"Generally such a passage would be understood to present the following order of events: 1) Believe that Jesus is the Christ, and 2) you are born of God. Yet, the original readers of this text would not jump to such a conclusion. In reality, the most literal rendering would be, “Every one believing (present tense participle, emphasizing both the on-going action as well as the individuality of saving faith, “each believing person”) that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God (a perfect passive verb, “has been born by the agency of God”). In John, “the one believing” is very common, and it is no accident the the emphasis falls upon the on-going action of faith. The one believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. If a person is now believing that Jesus is the Christ in a true and saving fashion, they are doing so because, as a completed action in the past, they were born again through the work and agency of God. The verb “to be born” is passive: they were caused to be born by another, that being God. They did not cause their own spiritual birth. And what is the inevitable result of being born of God? belief that Jesus is the Christ. Just as all those who are given by the Father to the Son come to the Son (John 6:37), so too all who are spiritually reborn through the work of God have as the object of their faith the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some Arminian exegetes might object to this interpretation. A means of testing the consistency of the exegesis offered of this passage would be to ask how such a person interprets these words from John:
If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. (1 John 2:29)
Every consistent protestant would say, “the reason one practices righteousness is because they have already been born of Him. We do not practice righteousness so as to be born, but instead the birth give rise to the practice of righteousness”. And such is quite true. But, this means that in 1 John 5:1 the belief in Jesus as the Christ is the result of being born of Him. The verbal parallel is exact: in 1 John 2:29 “the one practicing righteousness” is a present participle; in 1 John 5:1 “the one believing” is a present participle. In both passages the exact same verb in the exact same form is used. Therefore, sheer consistency leads one to the conclusion that divine birth precedes and is the grounds of both faith in Christ as well as good works."
http://strangebaptistfire.com/2007/03/09/does-1-john-51-prove-faith-leads-to-regeneration/
In Chapter 82, the second in the series on "Hardshell Proof Texts," I wrote these words pertaining to I John 5: 1:
"The answer to the seeming incongruity of John putting faith in a present tense participle while putting "is born" in a perfect (past) tense indicative, is the same I gave in the preceding chapter about John 1: 12, 13. John again could have accurately written the verse as follows:
"Whoever has believed (past tense indicative) has been (past tense indicative) born." But, John's habit, as White admits, is to describe "believing" as an ongoing action, rather than a one time completed action in the past. This is contrary to how he expresses being "born," which he always puts in the past tense, as a one time completed action.
Thus, all John is saying is that the one who is believing, who is living the life of faith, is one who has been previously born of God, that is, is one who has previously "received" him, one who has previously and initially believed to salvation.
John is thus saying - "whoever is living the life of faith is one who has been born of God," and he is not denying that it is equally true to say - "he who has believed and received Christ has been born of God."
The same is true with the words - "whoever is practicing righteousness has been begotten." John could have said - "whoever has acted righteously in believing on and in receiving Christ has been born of God." But, he does not want to view acting righteously, or doing righteousness, as a one time event as he does with the birth.
One who is living the life of faith and the life of righteousness, is one who has been born of God. John is not divorcing, as brother Ross has shown, faith and being active, from the experience of being born of God. The only reason why "believing" and "practicing righteousness" are not in the past tense, like the begetting, is because John wants to focus on the life of the believer, not on the initial act of faith.
So, this is all poor exegesis. It creates the unbiblical character of a "regenerated unbeliever."
Probably a better verse to use to prove that sometimes "begetting" is prior to faith, is this one.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (I Peter 1: 3 KJV)
Here Peter says that "hope" is the product of the divine begetting. Here "hope" is connected with "faith." But, this really agrees with John who says that "faith" is the product of the divine begetting. (I John 5: 4)
John and Peter are teaching that when the sinner is begotten, faith, hope, and love for Christ are begotten, they being "things that accompany salvation." (Hebrews 6: 9) Thus, when a person is begotten, not only is "life" begotten, but also an obedient and ardent faith, and love, and hope, etc.
Besides, the putting of birth before faith, eliminates the gospel as a means. Those, like James White, will try to deny that they have a regeneration apart from the means of the gospel, but they are inconsistent and contradictory. The reason for this is simple. If we are "begotten" through the gospel, that can only mean begotten through faith, or through believing the gospel."
Now let me review more precisely the remarks of White and judge his "exegesis."
White said:
"Generally such a passage would be understood to present the following order of events: 1) Believe that Jesus is the Christ, and 2) you are born of God. Yet, the original readers of this text would not jump to such a conclusion. In reality, the most literal rendering would be, “Every one believing (present tense participle, emphasizing both the on-going action as well as the individuality of saving faith, “each believing person”) that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God (a perfect passive verb, “has been born by the agency of God”)."
Who denies that the one who is a practicing and ongoing believer is one who has been previously born of God? James is not fighting a real opponent, but an imaginary one, a "straw man."
White ought to find a verse that says - "he who believed was previously born of God," for I John 5: 1 does not say it. White argues that the divine begetting precedes the initial act of faith and that John is affirming this. But, the initial act of faith is not even mentioned!
White is comparing apples to oranges. The cases are not alike. John says that the Christian life is preceded by a birth. Who denies that? John does not put the initial converting act of believing and turning to Christ, however, after the begetting! He only puts the ongoing faith as what surely follows a real spiritual birth.
When White argues against what he calls the "Arminian" "ordo salutis" he sets up a different structure. He does not use a present tense participle! John uses one! The "is believing" of John does not equal "believe" in the example given of White. What Arminian, except he be a Pelagian, denies that the begetting precedes and causes the "is believing," or the life of faith, the Christian life? Again, what White should have done was to show how John, or some other bible writer, wrote in this form - "whoever believes (one time act) has been (previously) born of God." He did not find that structure in I John 5: 1 or 4: 7!
White said:
"In John, “the one believing” is very common, and it is no accident the the emphasis falls upon the on-going action of faith. The one believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God."
"If a person is now believing that Jesus is the Christ in a true and saving fashion, they are doing so because, as a completed action in the past, they were born again through the work and agency of God."
But, again, no one denies this! Not even an "Arminian." Certainly the Christian life of faith (the "is believing") follows spiritual birth! But, show where the initial act of believing in and receiving Christ is put after the birth! That is what you cannot do!
White said:
"The verb “to be born” is passive: they were caused to be born by another, that being God. They did not cause their own spiritual birth. And what is the inevitable result of being born of God? belief that Jesus is the Christ."
No! John is not saying that! He is saying that the life of faith follows a new birth! Again, White admits that John is not focusing on "believing" as a one time act in the past, to the initial conversion experience, but to the one who is continually believing.
Poor exegesis James!
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