Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Romans 3:28). His enticements to do wrong will come to us through every doorway of sense, nose, eye, ear, mouth and touch. Thus we are sanctified by the Blood of Christ. In Matthew 19:28, Jesus refers to the regeneration (e.g. God chose the Apostle Paul to expound the doctrine of Justification. . (ie Christ) (Romans 6:6). But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth (II Thessalonians 2:13). How does one mature in the Christian life? Regeneration is Gods making a person spiritually alive, as a result of Since only God possesses creative power, He alone can impart life where there is no life. But it is no sin to be tempted. Positional Sanctification is the fact and act of belonging to God. What is the Christian doctrine of regeneration? Justification does not make the sinner righteous, but when God sees him in Christ, He declares that he is righteous, thereby pronouncing the verdict of not guilty. In modern jurisprudence a sentence in any court must be in keeping with the facts presented. You cannot even coerce the Spirit of God to effect your regeneration. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:17). Of the righteous man it is written, The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide (Psalm 37:31). Knowing that we shall enter into and share Christs glory should make us rejoice now. . Follow peace with all men, and holiness (i.e., the Sanctification), without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). The will of God is the present sphere of Christian obligation. What a theme! What? For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the diving asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). As to the nature of the change, it consists in the implanting of a new principle or disposition in the soul; the impartation of spiritual life to those who are by nature "dead in trespasses and sins.". For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10, 23). . (Genesis 2:3). Before our sins were put away, we had absolutely no right of approach to God. The Psalmist wrote, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? Apart from the atoning Blood of Christ, man could not be set apart unto God. The necessity of regeneration for all men grew out of the depravity of mans nature. The same thing is true of the natural and spiritual man.. (2) Man has fallen from his virginal and divinely-appointed sphere, the realm of the spirit, the Kingdom of God, living now the perishing earthly life. . It is necessary to salvation for all men. Regeneration Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster In his second letter to the church in Corinth ( 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 NIV ), Paul How He did it is the burden of our present study, for it brings before us one of the most majestic and profound truths in all the Bible, the doctrine of Justification. In a comprehensive statement of the Gospel, Paul wrote, Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification (Romans 4:25). . Paul was telling them that if they hoped to be justified by the Law, they had to be more than hearers--they must be doers. Let us put it another way--the only righteous basis for our justification has been provided through the death of Christ. This righteousness is imputed to the believer by God on the faith principle apart from human works (Romans 4:5, 6). Notice it does not say that some of them were baptized into the Body, but that all were. Paul set forth this doctrine clearly in II Corinthians 5:21 when he said, For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Justification is only in Him, for apart from Him no basis for it exists. The Word of God presents to us the fact of our sin and condemnation, that without Christ we are without a Saviour and with no hope. Soon, however, great disasters, threatening to overthrow the national entity, and finally the captivity and dispersion which caused national functions to be almost, if not altogether, discontinued, assisted in the growth of a sense of individual or personal responsibility before God. What He said is that the Father set Him apart and sent Him from Heaven to earth to accomplish the Divine mission of redemption. Reformation and revival occurs when the Spirit of God sovereignly moves to change the hearts of men, bringing them from spiritual death to spiritual life. Christians have time for sports, entertainment, travel, and socializing, but little or no time for communion with God in prayer and the study of His Word. Proud member But then he added, For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13). In literal terms, it means birth again. God was satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son, and never again will He take up a case against those who have been justified by faith. Now I am critical of my sons when I see them dealing in this same way with their children. Before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee. That is Preparatory Sanctification. It is nowhere taught by Christ nor expressed in the writings of the Apostles that infant baptism was believed by them. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? A young man may seek to entice a young lady to engage in sinful sex, and the girl might be tempted to do so; however, no one can accuse her of indiscretion if she has kept the door shut against her tempter. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Man as he is by nature stands in direct contrast to the demands of the spiritual life. It is not possible for a child of God to communicate the Divine nature to an unsaved person, even if that person is his own flesh and blood. 6:46, 13; Eph. Abraham was justified, not by rites of religion, for circumcision was not required until later, nor by the deeds of the law, for the law was not yet given, but through faith in Gods Word. holiness (Hebrews 12:14), that is, pursue it, press on after it. That He (God) might be just, and the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:26). The governor of a state, or the President of the United States, can pardon a guilty and condemned criminal, but neither can reinstate the criminal to the position of an innocent man. Regeneration precedes faith, for no one can believe in Christ until they are given new hearts by the Spirit of God. Finally, this regeneration, this new life, is explained as the knowledge of God and His Christ: "And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ" (John 17:3). The analogy of the movements of the wind to the Spirits operation in Regeneration is clear. . It happened in December 1927, and it has been blessedly real. A spiritual resurrection has taken place. Justification is the sentence of the Judge in favor of the condemned man, clearing him of all blame and freeing him