Thesis LXIII. The Reformed teachers also admit that a person converted by God's grace freely performs the very first act of conversion. At first sight this does not seem to fit well with what they commonly teach, in agreement with the theologians of the Augsburg Confession: that in the work of his regeneration and conversion a person is merely passive.
How can the human will freely perform the act of conversion and yet be merely passive in its own conversion? Can a will that is assumed to act freely be merely passive?
Latin
LXIII. Porro quod fatentur Scholae Reformatae Doctores, hominem qui per Dei gratiam convertitur, libere ipsum primum conversionis actum elicere, prima specie satis concordare non videtur, cum eo quod communiter docent, idque cum Theologis confessionis Augustanae, videlicet, hominem ad opus regenerationis & conversionis suae mere passive se habere. Quomodo enim voluntas humana potest conversionis actum libere elicere, & simul tamen ad sui conversionem mere passive se habere? an mere passive se habet voluntas quae supponitur libere operari?