REGENERATION

As to our true state by nature, the word of God presents it as one of total and irrecoverable ruin. “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) “Yehovah looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that does good, no, no one.” (Psalm 14:2-3).

Notice what the prophets say:

“Why should you be stricken any more? You will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it” (Isaiah 1:5-6).

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Now let us turn to the New Testament:

“Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John 3:6)

“What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:9-19)

“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God; neither, indeed, can be” (Romans 8:7)

“Having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12)

The more closely we examine the word of God, the more we see that it is not the God's plan to improve a fallen, ruined thing, but to bring in something entirely new. This is said in reference to man's natural condition in Adam that God is not seeking to improve. The gospel does not propose, as its object, to improve a man's nature – the Adam nature, but to give him a new one. So we see that all who believe in the name of Jesus and all that name represents are partakers of his own life, and one with him who has risen. “And because of him all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses” Acts 13:39).

“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as God's anointed one was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we are dead with God's anointed one, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that God's anointed one being raised from the dead dies no more; death has no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he lives, he lives unto God. Likewise, reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus His anointed one our Lord” (Romans 6:4-11)

“ And you has he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, ha made us alive together with His anointed one, and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in His anointed one Jesus: (Ephesians 2:1-6)

“And you are complete in him, who is the head of all principality and power: In whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of God's anointed one: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has He made alive together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that were against us, which were contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Colossians 2:10-14)

Notice that flesh is presented in the scriptures not as a thing to be improved, but as a thing which God counts as “dead” and which we are called to “mortify”, subdue and deny in all its thought and ways. “They that are in God's anointed one have crucified the flesh with the affections and desires” (Galatians 5:24) How can they do this? By the energy of God's indwelling Spirit, acting not on the old nature, but in the new, enabling them to keep the old nature where the cross has put it, namely, the place of death. God expects nothing from the flesh: neither should we. God does not own it. It has no existence before Him. True, it is in us, but God gives us the privilege of viewing and treating it as dead. His word to us is: “Likewise reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus His anointed one our lord. (Romans 6:11)

There should be great joy upon discovering that God is not looking for any improvement in nature; that He sees it as dead, and us as alive in His anointed one; one with him, and accepted in him.

Let us see clearly what regeneration is. It is a new birth; the imparting of a new life, the implantation of a new nature; the formation of a new man. We are new creations in God's anointed one. The old nature remains in all is distinctness and the new nature is introduced in all its distinctness. In grace the new nature, the divine nature always gravitates towards its own source. “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit”: It partakes of the nature of its source.

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:4)

“Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” (James 1:18)

Consider how the new nature come about by birth from above where God's Spirit is used to make alive that which was dead in trespasses and sins. “By the word of Yehovah the heavens were made,” and by the word of Yehovah are dead persons called into new life. The words of Yehovah are creative and regenerating. It calls worlds into existence; it calls sinners from death to life. The same voice which said “Let there be light” also says, “Let there be life.”

Notice what Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Except a man be born from above he cannot see [experience] the kingdom of God. Here Jesus is talking about a new birth that takes the place of the old nature in man and causes one to become a new creation in him.

“Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say unto you, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, You must be born again.” (John 3:5-7)

We are born of the water of the word and of the Spirit of God.

“Truly, truly, I say unto you, he that hears my word, and believes on Him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)

“But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God; and that believing you might have life through his name.” (John 20:31)

The new life is produced, the new life communicated by the word of God. “Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” (James 1:18)

“Being born from above, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever.” (1 Peter 1:23)

We see that the word of God is expressly set forth as the instrument by which the new birth is produced. James declares that we are begotten “by the word of truth”; and Peter declares that we are “born from above by the word of God.” When Jesus speaks of being “born of water” he represents the word under the figure of “water”.

“....God's anointed one also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:25-26)

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus God's anointed one our savior;

That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7)

“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he [Jesus] shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3)

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of sonship, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with God's anointed one; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:14-17)

The very moment that a person receives into his heart the simple truth of the good news message of the kingdom of God and the things about the lord Jesus and accepts him as the one whom God has sent and repents and is baptized he becomes a child of God. The truth he receives is the “incorruptible seed” of “the divine nature” (1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:4)

A person who receives into his heart the simple record concerning God's anointed one has received new life. God's anointed one is the truth and the life; and when we receive the truth we receive God's anointed one, we receive life, “he that believes on the son has new age life” (John 3:36) The truth concerning God's anointed one is the seed of new age life, and when the truth is believed, life is communicated. God's anointed one is his righteousness and his life. He is introduced into the full favor of God.

A man in God's anointed one not only sees himself as a guilty sinner provided with a way of access to God as a righteous judge, but as one who sees God, in pursuance of His divine counsels of electing love, begetting him through the word of truth, making him His child, placing him as a son into His family, and setting him before Him in such a way he can enjoy communion with Him as his Father.

All is of free grace. The Father has begotten us, and the Judge has found a ransom. “Then he is gracious unto him, and say, deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.” (Job 33:24)

As the children of God, we are admitted to all the privileges of His house; and in point of fact, the discipline of the house is as much a privilege as of anything else. It is on the ground of the relationship in which God has set us that He acts in discipline toward us. A father disciplines his children because he loves them. The dealings of God are preventive as well as corrective!

We should every hold fast to the assurance of God's steadfast love which has taken us up from our low and lost condition and made us His sons; knowing that He will never fail us; until we enter in His coming kingdom. May God's love dwell more abundantly in our hearts so we may enter into the power of regeneration.