The death of Christ not only atones for the penalty of sin, but it has power to deliver us from the practice of sin. 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). Man was created in the likeness and image of God, and he was Gods possession by creative right. It is the "breath from Yahweh," the Spirit of God, who alone can give life to the spiritually dead. Put another way, regeneration is the root and conversion is the fruit. Since we are exhorted to pursue it, then it must be the will of God for His children to do so. The Spirit Himself sovereignly does this great work of total renewal. Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 1:20). 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). Bildad the Shuhite declared, and his friends, each in his turn, expressed very similar thoughts (Job 4:17; 14:4): "How then can man be just with God? Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? Jesus had spoken of the change which faith in Him ("coming to him") would cause in the lives of His disciples; how divine energies like "rivers of water" should issue forth from them; and the evangelist continues in explanation: "But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified." A complete change has come. In the case of some Christians, the failure to distinguish between Sanctification as taught in the Bible and the deception known as sinless perfection results from a misunderstanding of the New Testament words perfect, perfected and perfection. When the Bible uses these terms in connection with us mortals, it refers to spiritual or ethical maturity whether in a person or the finishing of a work. Spiritually speaking, you are either born or unborn. the sin-conquering power (1:2-4), the spiritual enlightenment (1:5) and purity (1:27). . (Hebrews 2:11). This new life is not a fruit of the free play of the tendencies and powers of natural life, but is in sharp conflict with them. Remember, we could never open the way nor introduce ourselves to God. Christ brings "many sons unto glory" and is "author of their salvation" (2:10). Baptism does not avail to cleanse the heart from defilement, but our Lord did say, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). In literal terms, it means birth again. The source of the old creation was Adam, and from him we inherited sin and death. They feel that only drunkards, thieves, murderers, harlots, dope addicts, and the like need to be born again. When one makes a study of Practical (experiential) Sanctification, there are some pitfalls to be avoided. If any person would be saved by keeping the Law, then he must keep it wholly, not merely in part, for . The mother expressed to the pastor her appreciation for the scholarship, but added the lack of necessary funds for travel, clothing, etc. The Psalmist wrote, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? 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). Whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (II Thessalonians 2:14). It is not possible to love God if we do not love our fellow-man. . (Genesis 1:1). Tis everlasting peace, Sure as Jehovahs name;Tis stable as His steadfast throne, For evermore the same. No amount of struggling or self confidence or mimicking others will speed up the process. of On the other side of the coin, conversion is the response of the one who is regenerated. If he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, he would be saved, and if those at home would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, they too would be saved. 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). WebRegeneration is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit of granting spiritual life to dead sinners. But on the other hand, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6). This is even true where the blessings prophesied are only spiritual, as in Isaiah 60:21,22. 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). This aspect of the believers Sanctification is then a matter of choice on our part. 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. Dr. William E. Biederwolf once said, Every creature born into this world has a nature after its kind. Regeneration is the implantation of a new life. 1:10). 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). Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness (II Peter 3:11). This Scripture stresses the pursuit of Practical Sanctification. There seems, however, to be little doubt that James directly refers to regeneration in the words: "Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (1:18). DEFINITION WebRegeneration, producing faith, is accompanied by justification, and by actual holiness of life, or sanctification begun, and completed when the "babe in Christ" reaches in heaven "the Regeneration, Justification and Sanctification | Bible.org There must be a moral basis for a holy God to justify a sinful man. Adam, in his original state, was created with the gift of life; this was the implantation of life through the creative process. 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. But the Law condemned them because they could not keep it. In at least two Epistles, according to the Authorized Version, Christians are addressed as those who are called to be saints (Romans 1:7; I Corinthians 1:2). It means to be born again. Our Lord used it in its widest sense, of the restoration of all things, at His Second Advent to the earth. . And make certain that you are clear on one point, namely, the new creation begins with Christ. