Hmm...a Calvinist question

I'm a Calvinist who was recently reading an article against Calvinism. (http://www.heavensfamily.org/ss/calvinism/calvinism-total-depravity-and-irresistible-grace) So far, it hasn't convinced me to become an Arminian :) But it did present something a bit puzzling. It said that persuasive preaching was unnecessary because God could just regenerate people without it. I thought, "No, because they can't believe a message unless they've heard it, and God uses us Christians to proclaim the message." But then I wondered: Could God theoretically regenerate someone when they hadn't heard the message? If so, why doesn't He?

It's probably a very dumb question, I just found it kind of puzzling…my understanding is very limited (especially seeing as I've only been a Calvinist for…a year, maybe?), so I would ask you all to graciously bear with my lameness and answer this question.

Thank you so much in advance!

Good question. It's important to understand that God not only determines the end, but also the means to get to the end. To put it in an example, God ordains preaching at times to be the means for someone to come to the knowledge of the Truth. Make sense?

Good question, but I think this verse settles it all.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
Romans 10:14

I agree with you, C4C, for once! :D

Yes, Talia, since God has told us that the preaching of the Word is the means by which people hear the gospel and are saved, that is the only way He does it, because that's the way He has ordained that it will always happen.

Something I've come to learn recently is that, there's really no "What if" or "theoretically" with God. He's already determined everything that's going to happen, according to His will. Nothing can go outside of His plan. We can talk about what might "theoretically" be the case all we want, but it's really fruitless, because if it contradicts what God has made clear in His word, it's not going to happen. Does that make sense?

Yeah, it makes a lot of sense :)

Wow, I knew that question was dumb. I'm so glad you answered it despite its utter stupidity :D

Cummon, you're too hard on yourself. :)

It's true. Man, why am I so hard on myself? I should be less self-critical! Why am I such a self-hating idiot? cries ;)

:D LOL

See, there you go again! Cummon, you're rating yourself too low lady!