The Objection:
FaithfulArminian said:
Calvinists insist that regeneration preceeds faith, but this is impossible. Regeneration and justification are simultanious results of saving faith, so faith has to come first because the Bible says we're justified by faith [Ro. 5:1]. Frankly, Ezekiel 36:26 just doesn't say what Calvinists claim.
A Response:
Calvinists reject the assertion that "regeneration" occurs simultaneously with "justification"; rather, we hold that these events occur in immediate succession. The Scriptures teach that people are born into spiritual death on account of Adam's sin [1 Cor. 15:22]. The natural man is hostile to God and unable to please Him [Ro. 8:6-8] or understand the things of God [1 Cor. 2:14]. Though the natural man is helpless to escape his outcast state [Ro. 5:6], Christ died in payment for sins, thereby acquiring forgiveness for all who will believe [Jn. 3:16].
The Arminian misassessment of regeneration is rooted in a far deeper dilema -- a misassessment of sin. Most synergists argue that sin sickens man's spirit and makes him less prone to believe and obey God. Thus man needs some help, and this enabling help is provided through the General Atonement of Christ on the cross by way of prevenient grace to all.
Yet the Bible does not say man is "sick" with sin. Rather, the Scriptures consistently testify that the natural man is dead in his trespasses and sins [Eph. 2:1]. A dead man cannot ask for help, receive medicine, or interact with his rescuer in any way. He's DEAD! Rather, the one presiding over his corpse must work superveniently. There are many passages one might go to when demonstrating the exceedingly monergistic nature of the gospel. We will confine our discussion to a text that is frequently challenged by Arminians.
Ez. 36:22-38/NASB
{v22} Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went."
The "therefore" indicates a summation of verses 1 through 21 and God's exhilic judgment upon His people Israel. They were removed from the land on account of their gross disobedience, and this profained the name of Yahweh their perfect Savior. Consequently, it is Yahweh who takes action to remedy the situation. He does so, not for the sake of the people, but for the sake of His tarnished name. A perfect Savior saves perfectly, and thus God took action to redeem Israel. Similarly, God's chief purpose in saving His new covenant elect is the glorification of His holy name [Eph. 1:11-12].
{v23} "I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD," declares the Lord GOD, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight."
Notice the succession of "I will" statements in this passage. God's redemptive work is chiefly about HIM, not us. It's about showing off His holiness and exalting His great name. As Christians, we are the blessed recipients of grace, and grace cannot be meritted.
{v24-25} "For
I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean;
I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols."
Notice that man's desires don't come into play here. God makes a series of absolute prophetic stipulations, and then carries them out. There is no consultation with men. There is no hint of human libertarianism.
{v26-27} "Moreover,
I will give you a new heart and
put a new spirit within you; and
I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and
give you a heart of flesh.
I will put My Spirit within you and
cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
"
By definition, spiritual regeneration is an act of the Holy Spirit whereby God causes a spiritually dead person to come alive. While the Arminian presumptuously injects free will into passages like this, assuming God must somehow be responding to the self-generated faith of a wouldbe follower, the text teaches precisely the opposite. It is God who sovereignly removes the heart of stone and gives the heart of flesh. And what does the recipient do with his new heart and living spirit? He walks in faith filled obedience to His God, made most willing by God's grace. Please note that this radical transformation is CAUSED by Yahweh.
{v28-31} "
You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so
you will be My people, and
I will be your God. Moreover,
I will save you from all your uncleanness; and
I will call for the grain and multiply it, and
I will not bring a famine on you.
I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that
you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. Then
you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and
you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations."
Again, notice how God dictates terms. He consults no one. He takes no opinion poles and seeks no approval from the very people He has set out to save. While this prophesy materialized in a small way through Ezra and Nehemiah, its ultimate fulfillment can be found in the gospel of grace by which all true believers are redeemed.
{v32-38} "I am not doing this for your sake," declares the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel" Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day that
I cleanse you from all your iniquities,
I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. The desolate land
will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by.
They will say, 'This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.' Then the nations that are left round about you
will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate;
I, the LORD, have spoken and will do it."
Thus says the Lord GOD, "This also
I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them:
I will increase their men like a flock. Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts,
so will the waste cities be filled with flocks of men. Then
they will know that I am the LORD."
Beyond the plethora of further "I will" and "it will be" statements, take note of the one in red. Even the prayers of the people are foreordained by God. Lest we stumble into Hyper-Calvinism, it is important to remember that God holds all the cards, predetermining both the ends and the means.
The Conclusion:
Salvation is of the Lord alone --- pure, unfettered monergism. Therefore, the redemptive moment is actually an exceedingly rapid process.
a) God regenerates the lost person, removing the heart of stone and giving a soft heart that is ready to believe and obey.
b) This immediately results in an eruption of willing faith.
c) This faith immediately results in justification before God.