regeneration bible definition

. The Bible illustrates this: If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then shall they justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked (Deuteronomy 25:1). It originates not with man but with God ( John 1:12 John 1:13 ; 1John 2:29 ; 1 John 5:1 1 John 5:4 ). Surely He would not set apart a man for a ministry without providing the enablement to carry out all of the responsibilities attached thereto. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father (Galatians 4:6). You cannot even coerce the Spirit of God to effect your regeneration. The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. And if you are wondering how the Word of God quickens faith, the answer is, By imparting knowledge. When William Carey was pleading for missionaries to carry the Gospel to unevangelized peoples of the world, a group of preachers in England tried to silence him with the words, If God wants to evangelize the heathen He will do it without your help or ours. It was true, and still is, that God can reach the heathen with the Gospel without the help of any of us. Christ is our sanctification ( 1 Cor. Men have varying standards of righteousness, and they are sometimes sincerely zealous, but not according to knowledge. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The opening statement in the Bible says, In the beginning God created . The moment of the Spirits regenerating work in me climaxed His work of Positional Sanctification. To change this lost condition, to impart this new life, Jesus claims as His God-appointed task: "The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10); "I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly" (John 10:10). 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. James finds less occasion to touch this subject than the other writers of the New Testament. It is necessary to salvation for all men. It was dignifying to Pauls office as an apostle to know that it all did not just happen, but that he was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:14). Even though, as Saul of Tarsus, he waged a fierce warfare against the church, the Lord ruled and overruled, bringing him to the place where Paul himself knew that God had a plan for his life. The exhortation is not to try to die to self by some effort of our own, but to realize that when Christ died on the cross we did die to self with Him. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and Groom? . The Day of Pentecost marked the beginning of the fulfillment of our Lords promise, so that now every born-again person is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. If a man is not guilty, no act or declaration of justification is needed. Think you it was a fair exchange? But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. This is important because every child of God, as long as he is in this body, is able to sin. Though the words just, justify, justification, right, righteous, and righteousness are all translations from the same root, their individual meanings may differ slightly. This response gives occasion to and is synchronous with the divine act of renewal (regeneration). No earthly or fleshly means, no court on earth can justify us in Gods sight. The water in this verse does not refer to baptism. Elsewhere Paul speaks of the peace of God (Philippians 4:7), an experience of those believers who learn to cast their cares on Him. Because they were my children and I loved them, I excused and shielded their guilt. Paul was telling them that if they hoped to be justified by the Law, they had to be more than hearers--they must be doers. This re-birth of the earth in the coming Millennial Age will also fulfill Gods covenant with Abraham concerning his descendants, for Israel too will experience a re-birth at that time (See Ezekiel 37). This means that justification by faith guarantees for us our future. WebRegeneration then, may be defined as an act of God whereby He bestows upon the believing sinner new life. He guides us through His Word. Forgiveness is wonderful; pardon is wonderful; cleansing is wonderful; but Justification is more wonderful. Some who believe regeneration to be hereditary use Acts 16:31 in support of this theory. Man as he is by nature stands in direct contrast to the demands of the spiritual life. The Old Testament had succeeded--and even the Gentile conscience agreed with it--in convincing the people of this need. The saving blessing of regeneration is signified and sealed in the sacrament of baptism. He did not use it with reference to repeated action, but rather in contrast to our physical birth which is from beneath, or earthly. These Scriptures do not promise an eradication of the sin nature nor a state of perfection of this life, but they do exhort the believer to self-dedication and surrender to God. WebThe analogy of birth shows that regeneration is a radical change, which brings one from an earlier condition of pollution and death to a renewed state of holiness and life. However, in the redemptive plan God restores that image and likeness. Our first parents were driven out from the garden; Cain was driven out from the presence of the Lord; Israel was kept afar off from the foot of Mount Sinai lest some of the people should approach it. Notice the word regeneration in verse 5: He [that is, God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the This word literally means a "new birth." . Both the carnal and the spiritual are included in the sanctified saints. It is not possible for a Christian to die to self. God was manifest in the flesh. What man has understood or explained it? This is understood more clearly when we realize that the Word of God is both living and life-producing. The difference between our Lords use of the word and Pauls use of it is obvious. The Word of God presents to us the fact of our sin and condemnation, that without Christ we are without a Saviour and with no hope. By faith power