Why Do Former Adventists Philippines Believe That Faith Comes Before Regeneration?

The Big Question: Which Comes First?

One of the big arguments about how someone gets a fresh start spiritually is this: Does a person receive a completely new spiritual nature (what some call "regeneration") before they actually trust or believe in Jesus for salvation?

Some folks think that if God picks certain people to be saved no matter what, and then powerfully leads them to believe, then those chosen individuals wouldn't really have a say in it. Their desire would have to be changed by God, so they want to believe. From this point of view, it seems logical that this inner spiritual change would happen before they have faith.

Different Views Within the Same Framework

Interestingly, even among those who believe a higher power unconditionally chooses certain people and guides them strongly, some still disagree. They argue that this spiritual transformation doesn't have to happen before someone believes. In fact, they're simply following the lead of earlier thinkers who thought the same way.

It's important to know that most people talking about this aren't thinking about a timeline (like seconds or years). Instead, they're discussing a logical order of events. However, a small number do believe this spiritual rebirth happens just before faith, even if it's only for a brief moment.

Why We Disagree with "Regeneration First"

A main reason we don't believe you're given a new spiritual life (called regeneration) before you have faith is simply this: the Bible doesn't strongly support it. We think it's like putting the cart before the horse to say someone is completely changed before they even respond to the good news about Jesus.

Instead, the Bible repeatedly shows that responding to the gospel—meaning turning away from wrong actions and putting your trust in Jesus—is what leads to that new spiritual life. In short, you become spiritually "reborn" because you repent and believe.

For instance, when someone asks, "What do I need to do to be saved?" the common answer is, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). Another familiar teaching says, "Repent and be baptized... and you will receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). These verses, and many others, suggest that having faith is a crucial step to experiencing salvation.

Ultimately, this idea of a "new birth" is too tightly linked to the gospel message and to Jesus himself to be pulled apart from the connection with Christ that happens through faith. It makes more sense when you look at all the relevant Bible passages (Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 10:9, 10, 13, 17; Eph. 1:13).

“You Must Be Born Again”

The easiest way to understand this whole topic is to look at what Jesus said about being "born again" in John 3:1–15.

When most Christians read this part of the Bible, it's pretty clear that Jesus was inviting Nicodemus to start a brand-new, life-altering relationship with God by believing in Jesus and experiencing this "new birth." It was a moment where Jesus was trying to get Nicodemus to put his trust in him.

This is the same pattern we see again and again throughout the New Testament. It's also what Christians still do today when they share their faith with people who aren't yet believers.

When you read this part of the Bible, especially with Jesus emphatically telling Nicodemus, "You must be born again!" — it just doesn't sound like a complicated theological debate about some hidden spiritual change that happens to someone before they can even believe. This "being born again" isn't separate from having faith or from Jesus himself.

Instead, it's a direct, personal challenge. Jesus is urging Nicodemus to be born again, which means to respond with faith. The verses where Jesus says someone needs to be born again to "see" or "enter" God's kingdom also don't support the idea that this spiritual rebirth happens before faith. There's nothing in this passage that suggests a new spiritual birth can occur without putting your trust in Jesus.

Receiving Spiritual Life Before Faith — and Therefore Without Christ

Some Bible scholars suggest that being "born again" (or "regenerated") is a complete shift from being spiritually dead to being spiritually alive. They believe the Holy Spirit does this work in us, and we don't do anything to make it happen. It's like an inner refresh of who we are, a gift from God, and it connects us with Jesus.

But here's a big question this idea raises when you look at the Bible: How can someone become spiritually alive if they haven't first put their trust in Jesus? If they hadn't believed, they'd still be separated from him.

This brings up a problem similar to one that some people have with the idea that God chooses who to save without even considering if they'll believe in Jesus. In the same way, the idea that someone can get a new spiritual life without putting their faith in Jesus just doesn't make sense if you look at the Bible. It's not focused enough on Jesus or the good news he brought to truly match what the Bible teaches.

How can someone get a new, changed heart if they're not connected to Jesus through faith? As one scholar explained, getting a new spiritual life means receiving God's life, a new heart, and becoming a new person—and none of these things can happen without faith.

The Bible makes this very clear in John 20:31, which says: "But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." In simple terms, you need faith to have a spiritual life. It's through believing that we gain life in Jesus.

Without faith, it's impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), to be joined with Jesus, or to have a real spiritual life. And just saying that this new spiritual life happens logically before faith (even if not chronologically) doesn't solve the issue. It still strongly clashes with what the Bible plainly teaches.

