here is an interesting quote ........... note the writer differentiates between Regeneration and ADOPTION .
This will explain why certain Christians (ben) who quote scripture see Faith as prior to regeneration .......... it is not , it is prior to adoption.
The place of adoption in the order of salvation may be discerned from an exegesis of John 1:12,13: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." First, it is important to note that in this passage the act of "receiving" Christ (aorist tense in the Greek) and the continuous "believing in his name" (a present participle) both refer to faith in Jesus Christ. The first idea of receiving Christ refers to initial faith in Christ and the later idea of continually believing in his name refers to the instrumentality whereby the Christian continues to appropriate Christs benefits throughout his life (Reymond, p. 708). John states that as many as received him are given the right to become children of God. The Greek word translated as "right" (
exousian) has the meaning of the legal word "authority;" it is referring to the legal act of Gods grace in adoption. Therefore, John is teaching that
faith is the necessary logical precondition to adoption. Since being adopted into Gods family would presuppose that a persons sins are forgiven and he is accepted by God as righteous, it is logical to assume that adoption follows justification. John Murray writes: "Adoption would obviously come after justification - we could not think of one being adopted into the family of God without first being accepted by God and made an heir of eternal life" (
Redemption: Accomplished and Applied, p. 87). This gives us the logical order: calling, faith and repentance, justification, adoption, and glorification.
A crucial question in the order of the application of salvation is the position of regeneration in the ordo salutis. John 1:13 indicates that those who receive and continually believe in Christ are those who have first been born of God. Robert Reymond writes, "Why do some people repent and respond by faith in Christ to the divine summons to faith while others do not? Concerning those who believe in Christs name John immediately says in John 1:13: [These are they] who have been begotten [
egennethesan], not by blood, nor by the will of the flesh, nor by the will of a husband, but by God. By this particular reference to Gods begetting activity John refers to regeneration,
and clearly suggests by his statement that, while faith is the instrumental precondition to justification and adoption, regeneration is the necessary precondition and efficient cause of faith in Jesus Christ. In short, regeneration causally precedes faith" (
A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, p. 708). This is a crucial point in the debates between Arminian and Reformed theology. The idea that regeneration precedes faith relates closely to the biblical teaching concerning the nature of sin and its effect on man. The Bible teaches emphatically that sin corrupts the totality of man's heart; a person's will and desires are under the slavery of sin (Titus 3:3-5), he is dead in sin without spiritual life or any inclination toward Christ (Eph. 2:1-3), he does not have the moral ability to choose Christ apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (John 1:12,13; 6:44,45, 63-65), and the things of God are foolishness to him (1 Cor. 2:14). For saving faith and repentance to be present, a prior work of regeneration must take place. Scripture is clear and consistent on the point that, because of man's radical falleness, God is the divine initiator of salvation (John 3:1-10; Eph. 2:1-5; Col. 2:13). This relationship between regeneration and faith and repentance is crucial for a proper understanding of the grace of God. If it is taught that man has the moral ability to come to Christ on his own and he takes the first step, then, not only is the Scriptural teaching concerning man's sin denied, but the grace of God in salvation is diminished and a false view of salvation is held. This ultimately leads to a concept of salvation in which man's merit becomes the necessary condition for salvation to be present; therefore, person believes in Christ because he is somehow intrinsically more righteous than someone else. Consequently, what may seem to be a small theological point concerning the relationship of regeneration and faith and repentance has large ramifications concerning the grace of God and the nature of the gospel itself. In following chapters, we will examine the key debate points and Scriptures that show the idea that regeneration precedes faith and repentance. In terms of the relationship between calling and regeneration, Roman 8:30 teaches that glorification is the last act in the application of salvation. This implies that calling is the first act in the application of salvation. Therefore, calling either precedes regeneration or regeneration is the work of God that makes calling effectual.
This now fleshes out our order of the application of salvation gives us the following order: calling, regeneration, faith and repentance, justification, adoption, and glorification.
http://covenantofgracechurch.org/modules/tinyd0/index.php?id=15
