Apostles Creed #9

The Holy Spirit Regenerated Us

In Ephesians 2:1-3 we read,

Ephesians 2:1–3 (NKJV)

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Now, in this passage, Paul is teaching us of our condition before we were saved. He’s wanting to show us exactly how bad off we were and you really can’t explain it any more strongly than by saying, ‘You were dead in trespasses and sins...” But heres the thing, I’m alive, Paul was alive when he wrote this, and all of you are alive. So what do you think it means that we were dead in trespasses and sins?

Well, to be dead in trespasses and sins refers to our spiritual condition. And as Paul explains in the next few verses, that spiritual deadness looks like being disobedient, lustful, slaves of sin and children of Satan. What this spiritual deadness means is that we didn’t have any righteousness in us and we didn’t have any desire for righteousness at all. But here’s the issue. If we didn’t want righteousness and if we didn’t want God, what in the world made us Christians?

This is where the doctrine of regeneration comes in. In John 3, Jesus is approached by a guy named Nicodemus. Now, Nicodemus was a high ranking leader of the Jews at this time and apparently he heard Jesus’s teaching and was so drawn to it that he had to find out what it was all about. So he approaches Jesus at nighttime, to make sure no one saw him, and he asks Jesus in John 3:2

John 3:2 NKJV

2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

And Jesus responds to him by saying John 3:3-6

John 3:3–6 NKJV

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 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?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Now, what Jesus is telling this man isn’t that he need to someone crawl back into his mother to be born a second time. Rather, Jesus is telling him that the Holy Spirit has to recreate him, to birth him a new, or, as we call it, He has to be regenerated. When Jesus says that it has to be done by water and the Spirit, He isn’t saying that you have to be baptized to be saved. Rather, He is picking up on Ezekiel 36:25-26 which says,

Ezekiel 36:25–26 NKJV

25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

What this water is referring to is being purified by the work of the Holy Spirit is regenerating us and then we read that what the Spirit does is He takes out this old heart of stone and gives us a soft heart of flesh. Now, in Jewish culture, the heart referred to the center of our being. Our affections, desires, our person was explained that way. So, when we read that He will give us a new heart, we are being told that when the Spirit regenerates us, He gives us new affections, new desires. Put it this way, one day I didn’t love God, I didn’t believe His gospel for myself, and I didn’t care about living righteously. But one day, something unexpected happened. I wasn’t hardened against the gospel anymore.

And for all of you who tell your testimony, it wasn’t that you simply chose to believe because you were so smart. Rather, the reason you heard and believed at that time in your life is because the Spirit changed your heart. This is the only way we ever heard and truly believed and this is also encourages our evangelism.

But guess what, the Spirit doesn’t just give us a softened heart and the gift of faith to believe and then leaves us. But He walks with us for the totality of our Christian lives. This leads us to our second point which is:

The Holy Spirit Sanctifies Us

Now, a few weeks ago I taught in Matt Noonan’s class on the doctrine of sanctification and most you were in there. Can any of you tell me anything you remember about that lesson?

Well, since we’ve already looked at that recently, we won’t spend a lot of time here. However, I want to remind us of the two aspects of sanctification. The first is what is called definitive sanctification and what that means is that when we were saved, God set us apart from the world as people completely dedicated for His purpose and glory and not for anything else. This is what we find being hinted at in Romans 6:1-3

Romans 6:1–3 NKJV

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

But the reality is that we aren’t sinless are we? And that’s where the doctrine of progressive sanctification comes in and this means that throughout our Christian lives, we are being made more and more like Jesus and one of the ways that the Spirit does this in us is by reminding us of the fact that God saved you and He marked you out for His purposes. Paul teaches us this in Romans 6:4-7

Romans 6:4–7 NKJV

4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.

Now, before we go any further. Can any of you tell me how the Spirit sanctifies us?

The Holy Spirit by the Scriptures.

John 17:17 “17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

The Holy Spirit Comforts Us

Lastly, in John 14:16

John 14:16 KJV

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Now, many translations today use the word, “Advocate,” “Helper,” or “Counselor.” But perhaps the most popular phrase that people have memorized is Comforter from the KJV although Counselor probably communicates it better. Anyway, what does it mean that He is our comforter? Listen to this snippet from a TableTalk Magazine:

What is comfort? In modern English, comfort means consolation. The idea would be that God comes to console us and bind up our wounds after the battle. While this is true enough, it is not the meaning of the Greek term found in John 14:16. Comfort is derived from the Latin cum and forte, meaning "with strength." The Comforter comes not to console us after the battle, but with strength and power to fortify us before and in the midst of the battle.

So, He encourages us and strengthens us in our battle against sin in this life. But how does He comfort us in this way? Three ways that I could think of are that He:

He creates a yearning in our hearts for communion with God as His children

Romans 8:12–17 NKJV

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

He reminds us that we are saved and sanctified.

The Spirit, all throughout the New Testament, uses the Apostles to teach us that we are safe in Christ, that we are kept in Christ, that we are forgiven in Christ and not only that, but we are instruments set aside for God’s use.

How does this comfort and strengthen us? Because whenever I feel condemned by my sins, I am reminded of what Jesus did for me. And whenever I feel overwhelmed when I’m dealing with temptation and falling into sin, I find encouragement in the fact that God has me set aside for a purpose and that He will give me strength to serve Him.

He reminds us that He is the seal of our salvation.

Ephesians 1:13–14 NKJV

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.