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. Moreover, we confessed that we were sinners who deserve to die and that we were indeed dead and ought to be buried. Are you rejoicing in His imputed Sanctification? He now can be introduced to the private chamber of the King of kings, even into the holiest of all. Justification is the sentence of the Judge in favor of the condemned man, clearing him of all blame and freeing him of every charge. Let us look now at the work of the Holy Spirit in the believers Positional Sanctification. When Christ returns the believers Sanctification will be complete. God is the Author of Justification. Perfect (or ultimate) Sanctification is that aspect of Sanctification related to the final perfection of the children of God. obedient children, or children who ought to obey. WebDefinition. Had death triumphed over Him, our justification would have been forever impossible. The doctrine that regeneration redounds in true knowledge of Christ is seen from Ephesians 3:15-19 and 4:17-24, where the darkened understanding and ignorance of natural man are placed in contradistinction to the enlightenment of the new life (see also Colossians 3:10). The teaching of John is very closely allied with that of Jesus, as we have already seen from the multitude of quotations we had to select from John's Gospel to illustrate the teaching of the Master. That He (God) might be just, and the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:26). He had to rise from death and appear before God in our behalf in order to secure for us the benefits of His death. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. In the Fathers plan for the Son we see the principle of Preparatory Sanctification. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the masters use, and prepared unto every good work. The result has been its continued neglect or mistreatment. The devils (demons) also believe, and tremble (James 2:19), but such mere belief cannot save one. This response gives occasion to and is synchronous with the divine act of renewal (regeneration). . . It is important to keep in mind the fact that all three Persons in the Godhead are active in the believers Sanctification. In his first reference to the new birth, the Apostle John refers to those which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). It is Gods foresight and choice linked together with His own plan and purpose. But to insist that the new birth occurs as the result of water baptism makes regeneration a matter of external ritualism. Regeneration is Gods making a person spiritually alive, as a result of The Meaning of Grace: But God . Here we see all three Persons in the Godhead active in Sanctification. Righteousness is that character or quality of being right or just in the sight of God. The baptismal regeneration theory is not merely erroneous but dangerous, because it holds that baptized babies of believing parents are saved, and unbaptized babies who die as such, are lost forever. Here Peter speaks of the use made of the Word of God in Regeneration. (Job 25:4-6). The saving work of Jesus Christ will culminate in Gods ultimately uniting all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth (Eph. This is fellowship with Christ (Romans 8:10; 1Corinthians 6:17; 2Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:3). Justification is more than forgiveness. That there is something incomprehensible about Regeneration no one can deny. The miracle of being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ does not take place in an instant; it is a day-by-day process wrought in us by the Holy Spirit through the sanctifying power of the Word of God. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy Spirit from me. Sometimes the word perfect is used in the comparative degree. Romans 1:18-3:20 depicts a court scene. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God (Romans 6:13). Peter uses, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, the words "refreshing" (Acts 3:19) and "restoration of all things" (Acts 3:21) of the final completion of God's plans concerning the whole creation, and accordingly looks here at God's people as a whole. This life is eternal, imperishable: "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). Therefore, it is enough to say that God, a supernatural Being, has revealed Himself in His supernatural Son and in His supernatural Book, and He will, by the power of that Word and His supernatural Spirit, impart supernaturally His own life to any person who will receive it by faith. . . He writes, Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth (James 1:18). If there is going to be any disagreement among us, please let us disagree agreeably. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate (Hebrews 13:12). However, it is equally true that God in His sovereignty has ordained that men should be the means of carrying His Gospel to the unevangelized. But God has made provision for His own so that they need not yield to the temptation. He must find a way to ransom His fallen creature and to remove both the penalty and guilt of mans sin. We have here a new creation as against the old creation. This portion of our study shall be given to the matter of the Christians responsibility in Sanctification, that piety and true holiness which deserve to be seen in the life of every saved person. This life can be received on the condition of faith in Christ or by coming to Him (John 14:6). This change is ascribed to the Holy Spirit. Once a man has experienced the miracle of the New Birth, he will have no problem with accepting the miracles recorded in Gods Word. WebLearn what Regeneration means and it's Biblical definition including verses and verse references on the topic of Regeneration using Bakers Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical The same thing is true of the natural and spiritual man.. According to Augustine baptism is essential to salvation, though the baptism of blood (martyrdom) may take the place of water baptism, as in the case of the thief at the cross (Augustine, De Anima et Eius Origine, i.11, c. 9; ii.14, c. 10; ii.16, c. 12). 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. This cannot be understood otherwise than as a turning of the individual to the Lord. . This life is Gods own life, the imparting of His own nature. . WebDictionaries / Encyclopedia. It is found in Titus 3:5 which, without absolute certainty as to its meaning, is generally interpreted in agreement with the numerous nouns and verbs which have given the dogmatical setting to the doctrine of regeneration in Christian theology. God, in keeping with His holiness and justice, cannot deal unjustly with guilty sinners. