What is the meaning of biblical regeneration? We know that there is something wrong with the human race. . As the wind moves wherever it wills, the Spirit moves in whomever He wills. Here we learn that God is the Source and Cause of all things. In other passages the cleansing and refining power of fire is alluded to (e.g. God is here telling of a day, still future, when He will set Himself apart as the one true and living God, and that all peoples in the earth will acknowledge Him as such. When a man says he has been justified by God, his fellowmen have a right to expect him to prove his faith by his good works. Earlier in this Epistle Sanctification precedes it, and the Holy Spirit prepares the heart of the individual, making him ready to receive it. The Spirit Himself sovereignly does this great work of total renewal. Jesus said, And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:16, 17). It is the "breath from Yahweh," the Spirit of God, who alone can give life to the spiritually dead. See ESCHATOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, IX. The Spirit regenerates. Its varied usages in the New Testament shows shades of meaning far removed from the idea of sinless perfection. For example, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, Brethren, be not children in understanding; howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men (Gr. Our Lord Himself said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24). Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate (Hebrews 13:12). Another significant passage appears in the opening of the First Corinthian Letter. Before leaving this point of Preparatory Sanctification, let us have a look at some verses which refer to our Lord and His earthly ministry. Theologically speaking, regeneration and conversion are two sides of the same coin. By faith power is received which enables the sinner to overcome sin, to "sin no more" (John 8:11). God the Father is the Author of regeneration and His Word the means. It gathers up the truth of what precedes and sheds light upon the truth about to be affirmed. For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the diving asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). His name is Jesus Christ, and He was the only Just Man. I interpret Peters scathing rebuke to mean that there was a man who, though he was baptized, was never regenerated. Christians are now saints, already set apart, sanctified. These items are neither moral nor immoral; they are amoral. 36:2527). The righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer; the sin of the unbeliever is imputed to Christ as if that sin were Christs. It is the first action of the regenerate soul in moving from something to something. Regeneration precedes and produces conversion. The Reformed vigorously defended the idea that regeneration precedes faith and that it is based on the sovereign working of the Holy Spirit. The evolutionary theory holds that life must come from pre-existing life, but it is at a loss to know where life begins. 1. : an act or the process of regenerating : the state of being regenerated. Jesus Christ made peace through the blood of his cross . If sin in a believer could cause the Holy Spirit to depart from that believer, then that same sin could cause the person who committed it to lose his salvation, and if one could lose his salvation, he never could be saved again. As God takes the initiative in making the covenant, the conviction takes root that human sin and depravity can be effectually eliminated only by the act of God Himself renewing and transforming the heart of man (Hosea 14:4). Justification is the sentence of the Judge in favor of the condemned man, clearing him of all blame and freeing him of every charge. So you see that without the Word of God a man cannot be regenerated, or born again. When an earthly judge shows mercy, he is not being just; and when he is just, he cannot show mercy. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (I Corinthians 10:13). . We should seek it eagerly, endeavor earnestly to acquire it with urgency, pursue it as a hunter stalks his game or as an athlete the winning of the race. In the preceding lesson we discussed the doctrine of Regeneration. Christian psychology thus traces to its deep-lying retreat the divine elaboration of the regenerated life. The tribunal of Heaven differs from all earthly tribunals. There is a mystery attached to both. The regenerated man is a new creation, the new meaning a difference in kind. But then he added, For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13). This is a "regeneration in the proper meaning of the word, for it signifies a renovation of all visible things when the old is passed away, and heaven and earth are become new" (compare Revelation 21:1). Indeed, if your will is renewed by the regeneration of the Spirit, you will choose to cry out to God for salvation, just as the newborn baby cries out once born. Of the righteous man it is written, The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide (Psalm 37:31). I understand this verse to mean that the Holy Spirit is the agent and power by which we are declared righteous. (3) The house in