REGENERATION AND CONVERSION

Extensive studies over many years by the author in the Greek language, the original language of New Testament Scriptures, have resulted in refinements in the interpretation of certain verses of Scripture contained in this book—nothing that would alter the basic concept of the book. A later book will reflect these studies—THE BORN-AGAIN PHENOMENON (A COVER-UP FOR HERESY). In order for Christians to grow, we must study; and as we study, we grow in our knowledge of God’s Word.

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Part I
REGENERATION

INTRODUCTION TO PART I

The religious world is staggering under the influence of a depraved intellectualism which denies God His right to operate among the peoples of the world as He pleases. No one can believe in free will and free grace at the same time. These subjects are as diametrically opposed as light and darkness, heaven and hell, or a holy God and an unholy man, To believe in free will dethrones the sovereign God; to believe in free grace dethrones depraved man. Who is on the throne in your concept of salvation?

The most familiar chapter in the Bible on the new birth is John 3. Christ uncompromisingly asserted the need of regeneration. The new birth is absolutely necessary because (1) God is holy. His holiness gives beauty and honor to all His other attributes. God is essentially holy; therefore, He is immutably holy. If man is to have intercourse with the holy God, he must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and thus become holy in the imputed and imparted righteousness of Jesus Christ. (2) Man is unholy. He is corrupt and sinful throughout. Natural man is totally unable to do anything spiritually good. He is dead in sin, and his will is enslaved to his evil nature. Man, by nature, can no more live in the presence of God than he can live on the moon, Mercury, or Neptune. I purposely referred to the moon. Someone may say, “The astronauts lived on the moon.” Yes, but they were unable to live without the atmosphere of earth to sustain them; even so, men cannot live in God’s presence without possessing the holy atmosphere of heaven. (3) Jesus Christ died on the cross to save His people. He did not die in vain. The transgressions He bore were those of His people; the wounds and death He suffered were His. Therefore, Jesus Christ suffered vicariously for unregenerate people the Father had given Him. His substitutionary suffering provided redemption to be applied by the Holy Spirit in regeneration. (4) The Word of God constantly affirms it. Unregenerate people are spiritually blind, deaf, dumb, and dead.

In the discourse Jesus Christ had with Nicodemus, He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). This text is a good starting point for a study of the most important aspect in redemption’s application.

Who was Nicodemus? He was both a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. (1) “A man of the Pharisees” denotes his religious profession; and (2) “a ruler [master] of the Jews” describes his official position.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee, was a member of the proudest and most influential religious class in the time of our Lord. The Pharisees rejected the message of John the Baptist. “And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him” (Luke 7:29, 30). John, the Identifier, baptized with the baptism of repentance. The Jews were to identify themselves, in this baptism, with their repentance from sin. His baptism, however, does not imply that baptism preceded repentance. Text and context both prove that repentance is a prerequisite to baptism (Matt. 3:7-12). John’s baptism was “in” (not “with”) water “upon” or “at” repentance (Matt. 3:11). The Greek preposition en is not instrumental but local, and denotes the place of baptism—the Jordan river. “Unto [upon or at] repentance” is interpreted in this same manner in Matthew 12:41— “...they repented at the preaching of Jonas....” The Pharisees rejected repentance of sin, the prerequisite of baptism, not the rite of baptism itself.

How could Nicodemus, a master of Israel, refuse the message of John the Baptist? Luke said, concerning John the Baptist (Identifier), “...he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost [Spirit], even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:15-17). Please observe the last phrase of Luke 1:17: “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” If John’s mission was only to make ready (or prepare) a people who were already prepared, then we can understand the reason Nicodemus did not receive John’s message. No one will embrace the truth of God until the soil of his heart has been prepared by the Holy Spirit in regeneration. This truth is clearly described in the four soils of Matthew 13. Only the prepared soil received the seed with understanding and brought forth fruit.

