Man in his original state was the perfect work of God. In 1:18-32 the unrighteousness of the Gentiles is exposed to the light. If we had it now we would not be waiting for it. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begets new life, Divine life, so that we are said to become partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:4). These miracles, or signs, or wonders, were performed by our Lord as an evidence of His Deity, and they were done by Him so that sinners would believe in Him and be saved. The First Corinthian Epistle contains some pregnant passages on this theme. 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. The natural man or woman is unable to see the kingdom of God or understand the things of God (John 3:3; 1 Cor. It was not to a social outcast, criminal or drunkard, but to a religious, law-abiding man that Christ addressed the command, Ye must be born again. Some persons who possess a certain moral goodness and are therefore self-righteous, do not realize any need of regeneration. 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. 1915. It is God that justifieth (Romans 8:33). In a comprehensive statement of the Gospel, Paul wrote, Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification (Romans 4:25). Paul is explaining how a sinner is justified (pronounced righteous) by God, namely, by faith alone. It is by means of our bodies that God gets His work done. The evolutionary theory holds that life must come from pre-existing life, but it is at a loss to know where life begins. . This people have I formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise (Isaiah 43:21). Our Lord said to His disciples, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). Godly sorrow is what leads to repentance. This is Perfect Sanctification. All may be justified, but only those who believe are justified. That He came to earth none can deny, but any biological explanation remains a mystery. hagiazo) is to separate, or to set apart. Having stated the meaning and a definition of the term, let us look at some Scriptures where the word is used: (1) A day can be sanctified. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. What Does Colossians 2:6-7 Teach Us about Our Faith Walk? Mans nature is depraved, so much so that God Himself makes no attempt to improve it to make it fit for His holy presence. Our Lord left no doubt as to the indispensable necessity of the new birth as a pre-requisite to entrance into the Kingdom of God. Is regeneration a result of salvation or does regeneration result in salvation? he is a debtor to do the whole law (Galatians 5:3). All rights reserved. James says, Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only (James 2:24). The war is done, armistice has been declared, and God holds nothing whatever against us. Human reformation is superficial. The mere professor is easily moved by tribulation (Matthew 13:21), but in the justified, tribulation works a positive good. And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for Thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the Mount, and sanctify it (Exodus 19:23). 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 (Romans 12:1). I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12, 14). Abraham was justified, not by rites of religion, for circumcision was not required until later, nor by the deeds of the law, for the law was not yet given, but through faith in Gods Word. The Apostle wrote similarly, But when it pleased God, Who separated me from my mothers womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood (Galatians 1:15, 16). Considering the differences in the personal character of these writers, it is remarkable that such concord of views should exist among them. If sin in a believer could cause the Holy Spirit to depart from that believer, then that same sin could cause the person who committed it to lose his salvation, and if one could lose his salvation, he never could be saved again. The Reformed vigorously defended the idea that regeneration precedes faith and that it is based on the sovereign working of the Holy Spirit. This is why people are not being born again in churches where the Word of God is not preached and taught. Regeneration gives the gifts of repentance and faith. An interesting passage in the book of Isaiah shows that men can sanctify themselves (set themselves apart) to do evil. Beware of the false teaching that urges the believer to seek Positional Sanctification after he has been saved. Human birth is a complex miracle, but the New Birth is a far more complex miracle. Every temptation can result in blessing if when we are tempted we are driven to Gods Word and prayer and win the victory. On the other hand, if we justify a man, then he needs no forgiveness, because justification assumes no guilt. When Christ returns the believers Sanctification will be complete. From time to time he added to the account, which continued to bear interest. Notice the order; they are said to have been Sanctified before they were Justified. All who have received Jesus Christ have been sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ (Jude 1). WebRegeneration is represented in the Bible as constituting a radical change of character, as the resurrection from a death in sin, as the beginning of a new and spiritual life, as constituting a new creature, as a new creation, not a physical, but a moral or spiritual creation, as conversion, or turning to God, as giving God the heart, as loving . By taking heed thereto according the Thy Word (Psalm 119:9). In his second letter to the church in Corinth ( 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 NIV ), Paul There is a divine initiative The body is not the entire man, but it is the vehicle of the human spirit and the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18), for whom he justified, them he also glorified (Romans 8:30). The carnal Christians were in conflict with each other, but without exception they were all addressed as those who were indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Covetousness and carnality had crept in among them. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and Groom? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? From this point in our study we will consider Sanctification, not in relation to places or objects, but only to people. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. The fact that He is in you is the plain teaching of Scripture. God set apart Jacob before he was born, in preference to his twin brother, Esau (Genesis 25:23, cf. In Adoption the regenerated son of God is placed in the position of perfect sonship. Here Peter speaks of the use made of the Word of God in Regeneration. View our current career opportunities. As a matter of fact, I have never met an advocate of the death to self movement who could tell me how I might die to self. This was always recognized as impossible to mere human endeavor. A judge has no right to condemn the innocent or to clear the guilty. holiness (Hebrews 12:14), that is, pursue it, press on after it. Additionally, the regeneration of individuals is a prelude to the regeneration of the cosmos on the last day. The kingdom of Christ on earth will be a time of world-wide subjection to the authority of Christ, when sin, sorrow, sickness, suffering and strife will not touch earths inhabitants. If you have not been sanctified, then you are not saved. The Biblical Doctrine of Regeneration. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). 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). Christs coming into the world was a supernatural event, both the fact and the manner of His coming being a mystery to man. Union with Christ in His death and resurrection makes regeneration possible. 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). The doctrine of Sanctification is doubtless one of the most misunderstood doctrines of our historic Christian faith. As to his understanding, he cannot know the things of God (I Corinthians 2:14); as to his will, he cannot subject himself to the law of God (Romans 8:7); as to his affections, he cannot love God (Romans 8:8). Regeneration is Gods sovereign activity by the Holy Spirit in the soul of one who is spiritually dead in sin. But where is there a man who ever kept the whole law? These Scriptures do not promise an eradication of the sin nature nor a state of perfection of this life, but they do exhort the believer to self-dedication and surrender to God. There was no discrimination among the mixed multitude of believers in Corinth. And even when man does know the directions of the wind, he is unable to regulate or control its power. Paul is here addressing all believers in the Corinthian Assembly, not only those who were spiritual but the carnal ones also. There is always the danger of men trying to live the Christian life when they are not Christian at heart. 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. 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.. Just as there must be the human agent in a human birth, so there must be the Divine Agent in the new birth from above. 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. The scholarly Nicodemus, to whom our Lord expounded the New Birth, could not fully understand it. Elsewhere Paul speaks of the peace of God (Philippians 4:7), an experience of those believers who learn to cast their cares on Him. When our Lord used the word, He said to His disciples, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). That there is something incomprehensible about Regeneration no one can deny. Moreover, we confessed that we were sinners who deserve to die and that we were indeed dead and ought to be buried. The glory of the revelation of the Lord from heaven will be shared by Christs Church at that day (Colossians 3:4). It is Gods gift to every regenerated man (Romans 5:17). The behavior of some of the Christians at Corinth was anything but commendable. 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). 1:2) made his for his possession and use. . Reformation and revival occurs when the Spirit of God sovereignly moves to change the hearts of men, bringing them from spiritual death to spiritual life. . However, in the redemptive plan God restores that image and likeness. The theory known as Spontaneous Generation, that is, that life can spring into being of itself, is no longer believed by modern day scientists. Paul and Silas were not telling the jailer that his faith would save both himself and his family. The surrender of our bodies to God is absolutely essential to Practical Sanctification. He says, . The Spirit of God, dwelling in man, witnesses to the state of sonship (Romans 8:2,15,16; Galatians 4:6). 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). 1:30 ). Every experience which is wrought of God will be found to be according to the Scriptures.. This connects regeneration to the resurrection of Christ. By regeneration we become "an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession" in whom divine virtues, "the excellencies of him who called you" (1Peter 2:9), are manifested. And how does God guide us? The natural man is dead in trespasses and sins . WebRegeneration is a Biblico-dogmatic term closely connected with the ideas of justification, Divine sonship, and the deification of the soul through grace. God could not set apart an unclean sinner for His possession and purpose, therefore, He purchased and purified the sinner by the Blood of His Son. Because they were my children and I loved them, I excused and shielded their guilt. We know that there is something wrong with the human race. Since we are exhorted to pursue it, then it must be the will of God for His children to do so. 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). Many theologians believe that Jesus alludes to Ezekiel 36 when teaching Nicodemus about his need for the new birth. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of our body (Romans 8:23). Whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (II Thessalonians 2:14). His Epistle is rather ethical than dogmatical in tone, still his ethics are based on the dogmatical presuppositions which fully agree with the teaching of other apostles. Romans 9:10-13); Samson before he was conceived (Judges 13:3-5); and John the Baptist prior to his conception (Luke 1:13-17). Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? The worth of His shed Blood is the righteous ground on which the grace of God can act in behalf of sinners. But the moment we receive Gods Son we are said to be in Him, a phrase used more than seventy times in Pauls Epistles denoting the believers unaltered and unalterable position. By taking heed thereto according to thy word (Psalm 119:9). With great delicacy Paul alluded to some of the vile practices of which they were guilty. In the new birth, the Spirit implants in the souls of Gods people new wills, affections, and desires. Regeneration can occur but once in the experience of the same soul; but conversion can occur many times. Only He who gave life at the beginning can give the (spiritual) life necessary to do God's will. The classical expression of this conviction is found in the prayer of David: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (margin "stedfast") spirit within me. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Romans 3:28). But the Law condemned them because they could not keep it. There is a mystery attached to both. (See Hebrews 6:4-6). It is, however, quite evident that this latter conception has arisen rather late, from an analysis of the former meaning. 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. This is best seen from the stirring appeals of the prophets of the exile, where frequently the necessity of a change of attitude toward Yahweh is preached as a means to such regeneration. But after we are born again, Christ becomes our righteousness (I Corinthians 1:30). The Old Testament had succeeded--and even the Gentile conscience agreed with it--in convincing the people of this need. When one makes a study of Practical (experiential) Sanctification, there are some pitfalls to be avoided. Like the Corinthian believers, and all true believers, I was at that moment justified by God. 