Regeneration
What is Regeneration?
Another word for regeneration is rebirth, related to the biblical phrase “born again.” Our rebirth is distinguished from our first birth, when we were conceived physically and inherited our sin nature. The new birth is a spiritual, holy, and heavenly birth that results in our being made alive spiritually. Man in his natural state is “dead in trespasses and sins” until he is “made alive” (regenerated) by Christ. This happens when he places his faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:1).
Describes the act of cleansing something all over thoroughly. Regeneration means taking an already existing thing and making it new again or starting over. In literal terms, it means “birth again.” This renewal work of the Holy Spirit is described as “cleansing” and “purifying”.
Ezekiel 36:25-27 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
Regeneration is something that happens to us.
Lexicon :: Strong's G3824 – paliggenesia
new birth, reproduction, renewal, recreation, regeneration
hence renovation, regeneration, the production of a new life consecrated to God, a radical change of mind for the better. The word often used to denote the restoration of a thing to its pristine state, its renovation, as a renewal or restoration of life after death
the renovation of the earth after the deluge
the renewal of the world to take place after its destruction by fire, as the Stoics taught
the signal and glorious change of all things (in heaven and earth) for the better, that restoration of the primal and perfect condition of things which existed before the fall of our first parents, which the Jews looked for in connection with the advent of the Messiah, and which Christians expected in connection with the visible return of Jesus from heaven.
other uses
of Cicero's restoration to rank and fortune on his recall from exile
of the restoration of the Jewish nation after exile
of the recovery of knowledge by recollection
Lexicon :: Strong's G1080 – gennaō
of men who fathered children
to be born
to be begotten
of women giving birth to children
metaph.
to engender, cause to arise, excite
in a Jewish sense, of one who brings others over to his way of life, to convert someone
of God making Christ his son
of God making men his sons through faith in Christ's work
Lexicon :: Strong's G4151 – pneuma
the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son
sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his personality and character (the "Holy" Spirit)
sometimes referred to in a way which emphasises his work and power (the Spirit of "Truth")
never referred to as a depersonalised force
the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated
the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides
the soul
a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting
a life giving spirit
a human soul that has left the body
a spirit higher than man but lower than God, i.e. an angel
used of demons, or evil spirits, who were conceived as inhabiting the bodies of men
the spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels and equal to God, the divine nature of Christ
the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one
the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.
a movement of air (a gentle blast)
of the wind, hence the wind itself
breath of nostrils or mouth
Lexicon :: Strong's G2316 – theos
a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities
the Godhead, trinity
God the Father, the first person in the trinity
Christ, the second person of the trinity
Holy Spirit, the third person in the trinity
spoken of the only and true God
refers to the things of God
his counsels, interests, things due to him
whatever can in any respect be likened unto God, or resemble him in any way
God's representative or viceregent
of magistrates and judges
Our original state
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
The Spirit does the regenerating.
Titus 3:4-7 “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
The apostle Paul urges believers to remember their lives before knowing Chris.
It’s easy to get puffed up with pride and act self-righteously toward the lost when we forget our own shipwrecked condition before salvation. It was the goodness and kindness of God that reached down into our messed-up, sin-filled lives and rescued us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross (Romans 5:8; Romans 2:1). Our good works did not save us (Ephesians 2:8). It was God’s mercy “by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” generously poured out on us “through Jesus Christ our Savior,” explains Paul.
The baptismal water is consecrated by a prayer of epiclesis (Either at this moment or at the Easter Vigil). The Church asks God that through his Son the power of the Holy Spirit may be sent upon the water, so that those who will be baptized in it may be “Born of water and the Spirit.”
Eventually results in our entering into a heavenly realm.
Just as our physical birth resulted in a new individual entering the earthly realm, our spiritual birth results in a new person entering the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:6 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 1:13-14 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Required for salvation.
John 3:3-6 “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Regeneration is necessary. Sinful human flesh cannot stand in God’s presence. In His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus said twice that a man must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God. Regeneration is not optional, for “flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit”. Physical birth fits us for earth; spiritual rebirth fits us for heaven.
1 Peter 1:22-23 “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;”
John’s ‘Born of God’
1 John 3:9 “No one born[G1080] of God[G2316] makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born[G1080] of God[G2316].”
1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born[G1080] of God[G2316] and knows God.”
1 John 5:1-5 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born[G1080] of God[G2316], and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born[G1080] of him. By this we know that we love the children of God[G2316], when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born[G1080] of God[G2316] overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
1 John 5:18 “We know that everyone who has been born[G1080] of God[G2316] does not keep on sinning, but he who was born[G1080] of God[G2316] protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”
What’s different about us?
The result of regeneration is peace with God
Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
New life
1 Corinthians 6:11 “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
And Eternal Sonship
John 1:12–13 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God[G2316], who were born[G1080], not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God[G2316].”
Galatians 3:26 “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
Regeneration begins the process of sanctification wherein we become the people God intends us to be.
Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
Also spoken of the rest of creation in heaven
Matthew 19:28 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world[G3824], when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
NASB2020 “And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration[G3824] when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
NIV “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things[G3824], when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
While the NIV doesn’t translate using a direct word for word system this note makes the most sense given the context.
1 Peter 3:13 “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
Revelation 21:1-3 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
Additional Verses
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Psalm 51:7 “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
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