But, the calvinist asks, if all are fallen and born in sin, then isn’t it impossible for any man himself to even understand truths about sin and salvation in his natural state, let alone self-determine to obey the Gospel? How could he be enlightened with a hardened heart and a darkened mind? Only a supernatural work of God could give him a new heart and mind, with which he’d be able to have knowledge of the truth.

This is all absolutely true. But why does the calvinist assume God does no supernatural work in giving the non-elect new hearts and minds? The Arminians have somewhat grasped at this truth under their doctrine of ‘Prevenient Grace’ – where God supernaturally works in the non-elect to bring them to a ‘neutral’ state from which they must self-determine to be saved.

Prevenient Grace

Where the Arminian is mistaken is in differentiating between prevenient grace and the regeneration of hearts and minds. If the purpose of God’s regenerating the hardened heart is to enable it to receive the things of God, how is it then different from God’s prevenient grace to enable the hardened heart to receive the same? What does regeneration add to prevenient grace – what can a person do when he’s regenerated that he can’t do with just prevenient grace?

Semantics aside, a hardened heart needs to be enabled to believe the Gospel. And the enabling is by the removal of that hardened heart which causes the disability, and the giving of a new heart in its place. If prevenient grace does exactly this, then that is the same as regeneration. On the other hand, if prevenient grace does not do this, then the disability has not yet been removed to enable any sound faith in obedience to the Gospel.

So, yes, God does regenerate the hearts and minds of even the non-elect and this is in accordance with God’s desire that all may be saved. By His grace and mercy, God provides them the means of salvation – through faith alone in Christ alone. And on leading them to faith, God also gives His Holy Spirit – all in accordance with His creating a level playing field for all, both the elect and the non-elect. The only point of difference at this state between the elect and the non-elect according to the Master Scientist’s demonstration is whether God’s nature alone is operational in preserving them or if it is their own self-deterministic nature (Gal 3:3).