How does a Protestant get "saved"?

[Contarini]

captaincoog:

I have had a question on my mind for a little while, and I mentioned it at the end of another thread, but no-one saw it. I would like to resurrect it here and throw out the question again to see what response I get. I am looking mainly for a protestant reply, but anyone is welcome to have a go.

I only hope I can articulate it well. Here goes…

In Evangelical theology, a person “gets saved” by hearing/reading the Word and responding to it by faith. So far, so good, more or less. How is it then that they can understand and respond to the Word by faith, when at the time of hearing it they did not yet have the Holy Spirit in them?

There are basically three ways to approach this.

Calvinists believe that regeneration precedes faith. God sovereignly makes us new creatures and only then are we able to believe. (This is all instantaneous so the “precedence” has to do with causality, not time.)

In practice, many “Arminian” evangelicals believe that human beings have enough free will to choose to believe, although they cannot do good works per se. This is IMHO inconsistent and possibly heretical, and Calvinists are probably right to label it “semi-Pelagian.”

The Wesleyan view, to which I hold, is very close to the Catholic position–God works in our hearts by prevenient grace to bring us to faith.

I don’t think Luther used the term prevenient grace, but in effect he also believed in it, since he believed that God has to move our wills before we are able to believe.

Edwin

 

[bene7]

Contarini:

The Wesleyan view, to which I hold, is very close to the Catholic position–God works in our hearts by prevenient grace to bring us to faith.Edwin

Catholics believe in infant baptism and by that baptism, they’re saved. So how does this work with “prevenient grace” when there’s absolutely no faith at all involved (don’t say it’s the parent’s faith).

Blessings,
Bene

 

[gardenswithkids]

bene7:

Catholics believe in infant baptism and by that baptism, they’re saved. So how does this work with “prevenient grace” when there’s absolutely no faith at all involved (don’t say it’s the parent’s faith).

Catholics believe in infant baptism and that by God’s grace they’re saved. What else besides God’s grace could save any infant who is incapable of reading scripture, understanding the message of the Gospel or doing any of the other things that you say are required for salvation?

 

[Contarini]

bene7:

Catholics believe in infant baptism and by that baptism, they’re saved. So how does this work with “prevenient grace” when there’s absolutely no faith at all involved (don’t say it’s the parent’s faith).

Blessings,
Bene

Why can’t I say it’s the parent’s faith?
And how do you know that infants don’t have faith?

Edwin