Untitled Sermon

The word Regeneration is a peculiar word.

Its a foundational doctrine of the doctrines of grace, and its a word that has caused so much debate in the history of the church and yet its only ever used two times in the NT.

One is here, and the other is Matthew 19:28

Matthew 19:28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Literally you could translate this verse, Truly, I say to you, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne.

What Jesus is talking about is the New Heavens and New Earth. The New Creation of the entire cosmos.

The Bible says that because of sin, all of creation was subjected to futility and groans for the curse of sin to be washed away.

What that tells us is that salvation, the Kingdom of God, is bigger than personal salvation. Its not less than personal salvation but its much much more than that.

God’s purpose in Christ is that all of creation would be born again. Made new. Washed clean. God sent Christ to remove the stain of sin as far as the curse is found.

God’s plan is to make all things new. To recreate the world in a new genesis where all the brokenness, pain, and death is no more.

And Paul uses that word here, to talk about our salvation, as a way of saying

The word Regeneration is a peculiar word.

Its only ever used one other time in the NT in Matthew 19:28 which says Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Literally you could translate that verse to say, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne.

What that tells us is that this word is directly tied to the New Creation. A work of God to wipe away every stain and curse of sin and make all things new.

Why that’s significant in our passage is that it tells us that in Christ we are a New Creation, where all our sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ.

That’s why Paul calls it the washing of regeneration. The washing is a cleansing, a removal of sin.

And this washing is the result of God’s sovereign grace of recreation. The New Birth. A new genesis if you will, where the blessings of God’s salvation flow as far as the curse is found.

Because that’s how the Bible describes the New Birth. It’s a New Creation where God speaks the Word of his gospel to our dead stony hearts and life bursts forth.