Every temptation can result in blessing if when we are tempted we are driven to Gods Word and prayer and win the victory. The seed of sanctification is implanted in the souls of believers in their new birth. 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). For usage information, please read the Baker Book House Copyright Statement. 10:10, 14; 1 Pet. . WebThe analogy of birth shows that regeneration is a radical change, which brings one from an earlier condition of pollution and death to a renewed state of holiness and life. The saving work of Jesus Christ will culminate in Gods ultimately uniting all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth (Eph. The Word of God shows us that the Son of God came into the world to bear the sinners judgment through His substitutionary death for the sinner (Matthew 20:28; Luke 19:10; I Corinthians 15:3, 4). There is a divine initiative Some sincere students of religion have made wrong deductions from the Bible passages which speak of regeneration. . But what did our Lord mean by being born of water? To look in the region of consciousness for this Person or for His work is fruitless and an effort fraught with endless confusion. Beloved brethren, think of it! For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are Gods (I Corinthians 6:19, 20). . 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. . The First Corinthian Epistle contains some pregnant passages on this theme. (5) Regeneration, being a new birth, is the starting-point of spiritual growth. This people have I formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise (Isaiah 43:21). God said, And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar . But where is there a man who ever kept the whole law? He is not inferring that faith is righteousness, but rather that faith is the means through which righteousness is reckoned. Paul himself experienced this change, and henceforth exhibited the powers of the unseen world in his life of service. Thus having been born from above, we are to seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Romans 9:10-13); Samson before he was conceived (Judges 13:3-5); and John the Baptist prior to his conception (Luke 1:13-17). The Apostle wrote similarly, But when it pleased God, Who separated me from my mothers womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood (Galatians 1:15, 16). The Apostle Paul said, Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after . Justification cannot be on arbitrary grounds. Now the New Birth does not eradicate the old nature, but it does give new life to control it. Before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee. That is Preparatory Sanctification. Esteemed British pastor D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said: Conversion is the first exercise of the new nature in ceasing from old forms of life and starting a new life. The moment of the Spirits regenerating work in me climaxed His work of Positional Sanctification. But since all are guilty and deserving of judgment, how can He save those whom He loves? Child of God, the Holy Spirit is in you. 6:46, 13; Eph. Through His incoming He sets apart that believing one. . The question arises, How can God justify the guilty sinner and at the same time remain just? Many of the religious books coming from the presses today are long on experience but short on doctrine. The Apostle Paul said that through the indwelling Holy Spirit ye are sealed unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). Our Lord Himself said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24). Divine foreknowledge is not limited to mere foresight of what men will do at some future time. Our Lord said, The words that I speak unto you . In the second most important passage on the means of Regeneration, we find our answer. When great numbers of Samaritans heard Philip and believed and were baptized, Simon also accepted the facts and came forward to be baptized. You cant train a bird to crawl, for the same reason you cant train a snake to fly. Baptism does not avail to cleanse the heart from defilement, but our Lord did say, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). He makes his point clear by use of illustration: Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? (James 2:21). It becomes a stronghold in temptation. A gift is not a reward nor a debt nor a payment for service. It was credited, posited to his account. Regeneration (John 7:37-39). Our bodies belong to God by a two-fold right, His right by creation and by redemption. Additionally, the regeneration of individuals is a prelude to the regeneration of the cosmos on the last day. Leo the Great compares the spirit-filled water of baptism with the spirit-filled womb of the virgin Mary, in which the Holy Spirit engenders a sinless child of God (Serm. 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). All regenerated persons are one in Christ, and love is their badge. In literal terms, it means birth again. It was written to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ (verse 1), and all such are assured that God is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (verse 24). Since only the righteous can enter, the believer has access because he has been justified--declared righteous. 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. But closely related to guidance by the Scriptures is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Word of God is the means by which the Holy Spirit accomplishes the New Birth. There seems, however, to be little doubt that James directly refers to regeneration in the words: "Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (1:18). 1. Many who stress continually the great doctrine of Justification fail to see that Practical Sanctification is equally important. Mans nature is depraved, so much so that God Himself makes no attempt to improve it to make it fit for His holy presence. His first recorded act that could not be produced instanteously by natural means was the turning of water into wine (John 2:1-10).

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