Have you ever heard someone ask, “Which came
first, the chicken or the egg?” Such questions are
often based on humor and are usually intended to be
a brainteaser. Recently, with regard to being “born
again” (a spiritual birth), I was asked, “Which takes
place first, regeneration or faith?” Such a question
derives from the fact that there are those who believe
that one cannot come to faith unless he is first born
again. However, the Bible teaches just the opposite:
(faith precedes regeneration).
In Romans 6:4 Paul states matter-of-factly that
AFTER one is “buried with (Christ) through baptism”
one walks “in newness of life” (which is an obvious
reference to a “new birth”). In Colossians 2:13 Paul
again states that AFTER one is “buried with (Christ)
in baptism” (v. 12) “He has made us alive together
with Him” (regeneration). Additionally, Paul pointed
out in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that one “is a new creation”
(born again) IF he is “in Christ.” Therefore friends,
faith comes before regeneration (just as the chicken
came before the egg – Gen. 1:20-25).