. I cannot know the will of God for my life if I neglect the Word of God. It is not a fellowship of the rich, the elite, or of one denomination as against another. For those who take this view, regeneration is a necessary work of God so people can be saved. These words are a New Testament exegesis of Ezekiel's vision of the dead bones (Ezekiel 37:1-10). (John 7:37-39). He guides us through His Word. This life is imparted by Jesus Himself: "It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life" (John 6:63). Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. Judicially we are declared righteous, we are justified, and the just shall live by faith. From this point in our study we will consider Sanctification, not in relation to places or objects, but only to people. 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). With their finest instruments and technological knowledge they cannot always perceive the current of the air masses. This sense is undoubtedly included in the full Biblical conception of the former meaning, for it is unthinkable that a regeneration in the eschatological sense can exist without a spiritual regeneration of humanity or the individual. In the preceding lesson we discussed the doctrine of Regeneration. When Christ was on earth He performed many miracles. Do not misunderstand Paul. They believe that a person must believe, repent, confess, and This response gives occasion to and is synchronous with the divine act of renewal (regeneration). One day the pastor visited the home to congratulate the boy and his mother. The Body here is the Church (see Ephesians 1:22, 23). Our standards of what is right and just we now find in Gods Word. This is positional truth, and it is important that we continually reckon ourselves dead to self. Practical Sanctification differs from Positional Sanctification in that Positional Sanctification is solely the will and work of the triune God, while the Practical Sanctification involves human responsibility. To be born of water and of the Spirit is to be regenerated by means of the Word of God and by the active Agency of the Spirit of God. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy Spirit from me. Christs coming into the world was a supernatural event, both the fact and the manner of His coming being a mystery to man. It is not surprising that the idea of purity should invite the Old Testament parallel of "cleansing by water." His willful sin brought death, both physical and spiritual, so that in his fallen, sinful state he is alienated from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18). 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. On one occasion I gave to my class in a Bible College the assignment to write a definition of Sanctification. Praise God! . (I Timothy 3:16). On the other side of the coin, conversion is the response of the one who is regenerated. When we came into the world by means of our physical birth, we were born of corruptible (or perishable, dying) seed, because two human parents can beget a child only in their own likeness. Justification is something for nothing. As I study my own daily experiences as a child of God, and observe those with whom I associate in the Lords work, I have a deep conviction that this has been a neglected phase of Christian doctrine. However, a day, a tabernacle, a house, or a mountain cannot sin. Then we saw the record of the pure love and grace of God, in sending Jesus Christ to die in the sinners place and for sin, showing that the sinner could be justified before God, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Therefore, says Paul, in view of what God in His Son has done for man, these are the blessings that pour forth from God to all who receive His justifying grace.. Hence renovation, regeneration, the production of a new life consecrated to God, a radical change of mind for the better. All these expressions go back probably to a word of the Master in John 15:3. He now possesses a different kind of life. The glory of the revelation of the Lord from heaven will be shared by Christs Church at that day (Colossians 3:4). The Blood of Christ! And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight (Colossians 1:20-22). Paul says it is a mystery, inscrutable and inexplicable. Paul then distinctly teaches that thus is a new life in store for those who have been spiritually dead. And if you are wondering how the Word of God quickens faith, the answer is, By imparting knowledge. Several weeks later, another pastoral call brought up the subject again. Regeneration is God working in us; Justification is God working for us. When we were saved we became partakers of the Divine nature (II Peter 1:4). They are the spiritual birthmarks of the born again ones. Whatever Christ meant by being born of water, He most certainly was not referring to an outward ritual. The New Birth brought with it new life, and the new life has brought an entirely new set of desires, appetites, ideals and goals. This seems to be an allusion to the passage in Hosea (4:6): "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me.". Declared righteous through the redemption which is in Christ, the believer can now say with Andrew Bonar: I hear the word of love, I gaze upon the Blood; I see the mighty sacrifice, And I have peace with God. Our Lord said, The words that I speak unto you . . 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). When great numbers of Samaritans heard Philip and believed and were baptized, Simon also accepted the facts and came forward to be baptized. Some Hebrew words of uncertain meaning have been left out. Paul himself experienced this change, and henceforth exhibited the powers of the unseen world in his life of service. However, a general meaning is common to all. