God sometimes commands a person to do what in himself he is totally unable to do. An example of this is in Matthew 14:28 Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Another example to this is the man with the withered hand (Mark 3:1-5). Jesus gave him the command, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. How could the man do this if he suffered from a paralyzed hand? Christ gave the command, the man obeyed and God enabled. Christ enabled him to do the impossible. So also the sinner is commanded to believe on Christ. If the sinner fails to obey this command then he is guilty of disobeying the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8). No one will ever be able to use the excuse that they weren‘t first regenerated to believe. God commands, then man is responsible to obey. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30
Regeneration does not precede faith. They both take place at the same time. The moment a person is saved by the Lord Jesus Christ he is born again (regenerated).
Do we need life in order to believe or do we need to believe in order to have life?
The jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31).
The Bible clearly and plainly tells us to believe and thou shalt live! Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life John 6:47. John 3:15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
The Calvinist (believers in total depravity) says, "live and thou shalt believe!" Notice that John 1:12 does not say this. John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
See, too, that in John 20:31, John says, “ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
It does not say “that by having life you may believe.”
In his helpless and hopeless condition the sinner is told to look to the Lord Jesus and live. (John 3:14-16; Numbers 21).
The Calvinist teaches that a person must have life in order to believe. The Lord Jesus taught that a person must believe (come to Christ) in order to have life. John 5:40
Why can't men believe? Why don't men come to Christ? There are many scriptures that tells us why people don't believe and be saved. I've given many in this thread. Jesus said “yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
To "come to Christ" has the same meaning as "believing on Him" (See John 6:35, 37, 40). Why do people not believe on Christ? It is not because they have not been regenerated, it is because they refuse to come to Christ by faith (John 5:40; 2 Thessalonians 2:10,12).
If regeneration comes before faith, then this would make faith unnecessary since the person would already be saved. If a person is regenerated, then he is born of God, and a member of God’s family and has eternal life. Calvinism is a false doctrine. As is total depravity.