John 7:39
John 7:38-39
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
This passage creates quite a conundrum for Calvinism. Consider what John Calvin says:
John Calvin: “…those who believe are already born of God.” (John: Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.23, emphasis mine)
Calvinist, R.C. Sproul: “The Reformed view of predestination teaches that before a person can choose Christ his heart must be changed. He must be born again.” (Chosen By God, p.72, emphasis mine)
Calvinist, Erwin Lutzer: “Because man is dead in trespasses and sins, God must regenerate him and even grant him the faith to believe.” (The Doctrines That Divide, p.180, emphasis mine)
Question: Was anyone in the Old Testament “Born Again”?
Answer: That’s the key question that this passage raises. The reality is that the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. Calvinists will say that this merely speaks of the outward gifts of the Holy Spirit, rather than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, because if it does include the latter, then Calvinism is DOA: Dead On Arrival.
Question: If the Reformed view of predestination is that man is dead, and requires regeneration through the Holy Spirit by being born again in order to believe, how is it possible that anyone believed in God before Christ was glorified since the Holy Spirit was not given until then? Stated another way, if a “dead” person’s belief in God originates from regeneration through the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was not yet given until Christ was glorified, how is it that anyone could have ever believe in God before then?
Answer: The Calvinistic formula for the origination of faith must be defective, if it is hinged upon regeneration through the Holy Spirit who had not yet been given.
And Calvin’s answer is likewise defective:
John Calvin: “As we know, the Spirit is eternal. But the evangelist is saying that so long as Christ lives in the world in the humble form of a servant, that grace of the Spirit which was poured out on mankind after Christ’s resurrection had not yet come about openly. Christ is speaking comparatively, just as when the New Testament is compared with the Old. God promises his Spirit to believers as if he had never given him to the fathers. By that time the disciples had undoubtedly already received the first fruits of the Spirit, for where does faith come from if it does not come from the Spirit? So the evangelist is not just denying that the grace of the Spirit was revealed to believers before Christ’s death, but that it was not yet so bright and illustrious as it would be later.” (John: Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.197, emphasis mine)
Calvin asks, “where does faith come from”? He answers: “the Spirit.” But he also says, “It must be further noted that faith has no other foundation than the doctrine of God. Paul does not state that faith arises from any kind of doctrine, but expressly limits it to the Word of God.” (Calvin’s New Testament Commentaries: Romans and Thessalonians, p.233) That was his commentary on Romans 10:17 which states: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” And what about the Spirit? At Galatians 3:2, Paul answers with a question: “This is the only thing that I want to find out from you: did receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” So the source of faith is the power of the Gospel (Romans 1:16) which is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12), after which you do believe in Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. But Calvin argues that the Holy Spirit was given. Jesus said He wasn’t; Calvin says he was, but just not given “openly” and “comparatively” so much. So who are you going to trust? Calvin’s answer is that the Holy Spirit was given to “the fathers,” and he confidently states that the disciples “undoubtedly” already received the “first fruits of the Spirit.” Yet Jesus said: “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) Later, after the resurrection, John 20:22 states: “And when [Jesus] had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” Until then, neither the fathers, nor the disciples, had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that makes the New Testament believer into the “temple of God.” (1st Corinthians 3:16) Also consider John the Baptist: “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11) As righteous as John the Baptist was, he was not righteous enough to go to heaven, and when he died, he too went to Abraham’s Bosom, until the third day when Christ set the captives free. That’s the difference between being born again, and not being born again. And the Calvinistic formula for faith stemming from being born again would imply that no one prior to Christ’s resurrection had faith. Although the righteous of the Old Testament, like David, did have the presence of the Holy Spirit (Psalm 51:11), he nevertheless did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a regenerated, new creation in Christ. (2nd Corinthians 5:17) The disciples had the first fruits of the Spirit (Romans 8:23), and that came after the resurrection, not before.
John Calvin: “There is one outstanding question. Is Christ referring here to the visible graces of the Spirit, or to being given new life, which is the fruit of adoption? My reply is: the Spirit, who had been promised at the coming of Christ, appeared in those visible gifts like mirrors. Here, however, Christ is just referring to the power of the Spirit, through whom we are born again in Christ and become new creatures.” (John: Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.198, emphasis mine)
Let’s re-inspect John 7:39 to answer Calvin’s question: “‘He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.”’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” When Jesus spoke of the “rivers of living water,” He was referring to the Spirit, and He was not yet given. So this is not talking about “graces” or “power,” but about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus said as much: “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) So the fathers and the disciples had all believed (prior to the resurrection), but without having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So this shows that you do not need to be born again in order to believe, and thus the cardinal tenant of Calvinism is overthrown. In other words, being born again is not the prerequisite to faith in Christ. In summary, all are endowed with faith by the Creator. And by the power of the Gospel and conviction of the Holy Spirit (viz. the Prevenient Grace of God), faith is directed to Christ. As a result of faith in God’s Son, God the Father then makes you born again through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
