This isn’t really about eggs and chickens, but you probably already figured that out. Rather, it concerns a similar question: What happens first, our choosing to follow Christ or regeneration by the Holy Spirit? Does God respond to a decision we make and as a result of our choosing Christ, or must we be regenerated by the Holy Spirit before we even sincerely choose Christ. By ‘sincerely’ choose Christ we mean that we have honestly face our sinful condition, recognize God’s solution, repent of our sin and trust in Christ.

Anyone who has read this blog already knows this writer’s personal opinion on the matter, but it’s an issue worth revisiting on occasion. The occasion that prompted these remarks was a comment on another blog post that was addressed to a fellow who admittedly has not trusted Christ. the comment read:  “…faith comes when we take the first step, not before.”  In other words, the writer of that comment was asserting that in response to our ‘first step’ toward God, we are given faith to believe.

The sequence of ‘events’ in this important issue has been termed ‘the order of salvation’, or the Ordo Salutis, found in Romans 8:29-30. The question concerning the ‘when’ of regeneration was asked at Reformation Theology and received a well thought out and excellent response:

Visitor: I have a question regarding the order of salvation. I realize that you have to be regenerated before you can believe, so the question I am asking is regeneration the same as being born again? If so were does repentance fall into place? Before or after justification, then what about sanctification and so on? I have read some articles on the site and have probably missed it, so I will appreciate you taking the time to write me back.

Response: Thanks for your great question. Jesus Christ is the source of all redemptive blessings, including regeneration, justification, sanctification (1 Cor 1:30). Regeneration is the fountain, and sanctification the river. In other words, when one is united to Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, our hearts of stone are made flesh, our blind eyes now see and our deaf ears now hear. All things, obedience, repentance, faith spring forth from the regenerating work of the Spirit within us. They all happen simultaneously once God breathes new life into us.

I would suspect, however, that if we are to use logic, faith must come before repentance, for how can you repent if you don’t know what you are repenting of. Yet these are all so close that it would be difficult to say. The Spirit, in working faith in us also reveals our spiritual bankruptcy and a repentance of all trust in our own self-sufficiency. In order to have genuine faith anyone who believe must recognize that we justly deserve the wrath of God save for Christ’s mercy alone. We abandon all confidence in self and repent of all trust in our own works, good and bad. Neither are our savior. Christ alone is sufficient to save. So ultimately you could say that genuine faith is a repentant faith. Hope this helps.

Scripture is clear on the matter. Our salvation is a work of God, from beginning to end:

Rom 8:29  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (ESV)

Even our future glorification was determined in eternity past. You can surmise that regeneration and the expression of genuine faith in Christ are integral in the ‘calling’. As Ephesians 2 tells us, we who now claim Christ were one spiritually DEAD in sin. Dead is dead. In order for us to take any sort of step toward God, we had to be ‘raised’ from the dead. That regeneration comes before our choosing should, in terms of simple logic, be crystal clear.