which a man lives can be sanctified. . Even so, when we were regenerated, there was posited to us the holiness of Jesus Christ, Gods gift of Sanctification. This dictionary is from 'Hitchcock's New and Complete Analysis of the Holy Bible', published in the late 1800s. Perfect (or ultimate) Sanctification is that aspect of Sanctification related to the final perfection of the children of God. It is by means of our bodies that God gets His work done. Gods Word is the active agent the Holy Spirit uses to this end. The Apostle James attributes the sovereign work of God in regeneration to the living Word of God. However, in the redemptive plan God restores that image and likeness. Upon this foundation God goes into action. Somewhere I heard or read of a tragedy at sea in which a young fisherman was washed overboard and lost. Because they were my children and I loved them, I excused and shielded their guilt. . It was credited, posited to his account. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). In the new birth, the Spirit implants in the souls of Gods people new wills, affections, and desires. The man who contends that he does not need to be justified by God must first establish the evidence that there is no accusation against him. It takes place in the sphere of subconsciousness. And if you are wondering how the Word of God quickens faith, the answer is, By imparting knowledge. Mans heart has been evil continually, but God loves him. WebRegeneration was the principal work of the Holy Spirit. The scholarly Nicodemus, to whom our Lord expounded the New Birth, could not fully understand it. Having become partakers of the Divine Nature we now see sin as God sees it. (2) A building and its contents can be sanctified. If we accept the erroneous idea that baptism is a means of regeneration, then it would follow that all baptized persons are regenerated. holiness (Hebrews 12:14), that is, pursue it, press on after it. When the initiation into the church was thought of as accomplished by the mediation of ministers thereto appointed, the ceremonies hereby employed became means to which magic powers were of necessity ascribed. Therefore, he could say, And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth (John 17:19). He accepts them. That operation effected an eternal union between the Sanctifier and the sanctified, For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one . At the same time regeneration supplies a new life-power of divine origin, which enables the component parts of human nature to fulfill the law of God, to strive for the coming of God's kingdom, and to accept the teachings of God's spirit. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. If you have not been sanctified, then you are not saved. This means that justification by faith guarantees for us our future. In John 16:8, Jesus teaches that the Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment in the process of regeneration and conversion. This was always recognized as impossible to mere human endeavor. Beware of the false teaching that urges the believer to seek Positional Sanctification after he has been saved. Conversion, consisting in repentance and faith in Christ, is therefore the human response to the offer of salvation which God makes. The italicized words to be should have been left out. The Cross And Christs Suffering For Sins (1 Peter 3:18-22), 6. Psychological: W. James, Varieties of Religious Experience, 189-258; G. Stanley Hall, Adolescence, II, 281-362; G. A. Coe, The Spiritual Life, New York, 1900; E. D. Starbuck, Psychology of Religion, New York, 1911; G. B. Cutten, Psychological Phenomena of Christianity, London, 1909; H. E. Warner, The Psychology of the Christian Life, New York, 1910; H. W. Clark, The Philosophy of Christian Experience, London, 1906; Harold Begbie, Broken Earthenware, or Twice-Born Men, London, 1909; M. Scott Fletcher, The Psychology of the New Testament, London, 1912. (5) Regeneration, being a new birth, is the starting-point of spiritual growth. It will not be realized while we are in this mortal body. I would not work my soul to save, That work my Lord has done; But I would work like any slave For love of Gods dear Son. The glory of the revelation of the Lord from heaven will be shared by Christs Church at that day (Colossians 3:4). But was he ever truly saved? Our Lord said to His disciples, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). Justification is a legal term which changes the believing sinners standing before God, declaring him acquitted and accepted by God, with the guilt and penalty of his sins put away forever. It is supposed by some that these words, being addressed "to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion" (1:1), do not refer to individual regeneration, but to an election of Israel as a nation and so to a Christian Israel. The setting apart of the believing sinner as Gods possession and for Gods purpose is associated with the Holy Spirits entering the body at Regeneration. While God did tell us some things about the New Birth, the Scriptures are clear also that as far as man is concerned, there are certain limitations in understanding fully this inexplicable phenomenon. This plain statement of fact should be followed up with the solemn warning, Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall (I Corinthians 10:12). It is not surprising that the idea of purity should invite the Old Testament parallel of "cleansing by water." He did all that He could do. This includes even that little member (James 3:5) which too often hurts the membership. 