REGENERATION IS INTELLECTUAL

Most Calvinists teach that regeneration is an "infusion of grace" or a "change in dispositions of the heart". They say that this moral changes occurs in someone BEFORE they have faith. These Calvinists teach that God gives someone good dispositions before faith. In other words, they think their are holy unbelievers !!

Clearly, these view of regeneration leads to all sorts of heresies. For instance, it's made some Calvinists divide unbelievers into two groups. They say, "Oh, it looks like the Holy Spirit is working in this unbeliever ... look at their conviction or sin". The Calvinist then says there's another group of unbelievers who "resist the workings of the Holy Spirit in them."

John Owen thought that regeneration was an "infusion of grace" and a "change in dispositions" that happens before faith. Well, this lead Owen to assert that believers could doubt the gospel !! After all, said Owen, as long as you have "good dispositions of the heart" you are regenerate. He writes,

" When the saints enter into rest ... Faith shall be heightened into vision, as was proved before; which doth not destroy its nature, but cause it to cease as unto its manner of operation towards things invisible. If a man have a weak, small faith in this life, with LITTLE EVIDENCE AND NO ASSURANCE, so that HE DOUBTS OF ALL THINGS, QUESTIONS ALL THINGS, and HATH NO COMFORT from what he doth believe; if afterward, through supplies of grace, he hath a mighty prevailing evidence of the things believed, is filled with comfort and assurance; this is not by a faith or grace of another kind than what he had before..." [ http://www.reformed.org/books/owen/vol7/spiritual_006.html]

My response: Owen says that believers can have a faith with "no assurance" (his words) !! The "greatest Puritan" John Owen said believers can have a faith which "doubts all things"!!!

It makes sense that Owen said that someone can doubt the gospel, and still be saved. After all, Owen said that regeneration was a change in dispositions. So, as long as you have a change in dispositions you're regenerate. Now, that means that someone can doubt the gospel and still be regenerate!!

On the other hand, if you teach that regeneration is a change of mind about the gospel, then anyone who doubts the gospel is not regenerate. If they were regenerate, they would have had the change of mind.

Here are some Scripture that teaches that regeneration is ONLY the Holy Spirit giving someone a change of mind about the gospel.

"the dead SHALL HEAR THE VOICE of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." Jn 5:25

Paul says: "for in Christ Jesus I begot you THROUGH THE GOSPEL" 1 Cor 4:15-17

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, BY THE WORD of God." 1 Pet 1:23

Now, there is so much confusion out there about what in means to have Christ "in you". Most Calvinists seem to think that their "christ" or "holy spirit" witnesses to their spirits APART FROM THE BIBLE. The Puritans thought that God "called" them to the ministry OUTSIDE THE BIBLE. But the Holy Spirit does not utter a single syllable outside the Scriptures.

In fact, since the Holy Spirit and Christ are 100% God, they are equally present everywhere. This means that when the Bible says Christ "abides" in a believer, it means that the THOUGHTS of a person have become Christ like. It also means that God the Holy Spirit CONVICTS our consciences that the Bible is true.

The problem with the Pharisees is that did "not have His WORD ABIDING " in them. Jn 5:38

For believers, is "THROUGH FAITH Christ may dwell in your hearts" Eph 3:17

Let's move onto sanctification. To sanctify means to set apart. Believers are commanded to think thoughts that are true and not false. They are to set apart their mind for the task of deducing more and more truth. Also, they are to physically labor. They are to set apart time and energy for work to support their family and other believers.

Now, what about love, joy, and peace in believing? Do all believers have these? Yes, these are "the fruits of the Spirit." But how does the Spirit make a believer joyful? Is it through a warm-fuzzy feeling in their stomach? Is it through speaking nonsense (in "tongues")?

No. The only reason a believer loves God is because they intellectually know that he has justified them by Christ's work. "We love Him because He first loved us."

And how do they know Christ died and obeyed the Law for them? By Scripture. So we see that believers deduce their election from the Scripture (the Scripture says that all who believe are elect, I believe, therefore I am elect.) And the moment someone knows they are justified from all things, they will REJOICE.

Thus, when a believer says "Praise God", it is solely because that believer knows by the Scripture that all who believe are justified and since they believe, they conclude "I am justified".

This means that love, peace and joy do NOT come from prayer, or taking communion. Instead believers pray BECAUSE they know in their minds they are justified. And believers take communion BECAUSE they know Christ their propitiation.

ALL sanctification occurs BY THE WORD

"sanctify them BY THE TRUTH", Jn 17.

