Spurgeon On Born Again By Faith

The following citations are from Charles Spurgeon's sermon "DESPISED LIGHT WITHDRAWN" (here). In it he shows that he believed that sinners are born again by faith. His text is the following:

“While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.” John 12:36 

On this text Spurgeon said (emphasis mine):

"The point is, how to come to a practical decision. Spirit of the Living God, make this the day and this the hour when many shall believe in the great light, and shall be made the children of light once and for all!"

"We have always with us the Gospel of Jesus Christ that you can read in this Book whenever you will, but the Holy Ghost must go with the Gospel to make it the power of God unto salvation. You cannot see the light that is in the Word unless the Holy Ghost reveals it to you. Some of you have been under the influence of the Holy Ghost in some measure and degree." 

"Now, secondly, I take you a little further into our theme. Here is AN ACT OF GRACE COMMENDED—“While ye have the light, believe in the light.” This believing is the most essential act of a man’s life. Therefore our Lord said, “Believe in the light.” 

"He had not only believed in Christ, but he had believed Christ. I want you, dear friend, if you are sincerely seeking salvation, to believe Christ. Believe Him to be what He says He is—believe that everything He says is true—believe that He Himself does save, and can save, and will save you. So believe Him as to hand yourself over to Him and take Him to be your Savior. In a word, as our text says, “While ye have light, believe in the light.”"

"I want you now to advance another step. I have almost anticipated this third point—“While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.” Here is, A RESULT OF FAITH MENTIONED."

"They who believe in Christ receive a change of nature. They were born heirs of wrath, but by grace they become children of the light of God. “Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord,” as soon as you have believed in Jesus Christ. This new birth, this regeneration, is a great puzzle to many poor sinners."

"One asks, “How can I make myself a new creature in Christ?” Of course, you can do nothing of the kind. This is a miracle—it is as much a work of God to make us children of light as it was to make light at the first. Only God can work this miracle, but mark you this, there never was a soul yet that truly believed in Christ, but at the same time it underwent the change called the new birth or regeneration." 

"Christians have often been asked about which is first, faith or regeneration, belief in Christ or being born again. I will tell you when you answer me this question—When a wheel moves, which spoke moves first? “Oh, they all start together!” say you. So these other things all start together, whether it is the hub of the wheel, which is regeneration, or the spokes of the wheel, which are faith, and repentance, and hope, and love, and so on—when the wheel moves, it all moves at once."

"If you believe in Jesus Christ and Him crucified, in the moment that you believe, this great change of nature is effected in you, for faith has in itself a singularly transforming power. It is a fact in everyday experience that, when a man comes to believe in his master, he becomes at once a better servant. A person whom I disliked, because I suspected him, becomes at once pleasing to me as soon as I trust him. So, faith towards God in itself produces a total change of mind in the man who has it...But beside that, there goes with faith a divine energy which changes the heart of man."

"Now, that is exactly what God can do for you. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you shall receive a new and childlike nature. There shall be created in you something better than what is called the primitive innocence of infancy—it shall be a really pure and holy life that shall be given to you and you shall become a new creature in Christ Jesus."

I do not want anyone to say that Spurgeon taught regeneration before faith!