One of the problems with the born again before faith (BABF) view is in its identifying the first thing that God does in leading to salvation as regeneration, thereby denying that there are any pre-regeneration or preparatory acts, steps, or means prior to salvation. Thus they see the very first "initiatory" act of God as being regeneration, denying that there is any prevenient grace (grace that precedes salvation). They often falsely charge others who deny the BABF view (among both Arminians and Calvinists) with denying that God is the one who initiates salvation rather than the sinner or any other man. Only the Pelagians would sometimes argue that the sinner initiates his own salvation. So, that is not the issue. It is a red herring. Rather, the question is whether there are any preparatory steps or means that occur prior to salvation and whether the means are always successful in actually saving or regenerating sinners, and why it is successful in some but not in others.
The Puritans were Calvinists who agreed with Calvin and Beza in denying that regeneration preceded faith and in affirming that there are preparatory things that occur prior to regeneration, and that these preparations are not salvation or evidences of salvation. I write at length about this in my ongoing series "Prevenient Grace." (began in April of this year; See archives) I have articles yet to add to this series in which I have numerous citations to make from Dr. Joel Beeke, expert on Puritan Calvinism, who cites extensively from the Puritans on their belief in things that must precede regeneration. The above book in the heading is a great source for such citations, with co-author Smalley.
Are there no preparations for being saved or regenerated? Are there no means thereunto, as the born again before faith (BABF) folks tend to deny? The Bible teaches that there are indeed things that generally occur prior to being saved, born again, or coming to faith in Christ. We may call these things preparations, steps, means, inducements, or graces of God.
Things God Does Prior To Salvation
(including regeneration or new birth)
1. God makes known the law and the gospel
2. The Father draws and pulls
3. The Father speaks to the heart
4. The Father teaches
5. God opens the eyes to see
6. God opens the ears to hear
7. God gets a sinner's attention by opening the heart
8. God awakens sinners in regard to the things of God
9. The Spirit convinces sinners of sin and lost condition
10. God enlightens or informs sinners
11. God calls the sinner through the gospel
12. The Spirit influences hearts and minds
Those of the BABF view want to say that regeneration precedes all of these things. Doing so, however, makes the most wicked sinners and even unbelievers to be regenerated living children of God. It has also led to some of them becoming Universalists or almost so, saying, like the Hardshell Baptists, that only a small few are going to Hell. Many of the things listed above occur in the lives of many who are never saved, as we will see. On the other hand, the above things generally occur previously to regeneration in those who come to be saved.
Many people experience influences from the Spirit and word of God but who are never saved. By "influence" I mean inducing, urging, impacting, persuading, swaying, coaxing, pressuring, or otherwise acting upon a person's thoughts and feelings. We see this influence operative in the preaching of Stephen the martyr. Stephen said the following in that sermon: "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Spirit." (Acts 7: 51 nkjv) Resisting the Holy Spirit logically requires that the Spirit is actively exerting an influence, force, conviction, upon an individual prior to his being saved. In physics, resistance cannot exist without a counter-force; to resist the Spirit therefore implies that the Spirit is exerting a force or influence. A person cannot push back against divine influence or nudging unless that is present and operative on that person.
Those of the BABF view and the Hyper Calvinists often resist (pun intended) acknowledging that the Spirit exerts influence unto salvation in any who are not eventually saved or in those not of the elect. So, rather than acknowledging this fact they will argue that this fact does not annul the truth of the doctrine of effectual calling or "irresistible grace" (which is true) and say that the words of Stephen simply show that it is the nature of dead sinners to so resist. That also is true, but it does not address the issue which says that the Spirit does exert influence on the hearts and minds of dead sinners for the purpose of showing them their need of salvation and of the way of salvation. The question is, does this influence precede salvation? And the answer is yes. The idea that sinners must first be saved or regenerated before they can be positively influenced by the Spirit is not biblical.
In the book of Genesis we read where the Spirit of God was "striving" with those wicked people who all died in the flood as a judgment upon their sins. (Gen. 6: 3) These people are called "the world of the ungodly." (II Peter 2:5) What was the nature and purpose of this striving? This striving was done through the preaching of Noah. (I Peter 3: 19) John Gill, who is often accused of being a Hyper Calvinist (mostly a false charge) and of denying that the word or gospel of God was a means in effecting salvation (which is also false), said the following in his commentary on Genesis 6:3:
"...this is to be understood of the Holy Spirit of God, as the Targum of Jonathan, which agrees with 1 Peter 3:18 and to be thus interpreted; that the Spirit of God, which had been litigating and reasoning the point, as men do in a court of judicature, as the word signifies, with these men in the court, and at the bar of their own consciences, by one providence or by one minister or another, particularly by Noah, a preacher of righteousness, in vain, and to no purpose; therefore, he determines to proceed no longer in this way, but pass and execute the sentence of condemnation on them..."
It is therefore an error to say that regeneration must be defined as the first initiatory act of God intended to effect regeneration. Gill's successor was first John Rippon and then Charles Spurgeon. Here is what Spurgeon wrote on preparations that precede regeneration in "Things that Accompany Salvation" (See here; emphasis mine):
"3. We will begin, then, with the advance guard that has accompanied Salvation or rather gone before it. We shall then come to those who immediately precede it, and then we shall notice those who accompany it by its side, and conclude by noticing the rearguard attending upon this Salvation of our God."