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). By Positional Sanctification we mean that act of God the Holy Spirit in which He sets apart every saved person. The Apostle Peter wrote, Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, but the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever (I Peter 1:23). What is in view here is the perfect Sanctification of the whole man, the time of its accomplishment, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fact that God Himself will bring it to pass, for Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it (verse 24). The best trained meteorologists with the latest scientific radar equipment will admit a certain enigma in the movement of the winds. From the above passages it is clear that the act of imparting life has been the Holy Spirits work from the beginning. God stands at the commencement of all life. This grace and salvation must then be applied to the elect, and thus the Holy Spirit applies the effects of salvation to the elect by regenerating their spirits and drawing them into salvation (irresistible grace). On one occasion I gave to my class in a Bible College the assignment to write a definition of Sanctification. But he who believes the Scriptures, and examines his own heart honestly, must admit that he is an accused and guilty sinner before God. 10:1; 1Peter 3:1820). In the new birth, the Spirit implants in the souls of Gods people new wills, affections, and desires. Dr. Chafer said, Even if Sanctification were limited to the field of human experience, there would never be an experience that could be proven to be its perfect example, nor would any human statement of that experience exactly describe the full measure of the divine reality. I interpret Peters scathing rebuke to mean that there was a man who, though he was baptized, was never regenerated. When asked why he preached so frequently from these verses, he replied solemnly, Because ye must be born again. This is a Divine imperative. In general this is still the opinion of pronounced sacrmentarians, while evangelical Christianity has gone back to the teaching of the New Testament. It is the function of the Bible to interpret experience, rather than the function of experience to interpret the Bible. 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 ). . Verse 5 tells us that only one kind of man can be justified; not the self righteous worker, but the ungodly man who believes, for, says Paul: . There was no cause in the words and works of Jesus for which men should hate Him, yet He was hated freely, without a cause. Just as there was no cause that men should hate our Lord, so there was no cause that God should justify man; but He justifies him freely, without a cause. The change is so radical that it is possible now to speak of a "new creature" (2Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15, margin "new creation"), of a "new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth" (Ephesians 4:24), and of "the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Colossians 3:10). It is erroneous teaching which says that spiritual life can be transmitted from parent to child. Today God is implanting spiritual life to believing sinners through the redemptive process. 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. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. For usage information, please read the Baker Book House Copyright Statement. Judicially we are declared righteous, we are justified, and the just shall live by faith. Human reformation is superficial. He gives guidance to those who sincerely want His will and who are already walking in obedience to the light which they received from the Word. The Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration inasmuch as He convicts people of their sinful condition, of the wrath to come, and of their need for Christ. We know that our Lord Jesus Christ was sinless and therefore free from all moral impurity, and yet He prayed, And for their sakes, I sanctify myself . It was all according to Gods eternal purpose and grace. Thus the latest development of idealistic philosophy corroborates in a remarkable way the Christian truth of regeneration. Another significant passage appears in the opening of the First Corinthian Letter. Through the Washing of Regeneration | Desiring God Man has nothing to do with it except to receive it through faith, and that as the Holy Spirit enables him. Know ye not 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? . There are occasions in the Scripture where the word water is used symbolically, and then the symbolism is not always the same. Now I am not suggesting that the only Sanctification a Christian can experience and enjoy is that which is positional, or credited to him at the time he is born again. It is especially interesting to note the cases where the apostle didactically elucidates certain of these pronouncements of Jesus. . (1:2). Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Regeneration Christians are now saints, already set apart, sanctified. The meaning of these words is always objective, not subjective. Here we learn that God is the Source and Cause of all things. BibleGateway.com But regeneration, according to Jesus, is more than life, it is also purity. The Body here is the Church (see Ephesians 1:22, 23). Of this miracle John wrote, This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him (John 2:11). When Adam sinned he lost the Divine image and likeness with which he was created. Our Reformed theologians have always warned against such representations, which are only the result of making man the starting-point in the contemplation of divine things. Every saved person is as much a saint now as he ever will be in time or eternity. The above mentioned verses from Gods Word show clearly that Sanctification is the state predetermined by God for every believer, into which He calls them by His grace, and in which they commence their Christian life and experience. The renewing and cleansing here spoken of is in reality nothing else than what Deuteronomy 30:6 had promised, a circumcision of the heart in contradistinction to the flesh, the token of the former (Abrahamic) covenant (of circumcision, Jeremiah 4:4). Regeneration Whereupon the pastor advised her to go to the bank and withdraw the necessary money from the boys savings account. As I look back upon that experience, I know now that, during those weeks of struggling before I was saved, the Holy Spirit was doing His work of preparing me for the great transaction. In regeneration, God implants a new hearttogether with a renewed will, affections, and desiresin the elect to enable them to walk in a manner pleasing to Him. It works! Our standards of what is right and just we now find in Gods Word. The regenerated man needs nurture and training. When great numbers of Samaritans heard Philip and believed and were baptized, Simon also accepted the facts and came forward to be baptized. It will not be realized while we are in this mortal body. The following passage teaches that water is sometimes a symbol of the Holy Spirit--In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. 