REGENERATION
AND THE NEW BIRTH
The
imputation of God’s, or Christ’s, righteousness to the justified believer
provides the solid ground on which the believer must stand all the way to
glory. No “good works” of ours can ever equate those of Christ in our behalf.
Paul makes it very clear that we are not saved by works, but by faith alone
(Eph.2:8, 9). But we are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Eph. 2:10).
We are saved by grace through faith to do good works thereafter.
At
no point in our Christian experience do our own good works merit anything with
regard to our salvation. Good works will be rewarded in God’s own time and
manner. Should we at any time begin to glory in our own works, even by
law-obedience, Christ’s work would cease to be effective, and we would fall
from grace (Gal. 5:4).
“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).
John 5:24
24 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 (the act of regeneration).
2 Timothy 1:9, 10
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with
an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
10 But is now made manifest by the
appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to
light through the gospel.
Romans 12:1
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service.
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.
I.
WHAT IS REGENERATION?
(John
5:24; 2 Tim. 1:9, 10; Romans 12:1; 2 Cor. 5:17)
Regeneration
is God’s work of renewing the justified believer spiritually. He passes from
death unto life. It is Christ who abolished death and brought everlasting life
to light. When the soul is justified by
God’s imputed righteousness, only then does the Spirit generate spiritual life.
Life cannot be generated until the soul has been acquitted and counted just.
Then the new creature is acceptable to God, and he will begin to produce good
works as his reasonable service. For the soul of man to be justified the
individual must accept the pardon of God and then the person is justified and regeneration
occurs with eternal life entering into the soul and is made alive in Christ.
Consider CPR being applied to someone who has drowned, life being breathed into
their lifeless soul or as Christ lay dead in grave and the Holy Ghost came upon
his lifeless body and raised him from the dead, so his Spirit breathes upon us
and raises those who accept his gift of
forgiveness are raised from death unto life. Another example would be a dead
battery being connected to one with power as the energy passes from the live
battery to the dead battery is the act of regeneration in a example. Consider
these verses:
And you hath he quickened ( made alive, regenerated) , who were dead in trespasses and sins; Even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And
hath raised us up
together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Eph 2:1,5, 6).
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).
"And you, being dead in your sins hath he quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Col, 2:13).
John 3:3,5,6
3 ... Verily, verily. I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
5 ... 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.
1 Peter 1:23
23 Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God. which liveth and abideth for
ever.
II.
WHAT IS THE NEW BIRTH, Born Again?
(John 3:3, 5, 6; 1 Peter 1:23)
The
new birth is the result of regeneration. While regeneration and the new birth
are actually two operations of God, the new life precedes the new birth, but
so closely that they seem one and the same. The regenerated soul is born, or
comes forth, into the kingdom of God, where active service begins. Of course,
the born-again creature is of the incorruptible seed of God. Only the born-again
soul can “see,” or understand, the kingdom of God— the spiritual atmosphere
which is so different from the old life of sin. This process can be seen in
nature by the birthing processes in a healthy birth. The first step of a child
being born is that the baby turns in the womb and goes head down (a picture of
humbling ourself and repenting turning in the womb), secondly the child begins
to press on the birth canal and after travail the child passes through the
birth canal into light by blood and water. This is easy to discern the process
of passing through the birth canal is regeneration and coming out into the
light is being born again by blood and water. We all know the sound of life is
crying showing the child is healthy. Clear lungs and an innate hunger for the
milk to live (1 Peter 2:1-2).
In
justification one is counted righteous, not made righteous. sin is acquitted;
freed from his guilt by Christ’s having taken his place and satisfied his
penalty (propitiation 1 Jn 2:1). He is made ready, as it were, for God’s next
work, which begins immediately. There is a “washing of regeneration, and
renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). This is an internal work of God. It
takes care of the believer’s sins of which he has been forgiven; washes them
away, so to speak, with baptism as a “figure” (Read 1 Peter 3:21, carefully).
This
“washing” and “renewing” done by the Holy Ghost must not be confused with the
subsequent works of sanctification and the baptism with the Holy Ghost. (We
will study these works later.) It is said that regeneration is necessary
because man became degenerate in Adam; dead in trespasses and sins in Adam’s
fall, quickened or regenerated to newness of life in Christ’s victory over
death, hell, and the grave.
The
new birth is as instantaneous as the birth of a child being born into this
world in the flesh. Despite the insane arguments of the pro-abortionists, life
is generated in the womb at conception, and is then born, or brought forth. And
yes, without God, nothing would be possible. Neither is it possible for the
justified soul to have vibrant life without regeneration and the new birth.
A quote from a great preacher once said, “The
plan which God has instituted for the redemption of man is wonderful beyond
description. It is difficult for the human mind to comprehend that God would
love sinful man enough to give His only begotten Son as a means of redemption,
but it is not necessary to have a thorough understanding of the plan of
salvation to enjoy its benefits. When one realizes that he is dead in
trespasses and sins, and that he can receive redemption and salvation through
the blood of Jesus, he understands enough to repent and to be justified by
faith, and to be regenerated and born again by the Spirit of God, and live as a
new creature in this world.”
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ here are three steps you need to take to be saved:
You must admit you are a sinner, confess your sin to Jesus, repent (turn from all you know is wrong), ask Jesus to come in your heart, and begin to follow Jesus by reading and obeying his word and go to a bible believing church that teaches his word. May God through Christ bless you!
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Really good explanation!
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