The man who contends that he does not need to be justified by God must first establish the evidence that there is no accusation against him. This wrong attitude can lead to discouragement and even disaster. This aspect of new creation was typified in the Old Testament water-judgment baptisms of the flood and the Red Sea (1Cor. When great numbers of Samaritans heard Philip and believed and were baptized, Simon also accepted the facts and came forward to be baptized. It is based upon. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12, 14). But are they? God could not set apart an unclean sinner for His possession and purpose, therefore, He purchased and purified the sinner by the Blood of His Son. . Other passages affirm this teaching. Hitchcock's Bible Names. When we were saved we became partakers of the Divine nature (II Peter 1:4). The natural man is dead in trespasses and sins . Let us make certain that by faith we are justified before God. The holy man of God will honor God with his body. The seed of sanctification is implanted in the souls of believers in their new birth. We lack righteousness. Verse 5 tells us that only one kind of man can be justified; not the self righteous worker, but the ungodly man who believes, for, says Paul: . WebRegeneration The teaching concerning A new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17 Verse Concepts Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed Many theologians believe that Jesus alludes to Ezekiel 36 when teaching Nicodemus about his need for the new birth. Sanctification, then, is that sovereign act of God whereby He sets apart a person, a place, or an object for Himself in order that He might accomplish His purpose in the world by means of that person, place, or object. Ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him (I John 2:29). That He came to earth none can deny, but any biological explanation remains a mystery. It was Isaiah and Jeremiah who drew attention to this (Isaiah 57:15; Jeremiah 24:7; 31:33-35; 32:38-40, et passim). (4) A mountain can be sanctified. . It is not possible to love God if we do not love our fellow-man. The Holy Spirit is the active Agent in regeneration. Feeling sad or sorrowful does not necessarily mean that a person is repentant. Jesus said, And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:16, 17). This is Perfect Sanctification. Paul commences in verse 1 with the word therefore. This word definitely connects that which is to follow with that which has been said in previous chapters. Some students make the mistake of confusing Adoption with Regeneration. His first recorded act that could not be produced instanteously by natural means was the turning of water into wine (John 2:1-10). What? Paul is explaining how a sinner is justified (pronounced righteous) by God, namely, by faith alone. Sin shuts man out from Gods presence. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105). In our day of scientific advance, miracles are to some an obstacle to faith. The facts of Christian experience cannot be changed, nor do they lose in value by the most searching psychological scrutiny. Clearer than any passages of the Old Testament, John the Baptist, forerunner of Christ and last flaming torch of the time of the earlier covenant, spoke of the baptism, not of water, but of the Holy Spirit and of fire (Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16; John 1:33), leading thus to the realization of Old Testament foreshadowings which became possible by faith in Christ. Following are other Scriptures which exhort the Christian to self-sanctification: But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (I Peter 1:15, 16). . Regeneration is the act of God by which a spiritually dead person becomes spiritually alive. The glory of the revelation of the Lord from heaven will be shared by Christs Church at that day (Colossians 3:4). translations in the Geneva Bible, King James Version, and American Standard Version). The teaching of John is very closely allied with that of Jesus, as we have already seen from the multitude of quotations we had to select from John's Gospel to illustrate the teaching of the Master. Our Lord left no doubt as to the indispensable necessity of the new birth as a pre-requisite to entrance into the Kingdom of God. Upon this foundation God goes into action. Christs accomplishment of redemption undergirds the Spirits application of redemption to the elect. Regeneration is not of blood, which means, I take it, that not even the finest Christian parents can impart Divine life to their offspring. Man was created in the likeness and image of God, and he was Gods possession by creative right. In Romans Paul is merely emphasizing the truth that faith is the means of justification, while James stresses the fact that good works are the fruit of justification. One day the pastor visited the home to congratulate the boy and his mother. But this spake He of the Spirit . And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the masters use, and prepared unto every good work. If a criminal is found guilty and convicted of crime, he may be forgiven by the offended party and even pardoned by the governor, but he remains guilty of his offense. Spiritually dead men and women are utterly dependent on God to sovereignly give them spiritual life. (John 7:37-39). "He handles psychical powers; He works upon psychical energies and states; and this work of regeneration lies somewhere within the psychical field." The New Birth brought with it new life, and the new life has brought an entirely new set of desires, appetites, ideals and goals. This aspect of the believers Sanctification is then a matter of choice on our part. WebRegeneration was the principal work of the Holy Spirit. . Satan knows well the power of true Sanctification in the believers life; therefore, it is to the advancement of his kingdom if he can perpetuate confusion in our minds and conflict among the brethren. The setting apart of the believing sinner as Gods possession and for Gods purpose is associated with the Holy Spirits entering the body at Regeneration. The Apostle James attributes the sovereign work of God in regeneration to the living Word of God. In his Epistles, John shows that this Spirit bestows the elements of a Godlike character which makes us to be "sons of God," who before were "children of the devil" (1John 3:10,24; 4:13, etc.). But when Paul and Silas said to the jailer, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house, they were telling him