Regeneration

“Regeneration is the secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us”

In this topic, we will examine how it is that some people will respond to the Gospel message while others will simply not respond. We will examine also what is called a portion of the ordo salutis, which is latin for ‘order of salvation’. To put it in more simple terms, which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

We will leave that question behind for just one moment, and look at the definition and a few scriptures regarding regeneration. MacArthur defines regeneration as

“The supernatural work of the Holy Spirit by which the divine nature and the divine life are given”.

This regeneration was predicted in the Old Testament in Ezekiel 36:

Ezekiel 36:25-27 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

John 1:13 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:3-8 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:5 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

James 1:17-18 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

1 Peter 1:3 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Over and over again in scripture, we see this aspect of a new birth, of a creation, not ex-nihilo (out of nothing) but a re-creation by God through the power of the Holy Spirit where God takes us and changes us through and through. It is not an act of man, it is an act of God. From the scriptures already quoted, we can see several clear pictures of regeneration:

1. We need a new heart and a new Spirit in order to be able to follow in the way of Christ. This is not something that we can do on our own, it is something that only God can accomplish in us. In John 1:13, we see the word έλημα thelēma which means will, or an active volition, a desire. We do not have the will or the capability to be born anew. This is something that must be done by God because we are incapable of giving ourselves new life and even incapable of understanding our need for new life outside of the merciful act of God in regeneration.

2. The reason we need to be regenerated is that we are dead in sins. The new heart and the new Spirit are required because we, because of our federal head Adam, are born into trespasses and sins. We are not a sick person in need of a doctor, we are a dead person in need of a new heart and a new spirit. The Greek in Ephesians 2:5 is νεκρός nekros which is our condition before we are in Christ. The Scriptural element in the conception of death is a judicial sentence on account of sin. As John 3:19 and other scripture states, we are already under a sentence of physical death because of sin. Therefore, nekros is used of one given over to death even during life, that is, spiritual death. We need new life in Christ or we cannot see the kingdom of heaven.

3. Our own works of righteousness are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and we need a spiritual cleansing and rebirth. When Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, a righteous and law abiding Jew, He explained to him that he had to be born of the water and the Spirit in order to see the kingdom of heaven. All of Nicodemus’ good and spiritual works were not enough. He needed a spiritual cleansing (as in Ezekiel 36:25) as well as a spiritual rebirth (a new heart and a new spirit). There is nothing that we can do externally that will be pleasing to God, we indeed cannot cleanse ourselves and make ourselves pleasing to God. Jesus was speaking about the deadness of external religion, and explaining that we need a complete change of nature where the external evidence of life and fruit flows from the internal reality of new birth.

4. It is God alone who can and does make this new birth a reality. James describes this action as ἀποκυέω apokueō to bring forth, begat. God brought us forth as the first-fruit of his creatures. Peter explains that God has ἀναγεννάω anagennaō beget again, to bear again that is by the power of the resurrection of Christ we have been born anew. This act is initiated by God, as it says in James 1 every good and perfect gift comes from above, this means that this regeneration, this new birth comes from God Himself.

Because this is so explicit, Jesus chides Nicodemus, “Israel’s teacher,” for not understanding how new birth happens (John 3:9-10). Jesus’ point throughout is that there is no exercise of faith in himself as the supernatural Savior, no repentance, and no true discipleship apart from this new birth. John 6:44 clearly states that no man can come to Jesus unless the Father draws Him. In Acts 16:14, we see Lydia’s heart opened by God to give heed to Paul’s preaching. We are taught in 1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”. The new birth, regeneration, is something that is completely done by God and completely necessary for us to be able to respond towards God in repentance and faith for salvation.

As we begin to speak about what regeneration has to do with salvation, we see that it is initiated by God, but the evidence of this regeneration is not only in the response of the person having been regenerated to the Gospel Call, but also it is evidenced by the fruit that occurs following the response to the Gospel call. In other words, evidence of regeneration is a changed life. As we studied previously:

2 Corinthians 5:17 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Galatians 5:16-25 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

The key phrase If we live in the Spirit let us walk in the Spirit. The living in the Spirit as opposed to the flesh is evidenced by our walk. We know that the flesh wars against the Spirit. If we have not been regenerated, more often than not the flesh will win over the Spirit, no matter how hard we try. True regeneration is marked by a complete change of nature, where we are led by the Spirit, therefore we are not under the curse or the control of the law, which only brings condemnation and death. John the Apostle tells us how this looks and feels in his first epistle:

1 John 5: 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Regeneration is the secret act of God by the power of the Holy Spirit by which His life and His Spirit are imparted to us. In this regeneration, this new birth, we are quickened so that we can have Godly sorrow which leads to repentance. We are given spiritual eyes to see wonderful things from His law, and spiritual ears to hear and respond to the Gospel. When we are quickened to be able to respond by faith, we are now able to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. This allows us to be made more and more into the image of Christ through the process of sanctification. One day, because of this new life imparted by God, we will be glorified with Him. It is incredible good news, based upon God’s love, mercy, and grace.

Have you been brought to this new life? How do you know? Examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Read Matthew 5 (the Beatitudes), Galatians 5:19-22, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and the book of 1 John to test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. When you see areas that you fall short in, as well as areas that you need growth in, repent and throw yourself on the mercy of God. He is the God who brings us into new life. We can confidently trust in Christ to not only begin the work, but to walk through the new life with us. As Paul says in Philippians 1:6

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.