Regeneration(conversion, new creature, quickening)
“New birth, renovation, regeneration”
Summary
Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit by which a person experiences a new birth, becoming spiritually alive and receiving a new heart inclined toward God.
☩Biblical Teaching
The Greek word palingenesia means literally "new birth" or "renovation." In Matthew 19:28 it refers eschatologically to the restoration of all things when Christ sits on His throne of glory. In Titus 3:5 it describes the spiritual renewal of the individual soul by the Holy Spirit. Scripture expresses this concept through various images: being born anew or from above, being quickened or made alive, becoming a new creation, having the mind renewed, and being raised from spiritual death. The subjects of this change are described as begotten of God, born of the Spirit, and partakers of the divine nature.
☩Jesus's Teaching to Nicodemus
The figure of being born again is most distinctly expressed in Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. Jesus declared, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This new birth is not physical but spiritual, effected by the Spirit of God. Jesus compared the Spirit's work to the wind: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." The necessity of this spiritual rebirth was emphasized when Jesus told Nicodemus, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."
☩Nature and Evidence
Regeneration is the recovery of God's moral image and the implantation of spiritual life in the soul. It involves not merely outward reformation but an inward transformation of heart and will. The efficient cause is the Holy Spirit, while the instrumental cause is the Word of God. The evidences of regeneration include conviction of sin, holy sorrow, deep humility, faith, repentance, love for God, and devotedness to His glory. First John describes the marks of the regenerate: practicing righteousness, loving the brethren, overcoming the world through faith, and not habitually practicing sin.
Related Verses174 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Regeneration," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VIII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Regeneration," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Regeneration," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Regeneration," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).