Regeneration: God Gives Life to a Human Soul

Introduction

Man is described in Scripture as (among other things) spiritually dead. The picture is one of unwillingness to seek after God (Rom 3:11). Various terms are employed to describe this condition, from "blind" and "enslaved" to "hostile in mind." So ingrained is our natural rebellion that we are simply unable to escape our inherent aversion to the things of God. Jeremiah depicts this inability to change ourselves in graphic terms. He asks, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?" (Jer 13:23). Mankind is obviously in quite a predicament. Not only do we reject God, thus incurring His judgment. But we are unable to free ourselves. This is precisely why Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again." Without a spiritual rebirth, there is no access to the living Lord.

Thankfully, God has provided a way of escape from ourselves. We can receive life from above. This life is often termed regeneration. Concerning regeneration, J.I. Packer has this to say: "The concept is of God renovating the heart, the core of a person's being, by implanting a new principle of desire, purpose, and action, a dispositional dynamic that finds expression in positive response to the gospel and its Christ."[1]

You see, then, that God has graciously intervened to resurrect those who were spiritually dead. But let us make sure that we are clear on terminology. Regeneration is not the same as conversion. Though the ideas are intertwined, they are not identical. Conversion refers to the human side of the salvation equation; it involves faith and repentance. In other words, the sinner—hearing and understanding the gospel—turns away from sin and embraces the Savior. This leads to a number of questions. In what sense are regeneration and conversion related? How is it that God regenerates a human soul? And what lessons result from our understanding of the doctrine of regeneration?

Understanding Regeneration

1. Regeneration precedes conversion.

Of Lydia we are told (Acts 16:14) that "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message." This is consistent with the Bible's teaching. As Paul said, "by His doing you are in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor 1:30). That is, God must give life before a person is to truly believe. One cannot even "see the kingdom" without first experiencing a work of God from above (John 3:3).

2. Regeneration is a work of God alone.

John, for instance, tells us that this "spiritual birth" is "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). Just as we are passive in our physical birth, so also we play no part in our spiritual rebirth. We don't inherit, desire, or choose to be born again. Only the Lord, the Giver of life, can animate those buried in the grave of their own depravity.

3. God uses means in giving spiritual life, namely His Word.

While God alone, by His Spirit, can bring forth life, He often works by means. Such is the case with regeneration. "In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth" (James 1:18). "For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God" (1 Peter 1:23). God brings His children to life by means of His Word. The Word of the gospel is "the power of God for salvation"[2] (Rom 1:16).

4. God uses human messengers to proclaim His Word, and thereby produce spiritual life.

Amazingly, God often utilizes human messengers in the carrying out of His will. Though He is free and able to by-pass these, He usually doesn't. Thus God has had His spokesmen—from Moses and Aaron to the apostles, and down through history. Whether we speak of the great orators of the past and present, or the simple Christian worker—God uses men and women to speak words of life. Concerning the matter of spiritual life, God imparts it through His Word (i.e. the gospel), and by means of human envoys.[3]

Primary Lessons

1. We must depend on God, who alone can give life to the spiritually dead.

If natural man has no capacity for spiritual things and if only the Lord God can bring about new life, we ought to be a praying people. Our only hope is in the triune God—the Father who can draw people to His Son (6:44, 65), the Son who is "the life" (John 14:6), and the Spirit who reveals "the thoughts of God" (1 Cor 1:11). Apart from the sovereign Lord, our evangelistic efforts are futile.

2. We must be faithful to the means by which God communicates that life.

If God tends to work through means, we ought to avail ourselves to those means as much a possible. Our churches are to be Word oriented, our witnessing Christ centered, and our lives immersed in "the word of Christ" (Col 3:16). Since God uses His word to accomplish regeneration, we ought to be constantly seeking ways of communicating it to the people we know. While Christians have a number of duties to one another and to society, our greatest privilege and responsibility involves disseminating the truth by which God quickens those who are dead in sin. How incredible it is that God would use such feeble messengers to raise spiritual corpses. God can use His Word on our lips not only to inform the unbeliever of truth, but also to give him the life necessary if he is to take hold of that truth. It is an awesome thought to consider our role in this divine-human project. No wonder Paul exclaimed, "Who is adequate for these things?" (2 Cor 2:16).[4]

3. We must be careful to give God all of the credit when a person receives spiritual life.

The primary goal of redemptive history is that God would receive glory and honor. Paul spoke to this when he said, "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36). While we play a role (from the human perspective) in the salvation of sinners, the Lord Himself is the ultimate cause of eternal life. Therefore, He alone is the recipient of worship. It is our duty and privilege to join in the praise of His name.

NOTES

1. J.I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1993), p. 157.

2. "[T]his gospel, whose content is Jesus Christ, ‘appointed Son-of-God-in-power' (v. 4), mediates ‘the power of God leading to salvation.'" Douglas Moo, The Epistle to the Romans (NICNT; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996), p. 66.

3. GOSPEL MESSENGER--- > COMMUNICATES THE WORD ---> WHICH BY THE SPIRIT REGENERATES ---> LEADING TO CONVERSION (Faith and Repentance). Note also the following: (1) All believers are the messengers of the gospel. (2) The communication may come in a variety of forms (preaching, teaching, literature, etc.). (3) Regeneration is according to God's eternal plan, and for the benefit of His chosen people. (4) The circumstances leading to conversion obviously differ from situation to situation.

4. "Unless the Word of God is there, unless your work has about it the authoritative ring of scriptural truth, unmixed with the glamour, glitter and gimmickry of so many modern methods, you have no warrant for claiming for your efforts the promise that ‘Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ' (Romans 10:17). It is the Word of God alone that is the instrument of the new birth." John Blanchard, Truth For Life (Welwyn, Hertfordshire, England: Evangelical Press, 1982, 1986), p. 68.

Regeneration: God Gives Life to a Human Soul
copyright © 1997 by Carmen C. DiCello
All rights reserved.