Born Again To See God
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 again,” 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 actually promised this to His people through the OT prophet Ezekiel: “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” (36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34). Note that this promise from God is His intention to impart spiritual life to His people.
Jesus, in John 3:3-10, chastised Nicodemus for being the teacher of the Law in Israel and yet not understanding the truth of Ezekiel’s prophecy and what it meant to be born again – 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 reborn spiritually. Both of which are given by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter, however, said that “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. 2:5; Col. 2:13; James 1:17-18). So 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 the two members of the Trinity involved in regeneration.
Now it is important to note that regeneration occurs prior to saving faith, for no one can respond with faith to Christ’s call without having already been regenerated. Jesus speaks of this phenomenon 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, and then after they hear the good news preached to them about Christ (1 Pet. 1:23, 25; James 1:18), they always respond in faith. But they must hear the preached word of God. Although many hear the gospel, only those chosen by God will respond in faith (Matt. 22:14). But they must be regenerated – born again – 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 the 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, and it is an instantaneous event that occurs only once for all believers in Christ. So, regeneration occurs before saving faith, although in the mind of the believer they are practically simultaneous.
Food For Thought
There are those who hear the gospel yet fail to respond in faith. They remain “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1-5) and are unable to comprehend the gospel because they are spiritually discerned (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 people to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Jesus 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 again,” 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 actually promised this to His people through the OT prophet Ezekiel: “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” (36:25-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34). Note that this promise from God is His intention to impart spiritual life to His people.
Jesus, in John 3:3-10, chastised Nicodemus for being the teacher of the Law in Israel and yet not understanding the truth of Ezekiel’s prophecy and what it meant to be born again – 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 reborn spiritually. Both of which are given by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter, however, said that “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. 2:5; Col. 2:13; James 1:17-18). So 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 the two members of the Trinity involved in regeneration.
Now it is important to note that regeneration occurs prior to saving faith, for no one can respond with faith to Christ’s call without having already been regenerated. Jesus speaks of this phenomenon 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, and then after they hear the good news preached to them about Christ (1 Pet. 1:23, 25; James 1:18), they always respond in faith. But they must hear the preached word of God. Although many hear the gospel, only those chosen by God will respond in faith (Matt. 22:14). But they must be regenerated – born again – 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 the 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, and it is an instantaneous event that occurs only once for all believers in Christ. So, regeneration occurs before saving faith, although in the mind of the believer they are practically simultaneous.
Food For Thought
There are those who hear the gospel yet fail to respond in faith. They remain “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1-5) and are unable to comprehend the gospel because they are spiritually discerned (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 people to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Jesus 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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