it is the gift of God.

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 [u]Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.[/u]

By the way, I've not ever read a single work of either Augustine, Luther, or Calvin. I don't even agree with or endorse these guys according to my knowledge. My doctrine I get from the Word of God.

And "Logic", dear friend, it appears you are terribly misunderstanding me. Please go back and read my original post. -And yes, regeneration and salvation occur simultaneously in a true convert, just to clarify.

Don't get me wrong, Jesse. I believe man has a free will. That's undeniable. I never said he didn't. And I never said that man is not personally guilty for sin, because I still hold he is far more guilty than even you make him out to be. The thing I'm saying is that the free will of man is so Hell-bent toward sin and self-destruction as a result of sin entering in and corrupting his heart that apart from the divine influence of the grace of God, that man will choose to do nothing by his own free will except sin and reject God. Man can of his own free will choose to do nothing except earn himself a deeper crevice in the pits of hell except grace open his eyes and convert him. That self-will has to be broken and utterly crushed if he is to come to the end of self and get truly converted.

As to this "self-election" nonsense, I see no such thing in scripture. Scripture, Jesse, scripture. Not ex-pagan Greek theologians, philosophers and apologists that formed much of their doctrine on free-will based on the controversies they were having with heathen philosophers (and don't get me wrong, most of the church fathers were extraordinary men of God -I study their works myself- but they certainly weren't infallible). If what they say don't line up with scripture, it must be rejected. The same with Finney and Wesley too, even though they were mightily used of God.

This one verse utterly destroys your whole theology:

1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

1. It speaks of election according to God's sovereign and unchanging foreknowledge, not according to man's self-will. This utterly demolishes your "self-election" doctrines to powder. And this verse can be cross-referenced to MANY such scriptures that say the same, proving I am keeping it's context in truth.

2. It says "Through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience..." Signifying we must be born again and regenerated by the Holy Spirit before we can follow God "unto obedience". The Spirit comes first, then obedience comes as a result. Unregenerate man cannot obey God. All he can do is sin, sin, sin! The best of his good deeds are but filthy rags! He must be born again, saved by grace through faith, and that not of himself, it is the gift of God.

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

By the way, I've not ever read a single work of either Augustine, Luther, or Calvin. I don't even agree with or endorse these guys according to my knowledge. My doctrine I get from the Word of God.

amen.

9. But those who obey not the gospel are condemned

But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath.” Romans 2:8

“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah said, Lord, who has believed our report?” Romans 10:16

“O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth” Gal 3:1

“You did run well; who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?” Gal 5:7

“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” 2Thes 1:8

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if the first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1Pet 4:17

9. But those who obey not the gospel are condemned

Jesse,

I completely agree with you on this point. In order for any man or woman to avoid the wrath of God, he or she must obey (clearly, an act of the will) the Gospel. For clarification though, my question(s) to you is/ are:

What is the Gospel that is to be obeyed? and,

Why does man even need a Gospel in the first place?

Mahoney