2:14). Grace has dug a foundation so deep that men have been drinking from its cleansing, justifying stream for centuries. Our Lord said that the Holy Spirit would abide with you forever (John 14:16). The prodigal is declared to have been "dead" and to be "alive again" (Luke 15:24). Justification does not make the sinner righteous, but when God sees him in Christ, He declares that he is righteous, thereby pronouncing the verdict of not guilty. In modern jurisprudence a sentence in any court must be in keeping with the facts presented. Paul wrote, . Praise God! Here, too, no ceremony or sacrifice is sufficient, but an interposition of divine grace, which is represented under the figure of a washing and sprinkling from all iniquity and sin (Isaiah 1:18; Jeremiah 13:23). There is no trace of infant baptism in the New Testament. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with a willing spirit" (Psalms 51:10-12). Man was created in the likeness and image of God, and he was Gods possession by creative right. This new order is the Church, the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22, 23), not an organization, but a spiritual organism. Righteousness is that character or quality of being right or just in the sight of God. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). Again the pastor told her to go to the bank and withdraw the necessary amount from the boys account. The water in this verse does not refer to baptism. Scripture teaches that regeneration (the new birth) is an essential part of the redeeming work of God in Christ. Request R.C. Both have reference to justification before men. . Let us turn to the Scriptures for the answer. But not many days before the deadline, she went to the bank, and after inquiring she learned that the money was there, deposited in her sons name by another person. But it is no sin to be tempted. It means to be born again. Christs coming into the world was a supernatural event, both the fact and the manner of His coming being a mystery to man. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? It takes twenty-one years before a new born babe reaches the twenty-first anniversary of his birth. From the human viewpoint this is an insurmountable problem, one for which there is no solution. Advocates of baptismal regeneration typically have a four-part formula for how salvation is received. And make certain that you are clear on one point, namely, the new creation begins with Christ. Similar passages might be multiplied. But after we are born again, Christ becomes our righteousness (I Corinthians 1:30). The garment, the gift of the inviting king, had been refused by the unhappy guest, who, in consequence, was `cast out into the outer darkness' (Matthew 22:13). When Christ was on earth He performed many miracles. Regeneration is to Paul, no less than to Jesus, connected with the conception of purity and knowledge. Regeneration gives the gifts of repentance and faith. . (1:2). Interested in joining the Ligonier team? The worth of His shed Blood is the righteous ground on which the grace of God can act in behalf of sinners. Praise God for the atonement, for without it He could not reckon us other than what we actually are, nor could He deal with us differently from what we deserve. . Not posse non peccare (able not to sin), but non posse peccare (not able to sin). Most assuredly does the work of Sanctification in the believer involve victory over sin in his daily life. Soon, however, great disasters, threatening to overthrow the national entity, and finally the captivity and dispersion which caused national functions to be almost, if not altogether, discontinued, assisted in the growth of a sense of individual or personal responsibility before God. Let us look now at the work of the Holy Spirit in the believers Positional Sanctification. NASB Translation. This is a clear illustration of the Preparatory Sanctification of God the Father in Election and Foreknowledge. Remember, there is no meritorious value in faith itself. I am not suggesting that there is no experiential aspect in Sanctification in which practical holiness will manifest itself in the Christians life. Cyril of Jerusalem (Cat., xvii, c. 37) ascribes to baptism the power of absolution from sin and the power of endowment with heavenly virtues. Many Christians either withdraw from it completely or else they associate it with fanatical fringe groups. Her boy had not earned the money. Jeremiah resisted the appointment on the ground of his immaturity and insufficiency, but God assured him that He knew what He was doing. The best trained meteorologists with the latest scientific radar equipment will admit a certain enigma in the movement of the winds. Adam, in his original state, was created with the gift of life; this was the implantation of life through the creative process.