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Regeneration
Regeneration
Many unregenerate men consider
themselves to be God’s children
or “sons of God.” But being a product of God’s
handiwork does not qualify one for a sonship relationship.
A cabinetmaker constructs a cabinet.
But this does not make the cabinet a “child of the cabinetmaker. A birth
process would be necessary for this. The unregenerate man who claims sonship
with God “because he made me” is basing his claim merely on the fact that he is
a product of God’s handiwork. Like the cabinet
he lacks the new birth
necessary for a sonship relationship. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Regeneration
We may sweep the world clean of
militarism
we may scrub the world white of autocracy
we may carpet it with
democracy and drape it with the flag of republicanism. We may hang on the walls
the thrilling pictures of freedom: here
the signing of
Regeneration
Many unregenerate men
consider themselves to be God’s children
or “sons of God.” But being a product
of God’s handiwork does not qualify one for a sonship relationship.
A
cabinetmaker constructs a cabinet. But this does not make the cabinet a “child
of the cabinetmaker. A birth process would be necessary for this. The
unregenerate man who claims sonship with God “because he made me” is basing his
claim merely on the fact that he is a product of God’s handiwork. Like the
cabinet
he lacks the new birth necessary for a sonship relationship.
Regeneration
We may sweep the world
clean of militarism
we may scrub the world white of autocracy
we may carpet
it with democracy and drape it with the flag of republicanism. We may hang on
the walls the thrilling pictures of freedom: here
the signing of
In his book
An
Anthropologist on Mars
neurologist Oliver Sacks tells about Virgil
a man who had been blind from early childhood. When he was 50
Virgil underwent
surgery and was given the gift of sight. But as he and Dr. Sacks found out
having the physical capacity for sight is not the same as seeing.
Virgil's first experiences
with sight were confusing. He was able to make out colors and movements
but
arranging them into a coherent picture was more difficult. Over time he learned
to identify various objects
but his habits--his behaviors--were still those of
a blind man. Dr. Sacks asserts
"One must die as a blind person to be born
again as a seeing person. It is the interim
the limbo . . . that is so
terrible."
To truly see Jesus and his
truth means more than observing what he did or said
it means a change of
identity.
Terry Seufferlein Norman
Oklahoma.
Nineteenth century
Scottish preacher Horatius Bonar asked 253 Christian friends at what ages they
were converted. Here's what he discovered:
Under 20 years of age -
138
Between 20 and 30 - 85
Between 30 and 40 - 22
Between 40 and 50 - 4
Between 50 and 60 - 3
Between 60 and 70 - 1
Over 70 - 0
Daily Bread.
The new birth or
regeneration is an inner recreating of fallen human nature by the Holy Spirit.
It changes the disposition from lawless
godless self-seeking into one of trust
and love
of repentance for past rebelliousness and unbelief
and loving
compliance with God's law henceforth. It enlightens the blinded mind to discern
spiritual realities and liberates and energizes the enslaved will for free
obedience to God.
The use of the figure of
new birth to describe this change emphasizes two facts about it. The first is
its decisiveness. The regenerate man has forever ceased to be the man he was;
his old life is over and a new life has begun; he is a new creature in Christ
buried with him out of reach of condemnation and raised with him into a new
life of righteousness.
The second fact emphasized
is that regeneration is due to the free
and to us
mysterious
exercise of
divine power. Infants do not induce or cooperate in their own procreation and
birth; no more can those who are dead in trespasses and sins prompt the
quickening operation of God's Spirit within them.
James Packer
Your
Father Loves You
Harold Shaw Publishers
1986.
If I had a car with the
engine that was ready for the grave
I'd have a new engine put in. I'd take the
car into a mechanic who would put it in for me. If when I got that car back
it
ran just as poorly
I'd begin to wonder if the old really had been replaced or
just cleaned up. It is not different with our new lives in Christ.
Henry Eerdmans
Christian
Personal Ethics
1957
p. 383ff.
Rebirth or regeneration is
monergistic
not synergistic. It is done by God and by God alone. A dead man
cannot cooperate with his resurrection. Lazarus did not cooperate in his
resurrection. Regeneration is a sovereign act of God in which man plays no
role. After God brings us to life
of course
we certainly are involved in
"cooperating" with Him. We are to believe
trust
obey
and work for
him. But unless God acts first
we will never be reborn in the first place. We
must also realize it is not as if dead people have faith
and because of their
faith God agrees to regenerate them. Rather
it is because God has regenerated
us and given us new life that we have faith.
R.C. Sproul
Tabletalk
1989.
Once there was a brier
growing in a ditch and there came along a gardener with his spade. As he dug
around it and lifted it up the brier said to itself
"What is he doing?
Doesn't he know I am a worthless brier?" But the gardener took it into his
garden and planted it amid his flowers
while the brier said
"What a
mistake he has made planting me among these beautiful roses." Then the
gardener came once more and made a slit in the brier with his sharp knife. He
grafted it with a rose and when summer came lovely roses were blooming on that
old brier. Then the gardener said
"Your beauty is not due to what came
out but to what I put in."
Source Unknown.
BORN
OF GOD.
What is the
evidence that we are born of God? We have the question answered in John’s first
Epistle. Seven times we find the words “ Born of God ” occurring.
Ⅰ. Righteousness of life. “ Every one that doeth
righteousness is born of Him” (2:29).
Ⅱ. Not practicing sin. “ Whosoever is born of God
doth not commit sin” (3:9).
Ⅲ. New nature implanted. “ He cannot sin
because
he is born of God” (3:9).
Ⅳ. Loving one another. “ Every one that loveth is
born of God” (4:7).
Ⅴ. Faith in Christ. “ Whatsoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ
is born of God” (5:1).
Ⅵ. Victory over the world. “ Whatsoever is born of
God overcometh the world( 5:4).
Ⅶ. Kept by Christ. “ Whosoever is born of God
sinneth not; but He that was begotten of God keepeth him” ( 5:18
R.V.).
──
F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》