Born Again?
John 3:3 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
The work of the Holy Spirit with regard to regeneration is a key issue in John 3, and it answers many of the questions posed about the Holy Spirit’s work. Regeneration, or being “born anew,” might be defined as the sole work of God by which He imparts spiritual life into His elect children in order that they might respond by faith to the gospel call and be saved. God promised this to His people before Jesus, circa 600 BC, saying, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ez. 36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34). Clearly God has always intended to impart spiritual life to His elect people.
In John 3:3-10 Jesus chastised Nicodemus, “the teacher of Israel” (John 3:10), for failing to understand, or even be aware of, Ezekiel’s prophecy and what it meant to be born anew—to be regenerated. Jesus asked him, “You are the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” Jesus spoke of the same “water” that Ezekiel did—the spiritual cleansing from sin—and the new heart that was needed to be spiritually reborn. Both of which are given by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter, likewise, said, “…according to God’s great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Pet. 1:3; cf. Eph. 1:13; Col. 2:13; Jas. 1:17-18). From Peter’s words, along with Paul and James, it appears that it is God the Father who regenerates. The conclusion to the matter is that both the Holy Spirit and the Father are responsible for the regeneration of the sinner dead in his sin.
It is vital to note that regeneration occurs prior to saving faith, for no one can respond by faith to Christ’s call without having been regenerated. Jesus speaks of this marvel in John 6:44 saying, “No one can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him.” There is a sequence, therefore, in salvation whereby God the Father draws one to Christ, then after they hear the word of truth (1 Pet. 1:23, 25; Jas. 1:18), those who have been drawn respond in faith. But they must first hear the gospel preached before they can believe. Though many hear the gospel, only those chosen by God will respond in faith (Matt. 22:14). But they must be regenerated, “born anew,” through the work of God before they are able to respond in faith. The Spirit washes and regenerates, then faith follows immediately thereafter, as in the case of Cornelius in Acts 10:44. As Peter preached the gospel to him and his household, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.” There is also the example of Lydia in Acts 16:14: “And the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” It is God’s work, therefore, that reaches into the hearts of His elect children to summon their response—an instantaneous event that occurs only once for all believers in Christ. Now although regeneration occurs before saving faith, in the minds of believers, belief and regeneration are practically simultaneous.
Food For Thought
There are those who hear the gospel but do not respond to it by faith. They remain “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1-5), unable to comprehend and receive the gospel since they are spiritually appraised (1 Cor. 2:14; cf. Mark 4:14-15). It is the work of the Holy Spirit that gives new life through regeneration and enables God’s Elect to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. Jesus thus said, “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes or where it goes; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
The work of the Holy Spirit with regard to regeneration is a key issue in John 3, and it answers many of the questions posed about the Holy Spirit’s work. Regeneration, or being “born anew,” might be defined as the sole work of God by which He imparts spiritual life into His elect children in order that they might respond by faith to the gospel call and be saved. God promised this to His people before Jesus, circa 600 BC, saying, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ez. 36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34). Clearly God has always intended to impart spiritual life to His elect people.
In John 3:3-10 Jesus chastised Nicodemus, “the teacher of Israel” (John 3:10), for failing to understand, or even be aware of, Ezekiel’s prophecy and what it meant to be born anew—to be regenerated. Jesus asked him, “You are the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” Jesus spoke of the same “water” that Ezekiel did—the spiritual cleansing from sin—and the new heart that was needed to be spiritually reborn. Both of which are given by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter, likewise, said, “…according to God’s great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Pet. 1:3; cf. Eph. 1:13; Col. 2:13; Jas. 1:17-18). From Peter’s words, along with Paul and James, it appears that it is God the Father who regenerates. The conclusion to the matter is that both the Holy Spirit and the Father are responsible for the regeneration of the sinner dead in his sin.
It is vital to note that regeneration occurs prior to saving faith, for no one can respond by faith to Christ’s call without having been regenerated. Jesus speaks of this marvel in John 6:44 saying, “No one can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him.” There is a sequence, therefore, in salvation whereby God the Father draws one to Christ, then after they hear the word of truth (1 Pet. 1:23, 25; Jas. 1:18), those who have been drawn respond in faith. But they must first hear the gospel preached before they can believe. Though many hear the gospel, only those chosen by God will respond in faith (Matt. 22:14). But they must be regenerated, “born anew,” through the work of God before they are able to respond in faith. The Spirit washes and regenerates, then faith follows immediately thereafter, as in the case of Cornelius in Acts 10:44. As Peter preached the gospel to him and his household, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.” There is also the example of Lydia in Acts 16:14: “And the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” It is God’s work, therefore, that reaches into the hearts of His elect children to summon their response—an instantaneous event that occurs only once for all believers in Christ. Now although regeneration occurs before saving faith, in the minds of believers, belief and regeneration are practically simultaneous.
Food For Thought
There are those who hear the gospel but do not respond to it by faith. They remain “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1-5), unable to comprehend and receive the gospel since they are spiritually appraised (1 Cor. 2:14; cf. Mark 4:14-15). It is the work of the Holy Spirit that gives new life through regeneration and enables God’s Elect to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. Jesus thus said, “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes or where it goes; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
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Our mailing address is:
Harvest Bible Church
14954 Mueschke Road
Cypress, TX 77433
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