THE NEW CREATION

JOHN 3:1–21

“Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’ ”

(John. 3:7).

We have examined the work of the Holy Spirit in the creation and sustaining of life; now we look at His work in the new creation, in the divine act of regeneration. This is probably the most mysterious of all the works of the Holy Spirit. In regeneration God, by His Spirit, creates new life in a dead soul. While we cannot define life and explain how it is communicated to us, we know it by its effects. Still, we must not confuse the effects of that new life—spiritual understanding, holiness, love of Christ—with the cause of life. Regeneration is not a work of man but solely an act of God. It is an immediate act of the Holy Spirit upon our souls, a quickening of new life where there was once only darkness. It cannot be emphasized enough that this communication of life is an act of God, which means that we are totally passive. It is only after we have been regenerated that we actively bear the fruits of faith and repentance.

The classic passage on regeneration is found in John 3 where Jesus tells Nicodemus that a person must be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven. He emphasizes that this new birth must be wrought by the Spirit and not by the works of man: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” You must be born of “water and the Spirit.” The Spirit is the efficient cause of regeneration, and the water is a pledge or seal of the new covenant, a representation of the Spirit. Throughout the Scriptures we have this work of regeneration attributed to the Spirit of God. We are “born of the Spirit,” and John 6:63 says “it is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.”

For any person to enter the kingdom of God, he must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This was true for the saints in the Old Testament just as it is true for all saints today. While the fullness of this work was not clearly revealed to the Old Testament believers, it was certainly manifest to them. Jesus rebukes Nicodemus for not understanding this truth even though it had been revealed to the saints (however vaguely); certainly David understood that a right standing with God required circumcision of the heart, being made new from above.

CORAM DEO

Proverbs 5–6

1 Corinthians 15:1–30

Think back to your conversion. You might not have a specific date but reflect on the general time period. How were things different after you put your faith in Christ compared to before? Why was it necessary for the Spirit to change you? Why were you unable to change yourself? Thank God today for giving you new life in Christ.

For further study: Ps. 51 • John 6:60–71 • Eph. 2:1–10

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september