In previous postings about Dr. John Piper and his view on the ordo salutis, i.e. which comes first, faith or birth, I have shown where Dr. Piper seemed to take both sides, being wishy washy. Previous posts about Piper and his views on the ordo salutis (here, here, here, here, here, here) He is very inconsistent on this question. Here are some citations from an article of his I just read.
"The decisive act of justification and adoption and new birth are performed by God through that first act of saving faith. Therefore, no other acts can make those divine acts happen. They’ve already happened at that first act of saving faith." ("How Does Baptism Save Us?" - here)
Notice that Dr. Piper says that the new birth is through faith, through the first act of faith.
"What keeps us from misunderstanding that act as a physical cause of new birth is the phrase through faith. You were raised with Christ through faith. In other words, Paul is jealous not to picture the physical act of baptism as the decisive cause of this new birth. It’s an acted-out picture of what is happening, and the spiritual effect of what is happening is through faith. That’s a crucial phrase there in Colossians 2:12."
Dr. Piper affirms that the "new birth" is what is intended by the text speaking of being raised with Christ and he affirms it is "through faith." In one of those previous postings on Piper I discussed Colossians 2: 12 as it relates to Piper's views.
"The physical act of baptism is the parable, it’s the drama, it’s the emblem, but the reality of new birth is not physical and is not received by physical acts. It’s received by faith and faith alone."
Notice that he affirms that the "new birth" is "received by faith." That is my view and the view of the first Calvinists, such as even Calvin himself.
It takes nothing away from true Calvinist principles to teach that men are raised from spiritual death and born again by faith.
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