On his website, Arminian Perspectives, Ben Henshaw has a questions page at which he answers questions about Arminianism and Calvinism that visitors to his site pose in the comment section of the page. The following is a question and answer interaction between Ben and a commenter named Greg:
Question: Could you explain from an Arminian perspective what you believe regeneration entails and how, if regeneration is a work of God, it can be ‘un-done’ if/when a believer forsakes the faith?
Answer:
Theologically speaking, regeneration typically refers to the beginning of spiritual life. It is the new birth, the point at which one comes to be a child of God (John 1:12-13). Biblically, the word “regeneration” is used but once in the sense of personal soteriology (Titus 3:5). In that passage, regeneration is synonymous with salvation.
Regeneration is certainly a work of God that begins in us the moment we are joined to Christ through faith, at which point His life flows into us and transforms us. As long as one is joined to the source of life (Christ), one will experience all of the spiritual blessings that abide in Him (Eph. 1:3, 13), including new life. If a believer forsakes the faith, he or she will be cut off from Christ and the elect people of God (John 15:5-6; Rom. 11:17-22). As long as one remains in Christ through faith, that person will experience spiritual life. If one fails to remain and abandons the faith, the Father will cut that person off from Christ and he or she will “wither” and die.
