Regeneration

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Born again. Regeneration
Salvation
Regeneration (born again)
Biology definition of Regeneration is the process of replacing or restoring damaged or missing cells, tissues, organs, and even entire body parts to full function
Bible point of view.
What is Regeneration
· God's purpose for Man is to Glorify and live with Him for all eternity.
However, the depraved Nature – Fall of man prevents him
· In the perfect sacrifice there was a verdict that absolved man of Sin
· Man needs a total spiritual transformation of his Character
· This transformation is Regeneration (comes from God)
Defining Regeneration
· Regeneration is the supernatural and instantaneous work of God that grants new life to the sinner who accepts Christ as his Savior.
Through this miracle, he results from death (of sin) to Life (in the righteousness of Christ)
This “New Life”
It is the divine nature that comes to dwell in the believer, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Tit 3:5 He saved us, not by works of righteousness done by us, but according to his mercy. He saved us through the regenerating and renewing washing of the Holy Spirit,
John 1:12–13.
12 But as many as received him, he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name; 13 which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
The Need for Regeneration
· God has restored to all sinners the ability of men to seek them,
· Grants special grace in this sense
· By seeking and receiving salvation God gives man a totally new nature that enables him to resist sin, live righteously and ultimately enter heaven.
· Without this miraculous spiritual transformation, the repentant sinner would remain dead in his sinful nature
Eph 2:1–5. 1 He made you alive, even when you were dead in your 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, according to the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience; 3 among whom we also all once walked according to the desires of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and we were, by nature, children of wrath, like the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 and when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, - by grace you have been saved,
· We would be unable to Know God in a personal Relationship
· I CO 2. 14 Now the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, because they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. [1]
Regeneration is necessary to enter Heaven
John 3:3Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God[2]
Regeneration is Necessary to Resist Sin
1 John 3:9 Whoever is born of God does not practice sin; for what remains in him is the divine seed; Now, this person cannot live sinning, because he is born of God.
Regeneration is necessary to live righteously
I John 2:29 If you know that he is righteous, recognize also that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him.
The means of Regeneration
· Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you could do good, being accustomed to do evil JR13.23 (man's nature)
· Man can, by his own efforts, restrain his sin and perform good acts, but this represents a very limited and superficial change.
· It is not a total transformation of Man's inner nature.
· Supernatural transformation, renewing the inner man, is a blessing that only God can operate.
To receive regeneration, 3 steps
1. hear the word of God
the gospel is a living seed
Once planted in the heart, it convinces man of sin
It will make you feel the need for a Savior
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek;[3]
HB 4:12 For the word of God is living, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and purposes of the heart . 13 And there is no creature that is not manifest in his presence; on the contrary, all things are uncovered and open to the eyes of him to whom we are accountable. [4]
I pd 1.23 for you were born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and endures
James 1:18 For according to his will he begat us by the word of truth[5]
2. Believe in the word of God and receive Salvation
11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.
13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life
1Jo 5.11–13.
3. The final step is the miraculous act by which the Holy Spirit communicates new life to the Believer, implanting the very nature of Christ in his Life (Peter) (DNA)
· it is not a progressive miracle, accomplished little by little by human efforts.
Just like a baby is a person, whether on the day they were born or 30 years later, so does the believer.
....Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:5–6.
The Miracle of Regeneration
A person who gives His life to Jesusis Born Again
How is this person different, having experienced the Miracle of Regeneration?
What are the blessings granted to Man in this Miracle?
1. New Life – he was dead and now he is resurrected in his spirit and can enter into communion with the Spirit of God.
2. New Nature – Man begins to have a new attitude towards sin and Justice
A New Life
John 3.5.....It is necessary to be Born Again.....
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life, does not enter into judgment, but has passed from death to life.[7]
· Entrance to heaven
· Present reality has “new life”
· The believer is now living the life of the spiritual age
· it's more than physical existence
· it’s vivification of Man through the Spirit of God.
· it’s communion, between God and Man through the Spirit of God
So you also consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus Rom 6:11
Behold, sin lies at the door; its desire will be against you, but it is up to you to control it.
Gn 4.7.
New Nature
“Heavenly” perspective, regeneration gives man a new spiritual life, of communion with God
“Earthly” perspective gives man an entirely new nature or attitude (way of thinking or feeling), hating sin and loving righteousness
The “Birth” in the life of the convert is an experience so real and revolutionary that the Bible compares it to a totally new person.
2 Cor 5:17 And so if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, new things were made.[8]
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance, that we should walk in them.[9]
we have the Nature of Christ
his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, freeing yourselves from the corruption of passions that is in the world 2 Pet 1.4
Why does the believer still have to fight, resisting sin and temptation?
The new nature is not a replacement, but an addition
For the flesh wars against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, because they are opposites to each other; so that you do not do what you want, Gal 5:17
Romans 7.19 – 25
God gave power to overcome evil nature
The divine nature is much more powerful to overcome the old one.
The body and the flesh
Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its passions; nor offer each one the members of his body to sin, as instruments of iniquity; but offer yourselves to God as those resurrected from the dead, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not have dominion over you; for you are not under the law, but under grace. Rm 6 12-13
THE POWER OF GENERATION
· The life of the believer is not a simple philosophy
· But a life of Power
· Many have preferred to reduce their faith to a system of rituals and rules
· I only want to know this about you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the preaching of faith? Are you so foolish that, having begun in the Spirit, you are now perfecting yourselves in the flesh? Gal 3.2–3
For I died to the law through the law itself, that I might live to God. I am crucified with Christ; Therefore, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and this life that I now have in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.· Gal 2:19,20
Christ lives in me.....
