Faith is required for salvation through the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5).
No one gets born again then afterwards comes to have faith that leads to salvation. That's backwards and illogical. Someone who has experienced the new birth the Bible speaks of cannot not know that, just like a woman cannot not know that she had been pregnant (whether she was aware of it or not), before giving birth to a child!
You get the point, but this analogy is far from silly.
1 Peter 1:23
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). The word of God is a seed (Luke 8:11) and when planted in a good and honest heart (Luke 8:15) it bears the fruit of a new life in Christ standing on the pillars of righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24), not ongoing sin.
Romans 10:13-17
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
And keep these in mind about calling on the name of the Lord to be saved:
Isaiah 55:6-7
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts;* Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from unrighteousness.”*
*That's repentance.
Reminder:
2 Timothy 4:3-4
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
A tree is known by it's fruit as Jesus taught (Matthew 7:15-20, Luke 6:43-45, Matthew 12:33). So, on the tree that you find this myth of regeneration happening before faith, you also find salvation by faith alone excluding works or deeds of faith (James 2:14-26), no repentance with deeds worthy of repentance (Acts 26:20) being the square one for a relationship with God, or possibly repentance (some unbiblical definition) coming after regeneration also, living a sin / repent / sin / repent lifestyle forever and claiming eternal security or Once Saved Always Saved, with a dubious "Once Saved" part to begin with, and speaking of sanctification while willful sin goes on. These are teachings of demons (1 Timothy 4:1).
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