"sanctified, BY FAITH that is toward Me." Acts 26:18

"as newborn babes desire the pure soul-nourishing milk [THE BIBLE], that you may GROW BY IT" 1 Pet 2:2

The reason most Calvinists doubt their salvation is because they do not understand the doctrines of regeneration or sanctification. They are looking for mystical "motions" of their "holy spirit" in themselves. They say that a "mere assent to the gospel" is not saving faith. So they are always wondering if they have saving faith.

I was talking to a man the other day who said "we cannot describe what saving faith is in words." This man -- as long as he holds this to this damnable heresy -- cannot have assurance (knowledge) of salvation.

Think about it. In order to know we are saved, we need to know that we have the "equally precious faith" of the apostles. Now, if saving faith is "beyond words" that means that the apostles could not have described their faith in the Scripture. And if the faith of the apostles is "beyond words" we can NEVER know whether or not we have the same faith as they did. If saving faith is "beyond words" we cannot even know any other believers. After all, another believer would never be able to describe their belief (if it's beyond words)!!

In the Scripture, saving faith is simply believing/assenting to the propositions that

1) the God-man Jesus Christ lay down His life for the sheep (died according to the Scriptures) and

2) Christ obeyed the Law and imputes His righteousness to all who believe.

If that is saving faith, then a believer can NEVER doubt their salvation. They will know BY THE WORD that "the one abiding in the doctrine of Christ HAS THE FATHER AND THE SON" (2 Jn 9) and that "everyone that BELIEVES that Jesus is the Christ is BORN OF GOD." (1 Jn 5:1)

Full assurance of salvation is the privilege of every believer.

PART II: Response to B.P.

Brian has made some serious accusations. None of them are true.

He writes,

==="To me it looks like you have two errors. One that regeneration comes AFTER assent. Secondly, that true assent doesn't carry with it a change in an idividual's heart's desires and therefore behaviour."===

My response: I do NOT believe regeneration comes after assent. I affirm that regeneration is God giving a person assent. This is why I wrote in my earlier post that....

"Scripture ... teaches that regeneration is ONLY the Holy Spirit giving someone a change of mind about the gospel."

And I used the following verses:

---"the dead SHALL HEAR THE VOICE of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." Jn 5:25

---Paul says: "for in Christ Jesus I begot you THROUGH THE GOSPEL" 1 Cor 4:15-17

---"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, BY THE WORD of God." 1 Pet 1:23

And I also wrote that, "regeneration is simply God [the Holy Spirit] "begetting by the word""

Next up, you say that I deny assent doesn't carry with it a change in an individual's heart. You write,

==="To me it looks like you have two errors. One that regeneration comes AFTER assent. Secondly, that true assent doesn't carry with it a change in an idividual's heart's desires and therefore behaviour."===

My comment: I do AFFIRM that ALL believers immediately love God AFTER they assent. Here's what I wrote in my original post,

"Of course, the moment someone believes the gospel they will love God, because they know they are are justified. So, yes, there is an immediate love that believers have when they first believe."

And I also wrote,

"Now, what about love, joy, and peace in believing? Do all believers have these? Yes, these are "the fruits of the Spirit." "

And again, I affirmed that,

"And the moment someone knows they are justified from all things, they will REJOICE."

So I heartily agree with this Scripture (that was in my original post)....

"sanctify them BY THE TRUTH", Jn 17.

"sanctified, BY FAITH that is toward Me." Acts 26:18

"as newborn babes desire the pure soul-nourishing milk [THE BIBLE], that you may GROW BY IT" 1 Pet 2:2

And last of all -- God the Holy Spirit. I believe that He is the reason why one man assents and another does not. God the Holy Spirit CONVICTS the believer's conscience that the Bible is true. It was Him who "raised Jesus from the dead" (Rom 8:11) that raises the spiritually dead.

Paul declares to the Corinthians "...you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, AND IN THE SPIRIT of our God."

Most Calvinists deny the power of the Holy Spirit. Owen, as I pointed out in my previous post, taught that there are believers can have a faith that contains "no assurance", "little comfort", and which "doubts all things". Here is the original quote from "the greatest Puritan",

===" When the saints enter into rest ... Faith shall be heightened into vision, as was proved before; which doth not destroy its nature, but cause it to cease as unto its manner of operation towards things invisible. If a man have a weak, small faith in this life, with LITTLE EVIDENCE AND NO ASSURANCE, so that HE DOUBTS OF ALL THINGS, QUESTIONS ALL THINGS, and HATH NO COMFORT from what he doth believe; if afterward, through supplies of grace, he hath a mighty prevailing evidence of the things believed, is filled with comfort and assurance; this is not by a faith or grace of another kind than what he had before...===" [http://www.reformed.org/books/owen/vol7/spiritual_006.html]

I want NOTHING TO DO with unbelievers like John Owen.

Do you?