The mission of the church is not to regenerate people; she is to preach the gospel whereby those whose hearts have already been prepared in regeneration are made ready to embrace Christ through conversion. Here is a lesson for all of God’s servants to heed. The gospel is good news to those whom the Holy Spirit has regenerated. Paul said it is foolishness to everyone else. “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (I Cor. 1:17, 18).

Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, not a mere master of a synagogue. As a member of the Sanhedrin, he was in charge of interpretation and enforcement of the law. A member of this ecclesiastical organization must be highly trained in judicial administration. Proof of this is revealed in John 7:50-51— “Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?”

Ecclesiastical affiliation is no insurance against deception. Not only were the Jews deceived in the presence of Christ, but they were beguiled with the Old Testament Scriptures in their hands. This proves that the most likely place to be deceived is in professing Christendom. The presence of the Holy Spirit, in regeneration, is the only guard against deception concerning the Person of Christ.

Why did Nicodemus come to the Lord by night? It is evident that he did not come because he possessed disposition of heart for the Person of Christ. Even though he recognized Jesus Christ as a teacher come from God, he was concerned about his own reputation before the Sanhedrin. The Lord Jesus had already provoked opposition from the ecclesiastics by His assumption of Messianic authority. “And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up” (John 2:13-17). Nicodemus came by night because the friendship of the world is enmity with God, whether it is religious or political. James said, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).

The conviction of Nicodemus was based on the miracles of Christ, not His Person. He had been convinced in the same manner as those who believed in John 2:23-25, but Jesus Christ would not commit Himself unto them because He knew what was in their hearts. “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” The Lord Jesus knows trees by their roots, but we comprehend the character of trees only by their fruit. Man, therefore, looks on the outward appearance; but God sees and knows the heart.

Nicodemus, a man of the Pharisees, was drawn to Christ by an imperfect faith built upon miracles. He was in a position where he could not compromise himself in the eyes of the Jewish Sanhedrin. The imperfection of his faith is revealed by his secret coming to Jesus Christ. He manifested courtesy in the manner he addressed the Lord, but so do most religionists as long as they are not personally affected in their religion. The modernists and liberals all speak well of Jesus Christ as teacher. They all have complimentary remarks about His life and influence; but to spiritually-minded people, such recognition and praise of the Savior are insulting rather than complimentary.

Professing Christendom is filled with people, like Nicodemus, whose source of conviction is in the works of Jesus Christ. Such conviction stops short of the Lord’s blessed Person. Satan’s greatest work is performed in the realm of religion. He magnifies Scriptures that are related to the physical because he knows what carnal minds desire. But he wants nothing to do with Christ. In fact, the man possessed with an unclean spirit, cried out, “Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24). Scriptures teach that people are deceived not only in the presence of the Lord with Bibles in their hands, but they shall also call Jesus Christ, Lord. The Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:21-23).

Miracles alone will not produce saving faith. The great deceiver of souls gives power to perform “signs and wonders” for the purpose of deception. Egypt’s magicians were able, to a certain degree, to duplicate the miracles of Moses. The magicians, who withstood Moses, are named by Paul. “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith” (II Tim. 3:8). A counterfeit miracle is a “lying wonder and sign” (II Thess. 2:9). Its object is to teach and accredit a lie. Thus, Jannes and Jambres imitated, as far as possible, the miracles of Moses. Just as these deceivers withstood Moses, so do the self-loving and pleasure-seeking professors of Christianity resist the truth. They would not think of being without a form of godliness because this is the best way to cover their deception. Paul warns against such false apostles. “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (II Cor. 11:13, 14). Depraved man must look not to miracles but to the grace of God for saving faith. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).

The mere fact that a teacher works wonders and signs is no proof that he is “come from God.” The commendation by Nicodemus was not so complimentary after all, since lying wonders and signs were performed by false teachers.