Sanctification Before Justification

This whole idea creates a real puzzle for those who follow a particular way of thinking about faith. It seems to suggest that a person becomes good or holy before they are declared righteous by God.

As a major figure in that system once said, "Becoming spiritually alive is the start of becoming holy." Now, if becoming spiritually alive kicks off the holiness process, and if being declared righteous comes from having faith, then logically, this system is putting holiness before being declared righteous.

This exact issue led another influential voice to argue, "A person isn't saved because they believe; they believe because they are saved." This suggests that salvation is already a done deal before faith even enters the picture.

One religious scholar responded to this by asking a related question: "When does the Spirit of God enter a believer's life? What does the Bible say about the order of believing and receiving the Spirit?" (Acts 2:38).

It's argued that God can't make someone spiritually alive (which is an act of making them holy) before that person has been declared righteous. God can only start working to make someone holy after their guilt has been addressed by being declared righteous. To think otherwise goes against a basic rule of logic. Even though we're talking about a logical order of salvation, not necessarily things happening one after another in real time, that logical order is absolutely firm!

Since it's generally agreed that being spiritually alive is the beginning of salvation and becoming holy, this system's teaching — which puts being spiritually alive before faith, and therefore before being declared righteous and receiving the Holy Spirit, actually clashes with its own core beliefs and what the Bible clearly teaches.

As one observer has shown, the New Testament consistently points out that all aspects of salvation, not just being declared righteous, come through faith. This includes receiving the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:2, 5, 14; John 7:39; Eph. 1:13; Acts 11:17; 15:7–9), becoming children of the divine (Gal. 3:26; John 1:12; 1 John 5:1), being brought back from the dead (Col. 2:12; John 5:24; John 12:46), and having eternal life (John 3:36; 6:40, 47; 1 Tim. 1:16)—all are by faith.

Other Bible Passages and Some Interpretations

Those who argue that a spiritual new birth happens before belief often point to other parts of the Bible.

John 1:12-13

For example, one passage says: "But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12–13). Many who hold the "new birth before faith" view interpret this to mean that a person is "born" before they "believe." However, as some experts rightly argue, there's nothing in the language of the text that forces this interpretation. Even some within that same theological system agree that this verse doesn't actually settle the question of which comes first. Instead, a strong argument can be made that believing in Jesus is what gives someone the right to become a child of God.

1 John 5:1

Another verse often cited is: "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him." (1 John 5:1). Some interpreters see the phrase "has been born" as pointing to an ongoing state that resulted from a prior action (the new birth). So, they understand this to mean that anyone who believes must have first been born of God, which would imply the new birth comes before and leads to faith.

While most agree that the way the phrase is used focuses on the state of being, rather than the prior action, interpreting it to mean the new birth came before faith stretches the meaning of the grammar. Based purely on the wording, the sentence only says that believing and having been born again happen together. It doesn't specify which one comes first. However, looking at the entire context of that book and related passages suggests that faith is the necessary condition for this new spiritual birth.

Ephesians 2:1-10

Some also refer to a passage in Ephesians (2:1-10) to argue that the spiritual new birth precedes faith. They typically say that since people are spiritually dead and then "made alive" (v. 5), this implies the new birth must happen before faith, because dead people can't believe or make themselves alive. Both sides of this discussion agree that people are spiritually dead before conversion and need God's powerful grace to change.

However, this specific passage doesn't directly discuss the order of the new birth and faith, and it doesn't automatically lead to the conclusion that the new birth comes first. The statement that God "made us alive together with Christ" (v. 5) doesn't make sense unless there's a connection or "union with Christ," which both sides agree comes through faith. Someone who isn't connected to Christ can't be made alive with him without faith.

Ezekiel 36:26

Finally, a verse from Ezekiel (36:26) is frequently quoted: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." All believers agree with this promise. Yet, this passage doesn't explain how God does this, or the specific order between this new birth and faith. It's a large jump from this universally preached message to the idea that one doesn't need faith to be spiritually reborn.

This discussion shows how people can interpret the Bible differently when trying to understand how the process of salvation and the spiritual life work.

Conclusion

We believe that faith comes before spiritual rebirth because, according to the Bible, you must have faith to be "born again." This new spiritual birth marks the beginning of a spiritual life connected to Christ, and you can't truly experience that life without believing in him (John 3:16). The Bible also teaches that it's impossible to please God without faith (Heb. 11:6). God won't start a saving relationship with anyone or grant them that new spiritual birth unless they first have faith, which then links them to Christ and allows for the forgiveness of their sins.