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? WebRegeneration Is the Start | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org As we mature in Christ we will find The word again as used by our Lord in John 3:3, 7, where He spoke of being born again, is the translation of another, which means from above. Think you it was a fair exchange? 37:114). The basic error of false systems of theology, philosophy and science is the failure to accept the most sublime and comprehensive statement in human language which introduces us to the greatest revelation of truth ever given to mankind. 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 spiritual resurrection of believers is grounded in the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It was many years after he was justified before God. 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). Pauls summary of his argument of this great truth lists the blessings which accompany it. James finds less occasion to touch this subject than the other writers of the New Testament. Each believer plays an important role in his own Practical Sanctification as he finds and follows and finishes Gods will for his life. God does His work perfectly, but in the area of personal holiness we fail. The Spirit of God enters into union with the believing, accepting spirit of man. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). A young man may seek to entice a young lady to engage in sinful sex, and the girl might be tempted to do so; however, no one can accuse her of indiscretion if she has kept the door shut against her tempter. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, Who hath also given unto us His Holy Spirit (I Thessalonians 4:8). In Christs day miracles were a substantial aid to ones faith. It becomes a stronghold in temptation. Did you ever question why Christ died on the Cross? The devils (demons) also believe, and tremble (James 2:19), but such mere belief cannot save one. 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). There is no promise in Gods Word that those who are justified by faith shall escape tribulation. WebRegeneration The teaching concerning A new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17 Verse Concepts Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed He receives it not merely from outside experiences, but from an immanent power in himself, which is recognized as the power of the life of the indwelling Christ (Colossians 1:26,27). Whenever we come to a verse in the Bible, such as this one, about which there is disagreement and difference of interpretation, we must be patient and prayerful in our pursuit of other Bible passages which shed light on the subject under discussion. Are you rejoicing in His imputed Sanctification? 1:2; 6:11; Acts 20:32; Heb. This is a mighty truth that we must know and on which we need to reckon continuously. The Greek word so rendered (palingenesia) is used by classical writers with reference to the changes produced by the return of spring. 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). However, our Lord said to Nicodemus, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5). With great delicacy Paul alluded to some of the vile practices of which they were guilty. . But to insist that the new birth occurs as the result of water baptism makes regeneration a matter of external ritualism. This is what Ezekiel 36:25 suggests: "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you." Jesus came with a heart full of love for mankind, but they hated Him. It is erroneous teaching which says that spiritual life can be transmitted from parent to child. Justification is a legal term which changes the believing sinners standing before God, declaring him acquitted and accepted by God, with the guilt and penalty of his sins put away forever. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). Nor can it disclose its process; the "underlying laboratory where are wrought radical remedial processes and structural changes in the psychical being as portrayed in explicit scriptural utterances: `Create in me a clean heart' (Psalms 51:10); `Ye must be born again' (John 3:7 the King James Version); `If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new' (2Corinthians 5:17 the King James Version), is in the region of subconsciousness. 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. All born again persons have God as their Father; therefore they are one in Christ, sharing a mutual love. There is a cause-and-effect relationship between these two. . To the Ephesians he writes: "And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins" (2:1), and later on: "God, being rich in mercy, . made us alive together with Christ" (2:4,5). God the Holy Spirit entered the body to take up His permanent abode. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Clement of Alexandria is the first to differentiate this meaning from the former by the addition of the adjective pneumatike, "spiritual" (compare anapsuxis, Acts 3:20; see REFRESHING). In 1Corinthians 12:13 such cleansing is called the baptism of the Spirit in agreement with the oft-repeated promise (Joel 2:28 (in the Hebrew text 3:1); Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5; 11:16). 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 . Only He who gave life at the beginning can give the (spiritual) life necessary to do God's will. Many of the students stressed the idea of purification from moral evil. 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). They that sanctify and purify themselves, in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swines flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD (Isaiah 66:17). In the New Testament the Apostle Paul, chief exponent of the doctrine of Justification, developed it more fully. Justification is the sentence of the Judge in favor of the condemned man, clearing him of all blame and freeing him of every charge. Regeneration then, may be defined as an act of God whereby He bestows upon the believing sinner new life. Advocates of baptismal regeneration typically have a four-part formula for how salvation is received. Ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him (I John 2:29). When we meditate in Gods Word, the truth of God has its own inherent power to prevent sin. 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. This aspect of Sanctification was in view in our Lords prayer, where He prayed, Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth (John 17:17). So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). WebRegeneration then, may be defined as an act of God whereby He bestows upon the believing sinner new life. Here we see all three Persons in the Godhead active in Sanctification. All efforts to recover his body were futile. The Apostle Peter wrote, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied (I Peter 1:2). A spiritual resurrection has taken place. All the doctrines of the Bible are important, but none is more vital to the peace and rest of the child of God than the Bible truth of Justification. If you have not been sanctified, then you are not saved. The very nature of God demands that He justify the righteous and condemn the guilty. Josephus (Ant., XI, iii, 9) speaks of the anaktesis kai paliggenesia tes patridos, "a new foundation and regeneration of the fatherland," after the return from the Babylonian captivity. Another significant passage appears in the opening of the First Corinthian Letter. 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! He sees the believer just as if he had never sinned. 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 marvels of saving grace call for a life corresponding to our exalted position in Christ. Perfect Sanctification is the final step in the sanctifying process. One further thought. . Remember, there is no meritorious value in faith itself. The need for being regenerated is universal. Reject the Saviour no longer, but, like Abraham of old, believe God, and it shall be counted unto you for righteousness. Still he alludes very plainly to the regeneration of individuals (1Peter 1:3,13). 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). 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. Now after 45 years of Christian experience, that work resulting in my being set apart has remained unchanged. The Galatians must know that he was no self-styled, self-appointed apostle, but rather divinely set apart. This life is Gods own life, the imparting of His own nature. But our present hope and future glory are not jeopardized by tribulation. Before the ages God planned to bestow upon the redeemed a glory, unique and appropriate only to the Church in Christ. The preparatory work has been going on for some time according to Divine plan, but now that work becomes effective in the life of the individual person. No effort on mans part can bring him into Gods order, for it is not by works of righteousness which we have done (Titus 3:5), Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9). It is dangerous for any Christian to associate Sanctification with sinless perfection in this life. Beloved, let us not neglect our privilege--in and out. Shame on believers to have access to so much and possess so little! Now this process of Sanctification goes on during the present life here on earth, but it will be perfected at (Greek en), not until, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 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: . 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). So if you have trusted Christ to save you, then you have been set apart once for all; you are Gods sanctified one. The word wholly (Greek {olotelhs) is found only here in the New Testament and is made up of two words, complete and end. The ideas of wholeness and completion are in view, meaning entire Sanctification, through and through, the whole of you, every part of you. But it is no sin to be tempted. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). Remember, we could never open the way nor introduce ourselves to God. There was no discrimination among the mixed multitude of believers in Corinth. The Word of God is the means by which the Holy Spirit accomplishes the New Birth. . WebRegeneration | Ligonier Ministries. Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Corinthians 5:17). . (Genesis 1:1). 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). 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. We will not mature spiritually if we labor under the false idea that the Christian is free from temptation. Before leaving this point of Preparatory Sanctification, let us have a look at some verses which refer to our Lord and His earthly ministry. The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. This is fellowship with Christ (Romans 8:10; 1Corinthians 6:17; 2Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:3). WebWhen we receive God into us as our life and we are thus regenerated, that is a great washing. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. The wind is an invisible and mysterious force; yet its effects are plainly evident. The verb in Romans 6:6 is in the past tense, so that the correct translation reads, Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Christ. The reference is not to something the Christian must try to accomplish, but to the perfect and completed work of Christ. Abraham justified himself before men after he had been declared acquitted by God. Do We See Any Gospel Connections in the Book of Numbers? . 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. Make up your mind that unless you yield yourself to God you will not experience a life of holiness.
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