Regeneration

In the main, as with most of the concepts found in the Bible, regeneration is misunderstood. One would think that if God wanted all men to come to salvation and grow in the knowledge of the truth that He would make it as easy as possible. In some ways, God could not have made it any easier, considering that He has done all that is necessary for people to obtain salvation. The problem lies with us not being willing to accept what God has done. Pride, ego and selfish desires get in the way.

The temptation is to blame the Devil or someone else for circumstances that make us uncomfortable, tense, anxious, feeling as if we are losing control of our life, accidents that happen, losing out on opportunities, career failures, being unemployed, being cheated financially, being disenfranchised, being cheated in love, feeling lonely, and any of the other reasons to feel miserable and forlorn about our prospects in life. 

The Devil is real. He is the god of this world. He has the right to afflict all who sin. Though many cannot see this, the book of Job tells us that the main character of the story, after whom the book was named, was afflicted because of his sin of presumption. Job was a regenerated man, for he had changed from the ways of his youth and began seeking God, having obviously heeded the call of God on his life. Not that the call of God was any more special upon Job's life than it is upon the life of any one else. For the call of God goes out to everyone. The response is where the difference lies. Job responded and began looking to God.

Before Job could look to God, at the time of his response, regeneration took place. Job had two experiences in his life. One when he was younger and another when he made this statement that refers to his earlier experience and distinguishes it from his current situation:

I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee (Job 42:5)

When Job heard of God and responded by acknowledging this fact, regeneration began within Job. The Word of God was received into Job's innermost parts, into his spirit, and the process of regeneration began to take place.

The Apostle Paul writing to Timothy instructs him how he ought to conduct his conversation when speaking with other people over various matters that are controversial or trying to correct misconceived ideas regarding the gospel message and God's eternal plan and purpose. In doing so he makes the following statement:

God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (1 Timothy 2:25b-26)

The snare of the Devil is to distract, deceive and entangle people's thinking to believe any body of thought, doctrinal system, dogma, philosophical ideas, or other nonsense rather than the truth.  Many authors may sound impressive, but are they presenting the truth about salvation and how to grow in the knowledge of Lord Jesus Christ. This is another matter. 

Our volition, our ability to think and make decisions, may very well be taken over the Devil. Depending upon the extent this is the case, this will determine our behavior and orientation in life. Ultimately, the Devil wants us to commit suicide or become a murderer, a person who despises people and possesses a them and us mentality, rather than recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ's death was for all, every person that has been born and will be born. 

Once the Devil can capture people by causing them to believe falsehoods that sound plausible, it is easier for him to lead then further astray and create strongholds in their thinking and harden their attitudes against being receptive to the truth. What is interesting to note is that when writing to Timothy on a previous occasion, the Apostle Paul stated this:

[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, (1 Timothy 2:4-6)

Importantly, before people can come to a place where they can appreciate the knowledge of the truth, they need to have first be saved. In other words, salvation is something that is less about knowledge and more about relationship and responding to the call of God. The truth has to be experienced, not just hear or read or talked about. Experience trumps theory and conceptualizing every time. Experience is real. Theory and conceptualizing are virtual reality. They can be very engrossing but are of not real benefit. Nothing is unless it is real. Reality means experience. 

God desires all men to be saved, not just some men; not just those who were unconditionally elected before the foundation of the world, but all men. While provision has been made for all men to be saved, unfortunately, not all men are saved. The Bible informs us what to expect of those who are saved. The Bible also informs us that there are those who are going to suffer eternal punishment; not because this was preordained by God, but because they rejected their salvation.

Regeneration is the what begins when people hear God's voice and acknowledge Him. God's voice can come to us in various ways, but when we respond to God's voice and recognize He is worthy of our devotion, regeneration occurs so that our heats can be made clean ready for salvation to be completed, sealed and secured. Nothing has changed in regard to this. This is the way it has always been. The Psalmist was referring to the need for regeneration when stating:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

However, today, once the spirit of God is at work in our spirit, in our heart, we can compare this to a large container full of sewage with scum around the sides that needs to be cleaned. If we were to take a hose and begin pouring water into the container to clean it, the question is how long will it take to be clean without any scum or debris other than 100% pure drinkable water. We know that this will depend upon water pressure and how much scum is on the inside walls of the container. 

