The Holy Spirit

Regeneration, Part One

The definition: 1. Reproduction; the act of producing anew. 2. In theology, new birth
by the grace of God;
that change by which the will and natural enmity of man to God and his law are subdued,
and a principle of supreme love to God and his law, or holy affections, are implanted in
the heart.

Intro- Spurgeon: From his sermon “Regeneration,” preached on May 3, 1857.

And now we must say, that regeneration consists in this. God the Holy Spirit, in a
supernatural manner—mark, by the word supernatural I mean just what it strictly means;
supernatural, more than natural—works upon the hearts of men, and they by the
operations of the divine Spirit become regenerate men; but without the Spirit they never
can be regenerated. And unless God the Holy Spirit, who "worketh in us to will and to
do," should operate upon the will and the conscience, regeneration is an absolute
impossibility, and therefore so is salvation. "What!" says one, "do you mean to say that
God absolutely interposes in the salvation of every man to make him regenerate?" I do
indeed; in the salvation of every person there is an actual putting forth of the divine
power, whereby the dead sinner is quickened, the unwilling sinner is made willing, the
desperately hard sinner has his conscience made tender; and he who rejected God and
despised Christ, is brought to cast himself down at the feet of Jesus. This is called
fanatical doctrine, mayhap; that we can not help; it is scriptural doctrine, that is enough
for us. "Except a man be born of the Spirit he can not see the kingdom of God; that which
is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." If you like it not,
quarrel with my Master, not with me; I do but simply declare his own revelation, that
there must be in your heart something more than you can ever work there. There must be
a divine operation; call it a miraculous operation, if you please; it is in some sense so.
There must be a divine interposition, a divine working, a divine influence, or else, do
what you may, without that you perish, and are undone; "for except a man be born again,
be can not see the kingdom of God." The change is radical; it gives us new natures,
makes us love what we hated and hate what we loved, sets us in a new road; makes our
habits different, our thoughts different, makes us different in private, and different in
public. So that being in Christ it is fulfilled: "If any man be in Christ he is a new creature;
old things are passed away, behold all things are become new."

1. The miracle of regeneration.

A. Regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit.

Tit 3:5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to
his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
 1. To be regenerated is to be born again . Jesus compares physical birth
with spiritual birth.

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he
cannot see the kingdom of God."

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit.

2. God does all of the work in regeneration, yet regeneration is not

incompatible with human responsibility.

Joh 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God,
Joh 1:13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man,
but of God.

3. If God did not do all of the work in regeneration, mankind would never respond
to the gospel.

a. A quote from The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter nine, section

three:

III. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, has wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual
good accompanying salvation:[4] so as, a natural man, being altogether averse from
that good,[5] and dead in sin,[6] is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself,
or to prepare himself thereunto.

Joh 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will
raise him up on the last day.

Joh 6:65 And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is
granted him by the Father."

Joh 12:37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in
him,
Joh 12:38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Lord, who
has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed?"
Joh 12:39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
Joh 12:40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their
eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them."
Rom 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to
God's law; indeed, it cannot.

4. The reasons for our inability to come to Christ apart from the
work of the Holy Spirit are:

a. spiritual deadness :

Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every
tree of the garden,
Gen 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the
day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death
through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned--

Eph 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
Eph 2:2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of
disobedience--
Eph 2:3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the
desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest
of mankind.

Col 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Psa 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking
lies.

b. darkened minds and corrupt hearts :

Gen 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Gen 8:21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart,
"I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart
is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I
have done.

Ecc 9:3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to
all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their
hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can
understand it?

Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual
immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
Mar 7:22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

Joh 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved
the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Rom 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to
God's law; indeed, it cannot.
Rom 8:8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Eph 4:17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the
Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
Eph 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God
because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
Eph 4:19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy
to practice every kind of impurity.

Eph 5:8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as
children of light

Tit 1:15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is
pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

C. bondage to sin and Satan .

Joh 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a
liar and the father of lies.

Eph 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
Eph 2:2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of
disobedience--

2Ti 2:25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them
repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
2Ti 2:26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after
being captured by him to do his will.
1Jn 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of
the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who
does not love his brother.

1Jn 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the
evil one.

Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a
slave to sin.

Rom 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

Tit 3:3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various
passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and
hating one another.

aa. This slavery to sin and Satan is universal .

2Ch 6:36 "If they sin against you--for there is no one who does not sin--and you are
angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to
a land far or near,

Job 15:14 What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can
be righteous?
Job 15:15 Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his
sight;
Job 15:16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks
injustice like water!

Psa 130:3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

Psa 143:2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous
before you.

Pro 20:9 Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"?
Ecc 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Isa 64:6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are
like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take
us away.

Rom 3:9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already
charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
Rom 3:10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;
Rom 3:11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
Rom 3:12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does
good, not even one."

1Jn 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

d. Mankind is totally unable to change himself.

Rom 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to
God's law; indeed, it cannot.

Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one.

Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can
do good who are accustomed to do evil.

1Co 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually
discerned.

Mat 12:33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its
fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.