of every charge. Josephus (Ant., XI, iii, 9) speaks of the anaktesis kai paliggenesia tes patridos, "a new foundation and regeneration of the fatherland," after the return from the Babylonian captivity. Judicially we are declared righteous, we are justified, and the just shall live by faith. Dr. William E. Biederwolf once said, Every creature born into this world has a nature after its kind. This phrase sets forth the greatness of our new standing before Him. He needed not to be justified since He was already holy and just. Her boy had not earned the money. Of this miracle John wrote, This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him (John 2:11). The Arminian position of regeneration is that a persons faith precedes his or her regeneration. All regenerated persons are one in Christ, and love is their badge. Only God can clear the guilty. . At this point in our study we must make the necessary distinction between Practical Sanctification and that to which some Christians refer to as sinless perfection, an erroneous concept which teaches that a believer in Christ can reach a point in life where he will not commit sin again. This was the only way that God could have reckoned to us His righteousness, and it is the one way He found of not reckoning to us our sin. . (I Corinthians 12:13). This people have I formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise (Isaiah 43:21). 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. Hence renovation, regeneration, the production of a new life consecrated to God, a radical change of mind for the better. Praise God for the atonement, for without it He could not reckon us other than what we actually are, nor could He deal with us differently from what we deserve. The necessity of such a change is emphatically affirmed in Scripture ( John 3:3 ; Romans 7:18 ; 8:7-9 ; 1Corinthians 2:14 ; Ephesians 2:1 ; 4:21-24 ). True to his nature, a caterpillar crawls, and when we see him fly we dont say, What an accomplished caterpillar! But we say the creature has been changed, it has a new nature, it has been born again; it is now a butterfly. The difficulty arises from a failure to examine the Greek text in which there is nothing to support the theory of self-crucifixion or dying to self. The exhortation is not to try to die to self by some effort of our own, but to realize that when Christ died on the cross we did die to self with Him. But not many days before the deadline, she went to the bank, and after inquiring she learned that the money was there, deposited in her sons name by another person. This seems to be an allusion to the passage in Hosea (4:6): "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me.". We can be tempted by Satan (I Corinthians 7:5; I Thessalonians 3:5), by the natural desires of the old unregenerate nature (Galatians 4:14; James 1:14), by other persons (Matthew 16:1; 19:3). . we have boldness and access (Ephesians 3:11, 12). In 1:18-32 the unrighteousness of the Gentiles is exposed to the light. Peter uses, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, the words "refreshing" (Acts 3:19) and "restoration of all things" (Acts 3:21) of the final completion of God's plans concerning the whole creation, and accordingly looks here at God's people as a whole. During the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, one of the great theological battles concerned the doctrine of regeneration. Remember, there is no meritorious value in faith itself. Paul, indeed, lays more stress on the specific facts of justification and sanctification by faith than on the more comprehensive head of regeneration. He is never merciful at the expense of justice. Beloved, let us not neglect our privilege--in and out. Shame on believers to have access to so much and possess so little! Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (II Timothy 2:21, 22). Possible the latter term comes closest to the Greek word. If there is going to be any disagreement among us, please let us disagree agreeably. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and Groom? Our Lord said to His disciples, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). The once-for-all sacrifice of Gods Son purchased the once-for-all Sanctification for the sinner. Little wonder that one theologian suggested that the holy and righteous God faced the greatest riddle ever when He set out to justify the ungodly. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren (I John 3:14). (Job 25:4-6). 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. But by what means does God produce the miracle of the New Birth? In the second most important passage on the means of Regeneration, we find our answer. If there is a basic error, I believe it is the failure to grasp the meaning of the term Sanctification. Let us make certain that by faith we are justified before God. Having become partakers of the Divine Nature we now see sin as God sees it. Salem Media Group. At the same time it is the life of God in man, also called fellowship with Christ, victorious life which overcomes the world (1John 5:4); it is purity (1John 3:3-6) and knowledge (1John 2:20). A judge has no right to condemn the innocent or to clear the guilty. Christ, "the mediator of a better covenant, which hath been enacted upon better promises" (8:6), has made "purification of sins" (1:3). Spiritually, it means that God brings a person to new life (that they are "born again") from a previous state of separation from God and subjection to the decay of You must be born of the Spirit (John 3:5, 8). Now the students did not learn this from the Bible. Creation It is Gods gift to every regenerated man (Romans 5:17). . Just as there must be the human agent in a human birth, so there must be the Divine Agent in the new birth from above. Now I am aware of the fact that this attempt to expound Sanctification places me on controversial ground. Regeneration All born again persons have God as their Father; therefore they are one in Christ, sharing a mutual love. This aspect of Sanctification was in view in our Lords prayer, where He prayed, Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth (John 17:17). If such is the case, I urge you to come with me that I may show you what it cost God to provide justification for you and me. He was pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church (Highland Park, Michigan) until the end of 1963 when he resigned More. The water in this verse does not refer to baptism. The behavior of some of the Christians at Corinth was anything but commendable. Every Christian is tempted, but temptation does not necessarily lead to sin. "The body is dead because of sin" (Romans 8:3-11; Ephesians 2:1). And many other signs (wonders, miracles) truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name (John 20:30, 31).