· Physically the believer is no different from what he was before
· There is an invisible power dwelling in him after conversion that will make him love righteousness and hate sin
Without me you can do nothing
John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; because without me you can do nothing.
Jesus is the Source of Life and Power
God did not impose any limitations on divine resources towards us.  (God's waterfall)
All limitations in this sense are on the part of the believer.
Eph 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward those who believe, according to the efficacy of the strength of his power; 20 which he exercised in Christ, resurrecting him[11]
Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,[12]
VICTORy – THE EVIDENCE OF REGENERATION
REGENERATION IS AN INVISIBLE MIRACLE
2 problems
1.Professing believers who are not true believers
They claim that they are “born again”, however, they continue to live in sin and bring a bad reputation to the Church
True Believers who come to doubt their experience of Salvation
2. They constantly assume that their struggles with temptation and their lack of perfection seem to indicate that they have never received a new nature.
They live frustrated and with unnecessary doubts.
How can a person know if he, or anyone else, is truly regenerated?
· Although the miracle is invisible
· It is manifested in the person’s life through victories and spiritual fruits
Victory over the world
I John 5 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world: our faith.[13]
I John 4:4 Little children, you are of God and have overcome the false prophets, for greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world[14]
· The effectiveness of the power of regeneration depends on our faith
· Our loving communion
· Trust in Christ
Fight against sin
· The fight against sin and the proof of the presence of the Divine nature within oneself that occurred with regeneration
The faithful believer has peace with God
· At the same time fight against temptations
Before regeneration we were enemies of God
James 4:4 Unfaithful, do you not understand that the friendship of the world is the enemy of God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a friend of the world constitutes himself an enemy of God.[15]
Now we are at peace with God and do not feel comfortable with sin
Before the conversion, the holy spirit convicted the sinner (as we do with sin)
Now the holy spirit is part of your being, convicting of sinful acts and thoughts, and producing its fruit.
Galatians 5.21–23 (ARA)
21 envy, drunkenness, gluttony, and things like these, concerning which I declare to you, as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 meekness, self-control. Against these things there is no law.
Galatians 5.16–17 (ARA)
16 But I say, walk in the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh wars against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, because they are opposed to each other; so that you do not do what you want.
We must not be discouraged
In the power of Christ we can be Victors
Romans 6.12–14 (ARA)
12 Therefore let not sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its passions;
13 Neither offer each one the parts of his body unto sin, as instruments of iniquity; but offer yourselves to God as those resurrected from the dead, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you; for you are not under the law, but under grace.
Stumble and surrender
What happens if the Christian soldier stumbles in battle and the enemy takes advantage of his fall?
The soldier must confess his sin and rise with renewed spiritual strength to face the enemy again.
1John 1:9 (ARA)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
· Fall
· Complete surrender to the enemy
· The soldier stops being a soldier only after he loses the will to fight and surrenders completely to the enemy as a prisoner.
· Salvation does not depend on being perfect in spiritual warfare
· The fact that the believer is not defeated by a sin, but wants to confess it
· Proves that the divine nature resides in the believer
Salvation by grace cannot be confused with the humanist idea that salvation is obtained through perfect obedience to the law. (justification)
· We are not walking on a tightrope requiring balance
· We have a well-lit path that leads us to heaven
· It is narrow and when we stumble we get up and walk
(ARA)
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
1John 1.8 (ARA)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
No, Salvation by grace means tolerating sin in the life of the Believer.
Cases of sin are exceptions and not rules in the life of the believer
1John 3.9 (ARA)
9 Whoever is born of God does not practice sin; for what remains in him is the divine seed; Now, this person cannot live sinning, because he is born of God.
Believers are not perfect
Sin will always be an unbearable element in the life of the believer
Regeneration is nothing with what a person does, but with what they are
At the moment of Salvation man becomes a new creature in Christ
And he begins to live in a totally different attitude towards sin
Despite this, the believer is not perfect, because his old and new nature
Illustration. The lamb and the pig (sin and holiness)
Fruitful Life – The evidence of Regeneration
Regeneration and a new attitude toward sin
Also a new attitude towards God
Tree of Justice (communion with God - glorifying God)
A seed planted in the heart
Isaiah 61:1–3 (ARA)
1 The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the brokenhearted, he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to set at liberty those who are in chains;
2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all those who cry
3 and to put on those who mourn in Zion a crown instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, planted by the LORD for his glory.
Ephesians 2.10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance, that we should walk in them.
God's purpose is not just for man to overcome sin
Also to Bear spiritual fruit that glorifies God
.......By their fruits you will know them......
Matthew 7.16–17 (ARA)
16 By their fruits you will know them. Are grapes harvested from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?
17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Beware of fruit inspectors
Matthew 13.23
23 But he who was sown on good ground is the one who hears the word and understands it; This bears fruit and produces a hundredfold, sixtyfold and thirtyfold.
Good Works X Fruit of the Spirit
We cannot judge the fruit by its appearance
The fruit takes time to grow and ripen
Galatians 5.22–23 (ARA)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 meekness, self-control. Against these things there is no law.
Ephesians 5.9
2Peter 3.18
18 rather, grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and in the eternal day.
2Corinthians 13.5
5 Examine yourselves whether you really are in the faith; prove yourself. Or do you not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you? If not, you are already disapproved.
Symbol of Regeneration
Supper – death of Christ on the Cross
Baptism - burial
The Supper highlights forgiveness
Baptism – highlights separation from old life
The baptism
Romans 6.4 (ARA)
4 Therefore we were buried with him into death through baptism; so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
1Peter 3.20–21 (ARA)
20 who were once disobedient when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, even eight persons, were saved through water,
21 which, taking the form of baptism, now also saves you, not by removing the filth of the flesh, but by the bringing of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ;
The need for Baptism
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