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. Here is a question from a man named Gene (“Now Dimly”) followed by Ben’s answer:
Question: I’ve been reviewing the inability of the sinner this week and was wondering what your understanding was of those who are in the flesh (Romans 8:1-8). I take the passage to be talking about someone who is unsaved since they do not have the Spirit (v. 9). If my understanding is correct, then how would you answer the assertion that the sinner is so depraved that he cannot do anything in the direction of God based on verses 7,8 in particular? I listened to a sermon on depravity and this was one of the texts used to show the need for regeneration to precede faith.
Answer: Romans 8 is not, in my opinion, addressing the inability to believe the gospel, but the inability to obey the law of God in a way that is pleasing to God. Only through the indwelling of the Spirit is that possible, since the Sprint gives us the power to obey God’s law and live for Him. Paul makes this point in Romans 6 and 8. But the Spirit is received by faith. So this passage just isn’t a very good one for inability with regard to believing the gospel. That is not what Paul is discussing here.
However, I do hold to total depravity. All Arminians do. But that does not mean regeneration is what is needed for the depraved person to be able to believe. Arminians hold to resistible prevenient grace. We believe that through the conviction and power of the Spirit and the word, God enables totally depraved sinners to believe. So both Arminians and Calvinists see a necessary work of God to make faith possible. The difference is that Arminians believe this work is prevenient grace and that it is resistible (it doesn’t irresistibly cause faith, but enables faith), and Calvinists believe this work is regeneration and it irresistibly causes faith (once the sinner is regenerated, he cannot help but to believe–faith is guaranteed). But you have already seen the many problems with placing regeneration before faith.
Here are a few posts to help you understand prevenient grace:
Steve Witzki, A Preliminary Defense of Prevenient Grace
Steve Witzki, “Free Grace or Forced Grace”
Kevin Jackson, “Prevenient Grace Explained”
Earlier in the comments thread, you can read a discussion I had with someone about prevenient grace. The discussion starts here:
https://arminianperspectives.wordpress.com/questions/#comment-1575
And here is a post that will help give you a better understanding of Romans 8, based on Ezekiel 36:
https://arminianperspectives.wordpress.com/category/ezekiel-3626-27/
[Editorial addition: See also the “Freed to Believe” section of this article: Brian Abasciano, “The FACTS of Salvation: A Summary of Arminian Theology/the Biblical Doctrines of Grace”.]
