When the solemn and blessed subject of Divine foreordination is expounded, when God’s eternal choice of certain ones to be conformed to the image of His Son is set forth, the Enemy sends along some man to argue that election is based upon the foreknowledge of God, and this “foreknowledge” is interpreted to mean that God foresaw certain ones would be more pliable than others, that they would respond more readily to the strivings of the Spirit, and that because God knew they would believe, He, accordingly, predestinated them unto salvation. But such a statement is radically wrong. It repudiates the truth of total depravity, for it argues that there is something good in some men. It takes away the independency of God, for it makes His decrees rest upon what He discovers in the creature. It completely turns things upside down, for in saying God foresaw certain sinners would believe in Christ, and that because of this, He predestinated them unto salvation, is the very reverse of the truth. Scripture affirms that God, in His high sovereignty, singled out certain ones to be recipients of His distinguishing favors (Acts 13:48), and therefore He determined to bestow upon them the gift of faith. False theology makes God’s foreknowledge of our believing the cause of His election to salvation; whereas, God’s election is the cause, and our believing in Christ is the effect.
A.W. Pink (1886 – 1952)
The Attributes of God
A Particular Baptist Blog 
Hello again Mr. Coleman,
If I understand the process of the Calvinists view of salvation correctly, an elect individual is first regenerated (the spiritually dead brought to life) being made able to receive the gift of faith and believe, resulting in his salvation, in that order. The question I have is what kind of spiritual life is this regeneration prior to faith? It is not receiving the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Jesus) as 1 John 5:12 clearly states ‘he that does not have the Son does not have the Life’. So since in order to have the Son you must first believe, and before you can believe you must first be brought to ‘life’ (regenerated), this ‘life’ is some kind of life without the Son (however brief it may be).
One person tried to explain it as a similtaneous occurance. So I asked him if that was the case, could not faith just as easily come before regeneration. He obviously stated no – because that of course would destroy TULIP.
So what kind of life is this regeneration prior to faith?
Tom