Understanding Regeneration: The Heart of True Faith

The reason why the church makes the distinction between the visible church and the invisible church is that the visible church refers not to bricks and mortar and to sign boards in front of a building, but the visible church refers to the members who are on the rolls of the local church. [00:00:39]

St. Augustine taught centuries ago about the nature of the church. He taught the church … He talked about the church as being a mixed body, a group of people all of whom are visible, but that this church, this visible organization of people has within it, using Jesus language, tares and wheat. [00:01:27]

Regeneration that is invisible and mysterious and necessary is merely the beginning of the Christian life. It is the first point, the first step, in the total experience of redemption that God brings us through. Now, I say that for this reason; when people say that they’re born again, they think that their rebirth is the same thing as their new life. [00:03:06]

The new life is not the same thing as the new birth. Let me say it again. The new life that you enjoy is not the same thing as the new birth. The new life is the result of the new birth just as, you know, every year one day a year you celebrate your birthday. [00:05:11]

The struggle continues from the day of rebirth until that rebirth reaches the fullness of maturity in Christ in heaven. Now I’ve said this many times. I am annoyed no end when I hear well intentioned preachers trying to persuade and convince people of the riches of Christian religion and everything and they’ll say stuff like, you know, “Come to Jesus and all your problems will be over.” [00:10:19]

The apostle Paul experienced in his fullness of maturity a warfare that wouldn’t quit, between his old man and the new man. The conflict is there. The capacity for evil that resides in the heart of a regenerate person is almost without limit. We ought not to be shocked when we see Christian leaders falling into serious sin. [00:11:08]

Paul writes these words: “And you,” he’s talking to Christians now, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” [00:13:49]

Before you were reborn you were dead. He’s not talking about biological death obviously. This message, this letter, is not sent to the morgue. It’s sent to people who are biologically alive and who as they were presently biologically … … formerly biologically alive. He’s saying you were dead spiritually. [00:15:32]

God quickens you. God makes you alive. He brings you out of that state of death. And that’s what we call regeneration. It’s the beginning of the new life. And it is something that is accomplished, dear friends, by God, and only by God. A dead man cannot raise himself from the dead. [00:21:36]

While we were engaged in a human gathering, and while I was speaking and reading from the Scriptures that the Creator of the universe came into that room and secretly, invisibly, mysteriously, and supernaturally changed the soul of human beings in there. I said, “That happened. God did it.” [00:25:58]

The very first step in the Christian life is regeneration. That you’re born again and then you have faith, and then you are justified, and then you are sanctified and all that business about faith and repentance and justification and sanctification all of that incorporates the whole complex of the Christian life. [00:27:07]

The starting point, God does. Only the Spirit of God can produce spirit, because that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [00:27:43]