R*o 发帖数: 3781 | 1 by Dave Hunt
Calvinists can, of course, find many scriptures describing man's evil heart
and practices. None of these scriptures, however, states that a man cannot b
elieve the gospel unless he is one of the elect and has been given that fait
h by a sovereign act of God.
Pink declares that "the sinner, of himself, cannot repent and believe." 20 F
or all of their insistence upon man's inability to believe the gospel and to
receive Christ, however, Calvinists cannot agree among themselves. J.I. Pac
ker contradicts his fellow Calvinists (and what he himself says elsewhere) i
n declaring that regeneration follows faith and justification: "God elected
men from eternity in order that in due time they might be justified, upon th
eir believing. Their adoption as God's sons follows upon their justification
; it is, indeed, no more than the positive outworking of God's justifying se
ntence." 21
As we have seen, defining depravity as inability requires God to sovereignly
regenerate man, and without any recognition, understanding or faith on man'
s part, bring him to spiritual life. Only then can He give man the faith to
believe the gospel. As Dort, quoted above, says...... without the regenerati
ng grace of the Holy Spirit, they are neither able nor willing to return to
God . . . ." 22
Enabling grace is needed for faith, but not "regenerating grace." Where does
the Bible say one must be regenerated before one can believe the gospel? No
t one verse can be cited where that proposition is stated clearly.
Most non-Calvinists have thought that being "born again," as Christ presente
d it to Nicodemus in John 3, is the same as being saved. Therefore, they are
shocked and astounded to learn that Calvinism teaches that one must experie
nce the new birth which Christ describes in John 3 before one can be saved.
As Sproul emphasizes once again, "The Reformed view of predestination teache
s that before a person can choose Christ ... he must be born again ... one d
oes not first believe, then become reborn ...... 23 This is nothing more tha
n human reasoning. In fact, the Bible always presents faith as the condition
of salvation. |
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