how he and the members of his household could be saved. In the teaching of Jesus the need of regeneration has a prominent place, though nowhere are the reasons given. Let us examine three erroneous views and then attempt a correct biblical interpretation. The baptismal regeneration theory is not merely erroneous but dangerous, because it holds that baptized babies of believing parents are saved, and unbaptized babies who die as such, are lost forever. This is understood more clearly when we realize that the Word of God is both living and life-producing. This life is eternal, imperishable: "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). Someone may ask, How can you take such an attitude toward your troubles? Charles Hodge has said, Since our relation to God is changed, the relation of all things to us is changed. And that is the answer! There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (I Corinthians 10:13). To the child of God who reads and studies the Bible, it becomes a cleansing, sanctifying power in life. His conversion, commission and career as an apostle were foreseen and foreordained before he was born. We read, And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. This is every Christians position, independent of the length of time one has been saved, how much or how little one knows about the Bible, or how spiritual that person might be. And yet they were instructed that each believer in the assembly was indwelt by the Holy Spirit. If in His word to Nicodemus our Lord was referring to baptism by water, then it follows that all who have died and were not baptized are lost. But it is no sin to be tempted. How often have the clear words of Jesus been misunderstood! Positional Sanctification is the fact and act of belonging to God. His Epistle is rather ethical than dogmatical in tone, still his ethics are based on the dogmatical presuppositions which fully agree with the teaching of other apostles. of He has set you apart for a definite purpose, and that purpose is Gods perfect will for your life. The same word teleios is translated of full age in Hebrews 5:14 where it likewise means spiritual maturity. We must keep in mind the fact that there is a close connection between the act of justifying and the imputed righteousness of the one who has been justified. By faith power is received which enables the sinner to overcome sin, to "sin no more" (John 8:11). It is especially interesting to note the cases where the apostle didactically elucidates certain of these pronouncements of Jesus. So, regeneration is something wonderful that involves taking somethingin this case, the planetthat has been devastated by the fall and making it new so that it Indeed, only God can justify sinners. Had death triumphed over Him, our justification would have been forever impossible. Jesus said, A body Thou hast prepared Me (Hebrews 10:5). The carnal Christians were in conflict with each other, but without exception they were all addressed as those who were indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This grace and salvation must then be applied to the elect, and thus the Holy Spirit applies the effects of salvation to the elect by regenerating their spirits and drawing them into salvation (irresistible grace). Some of us do not behave at all times as a believer should, but our behaviour does not alter our position in the Body. Some weeks before my acceptance of Jesus Christ I passed through a real struggle, restless and troubled because of a sense of guilt. Before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee. That is Preparatory Sanctification. What He said is that the Father set Him apart and sent Him from Heaven to earth to accomplish the Divine mission of redemption. This life can be received on the condition of faith in Christ or by coming to Him (John 14:6). Fallen in Adam, all people are born dead in sins and trespasses and are incapable of spiritual renewal. But the Law condemned them because they could not keep it. The renewing and cleansing here spoken of is in reality nothing else than what Deuteronomy 30:6 had promised, a circumcision of the heart in contradistinction to the flesh, the token of the former (Abrahamic) covenant (of circumcision, Jeremiah 4:4). alienated from the life of God (Ephesians 2:1; 4:18) because his iniquities have separated him from God (Isaiah 59:2). Paul was set apart for the ministry long before the cradle. The Apostle Paul said, Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after . . Perfect sonship is that for which we are waiting. During the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, one of the great theological battles concerned the doctrine of regeneration. Christians are now saints, already set apart, sanctified. In the Latin version the word freely is gratis, being justified gratis. Gods method of justifying men gives us a glorious demonstration of His sovereign grace. We know that this statement from His lips had nothing to do with moral behavior because in Him is no sin (I John 3:5). Justification can be defined as that act of God whereby He declares absolutely righteous any and all who take shelter in the blood of Christ as their only hope for salvation. The word regeneration appears only twice in the English Bible. We have already stated that it is erroneous to assume that one is born again at the time of his being baptized with water. For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God (Romans 10:2, 3). Both the carnal and the spiritual are included in the sanctified saints. It is God that justifieth (Romans 8:33). The following passage teaches that water is sometimes a symbol of the Holy Spirit--In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. This is a mighty truth that we must know and on which we need to reckon continuously. The Holy Spirit is a gift, not given discriminately to some believers, but rather to all believers, as the following passages teach: John 7:37-39; Romans 5:5; I Corinthians 2:12; II Corinthians 5:5. 