Relax, refresh, renew. That was the theme of a recent camp I attended. And for once, I came back totally in agreement. Ack… I must stop being so sceptical. >.> Fresh from lessons learned, I wish to comment on another term today. Regenerate. It is similar to the word renew but with 5 extra letters.
In a broad theological sense, Regeneration is an act of God where spiritual infusion takes place. An individual is said to be “born again” and his or her life undergoes a change for the better. Over time, there will be less of the individual’s selfish innate desires but more of God’s will in their lives. This echoes the prophecy of Ezekiel that proclaims “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 38: 26-27)
From scripture, two members of the Trinity are seen to play an active role in this spiritual infusion. In 1 Peter 1: 3, God the Father gives us new birth by raising Jesus Christ from the grave. Going further, Paul writes that God “made us alive in Christ.” (I forget where this is…) Jesus on the other hand, introduced the “Helper” or the Holy Spirit and maintained that the third part of the Trinity would produce the act of Regeneration. In my opinion, Regeneration is the will of God the Father and the Holy Spirit helps to start and sustains that process.
The process of Regeneration varies from individual to individual and those who were once dead to God in their sin (Ephesians 2:1) will be made alive to God in a powerful way. The Holy Spirit will be the impetus behind Regeneration and ultimately, this process is as mysterious as it is powerful. Jesus says “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
It is the conviction and hunger for God through Regeneration that brings about change in our lives. When Regeneration takes place, a believer desires the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23), namely, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. While some may baulk and complain that such traits of living are tedious, 1 John 5:3-4 says on the contrary that “His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God has overcome the world.” As Regeneration takes place, the process of becoming more Christ-like is actually a joyful one.
And I can say now that I’m happy. And I would like you to be happy too. For more information, dial 1800-Church.
Good night everyone.
In a broad theological sense, Regeneration is an act of God where spiritual infusion takes place. An individual is said to be “born again” and his or her life undergoes a change for the better. Over time, there will be less of the individual’s selfish innate desires but more of God’s will in their lives. This echoes the prophecy of Ezekiel that proclaims “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 38: 26-27)
From scripture, two members of the Trinity are seen to play an active role in this spiritual infusion. In 1 Peter 1: 3, God the Father gives us new birth by raising Jesus Christ from the grave. Going further, Paul writes that God “made us alive in Christ.” (I forget where this is…) Jesus on the other hand, introduced the “Helper” or the Holy Spirit and maintained that the third part of the Trinity would produce the act of Regeneration. In my opinion, Regeneration is the will of God the Father and the Holy Spirit helps to start and sustains that process.
The process of Regeneration varies from individual to individual and those who were once dead to God in their sin (Ephesians 2:1) will be made alive to God in a powerful way. The Holy Spirit will be the impetus behind Regeneration and ultimately, this process is as mysterious as it is powerful. Jesus says “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
It is the conviction and hunger for God through Regeneration that brings about change in our lives. When Regeneration takes place, a believer desires the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23), namely, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. While some may baulk and complain that such traits of living are tedious, 1 John 5:3-4 says on the contrary that “His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God has overcome the world.” As Regeneration takes place, the process of becoming more Christ-like is actually a joyful one.
And I can say now that I’m happy. And I would like you to be happy too. For more information, dial 1800-Church.
Good night everyone.
3 comments:
This is a cool blog! Great write-ups, better encouragements. Keep it up Dick ;) Sorry, sorry, don't be offended ya!
Philippians 3:12-14
It is no shame to call a spade a spade. No worries. :)
wat a wonderful word! We're given new life so we may respond to God's invitation of salvation with faith and obedience :D
Regeneration precedes faith!
Post a Comment