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). . But he who believes the Scriptures, and examines his own heart honestly, must admit that he is an accused and guilty sinner before God. When a man says he has been justified by God, his fellowmen have a right to expect him to prove his faith by his good works. 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. This change is ascribed to the Holy Spirit. His name is Jesus Christ, and He was the only Just Man. He who denies the possibility of Christs Virgin Birth can hardly be expected to believe in the New Birth. Here the Lord used the word in a wider sense when referring to His coming kingdom on earth. This is far from the truth. Let us make certain that by faith we are justified before God. In further support of the water-Word interpretation of John 3:5, the Apostle Paul wrote how Christ sanctifies and cleanses His church with the washing of water by the word (Ephesians 5:26). Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:1, 2). The Pharisees made open and loud professions before men, but their hearts were full of covetousness. It is supposed by some that these words, being addressed "to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion" (1:1), do not refer to individual regeneration, but to an election of Israel as a nation and so to a Christian Israel. (Job 25:4-6). This new order is the Church, the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22, 23), not an organization, but a spiritual organism. The clearest assertion of it and the explanation of the doctrine of regeneration is found in the conversation of Jesus with Nicodemus (John 3). This wrong attitude can lead to discouragement and even disaster. Repurchase of captured goods or prisoners; the act of procuring the deliverance of persons or things from the possession and power of captors by the payment of an equivalent; ransom; release; as the redemption of prisoners taken in war; the redemption of a ship and cargo. Total self-dedication to God is the result of self-determined separation to God. After his conversion, and during his visit to Antioch in Pisidia, he said, Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses (Acts 13:38, 39). Some Christians believe sincerely that when a child of God sins, his Positional Sanctification is lost by the Holy Spirit withdrawing Himself from that one. There is glory for the believer which has not yet been manifested. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). From the above passages it is clear that the act of imparting life has been the Holy Spirits work from the beginning. Though conversion and regeneration, in real-time, appear to If we looked to men for a definition of the words justification and righteousness, their meaning might change with time and differ according to geographical location. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? 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). 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). When we meditate in Gods Word, the truth of God has its own inherent power to prevent sin. He simply believed God, and through his faith in the truth which God had spoken, God in grace freely justified him. Preparatory and Positional Sanctification are entirely the work of the Triune God, but in the matter of our Practical Sanctification there is that element of human responsibility. WebRegeneration, while sometimes perceived to be a step in the Ordo salutis ('order of salvation'), is generally understood in Christian theology to be the objective work of God in a believer's life. Our Lord admitted that to the natural mind there is mystery attached to this mighty subject. 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). The renewal of the world to take place after its destruction by fire, as the Stoics taught. Heaven may be reached without education, wealth or worldly acclaim, but it will not be inhabited by those who have not been regenerated. Regeneration is the act of God by which a spiritually dead person becomes spiritually alive. . Today God is implanting spiritual life to believing sinners through the redemptive process. He has set you apart for a definite purpose, and that purpose is Gods perfect will for your life. 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). Let us put it another way--the only righteous basis for our justification has been provided through the death of Christ. Accordingly, theologians have commonly spoken of regeneration as spiritual resurrection. The James is stating how a believer who has been justified by God is justified before men, namely, by works. 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." Justification is something for nothing. The garment, the gift of the inviting king, had been refused by the unhappy guest, who, in consequence, was `cast out into the outer darkness' (Matthew 22:13). But Christ having taken away my sin, I now have access into Gods presence. It breaks through the order of causes and effects; it severs the continuity of the outer world; it makes impossible a rational joining together of realities; it prohibits a monastic view of the immediate condition of the world. By Positional Sanctification we mean that act of God the Holy Spirit in which He sets apart every saved person. All the redeemed are assured of their Adoption (Galatians 4:4, 5) by virtue of the indwelling Holy Spirit Who is called the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15); however, we do not actually experience it until Christ returns for us and our bodies are redeemed. In Regeneration the believing sinner is made a son of God. You cannot even coerce the Spirit of God to effect your regeneration. It gathers up the truth of what precedes and sheds light upon the truth about to be affirmed. It contains more than 2,500 Bible and Bible-related proper names and their meanings. The mass of the people of Israel are therefore as yet scarcely aware of the fact that the conditions on which these divine promises are to be attained are more than ceremonial and ritual ones. One further thought. Jesus said, I am come that they might have life (John 10:10). Spiritual life, as Professor Eucken says, can be implanted in man by some superior power only and must constantly be sustained by superior life. God said to Jeremiah, Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). Paul wrote, . Earlier in this Epistle Sanctification precedes it, and the Holy Spirit prepares the heart of the individual, making him ready to receive it. He has been forgiven but not justified. In a similar sense he says in his Second Epistle, after mentioning "the day of God": "We look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2Peter 3:13). In teaching this, they deny the Bibles teaching about the inability of man to believe in Christ by nature. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (II Corinthians 7:1).
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