Spurgeon did not believe that the first act of God in initiating salvation was salvation, for he believed in preparations and in prevenient grace. He said further:
"For, before he can be made whole, he must be spiritually killed, the sword must pierce him, and must slay all his selfishness before he can be brought to the Lord Jesus. Then another body of them carry with them axes, with which they cut down the thick trees of our pride and abase the goodly cedars of our righteousness. There are with them those that fill up the wells with stones, and break up all the cisterns of our carnal sufficiency, until we are driven to despair, having all our hopes despoiled. Then come those who, with brazen trumpets, or with trumps of ram’s horns—like those who once razed Jericho level with the ground—do blow a blast, so shrill and dread, that the sinner thinks that even the yells of hell itself could not be more terrible. Then come those who with lances pierce the spirit through and through; and in the rear are the ten great guns, the artillery of the law, which, perpetually fire upon the wounded spirit until it does not know what it is, nor what it does...Before a man can be truly converted, he must suffer great agony of spirit; all our self-righteousness must be laid level with the ground, and trampled like the miry streets. Our carnal hopes must, every one of them, be cut in pieces, and our refuges of lies must be swept away with the hail of God’s anger. The law of God will appear terrible to the sinner when he is first convicted of sin...This Thundering Legion always precedes Salvation. More or less of terrors every man must feel before he is converted. Some have less, some have more; but there must be some measure of this terrible law work in the soul, or else Salvation is not come to a man’s house...unless this broken heart has come within your bosom you cannot be made partakers of Christ. The heart must first be pounded in the mortar of conviction, and beaten in pieces with the pestle of the law, or else it never can receive the grace of the Comforter in all its plenitude. Are you broken hearted today? Are you sorrowful at this very hour? Be of good cheer, Salvation is not far behind. When there is once a broken heart there is mercy very near. The broken heart is the prelude of healing. He who kills will make whole; he who wounds will bind up; he who struck will cure. God is looking on you with love, and will have mercy upon you."
In the list of things that precede regeneration I put hearing the gospel or word of God number one. The only ones who will deny that the gospel is a means in regeneration are the Hardshell Baptists and the Paedobaptists among the Presbyterians who teach that the children of believing parents are regenerated in infancy when baptized and in that case the gospel was not a means. The Bible clearly teaches that the preaching of the gospel is a means in the new birth. Peter said believers have been "born again by the word of God" (I Peter 1:23) and James said that "he (God) has begotten us with the word of truth" (James 1:18) and Paul said "I have begotten you through the gospel" (I Cor. 4:15). Paul is also clear about this in his letter to the Romans, saying:
"13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (10:13-17 nkjv)
In the above list I also mentioned how the drawing and teaching of the Father precedes regeneration. On that I will enlarge upon in the next chapter. Concerning items five through nine I will say this for now. Those of the BABF view err when they argue that the giving of eyes and ears are regeneration and therefore precede the opening of the eyes and ears. They also argue that the "opening" of Lydia's heart, a prerequisite to her giving attention to the preaching of Paul and her believing the gospel, was her regeneration. This too is an error for her regeneration occurred either before Paul appeared to the group she was praying with or when she believed Paul's preaching. I wrote at length on the dispute over this issue in this post (here). I cited from Spurgeon who rightly saw the opening of Lydia's heart as a preparation for regeneration and not regeneration itself. I cited these words from him on that text (Acts 16:14):
"We do not well if we forget the prevenient providences which work before our conversion, to bring us unto that spot where God was pleased to manifest himself unto us."
"Observe next, that in Lydia's case there was not only preventing providence, but there was also grace in a certain manner preparing the soul. The woman did not know the Saviour; she did not understand the things which make for her peace, yet she knew many truths which were excellent stepping-stones to a knowledge of Jesus."
"She worshipped God; worshipped him in sincerity; worshipped him looking for the coming of the Messiah, Israel's consolation; and so her mind was prepared for the reception of the gospel. Doubtless, dear friends, in many of us there was a preparation for Christ before Christ came to us in quickening grace."
"Still, dear friends, we ought to ascribe all this preparatory work to sovereign grace, for grace—free favour does much in which no grace of effectual salvation is perceptible. I mean that before grace renews the heart there is grace preparing us for grace; grace may be setting the mind in activity, clearing us from prejudice, ridding us of a thousand infidel and sceptical thoughts, and so raising a platform from which divine grace conducts us into the region of the new life. Such was the case of Lydia, such is the case of many; providence and grace co-work before the effectual time is come."
"...although the Lord opened the heart, Paul’s words were the instrument of her conversion. The heart may be opened, and willing to receive, but then if truth enter not, what would be the use of an open door? But God always takes care to open the heart at a time when the messenger of mercy shall be going by, that the heart may give him admittance." ("Lessons from Lydia’s Conversion" - here)
A man cannot be said to have been regenerated, born again, or quickened until he has actually seen with his opened eyes and actually heard with his opened ears and actually received with his opened heart. I will have more to say on these things in upcoming chapters.
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