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REGENERATION,
A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
I)
REGENERATION DEFINED
A)
[Excerpts from John chapter 3 relevant to regeneration
]
III)
[Jn 3:3]:
1)
[Compare Jn 1:12-13]:
2) [Compare
1 John 5:1]:
A)
IF ONE IS NOT BORN AGAIN [LIT. 'BORN FROM ABOVE'] ONE WILL NEVER SEE,
I.E., BE FOREVER SEPARATED FROM GOD & CONTINUALLY UNDER HIS WRATH &
CONDEMNATION
1)
[Ps 52]:
2)
[Mt 25:46]:
3)
[2 Thes 1:5-10]:
IV)
[Jn 3:4]:
A)
NICODEMUS DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF BEING BORN AGAIN
V)
[Jn 3:5]:
A)
BORN OF WATER AND SPIRIT = A SPIRITUAL BIRTH VIA THE EXCLUSIVE WORK OF
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
1)
[Compare Titus 3:5 from the New Testament perspective]:
a)
BEING BORN AGAIN IS NOT VIA WORKS BUT VIA THE "WASHING" WORK
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - GOD'S WORK OF MERCY NOT MERIT
i)
[Compare Ez 36:24-27 from the Old Testament]
[Compare
Jn 7:38-39a]:
[Ref.
Isa 12:2-3]:
ii)
OTHER PASSAGES IN THE OT WHICH PORTRAY REGENERATION
b)
REGENERATION, I.E., BECOMING BORN AGAIN OCCURS WHEN ONE IS SAVED UNTO
ETERNAL LIFE AT THE MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE
i)
[Compare Jn 1:12-13]:
ii)
[Compare 1 John 5:1]:
c)
MAN HAS A SIN PROBLEM WITH GOD WHICH IS RESOLVED BY REGENERATION, I.E.,
BECOMING BORN AGAIN
i)
[Ro 5:12]:
B)
"BORN OUT OF WATER" CANNOT REFER TO PHYSICAL BIRTH BECAUSE
BABIES WHO ARE 'STILL-BORN OR ABORTED ARE NOT PHYSICALLY BORN ALIVE YET
ALL BABIES WHEN THEY DIE DO GO TO HEAVEN
1)
THOSE THAT DO NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO BELIEVE IN OR REJECT CHRIST AS
SAVIOR CANNOT BE CONDEMNED BUT MUST BE SAVED UNTO ETERNAL LIFE
C)
"BORN OUT OF WATER" CANNOT REFER TO WATER BAPTISM, IT REFERS
TO BEING BORN VIA THE WORK OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
1)
THE CONTEXT WHICH INCLUDES NICODEMUS, A JEW UNDER THE OLD TESTAMENT
SCRIPTURES AND THE MOSAIC LAW, DOES NOT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH ACTUAL
WATER IN ORDER TO SEE [ENTER] THE KINGDOM OF GOD
a)
[Compare Jn 3:7, 10]:
2)
NO PROVISION(S) OF THE LAW ENABLED ONE TO BECOME BORN AGAIN
a)
[Compare Ro 3:19-24]:
3)
JOHN THE BAPTIST'S WATER BAPTISM WAS SYMBOLLIC OF AN ISRAELITE'S
ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS MESSIAH/SAVIOR BRINGING IN HIS KINGDOM AND
PROVIDING HIM ASSURANCE OF ETERNAL LIFE
4)
HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM IS THE ONLY ESSENTIAL BAPTISM FOR REGENERATION UNTO
ETERNAL LIFE
5)
A SYLLOGISM RULES OUT WATER BAPTISM
D)
"AND SPIRIT" = "AND OUT OF THE REALM OF THE SPIRIT"
WHICH EXCLUDES ANYTHING DONE IN THE PHYSICAL REALM LIKE WATER BAPTISM
VI)
[Jn 3:5-6]:
A)
ONE IS BORN AGAIN IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM AS OPPOSED TO THE PHYSICAL
