My article, “Does Regeneration Precede Faith?” has just been released in New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry. The journal is online and the article can be accessed here:

Does Regeneration Precede Faith?

Here are a few excerpts:

Why do most Calvinists believe regeneration precedes faith? There are two reasons. First, most Calvinists define total depravity to mean total inability in the sense that a person cannot exercise faith unless regenerated. Second, appeal is made to key Scripture passages such as John 1:12-13; 3:1-16; Eph. 2:1-10; and 1 John 5:1.

The phrase “regeneration precedes faith’ is fraught with ambiguity. What does one mean by “regeneration”? What does one mean by “faith”? What does one mean by “precede,” (logically or temporally)? Are we talking about mediate regeneration (by means of the Word of God] or immediate regeneration (no use of means, but the Holy Spirit acts directly and immediately on the person to effect regeneration)? Part of the confusion over this issue is a failure to carefully define terms and draw careful distinctions.

As even many Calvinist commentators point out with respect to John 1:12-13, there is nothing in this passage that speaks to a Calvinist ordo salutis.[1] It is not exegetically possible to find “regeneration before faith” in John 1:12-13, temporally or logically.[2]


Philosophically, a “principal” cause is an efficient cause which produces an effect by virtue of its own power. An “instrumental” cause is an efficient cause which produces an effect by virtue of the power of another cause.[4] When it comes to salvation in Ephesians 2:8-9, the Scripture indicates that grace is the principal cause and faith is the instrumental cause of salvation. One might illustrate this from the following syllogism:

  2. Instrumental cause necessarily precedes its effect.
  3. Therefore, faith precedes regeneration.



[2] Boris Hennig, “The Four Causes.” Journal of Philosophy 106(3), (2009), 137–60.

