Is this understanding of irresistible grace possible?

[dns]

So the work of the Holy Spirit is indeed a process guiding a person, like Cornelius, ultimately coming to saving faith when he hears the gospel? That is what I have been saying, isn't it? The irresistible grace is a process where the Holy Spirit works on the elects, preparing their heart until the moment they make their decisions to follow Christ. Without such work of the Holy Spirit, no one comes to Christ on their own. Along the way, elects may resist the Holy Spirit, but ultimately God will overcome their stubbornness and bring them to Christ.

 

[lesliedellow]

As I said a while back, conversion isn't a one off event - BANG - when you are thirty (say). Being led to where God ultimately wants you is a life long process, but you must already be one of Jesus' sheep (given him by the Father) before you will follow him.

 

[heymikey80]

I guess it ends up to be a discussion about whether regeneration precedes faith, or faith precedes regeneration. That will be another discussion topic. Are you suggesting that a genuine Calvinist must believe regeneration precedes saving faith?

Calvin himself pointed out that the work of the Holy Spirit preceded faith. So by any stretch of the term "regeneration" in classical Calvinism -- yeah, regeneration precedes faith.

Your thought on Cornelius is Calvin's view of a process-regeneration, the Holy Spirit is functioning entirely throughout the elect person's life to bring him to the point of faith. So it precedes faith.

The modern item is New Birth, the point where someone is actually born of God to a living faith in Christ. This normally focuses on the conversion event and its cause, which is the Spirit -- its means is the preaching of the Gospel.

However, that term is the systematic term, not the Biblical term. "Regeneration" isn't that in Scripture, rather, it's more aligned with Resurrection.

 

[dns]

By regeneration, do you mean born again referred in John 3? So did Cornelius obtain life before he came to the actual decision to accept the gospel of Christ?

I see differently. I see the work of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius to prepare his heart first, then the hearing of the gospel, then Cornelius' belief, then regeneration by the Holy Spirit.

Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit, but not every work of the Holy Spirit equals regeneration.

 

[heymikey80]

I don't "mean" anything about regeneration, myself. "New Birth" occurs when the Spirit of God brings it to a person. Calvin's view was that the entire range or preparation and results by the Holy Spirit is the process called regeneration. It is not the same as "New Birth", which appears to be an event in Scripture.

"Regeneration" isn't a practical term to talk about because it doesn't mean what we think it means in Scripture.

Romans 10:10 says a heart changes to believe in Christ. The heart needs to be changed, else the person remains in sin (Mk 7:20-23). The Spirit is Who changes hearts (Rom 2:29, Ps 51:10, Jer 24:7, 31:33). The Spirit changes the heart, who turns in faith (John 3).