God's word needs to be heard and received before any cleansing can happen. The Word of God in our heart is what makes the difference. Reading Scripture is not the same as having the Word of God in our heart. Memorizing Scripture is not the same as having the Word of God in our heart. When the Word of God (the pearl of great price - Matthew 13:45) enters our heart, regeneration begins; the cleansing of the heart starts to take place.

Abraham is the father of the faithful. In fact, it is Abraham to whom the promises of God were made. The Bible is very clear about this. 

When we read about Abraham in the book of James, we learn that he fulfilled the requirements of righteousness, when through faith he was prepared to offer his son Isaac upon an altar, primarily because he believed God was able to raise the dead. We read:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God. (James 2:21--23)

However, just as Job heard the call of God by the hearing of the ear, so too did Abraham. 

We encounter Abraham for the first time in Genesis, chapter 11:27, where he introduced as one of the sons of Terah, as Abram. We learn the he marries Sarai, who is barren (verse 30) and they move from the land of Ur with the intention of going to Canaan, except they settle in Haran, and the chapter finishes stating that this is where Abram's father dies (verse 32). The beginning of the next chapter reads:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.”  So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 

Abram, that is, Abraham initially heard the voice of God when abiding in another place some distance from the land that was promised him. This was located in a region he had not travelled to before. The writer of Hebrews says:

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. (Hebrews 11:8)

We see that Abraham heard the voice of God and responded by acknowledging God's directive, setting out to the land of Canaan. At this point of time regeneration took place, for in acknowledging the call of God, the Word of Life entered Abraham.  If Abraham had hardened his heart, he would not have acknowledged the voice of God and responded accordingly. 

When Cain heard God's voice, he hardened his heart rather than humbling himself before God. Consequently, Cain subsequently murdered his brother. Then when God spoke to Cain again, he attempted to lie to God. For God asked him where was his brother and Cain attempted to shrug the matter off, implying that he didn't know, since he was not his brother's keeper. The episode between God and Cain is instructive for us at this point, and finishes thus:

And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.  When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”  Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.  Behold, thou hast driven me this day away from the ground; and from thy face I shall be hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will slay me.”  Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If any one slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (Genesis 4:10-16)

Cain heard the voice of God when he was contemplating killing Abel. Instead of humbly receiving the Word of God, Cain rejected it. Had Cain received the Word and regeneration had taken place, he would not have killed Abel. Rather Cain would have responded to the call of God and sought to know Him as his hope of salvation. Cain's attitude was such that he didn't bother to express sorrow for killing his brother or seek mercy. Instead, he took an accusative stance towards God, rather than seeking to reason with the Judge of all the Earth and plead for mercy with a remorseful and penitent heart. Though not seeking mercy, God nevertheless showed him a form of mercy, by informing him that if anyone kills Cain "vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold". Not that that was going to be of any value to Cain. If he were killed, that would be the end of Cain sooner rather than later. However, having a hardened heart, blinded by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), Cain didn't see the truth of this reality. 

When Jesus told the parable of "the Sower and the Seed" (Matthew 13:3:23), four different types of ground are mentioned: hard, rocky, thistle infested and good (i.e. fertile and weed free). Jesus explains that the seed that the Sower casts along the ground is a type of the Word of God. The hard ground is impervious to the seed. It cannot penetrate the soil, but lying on top, becomes easy pickings for any bird, which Jesus says is a type of the Devil. The ground refers to the hearts of the individuals.

The reason the Devil is able to take the Word of God from the hardened heart is because the recipient does not understand what it means. Cain didn't understand what God was saying when being warned and judged. Thinking of only himself and disregarding the purpose of God, he threw away his hope of salvation. For unless regeneration takes place, salvation cannot occur. The Word of God needs to be received. It is a powerful and active agency, that is capable of bringing forth not only salvation but the fruits thereof that testify to the glory of God being at work in every one who has a transformed heart and becomes a saint. 