is received which enables the sinner to overcome sin, to "sin no more" (John 8:11). Paul wrote, For ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? (I Corinthians 3:3). In Titus 3:5 it denotes that change of heart elsewhere spoken of as a passing from death to life ( 1John 3:14 ); becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus ( 2Corinthians 5:17 ); being born again ( John 3:5 ); a renewal of the mind ( Romans 12:2 ); a resurrection from the dead ( Ephesians 2:6 ); a being quickened ( Ephesians 2:1 Ephesians 2:5 ). The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:30, 35). For usage information, please read the Baker Book House Copyright Statement. The former is a judicial act of God, which frees man from the law of sin and absolves him from the state of enmity against God; the latter an enduement with the Spirit, which is an earnest of his inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). . (Exodus 39:44). Let us put it another way--the only righteous basis for our justification has been provided through the death of Christ. God has separated us unto Himself. It is future--When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory (Colossians 3:4 R.V.). In summing up our study of the doctrine of Regeneration, we may conclude that the regenerated person has been given the power to obey God and to grow in grace. The act of regeneration itself is instantaneous. The New Birth is brought to pass through incorruptible seed, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever (I Peter 1:23), but the Holy Spirit is the Agent who accomplishes the miracle of regeneration. (7) Recent philosophy expressive of the reaction from the mechanical view of bare materialism, and also from the depreciation of personality as seen in socialism, has again brought into prominence the reality and need of personal life. Our Lord used it in its widest sense, of the restoration of all things, at His Second Advent to the earth. 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. This is the God-ward aspect of justification, but like all the blessings of salvation, the sinner cannot receive it until he accepts it, and this he does when he acknowledges his guilt and puts personal faith in what God has done for him in Christ. 1:2 ). The classical expression of this conviction is found in the prayer of David: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (margin "stedfast") spirit within me. God does His work perfectly, but in the area of personal holiness we fail. So, too, new covenant baptism symbolizes the washing away of the sins of Gods people while delivering them. Paul says that forgiveness and justification are made possible through Jesus Christ, but he makes it clear that the two are not identical. We must beware of that disproportionate emphasis on experience which neglects or omits doctrine. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. Perfect Sanctification is the final step in the sanctifying process. He lacked the real power of God, so he thought to purchase it with money. Paul was set apart for the ministry long before the cradle. This mistaken view would mean, then, that the penitent thief on the cross was not saved, notwithstanding the fact that Jesus said he was. Regeneration is a miraculous normality: it is miraculous because man is born of God and God is brought into man to make a sinner be a son of God, and it is normal because this is what we are made for, to receive God and be filled with God! The English word regeneration is the translation of palingenesia, from palin (again) and genesis (birth). The Greek word translated perfect is teleios. translations in the Geneva Bible, King James Version, and American Standard Version). Psychological analysis does not eliminate the direct workings of the Holy Spirit. If, out of favoritism, or for other reasons, God cleared the guilty and condemned the righteous, He would not be administering justice. On the other hand, if we justify a man, then he needs no forgiveness, because justification assumes no guilt. In John 3:8, Jesus teaches that regeneration is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit who produces new hearts in the elect. Man is unable to impart Divine life, therefore he has no part in the New Birth. Ephesians 2:1-2 This new life derives its power not from mere Nature; it is a manifestation of divine life within us (Hauptprobleme der Religionsphilosophie, Leipzig, 1912, 17; Der Kampf um einen geistigen Lebensinhalt, Leipzig, 1907; Grundlinien einer neuen Lebensanschauung, Leipzig, 1907; Johannes Muller, Bausteine fur personliche Kultur, 3 volumes, Munchen, 1908). That He should pass into Heaven to appear for us was as necessary as His death on the cross (Matthew 16:21). This new order is the Church, the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22, 23), not an organization, but a spiritual organism. The question of mans justification before God was raised early in mans history. Through His incoming He sets apart that believing one. Perfect (or ultimate) Sanctification is that aspect of Sanctification related to the final perfection of the children of God. What is impossible for the Christian who is resisting or grieving or quenching the Holy Spirit is possible for the one who is walking by the Spirit. God requires all men to repent and turn unto Him (Acts 17:30) before He will or can effect regeneration. The Holy Spirit was the active Agent in the conception and birth of Jesus Christ. Let us examine three erroneous views and then attempt a correct biblical interpretation. There is no other way of one getting into Christs Church apart from the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. The renewal of the world to take place after its destruction by fire, as the Stoics taught. In the Divine plan God set apart Jeremiah for His work before ever Jeremiah was born, separating and appointing him to be a prophet to the nations. While Reformed theologians defended the doctrine of regeneration against the sacramentalism of Rome, they affirmed that baptism is a sign and seal of the regeneration of believers. If such is the case, I urge you to come with me that I may show you what it cost God to provide justification for you and me. We were brought there by Christ Who said, I am the Door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture (John 10:9). 