fralo4truth
Puritan Board Freshman
It is not necessarily my purpose to generate another thread on the ordo salutis and to whether a time gap may exist between regeneration and conversion. That subject has, I’m sure, been hashed out much on this forum in the past. However, I ran across a quote by Berkhof which I wanted to get some thoughts on. Under his chapter ‘Regeneration and Effectual Calling’ he has this to say.
“Now we should not make the mistake of regarding this logical order as a temporal order that will apply in all cases. The new life is often implanted in the hearts of children long before they are able to hear the call of the gospel; yet they are endowed with this life only where the gospel is preached. There is, of course, always a creative call of God by which the new life is produced. In the case of those who live under the administration of the gospel the possibility exists that they receive the seed of regeneration long before they come to years of discretion and therefore also long before the effectual calling penetrates to their consciousness. It is very unlikely, however, that, being regenerated, they will live in sin for years, even after they have come to maturity, and give no evidences at all of the new life that is in them. On the other hand, in the case of those who do not live under the administration of the covenant, there is no reason to assume an interval between the time of their regeneration and that of their effectual calling. In the effectual call they at once become conscious of their renewal, and immediately find the seed of regeneration germinating into the new life. This means that regeneration, effectual calling, and conversion all coincide.”
Berkhof asserts that in some cases, namely in evangelized lands, there may be a long period between the implantation of new life and responding to the gospel call. On the other hand, he then states we should not expect to see this temporal order in unevangelized lands.
Yet what scriptural evidence would one have for asserting such?
What do you brethren think about Berkhof here?
“Now we should not make the mistake of regarding this logical order as a temporal order that will apply in all cases. The new life is often implanted in the hearts of children long before they are able to hear the call of the gospel; yet they are endowed with this life only where the gospel is preached. There is, of course, always a creative call of God by which the new life is produced. In the case of those who live under the administration of the gospel the possibility exists that they receive the seed of regeneration long before they come to years of discretion and therefore also long before the effectual calling penetrates to their consciousness. It is very unlikely, however, that, being regenerated, they will live in sin for years, even after they have come to maturity, and give no evidences at all of the new life that is in them. On the other hand, in the case of those who do not live under the administration of the covenant, there is no reason to assume an interval between the time of their regeneration and that of their effectual calling. In the effectual call they at once become conscious of their renewal, and immediately find the seed of regeneration germinating into the new life. This means that regeneration, effectual calling, and conversion all coincide.”
Berkhof asserts that in some cases, namely in evangelized lands, there may be a long period between the implantation of new life and responding to the gospel call. On the other hand, he then states we should not expect to see this temporal order in unevangelized lands.
Yet what scriptural evidence would one have for asserting such?
What do you brethren think about Berkhof here?