In the Gospels, we read that Jesus said:

You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. (John 15:3)

It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63)

The Apostle Paul enlightens us more by writing:

He saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit.  (Titus 3:5)

That He [Jesus] might sanctify her [the church being the ones (saints) who have responded to the call of God], having cleansed her [the church] by the washing of water with the word. (Ephesians 5:26)

Abraham and Job had an initial experience where they responded to the call of God. At this point, they were regenerated by the Word of Life, the Word of Faith, the makes them clean within to receive more of what God has for them. Eventually, both Abraham and Job had a more definitive experience that enabled them to see their Savior. Job's experience is found in verse five of chapter forty-two of the book that bears his name. Abraham's experience is recorded in Genesis 15:6, and further confirmed when preparing the alter to barbecue his son, where upon when questioned by Isaac as to why they haven't a lamb, he says, "God will provide."

 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.  And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”  Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:6-8)

Abraham obeyed God's voice and kept his charge (Genesis 26:5). Even though Abraham did not fully trust God to provide a child born of Sarai, and fathered Ishmael through his wife's maid, Hagar, the Scripture nevertheless says that he was obedient. This was explicitly evidenced in Abraham's willingness to kill his son Isaac, born of the barren Sarai. As Jesus said: 

Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad. (John 8:56)

Jesus being the resurrection and the life, was speaking of Abraham having seen that the dead were to be raised. Therefore Abraham knew that if God could see to it that a barren woman, who was past the age of menopause, was able to give birth to his son Isaac, even if he killed him, as directed by God, he would be raised from the dead. 

When I was eighteen, I received the Word of God into my being. At the time, I was in a church and had just listened to the preacher give an inspiring message about the need to know Lord Jesus Christ. He may have had an altar call, I forget. If he did, nobody went forward. The congregation were mostly university students and academically-minded. When they sang the two earlier hymns, they murmured, as if they were grieving and trying to sing a dirge at a funeral. 

The preacher exhorted the congregation to sing the last hymn with all their hearts to the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Looking around, I judged the congregants in my heart. I looked up and said to God, I am not going to be like those hypocrites. I am going to sing this hymn to you. So I did. To my amazement, I saw what looked like a glowing coin about an inch in diameter and the color of light fall between my ribs at an approximate 80^o angle into my solar plexus. It was warm. Like displaced liquid, I saw a goldish splash of what looked like water reflecting light rise up. There was an upwards tug.

Two years later to the day, but not the hour, September 3, 1974, I had a second experience after I felt the desperate need to know Lord Jesus Christ. Unbeknown to me at the time, I had received the Word of God, and it was actively performing the washing of regeneration within my spirit. Lord Jesus Christ appeared to me and a new era in my journey in life began.

On Sunday September 3, 1972, even though, I had not asked for forgiveness from God or anybody else, I received the Word of God. Even though I had not repented from my sins, I received the Word of God. Even though I had no remorse for wrongdoing I received the Word of God. 

However, even though the Word of God was actively at work within the innermost parts of my being, I immersed myself deeper in sin. Debased, I was lost with a reprobate mind and committing all kinds of sexual perversion. I became lonely, felt empty - even suicidal - and had a number of close shaves with death. I was in the process of planning three murders and working out how to turn a fourth person into a vegetable, without being caught. Moreover, I was contemplating involvement in organized crime.  All this while appearing to many to be a person who had his act together as an employer who employed a gang of up to eight workers on residential construction sites.

The seed that is sown in our hearts, that does the regeneration, enables us to see the Kingdom of God. Jesus said that unless one is born from above, that one cannot see the Kingdom of God, when talking to Nicodemus. He also chastised the man for claiming to be a teacher of God's people and not know this. (John 3:3, 10) When we are born from above, and have merely received the seed, much depends upon our heart. If our heart is hard, or shallow-minded, or cluttered with worldly desires, we will not continue to the stage that bears fruit. This stage requires an honest and generous heart (Luke 8:12-15).