REALM
VII)
[Jn 3:7-8]:
A)
NICODEMUS, A TEACHER OF TEACHERS OF SCRIPTURE, SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT
OUR LORD WAS SPEAKING OF - INDICATING THAT SCRIPTURE EXPLAINED WHAT OUR
LORD WAS REFERRING TO
B)
"PNEUMA" MEANS BOTH WIND AND SPIRIT, BOTH UNFATHOMABLE
CONCEPTS BEYOND MAN'S COMPREHENSION AND CONTROL
1)
[Compare Eccl 11:5]:
C)
THE WORK OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT IN MAN'S REGENERATION IS INVISIBLE,
UNFATHOMABLE, PERFECT, COMPLETE AND PERMANENT
1)
[Compare Eph 1:13b-14]:
2)
[Compare Eph 4:30]:
XIII)
[Jn 3:14]:
A)
THE LIFTING UP OF THE SNAKE IN THE DESERT TO SAVE THE LIVES OF THOSE
BITTEN BY POISONOUS SNAKES WHO LOOK UPON THAT SNAKE IS PARALLELED TO OUR
LORD BEING LIFTED UP ON THE CROSS TO SAVE UNTO ETERNAL LIFE ALL THOSE
WHO LOOK UPON HIM, I.E., BELIEVE ON HIM AS SAVIOR
1)
[Num 21:6-9]:
XIV)
[Jn 3:14-15]:
A)
SALVATION UNTO ETERNAL LIFE RESULTS FROM FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE
BEING LIFTED UP
1)
[1 Jn 2:2]:
2)
[Mt 20:18-19]:
XV)
[Jn 3:14-16]:
E)
CONCLUSION
II)
GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY WORKS WITH THE ELECT'S INCAPACITY TO BELIEVE SO THAT
THE ELECT OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL BELIEVE IN HIS SON AND WILL
BEREGENERATED
A)
ONLY THOSE WHO ARE GIVEN BY THE FATHER TO THE SON WILL COME TO THE SON
AND NO ONE CAN COME TO THE SON UNLESS THE FATHER DRAWS AND ENABLES HIM
1)
[Compare Jn 6:37, 44, 65]:
III)
ALL MANKIND IS ALSO DRAWN TO GOD IN A NUMBER OF WAYS BUT NOT ALL WILL
RESPOND
A)
ALL MEN ARE DRAWN BY CHRIST WHEN HE WAS LIFTED UP BUT NOT ALL WILL
RESPOND
1)
[Compare Jn 12:32-33]:
2)
[Ro 10:13]:
3)
[Jn 2:24]:
B)
ALL MEN ARE DRAWN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CONVICTION OF SIN AND JUDGMENT
AND THE NEED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS BUT FEW RESPOND
1)
[Jn 16:8-11]:
C)
ALL MANKIND IS DRAWN BY CREATION AND THE ORDER IN WHICH IT EXISTS TO
BELIEVE IN THE CREATOR, BUT FEW WILL RESPOND
1)
[Compare Ro 1:18-23]:
2)
[Compare Acts 17:24-27]:
D)
GOD PROVIDES THE GIFT OF FAITH FOR THOSE THAT CHOOSE TO TRUST ALONE IN
HIS SON ALONE UNTO ETERNAL LIFE
1)
[Compare Phil 1:29]:
IV)
MAN HAS THE CAPACITY TO OBEY GOD AND UNDERSTAND WHAT HE HAS SAID BUT HIS
SINFUL NATURE HAS TURNED HIS WILL TOTALLY AGAINST THE EXERCISE OF THAT
CAPACITY
A)
[Jn 12:37-40]:
V)
ELECTION IS THE WORK OF GOD. IT IS NOT A MATTER OF THE INDIVIDUAL
ELECTING GOD AND THEN GOD ELECTING HIM IN RESPONSE - AND NEITHER GOD'S
JUSTICE NOR MAN'S FREE WILL IS IMPUGNED
A)
[Ro 9:10-23]:
B)
[Jn 6:37, 44, 65]:
C)
[Phil 1:29]:
VI)
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SINNER IS TO BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
AND BE SAVED, OF HIS OWN VOLITION
A)
[1 Jn 2:2]:
B)
[Jn 3:16]: