Dave Bovenmyer's Writings

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (Ephesians 2:8, NASB95)

Some Christians believe that the word “that” in Ephesians 2:8 refers to the word “faith” as its antecedent.  The following comments from various commentaries on the passage show that the Greek language does not support this.  Neither can the word “that” refer to “grace.”  Rather, the word “that” modifies the previously presented concept of “salvation.” Continue reading →

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What is regeneration?  The word means to be born again.  John 1:12 and John 3:6 indicate that this new birth is not physical but spiritual. Just as we were born into a physical family, we are born into a spiritual family and become children of God (John 1:12). This regeneration is accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5), who was poured out upon us richly.  Regeneration seems also to be envisioned in the passages that refer to passing from death to life and being resurrected with Christ, although the term is not specifically used in these passages (John 3:33, John 5:24, Ephesians 2:1-10, Colossians 2:12-14).

Some pastors and teachers  teach that regeneration precedes faith and is necessary for it.  They believe that mankind is so fallen that his heart is unable to respond to the gospel or believe in Christ. They say that we must first be regenerated before we can believe. Some believe that regeneration and faith occur simultaneously and that regeneration is only logically prior to faith.  Others believe that regeneration often is temporally prior to faith.  Either way, they believe that regeneration is the condition and means of obtaining faith. Continue reading →

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What Does it Mean to be “Dead in Sin”?

I’ve often heard the argument, based on Ephesians 2:1-3 that since fallen man is dead in sin, he is incapable of seeking God, doing good, desiring God, responding to the call of God, or believing in Christ while in this dead state.  The argument is that man must first be regenerated before he is able to respond to the gospel and believe.  In the following points, I give my analysis of Ephesians 2:1-10 and its context and argue that Paul did not intend to use the “death” analogy in the sense of such total disability, and that indeed, men must believe in order to be made alive.  Continue reading →

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The following is an evaluation of John Piper’s interpretation of 1 John 5:1

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. (1 John 5:1, ESV)

Commenting on 1 John 5:1, John Piper says, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Son of God has been born of God.  This is crystal clear that the reason you believe is that you have been born of God, not the other way around.”[1]

I take Piper to mean that being born again is the cause of belief.  Piper also seems to be envisioning and emphasizing initial faith more than an ongoing confession of faith. Continue reading →

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