The Word of God itself is imperishable (1 Peter 1:23), but it can be choked according to Lord Jesus (Luke 8:14) or seemingly forsaken from what the book of Hebrews says when referring to committing apostacy (Hebrews 5:4-8). While it may appear contradictory that the Word of God is imperishable but can be choked, this doesn't mean that the Word of God itself has died, just that it couldn't regenerate sufficiently to bear fruit in the individual concerned.

When we understand that the Word of God is actively regenerating within individuals who are in the darkest of places, we realize that we cannot be too judgmental, for God is at work in numerous people who are yet to truly saved, who have various types of sin in their lives. There are the sins of the heart that cannot be seen and their are the conspicuous sins that are clearly seen, if committed in public or where there are witnesses.

When describing the regenerating action of the Word of God within the individual, this may sound like "irresistible grace" at work. Unfortunately, the doctrine of "irresistible grace" doesn't allow for the possibility of an individual, once having responded to the call and having been washed clean by the regenerating Word of God, to then commit apostacy, which is spoken of in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Besides, for those who adhere to this belief, ideas such as "limited atonement" being made for a few, rather than atonement for all, and the need to perform works under the term known as "perseverance of the saints" is an essential component of their mindset, if they are to demonstrate that they are saved. Yet if they don't perform the good works, being "saved by grace alone" is sufficient to cover their evil; since they were chosen by God to be saved before the foundation of the world, according to their doctrine of "unlimited election". Their motto is "Once saved always saved."  Everyone else was cursed to eternal damnation. Freewill had nothing to do with the fact that they are to be eternally punished for their wicked deeds.

Judas received the word of God. He was made clean by the Word Jesus spoke. Yet Judas allowed the cares and riches of this world rob him of his salvation. To suggest that this is not the case is to make Lord Jesus out to be unrighteous, the Word of Life He sowed impotent and His teaching false. For Jesus said that when a spirit is cast out of a house and comes back and finds it clean and put in order but empty, it invites seven more, so the state of the house, referring to an individual, is worse off than before.

In Judas case, his inner man, that is, his spirit was made clean and put in order. When the time came, he chose to betray Jesus, as an act of his volition. Though this may have been foreknown, it was not preordained. When Judas hanged himself, he need not have done so. Judas could have repented and called out for mercy, for God hates even the death of the wicked, and would have been merciful. Unfortunately, there appears to be a point of no return when the apostate heart is so blind that the goodness of God and His loving kindness is not expected possible to be received any more. 

Regeneration is frequently mistaken for salvation, when in fact, the person is in the process of being made ready to receive eternal salvation. Many people say sinners prayers and receive the Word of God that is able to save their souls, but overlook the need to put away their wicked ways. For we read that this is so:

Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls (James 1:21)

If the spirit of the person is saved, so is the soul of the person. Hence, we read that the implanted word is able to save the soul. Regeneration enables a person to see the Kingdom of God and begin to move towards entering it. For seeing the Kingdom of God is not the same as entering it. This distinction needs to be understood. Just to help clarify this, here is what Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, as found in Young's Literal Translation:

Jesus answered and said to him, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;' Nicodemus saith unto him, `How is a man able to be born, being old? is he able into the womb of his mother a second time to enter, and to be born?' Jesus answered, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born of water, and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the reign of God; that which hath been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which hath been born of the Spirit is spirit. `Thou mayest not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above; (John 3:3-7)

Without being born from above we are not able to see the Kingdom where God reigns. The Devil reigns on Earth at the present time because people are still sinning and he hasn't been thrown out of Heaven yet. When the Devil is thrown out of Heaven, all hell will break out on Earth, according to John the Revelator (Revelation 12:7-12). 

God is the one who makes it possible for every person to be saved through the death and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ. As a part of this salvation process, becoming aware that we are born into a state of depravity, wherein God imputes His righteousness, extends grace, propitiates an acceptable offering to the Devil (the ransom price) in exchange for Adam, when atoning for Adam's sin and that of his posterity, so we can be reconciled to God through the regeneration of His Word, provides ample reason for us to continue to seek union with Christ, the next phase of this salvific process that needs to be understood, if we are to be more fully informed.

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