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. For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him (I John 3:15). Paul wrote, . 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. The Letter is addressed unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints . (4) Regeneration manifests itself in the conscious soul by its effects on the will, the intelligence and the affections. In Pauls day, and later in the days of the Protestant Reformation, and in our own day, it would be difficult to find a truth more cardinal to our historic Christian faith than the doctrine of Justification. It was no mere coincidence that I was present at 3314 I Street in the city of Philadelphia on December 25, 1927, the day I was saved. Where life begins it should mature. Men change in their thinking. The Galatians must know that he was no self-styled, self-appointed apostle, but rather divinely set apart. 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). There is always the danger of men trying to live the Christian life when they are not Christian at heart. Paul had this same idea in view when he said, . The grace of God does not run in human veins. We must keep in mind the fact that there is a close connection between the act of justifying and the imputed righteousness of the one who has been justified. Regeneration 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. But by what means does God produce the miracle of the New Birth? From this point in our study we will consider Sanctification, not in relation to places or objects, but only to people. Mans nature is depraved, so much so that God Himself makes no attempt to improve it to make it fit for His holy presence. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10). Regeneration is the beginning of that change. In other passages the cleansing and refining power of fire is alluded to (e.g. The Doctrine of Sanctification Regeneration--Conversion--Reformation . God requires all men to repent and turn unto Him (Acts 17:30) before He will or can effect regeneration. If there is a basic error, I believe it is the failure to grasp the meaning of the term Sanctification. 2. God is the Source of the new life which is communicated to the believing sinner. If in His word to Nicodemus our Lord was referring to baptism by water, then it follows that all who have died and were not baptized are lost. Make up your mind that unless you yield yourself to God you will not experience a life of holiness. 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 . In the New Testament the Apostle Paul, chief exponent of the doctrine of Justification, developed it more fully. The New Testament gives ample examples of regeneration. The verb walk (Greek peripateite) is in the present tense and means to keep on walking by the Spirit. The prodigal is declared to have been "dead" and to be "alive again" (Luke 15:24). Here God works in the depths of the soul as silently and securely as if on the remotest world of the stellar universe" (H. E. Warner, Psychology of the Christian Life, 117). This is every Christians position, independent of the length of time one has been saved, how much or how little one knows about the Bible, or how spiritual that person might be. He did all that He could do. We read, And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. 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. 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). Most assuredly does the work of Sanctification in the believer involve victory over sin in his daily life. What might be considered just and right in one generation, or in one part of the world, might not be so considered in another generation, or in a different part of the world. There is a false exterior justification that has the approval and approbation of men, but is despised of God because the heart is not right. This is an evil without any authority in the Bible. The sin of Israel is recognized as the sin of the individual, which can be removed only by individual repentance and cleansing. In addition to individual regeneration, Scripture speaks of the regeneration of creation (Acts 3:21). A sad picture, but true! (2) It is the will of God that all men be made partakers of this new life (1Timothy 2:4) and, as it is clearly stated that some fall short of it (John 5:40), it is plain that the fault thereof lies with man. hagiazo) is to separate, or to set apart. 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). Paul wrote this to those who were boasting that the Law was given to them. We have already stated that it is erroneous to assume that one is born again at the time of his being baptized with water. 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. An example of the comparative degree is seen in Hebrews 9:11 where we read, But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building. It could be said that a wife is more perfect than her husband, or that the husband is less perfect than his wife, yet neither of them would have at any time attained to sinless perfection.. . A regenerated man makes no attempt to explain the miracles recorded in the Bible, the Miracle-Book. Sin has been fully and finally judged in the Person of Christ, our Substitute and Sin-Bearer. Many of the students stressed the idea of purification from moral evil.
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