Mat 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes,
or figs from thistles?
Mat 7:17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
Mat 7:18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit

5. The reason people do come to Christ is because the Spirit draws irresistibly
.

Because we are born dead in sin, with no ability to love or treasure Christ, the Spirit must
give a person a new heart. This new heart has the ability to see and understand
spiritual things, and is made to walk in God’s law, whereas the old heart only saw
spiritual things as foolishness and was not able to submit to God’s law.

Deu 30:6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your
offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all
your soul, that you may live.

Eze 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will
remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
Eze 11:20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they
shall be my people, and I will be their God.
Eze 36:26 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.
Eze 36:27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and
be careful to obey my rules.

Gal 6:15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creation.

2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed
away; behold, the new has come.
2Co 5:18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation;

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

a. The sinner is raised from his state of spiritual death

and made alive in Christ.

Joh 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life
to whom he will.

Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--
by grace you have been saved--

Col 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

The Spirit draws, and effectually calls the sinner to Christ. All who are given to Christ by
the Father hear this special inward call, and come to Christ willingly.

Joh 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will
never cast out.
Joh 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him
who sent me.
Joh 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he
has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

Rom 1:6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
Rom 1:7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 8:30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he
also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Rom 9:23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he
has prepared beforehand for glory--
Rom 9:24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the
Gentiles?

1Co 1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

1Co 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
1Co 1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God
and the wisdom of God.

1Co 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to
bring to nothing things that are,
1Co 1:29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
1Co 1:30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from
God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
1Co 1:31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

Gal 1:15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his
grace,
Gal 1:16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among
the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that
belongs to your call--

2Ti 1:9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but
because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the
ages began,

Heb 9:15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called
may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that
redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Jud 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called,
beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

1Pe 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called
you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and
establish you.

a. Both faith and repentance are requirements of salvation, yet the Bible
makes it clear that these
 requirements are divine gifts wrought in a person by
the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

Act 5:31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to
Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Act 11:18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying,
"Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."

Act 16:14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a
seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to
pay attention to what was said by Paul.

Act 18:27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and
wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who
through grace had believed,

Php 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only
believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

2Ti 2:25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them
repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

b. Part of the regenerating work of the Spirit is to reveal

divine truth. The only reason that a person understands and believes the gospel is by
the enablement of the Spirit.

Mat 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them
to little children;
Mat 11:26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
Mat 11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the
Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to
whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Mat 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Mat 16:16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and
blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
Joh 6:45 It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone
who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me--

Gal 1:15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his
grace,
Gal 1:16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among

6. The Spirit regenerates all those chosen to be saved.

a. The Bible loudly affirms the sovereignty of God. God is free, doing all that He
pleases .

Psa 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

Psa 135:6 Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and
all deeps.

1Ch 29:10 Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And
David said: "Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and
ever.
1Ch 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory
and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the
kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
1Ch 29:12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand
are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Job 42:1 Then Job answered the LORD and said:

Job 42:2 "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be
thwarted.

Isa 14:24 The LORD of hosts has sworn: "As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I
have purposed, so shall it stand,
Isa 14:27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is
stretched out, and who will turn it back?

Isa 46:9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am
God, and there is none like me,
Isa 46:10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet
done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'

Isa 46:11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I
have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.

Isa 55:11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me
empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for
which I sent it.
Jer 32:17 'Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your
great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

Dan 4:35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does
according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?"

Mat 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with
God all things are possible."

c. Election precedes salvation.

Election is not salvation. For example, as the president- elect does not actually become
the president of the United States until his inauguration, so those chosen for salvation
are not saved until regeneration.

Rom 11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it,
but the rest were hardened,

2Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may
obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the
word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

d. Those elect were not chosen because of any foreseen

act or response on their part, but they were chosen unconditionally.

Rom 9:11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad--in
order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but
because of him who calls--
Rom 9:12 she was told, "The older will serve the younger."
Rom 9:13 As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!

Rom 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Rom 10:20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found by those who did not
seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me."

1Co 1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what
is weak in the world to shame the strong;
1Co 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to
bring to nothing things that are,
1Co 1:29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
2Ti 1:9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but
because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the
ages began,

c. Faith in Christ is the result not the ground of

election.

A person that places faith in Christ does so not because God saw their faith in Him
beforehand, but because He appointed (predestined) that person to faith.

Act 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the
word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Joh 10:16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and
they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Joh 11:51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he
prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,
Joh 11:52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God
who are scattered abroad.

Rom 8:30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he
also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Act 18:27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and
wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who
through grace had believed,

Php 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only
believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

2Th 2:13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the
Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by
the Spirit and belief in the truth.
2Th 2:14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jas 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the
world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those
who love him?

7. Christ secured the salvation for every one of God’s elect. Repentance and faith
were bought for them at the cross. If He did not buy their repentance and
faith, and left it up to man’s own choice, no one would be saved.
Php 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should
not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

Act 5:31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give
repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

1Co 1:30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom
from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
1Co 1:31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

B. Regeneration brings about a change.

1. It brings about new affections.