R.C. Sproul, a very popular preacher and teacher among Evangelicals and a renowned theologian among denominational scholars, wrote this in one of his commentaries:

“In order to embrace the things of God—spiritual things—a new birth is required, a birth wrought in our souls by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit” (R.C. Sproul, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary – 1–2 Peter).

This is classic Calvinism, of which Mr. Sproul is a staunch advocate.  Calvinists call this monergism.  Monergism is the teaching that the Holy Spirit acts, separate and apart from human will, in the conversion or regeneration of man.  Wikipedia defines monergism as such: “The position in Christian theology that God, through the Holy Spirit, works to bring about the salvation of an individual through spiritual regeneration, irrespective of the individual’s cooperation.”

According to this popular position, then, a miracle is necessary for a person to be saved.  The miracle consists of the Holy Spirit working on one’s heart, changing the heart from one that is hard and callous to one that is believing.  In other words, God miraculously causes man to believe.  It is from that standpoint that advocates of this position say that faith is a gift from God.  Listen to this Baptist preacher:

“Faith is not something that man does; faith is something that God does within the heart. Unregenerate man cannot regenerate himself” (Billy Jenkins, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Louisville KY).

Here’s the question.  Since faith is something that God does, since man cannot have faith on his own, whose fault is it if a man is lost?”  The answer has to be God’s fault, and indeed, when pressed, that’s the answer men like R.C. Sproul and Billy Jenkins will give.  The problem is their whole thesis is wrong.  Man does not receive faith miraculously.  The Bible teaches that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), and there is nothing in it that suggests that man needs miraculous help to believe.  In fact, we have clear examples of when such was not the case.

Do you remember when God sent Jonah to the Ninevites in an attempt to get them to repent?  I guess God forgot about man’s inability to believe when He sent Jonah to Nineveh to preach to the people and turn them away from their sins.  The truth is God did not forget anything; He knew that the Ninevites could believe, and that is exactly what they did.

Jonah 3:6-10
⁶ The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, ⁸ but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹  Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” ¹⁰ When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.  

There was no miraculous operation on the hearts of the Ninevites.  God did not see what He had done to them; He saw what they did after hearing His Word.  Is not that what the text says?  “God saw what they did…”   How can anyone miss that?

What about those who obeyed the gospel on the Day of Pentecost?  The text tells us that the hearts of the people were pricked, not when it was operated on by the Holy Spirit but when they heard the preaching of Peter concerning the crucifixion of Christ (Acts 2:36-38).  The record specifically said, “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart…” (ver. 37).   No outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place.  No supernatural work on the part of God occurred.  The word was preached, and they believed.

You see, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.  That is all that is needed.  God did His part by sacrificing His Son and raising Him from the dead (Romans 4:25).  We do our part by obeying the gospel (Romans 1:16).  Will you do your part by believing and being baptized (Mark 16:16), and then by living faithfully unto death (Revelation 2:10)?

Is a miracle needed for man to be saved?  The answer is no.