Top Ten Questions Synergists Should Answer
According to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, synergism is “The doctrine or theory… that in the regeneration of a human soul there is a cooperation, or joint agency, on the part both of God and of man.” In contrast, monergism is the belief that the regeneration of man is solely by God and is summed up in Ephesians 2:4-5 which tells us that while we were still dead in sins, God quickened us together with Christ.
Originally posted in the Bereans forum as 12 Questions To Synergists, here are the “Top Ten Questions Synergists” should answer.
(1) It is said in 2 Corinthians 4:3 that Gospel is hid to them who are lost, in verse 4 it says that god of this world has blinded their minds preventing them to see the glorious gospel of Christ. The question is who can remove the blindness in their minds? Can they do it themselves? What can they do to help God to open the blindness in the minds?
(2) It is said in 2 Timothy 2:25-26 that the Lord’s servants most not strive and that they should be gentle hoping that God will grant repentance to those who oppose them so that those who oppose them may recover themselves out of the devils captivity. These opposers, will they be able to recover themselves if God will not grant them repentance? Or would God have to grant them repentance first before they are able to recover themselves? Say you are shackled hands and feet and spreaded out can you free yourself? Say, God gives you a key can you reach and unlock the shackles on your wrists?
(3) It is said in 1 Corinthians 2:14 that natural man cannot receive the things of God’s Spirit, that the same is even foolishness to them, neither can they know them. Without spiritual quickening happening first, how can the natural man understand the things of God’s Spirit that he may believe them?
(4) Romans 3:11-12 says that there’s no one who understand and seek after God and that they have all gone out of the way and have become unprofitable, accordingly none does good not one — this seems to have been affirmed by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 19:17 and Mark 10:18. My question is this: Is there an exception to this? Or is this a universal condition of man? But if God can do something against this, who gets the credit?
(5) Romans 8:7 tells us that the carnal mind is in enmity with God, that it is not and cannot be subject to the law of God, what must man do or contribute to make his mind subject to the law of God, what amount of study and intellect or wisdom can man add with God to make himself spiritual? Can man help God quicken himself? How can man even pray for himself to be spiritually quickened if his mind is in enmity with God? Do synergists have a solution to man’s problem with his carnal mind?
(6) It is said in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that the preaching of the cross is foolishness to them who are perishing but to those who are saved it is the power of God, if you are carnal what natural ability to you have to change or help change your worldview about the preaching of the cross?
(7) Colossians 2:11 and 12 talks about circumcision not made with hands, therefore it must be spiritual circumcision. What can you contribute to your spiritual circumcision? Verse 12 speaks of us rising with Christ in baptism. It says we are risen with Christ THROUGH the faith of the operation of God. Which comes first, spiritual circumcision or the spiritual rising together with Christ through faith of the operation of God?
(8) In 1 Corinthians 12:3, the Apostle Paul tries to make us understand that a man can confess Jesus is Lord if he is speaking through the Spirit of God (this was confirmed when Jesus told Peter when he confessed the Lord Jesus, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17) My question is: Can a man who is not speaking through the Spirit of God (ruling out the pretenders, hypocrites and the deceived) genuinely confess with utmost sincerity that Jesus is the LORD (i.e., Yahweh)?
(9) It is said in 1 Peter 1:23 that we are born again by the incorruptible word of God while Ephesians 5:26 says we are sanctified and cleansed with the washing of water by the word which is also evident when Jesus told the disciples (minus Judas) and in John 15:3, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” What contribution can we offer to help God to make us born again?
(10) Ephesians 1:13 says we trusted after we heard the word of truth (i.e., the Gospel of our salvation), in whom also after we believed we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. The sequence goes like this: a) hearing the word of truth b) trusting/believing the word of truth c) Holy Spirit sealing. That being said, please turn to Romans 10:17 which affirms that sequence, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The question now is: Where should we place regeneration? a) before or b) after?
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