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). The very nature of God demands that He justify the righteous and condemn the guilty. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). But I am insisting that there is a Positional Sanctification which was purchased by Christs atoning Blood and posited to the believer at conversion. The Body here is the Church (see Ephesians 1:22, 23). In the teaching of Jesus the need of regeneration has a prominent place, though nowhere are the reasons given. The Biblical account of the council at Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-29), shows that Paul and James were in perfect agreement. The New Birth brought with it new life, and the new life has brought an entirely new set of desires, appetites, ideals and goals. Recent psychological investigations have thrown a flood of light on the psychic states which precede, accompany and follow the work of the Holy Spirit. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). View our current career opportunities. Paul is equally explicit regarding the author of this change. You cant train a bird to crawl, for the same reason you cant train a snake to fly. At this point in our study we must make the necessary distinction between Practical Sanctification and that to which some Christians refer to as sinless perfection, an erroneous concept which teaches that a believer in Christ can reach a point in life where he will not commit sin again. Consider well and take seriously the fact of the universality of sin. Christ said, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:35). For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication (I Thessalonians 4:3). But since all are guilty and deserving of judgment, how can He save those whom He loves? The marvels of saving grace call for a life corresponding to our exalted position in Christ. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth (II Thessalonians 2:13). The meaning of these words is always objective, not subjective. The doctrine of Sanctification is doubtless one of the most misunderstood doctrines of our historic Christian faith. The best thing God can do for man is to bring him to a knowledge of his sin so that he will realize his need of being regenerated. Even so, when we were regenerated, there was posited to us the holiness of Jesus Christ, Gods gift of Sanctification. 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. Notice it does not say that some of them were baptized into the Body, but that all were. (See Hebrews 6:4-6). He had to rise from death and appear before God in our behalf in order to secure for us the benefits of His death. Beloved brethren, think of it! Other passages affirm this teaching. "The body is dead because of sin" (Romans 8:3-11; Ephesians 2:1). A person or an object may be said to be more perfect or less perfect than another person or object. It was the symbol of a radical cleansing like that of a "new-born babe," which was one of the designations of the proselyte (compare Psalms 87:5; see also the tractate Yebhamoth 62a). Those who hold this view are in error. During the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, one of the great theological battles concerned the doctrine of regeneration. The turning of Israel to God was necessarily meant to be an inward change of attitude toward Him, in other words, the sprinkling with clean water, as an outward sign, was the emblem of a pure heart. He prayed to the Father, Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth (John 17:17). God said to Jeremiah, Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). When the Apostle Paul used the word regeneration, he wrote, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost (Titus 3:5). The wind blows where it will and it is the Spirits will, not yours, that causes a person to be born from above (John 3:3). 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. There is a cause-and-effect relationship between these two. This connects regeneration to the resurrection of Christ. . (John 17:19). Also, sanctification is the work of God in us to make us more like Jesus. The study of religious psychology is of highest value and greatest importance. Abraham was justified, not by rites of religion, for circumcision was not required until later, nor by the deeds of the law, for the law was not yet given, but through faith in Gods Word. This aspect of new creation was typified in the Old Testament water-judgment baptisms of the flood and the Red Sea (1Cor. Interested in joining the Ligonier team? As the wind moves wherever it wills, the Spirit moves in whomever He wills. The word is usually written paliggenesia, in classical Greek. The subject of regeneration lies outside of the scope of the Epistle to the Hebrews, so that we look in vain for a clear dogmatical statement of it. Though conversion and regeneration, in real-time, appear to Here Peter is saying the same as Jesus said in John 3:5. . WebRegeneration is a Biblico-dogmatic term closely connected with the ideas of justification, Divine sonship, and the deification of the soul through grace. God was satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son, and never again will He take up a case against those who have been justified by faith. This regeneration is "eternal life" (1John 5:13) and moral similarity with God, the very character of God in man. In all human jurisprudence such a procedure is proper. 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). The will of God is all-important in the life of the child of God. Since only the righteous can enter, the believer has access because he has been justified--declared righteous. would prevent them from accepting it. