can we also agree on the universals, at least generally? See Romans 10:8-13.
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
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.
Note: Belief/Faith is mentioned often with no mention of Regeneration. Faith comes by hearing, not by Regeneration. Therefore, Faith preceeds Regeneration.
Sir, to say you are confused would be an understatement, with this statement no pun intended, no more then to get your attention.
Faith comes by hearing, not by Regeneration. Therefore, Faith preceeds
Faith
indeed comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God ~
no dispute on that point from me. But the word of God teaches that the
power , or
right, to believe mus
t first be given, or else, no man can have his faith increase by reading, or, hearing the word of God. Listen carefully to John's teaching on this very subject.
Let us carefully consider these verses.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
He was in the world~What a terrible indictment of humanity for their blind ignorance of God’s Son. The Word was in the world in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The eternal, unbegotten God that created all things visited and dwelt on earth. This is the first and maybe greatest fact of the mystery of godliness (
Isr Timothy 3:16).
And the world was made by him~Every creature, rational and irrational and inanimate, had been created by Him. The whole sphere of earthly existence for men had been created by the Messiah. How can rational creatures living on this earth ignore and reject their Creator? Is it even possible to imagine a comparison in our minds of this great calamity?
And the world knew him not~This is incredible to consider ~ that worldly men had no idea of God on earth. But some did know, love, obey, and die for Christ … were they in the world? There have been men that have known God from Abel right down to Anna.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
He came unto his own~He came to Jews, the lost sheep of Israel, and not to others (
Matthew 15:24;
10:6). From prophecy to reality, the virgin-born Son of God was from Israel (
Galatians 4:4). The apostles understood this priority from prophecy (
Acts 3:25-26;
Romans 9:5). Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision, the Jews of Israel (
Romans 15:8). The intent had always been to raise up a Saviour in Israel (
Isaiah 7:14;
9:6-7; etc.).
And his own received him not~Though the Messiah was sent to Israel, they did not receive their own Saviour. In spite of prophets, prophecies, apostles, they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. The ox knows its owner and the *** its master’s crib, but Israel did not know the arrival of Jesus Christ, even with a multitude of stupendous signs (
Isaiah 1:3). Even His own brothers did not believe on Him until His resurrection (
John 7:5). This was a proper and righteous judgment on a wicked nation (
John 12:37-41). Be ready always to divide words – many of His own did receive Him (
John 1:12).
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
But as many as received him~Rejoice in the inspired disjunctive ~ but ~ for the light of life made a difference. In spite of the previous verse stating that His own received Him not,
some did. Natural man
cannot and will not receive Christ. (
Ist Corinthians 2:14). To receive Christ is to believe on Him as Son of God; see last clause of 1:12. To receive Christ is to accept and believe His doctrine and duties (
Col 2:5-9).
To them gave he power to become the sons of God~Jesus, the Word of God made flesh,
gave power to some to become God’s sons. Those that received Jesus had
His power change them to become His sons. Those that received Jesus were given
authority, privilege, right of His sons.
What is the order? Receive Christ or become God’s sons? What is the order? There is no proof thus far, for both verbs are past tense ~ received and gave. The priority or timing of actions is determined by one thing ~ verb tenses. The order of verbs matters little, especially when context declares priority. How did you become the child of your parents? By what process did it occur? They generated and procreated you by a choice of lovemaking to conceive! In the same way you become God’s Son,
by His loving choice to regenerate! We are no more involved in your second birth than we were in our first.
Even to them that believe on his name~Even. adverb. Prefixed to a subject, object, or predicate, or to the expression of a qualifying circumstance, to emphasize its identity. Also in 16-17th century (hence still archaic after Bible use) serving to introduce an epexegesis; = ‘namely’, ‘that is to say’. Compare Bible usage in
John 8:41;
15:26;
I Co 15:24.
It is italicized because the KJV translators
honestly admitted interpolation. Do we trust italicized words? Jesus argued from one (
Mat 22:31-32;
Exodus 3:6).
Believe is present tense. What happened to ‘d’ to lose the context’s past tense? We trust the word of God
at the word level, even for one letter (
Galatians 3:16). John shifted from a past tense historical narrative to believers in the present. The difference of a single letter makes a big difference and agrees with 1:13. Now we have priority by verb tenses …
He gave power to those that believe. The order and priority of salvation
is His power in regeneration before faith.
This precious verse is not a complete sentence and does not end with a period. It is heresy to memorize and preach this verse while ignoring its second half~but, many do.
Arminians could not care less about what follows, for they totally reject it. They adore their manmade heresy of decisional regeneration against 1:13.
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Which were born~verse 13 is God's commentary on verse 12~
When were they born – based on actual verb tenses – rather than order of verbs? The phrase were born is a plural number, passive voice, present-perfect verb tense, demanding the action was finished, or perfected, before the present. Rejoice in the grammar of regeneration, which demands birth before faith. Of course they were born naturally before faith, but this is being born again. Let it be settled once and for all time, regeneration always precedes faith.
Not of blood~Becoming a child of God has nothing to do with natural descent, pedigree, etc. Most have no problem with this part.
.
Nor of the will of the flesh~Becoming a child of God has
nothing to do with your natural will or choice. This phrase condemns the decisional regeneration heresy of Arminian. These babblers
will do anything to elicit a choice by the flesh to get saved. They talk ad nauseam about the simplicity of getting yourself born again. Prior to being born again, all you have is
a flesh nature that is denied here. Not only is the will of the flesh denied, but it is impossible for it to so will.
A man in the flesh cannot and will not please God; he is a depraved rebel. God’s compassion and mercy are by His own will, not man’s (
Romans 9:15-16). If you ever will good to God, it is He that worked it in you (
Phil 2:12-13).
Only God’s will is active (
John 3:8;
5:21;
Ephesians 1:5;
James 1:18;
Hebrews 10:9-10).
What is the will of the flesh that is rejected here as the means of regeneration? You have two natures – one by first birth and one by spiritual birth (
Jn 3:6). The will of the flesh is all you have before regeneration – the sinful you. Therefore, this phrase denies any choice or act of will before regeneration! Until you are born again, this is the only will you have – that of the flesh. Paul denied that anything you do in the flesh can please God (
Romans 8:7-8).
Nor of the will of man~Becoming a child of God has nothing to do with the will of anyone outside you. This phrase condemns parental efforts to save infants as in Roman Catholicism. There is nothing a parent can do to assist or cooperate for salvation (
Ps 49:6-9). No other man has any influence on you being born again, except for One Man! The work of salvation is all found in one man’s obedience (
Rom 5:12-19). There is no place for parents, pastors, priests, or soul winners for eternal life. In Him was life! He is the Life! He is resurrection and life! He has the keys!
But of God~Becoming God’s son by being born again is His monergistic, sovereign work. John called it being born again from Jesus (
John 3:1-8;
I John 3:9;
4:7;
5:1-5,
18). Paul used quickening (
Ephesians 2:1-3;
Col 2:13), regeneration, renewing (
Titus 3:5). This creative work by God’s power gives each elect person a new spiritual man. We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (
Eph 2:10).
Coming back to consider Romans 10:1-13