1:30 ). would prevent them from accepting it. The Christian who is out of Gods will is an unsaintly saint. WebThe theological term "regeneration" is the Latin translation of the Greek expression palingenesia, occurring twice in the New Testament ( Matthew 19:28; Titus 3:5 ). So if you have trusted Christ to save you, then you have been set apart once for all; you are Gods sanctified one. The only way that God could be both merciful and just was through Calvary, where Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin. the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Titus 3:5 (AV). Psychological: W. James, Varieties of Religious Experience, 189-258; G. Stanley Hall, Adolescence, II, 281-362; G. A. Coe, The Spiritual Life, New York, 1900; E. D. Starbuck, Psychology of Religion, New York, 1911; G. B. Cutten, Psychological Phenomena of Christianity, London, 1909; H. E. Warner, The Psychology of the Christian Life, New York, 1910; H. W. Clark, The Philosophy of Christian Experience, London, 1906; Harold Begbie, Broken Earthenware, or Twice-Born Men, London, 1909; M. Scott Fletcher, The Psychology of the New Testament, London, 1912. It was not to a social outcast, criminal or drunkard, but to a religious, law-abiding man that Christ addressed the command, Ye must be born again. Some persons who possess a certain moral goodness and are therefore self-righteous, do not realize any need of regeneration. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Therefore, it is enough to say that God, a supernatural Being, has revealed Himself in His supernatural Son and in His supernatural Book, and He will, by the power of that Word and His supernatural Spirit, impart supernaturally His own life to any person who will receive it by faith. This new order is the Church, the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22, 23), not an organization, but a spiritual organism. This birth is "of the day, free, delivering from passions, taking away every veil of our nature or birth, i.e. We emphasize the phrase to declare his righteousness, for to justify means to declare righteous, the basis of which is the shed Blood of Jesus Christ. Both have reference to justification before men. The change is so radical that it is possible now to speak of a "new creature" (2Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15, margin "new creation"), of a "new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth" (Ephesians 4:24), and of "the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Colossians 3:10). Each believer plays an important role in his own Practical Sanctification as he finds and follows and finishes Gods will for his life. God cannot be just and the Justifier of the ungoldly (Romans 3:26) unless a just penalty has been exacted. Interested in joining the Ligonier team? It means simply a new birth, a new beginning, a new order. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ (I Peter 2:5). . Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did (John 2:23). The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). A judge has no right to condemn the innocent or to clear the guilty. The subject of regeneration lies outside of the scope of the Epistle to the Hebrews, so that we look in vain for a clear dogmatical statement of it. We have already noted the second New Testament passage in which the word "regeneration" occurs (Titus 3:5): "According to his mercy he saved us, through the washing (margin "laver") of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour." A man is born again., not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). No distinctions are as much as hinted at in these verses, nor would we expect any because of the very nature of a gift. Remember, there is no meritorious value in faith itself. When the initiation into the church was thought of as accomplished by the mediation of ministers thereto appointed, the ceremonies hereby employed became means to which magic powers were of necessity ascribed. Jesus came with a heart full of love for mankind, but they hated Him. He has been forgiven but not justified. Preparatory and Positional Sanctification are entirely the work of the Triune God, but in the matter of our Practical Sanctification there is that element of human responsibility. For those who take this view, regeneration is a necessary work of God so people can be saved. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). The Holy Scriptures are both living and life-producing. The most remarkable apostolic gloss or commentary on the subject is found in John 7:39. The verb sanctified means set apart, and the corresponding noun saints are those persons who have been set apart, the set-apart ones. Forgiveness assumes guilt; therefore, the guilty one cannot be justified. The word again as used by our Lord in John 3:3, 7, where He spoke of being born again, is the translation of another, which means from above. Water baptism points to the promise of the new creation. Spiritually speaking, you are either born or unborn. The Spirit regenerates. The necessity of regeneration for all men grew out of the depravity of mans nature. The Bible warns against this false view where it says, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (I John 1:8). Justification is more than forgiveness. The flood washed away the iniquity of the world "in the days of Noah," when "eight souls were saved through water: which also after a true likeness (the Revised Version margin "in the antitype") doth now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation (the Revised Version margin "inquiry," "appeal") of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection (-life) of Jesus Christ" (1Peter 3:20,21). Her boy had not earned the money. He says, . It was the symbol of a radical cleansing like that of a "new-born babe," which was one of the designations of the proselyte (compare Psalms 87:5; see also the tractate Yebhamoth 62a). At first glance, this issue might seem to be He had to rise from death and appear before God in our behalf in order to secure for us the benefits of His death. . Verse 13 says that the Holy Spirit is the agent in sanctification to that glorious end. In both instances the Holy Spirit is the Agent. But since all men are both guilty and condemned sinners before God, all need both forgiveness and justification before entering the Kingdom of God. With the waters of the flood, God washed away the wicked while delivering Noah and his family. This is a clear illustration of the Preparatory Sanctification of God the Father in Election and Foreknowledge. After he returned from the memorial service he went to the local bank and opened a savings account in the name of the orphaned boy. I must confess that, as a parent, I have been guilty of dealing unjustly with my children, not in punishing them for their misconduct, but in finding some excuse for it. Immature Christians are spoken of (as were the proselytes of the Old Testament) as babies, who were to grow to the stature, character and knowledge of "full-grown men" (5:13,14).