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with a willing spirit" (Psalms 51:10-12). It takes twenty-one years before a new born babe reaches the twenty-first anniversary of his birth. It is important to keep in mind the fact that all three Persons in the Godhead are active in the believers Sanctification. The provision for righteousness is solely through the blood of Christ. This is Preparatory Sanctification, that work of God the Father in which He sovereignly selects men and sets them apart before they are born into this world. Our Lord said that the Holy Spirit would abide with you forever (John 14:16). The coming kingdom of Christ on earth is the day of the earths regeneration, the times of restitution (restoration R.V.) Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (I Corinthians 6:19). A religion that has none of the miraculous or supernaturalism is easier to accept than one that demands supernaturalism. We have here a new creation as against the old creation. 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. It is the function of the Bible to interpret experience, rather than the function of experience to interpret the Bible. The statement that God separated Paul from his mothers womb is more than a reference to Gods providential care of him at birth. The Reformed vigorously defended the idea that regeneration precedes faith and that it is based on the sovereign working of the Holy Spirit. . The only way that God could be both merciful and just was through Calvary, where Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin. There were disputes and divisions among the brethren. There is no trace of infant baptism in the New Testament. It becomes a stronghold in temptation. Remember, it is by Gods perfect standard of justification that we all will be tried. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will (Ephesians 1:5). The flesh is at enmity with God (Ephesians 2:15); all mankind is "darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God" (Ephesians 4:18). The answer is to declare His righteousness. You see, God could not remain just and at the same time allow sin to go unpunished. It is His own glory which He has given to us (John 17:22), and it is the result of our being declared righteous through faith in His Blood. After Charles Spurgeon had finished preaching a sermon on Justification by Grace, a man came to him and said, Oh sir, I have been praying and I do not think God will forgive me unless I do something to deserve it. To which Mr. Spurgeon replied, I tell you, sir, if you bring any of your deservings, you shall never have it. The believer does not ascend to the peak of Christian joy until he appreciates and appropriates this aspect of the grace of God. Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? The waters of baptism symbolize the washing and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Most assuredly does the work of Sanctification in the believer involve victory over sin in his daily life. The holy man of God will honor God with his body. Many Christians either withdraw from it completely or else they associate it with fanatical fringe groups. 6:46, 13; Eph. Thus the latest development of idealistic philosophy corroborates in a remarkable way the Christian truth of regeneration. Let us make certain that by faith we are justified before God. We must see all of lifes experiences in the light of what the Bible teaches. See ESCHATOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, IX. WebRegeneration is the spiritual transformation in a person, brought about by the Holy Spirit, that brings the individual from being spiritually dead to become a spiritually alive human When an earthly judge shows mercy, he is not being just; and when he is just, he cannot show mercy. And how does God guide us? We know that this statement from His lips had nothing to do with moral behavior because in Him is no sin (I John 3:5). In ages to come the Church will display that glory because the God of all grace hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus (I Peter 5:10). 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. When one is born again he instinctively is drawn to those persons of like precious faith. According as He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love (Ephesians 1:4). He existed in spirit form eternally before the world was, and still He was born an infant babe, of a woman, having no human father. It was not to a social outcast, criminal or drunkard, but to a religious, law-abiding man that Christ addressed the command, Ye must be born again. Some persons who possess a certain moral goodness and are therefore self-righteous, do not realize any need of regeneration. This baptizing work of the Holy Spirit is synonymous with Positional Sanctification. Paul says, Do not depend on your good works to justify you. James says, Do not neglect to perform good works if you are justified. Both are right. Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (II Timothy 2:21, 22). 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). The fact that He is in you is the plain teaching of Scripture. 10:10, 14; 1 Pet. And make certain that you are clear on one point, namely, the new creation begins with Christ. Cicero uses the word in his letters to Atticus (vi.6) metaphorically of his return from exile, as a new lease of life granted to him. He left his young widow and eight-year-old son penniless. By taking heed thereto according to thy word (Psalm 119:9). Romans 1:18-3:20 depicts a court scene. The necessity of regeneration for all men grew out of the depravity of mans nature. The governor of a state, or the President of the United States, can pardon a guilty and condemned criminal, but neither can reinstate the criminal to the position of an innocent man.

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