Regeneration of the Spirit
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11
When I first started to study regeneration I thought it only dealt with the cleansing action of the Holy Spirit. God saved us by his grace, but then God washes and regenerates our lives through the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Being saved was not a result of what did but the grace of God. We do not deserve to be saved and we are unworthy of God’s grace, but God saw our condition and he cleansed us from our sin and former way of life. Boy was I ever wrong.
My perception of regeneration was wrong because all I heard about was being born again. Although I had eyes to see and ears to hear, I could not perceive the truth without the Spirit’s help. With the Spirit’s help I have come to realize that regeneration deals with restoring life to a former condition similar to Adam's condition before sin. Yet, there several conditions all Christians go through that require a restoration to a former condition or one like Christ's
Following the born again experience, there is a time of renewal which God wants each of his children to go through. God wants you to change your attitude towards life by the renewal of your mind. Through the rebirth of your spirit and your eyes were opened to the principles of God where you one day will rule with Christ. God wants you to cleanse your mind of wicked thoughts and open your mind to investigate and accept the way God rules his life.
If I had to speak of this renewal in symbolic terms I would refer you to the bronze basin in the tabernacle. The priest had to bathe before they could enter the tent of meeting to perform the ceremonial rites at the altar of God. The bath was associated with purification and consecration of those entering or performing service to God.
When revivals are held in you home church, those who attend do a couple of things to renew their spiritual life. First they make more of their time available to seek the will of God and secondly they are shown a reason to rededicate their lives to God’s service. Christians come out of the revival with a new zeal and desire to serve the Lord better. Even then the dedication of God's people fades into obscurity as the world chokes and stifles your desire to serve God. Revival in your life depends on your willingness and dedication to serve God.
Regeneration is a spiritual condition that allows you to enter the Kingdom of God.
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: Collosians1:13
We are in Christ and through Christ we have access to God the father.
For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, Epheasians 2:18-19
However, there is something else to consider.
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Your regeneration gives you a new outlook on life and a thirst for the things of God. God's word becomes the truth that you can not get enough of and you will spend all of your spare time learn them. However, Christians are looking forward to the next form of regeneration when our bodies will be transformed in a twinkling of an eye and we will see Jesus coming for us. On that day the trumpet will sound and the camp of God will move, being caught up to meet God in the air. On that day when the dead in Christ will rise to life and the dead will rise to die again.
Yes, regeneration begins with spiritual birth but the spiritual life is refreshed with daily disciplines of reading and studying of God’s word and strengthened by prayer. Yet, because the world is straining your relationship with the Almighty God and in time your consecration to God will fade away you need to take precautionary measures to keep God close to you. The Lord says in Isaiah 53:6 that We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way. Constantly seeking the Lord daily is well worth the effort to stay spiritually alive and well. Then by keeping the right relationship with God we can expect be changed in the twinkling of an eye and receive a glorified body in Christ.
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