There is great danger of one being misled by the sound of certain Biblical expressions, without understanding their true meaning. I shall give several examples: (1) The Scriptures represent God as omnipotent, yet there are some things He cannot do. He cannot lie, be deceived, or go back on His promise. Omnipotence, therefore, does not mean that God can do everything; but He can do all that does not involve self-contradiction. (2) The Word of God states that Jesus Christ, in dying for His people, took their infirmities, and bare their sicknesses (Matt. 8:17). All that some sincere, but deceived, souls see in this verse is that Jesus Christ carried all the physical infirmities of people into His Calvary experience. Thus, their concept of physical healing is as faulty as their view of spiritual healing. If Jesus Christ stood in the place of the sick, as He stood in the place of the sinner, our sicknesses would be as far removed from us as our sins. Christ’s atoning work is absolutely perfect and finished—Godward—so that He is the propitiation for our sins, but its application to our bodies remains yet to be accomplished (II Cor. 4:16; Rom. 8:23; Phil. 3:21). (3) The Bible says that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself (II Cor. 5:19), while the same Book declares there are many appointed to eternal destruction. Thus, all men of the world are not reconciled to God. Only believers are reconciled to God. (4) God’s Word says that Christ died for all; it also states that He died for only some—His church, His people, His sheep. That all men have received some benefit from the death of Christ cannot be denied. His death has served as a dam, or barrier, to hold back God’s wrath. God’s longsuffering is the barrier, but it is salvation to those for whom Christ died (II Pet. 3:9, 15). (5) The Word of God invites men to come to Jesus Christ; but the Bible nowhere implies that natural man, unaided and undrawn, can come to Christ. These are only a few examples of Scriptures often misunderstood.

We must be on guard lest we be deceived by the “sound” of Scripture quotations instead of seeking their sense. Every true minister is like Ezra, who read the Word distinctly, gave the sense (the meaning), and caused the people to understand (Neh. 8:8). You might ask, How did Ezra cause the people to understand? In the same manner as John the Baptist made ready a people, whose hearts had already been prepared, to embrace the coming Savior (Luke 1:17).

Nicodemus, an interpreter of the law, knew that miracles would be associated with the kingdom. The Jews expected that miracles would be wrought by the Messiah, and many had believed in Him on this account (John 2:23-25; 6:14; 7:31). Nicodemus was no exception. He, too, believed and therefore said, “...Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (John 3:2). The kingdom shall be permeated with a power, which is above nature, and shall make nature itself promote God’s Divine, purpose. Miracles are so related to the kingdom that they cannot be separated from it without mutual invalidation. The kingdom is represented, by Jesus Christ, as associated with miracles. He said, “But if I cast out devils, by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come upon you” (Matt. 12:28). The kingdom came, therefore, unto the Jews in the manifested power and Person of the Messiah. But the Lord Jesus censured them and predicted their continual and increasing fall. Luke said, “...Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel: and for a sign which shall be spoken against” (Luke 2:34).

“Rabbi” was a title of respect conferred on Jewish teachers. Our Savior forbade His disciples to wear this title. “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren” (Matt. 23:8). The title was proper for Jesus Christ because He was the great Teacher—the Teacher of all teachers. “Rabbi” literally signifies “great,” and the Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest of the great. It behooves the servants of Christ to be bathed in the Lord’s greatness, rather than immersed in the so-called greatness of man. Nicodemus did not see Jesus Christ as the true Messiah, the eternal Son of the eternal Father; he saw Him as only a teacher sent from God. The knowledge of Christ as the Son of the living God is the revelation of God. This is something more than flesh and blood can reveal (Matt. 16:16, 17). Nicodemus was unable to see any further than the manhood of Jesus Christ, “a teacher come from God.”

Nicodemus was not entirely insensitive to the works of Christ. The Bible does not teach that all unregenerate men are completely insensitive to the things of God. They may be sensible of the evil of sin with regard to themselves, but do not recognize that it is against God. Damnation may scare them, but pollution does not. Hell may frighten them, but offending God does not disturb them. Agrippa said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Act 26:28). The prophet Ezekiel spoke about those who come as God’s people, sit as they sit, and talk about the message as a lovely song (Ezek. 33:30-33). Nicodemus, an unregenerate man, was attracted to the miracles of a teacher sent from God.

The coming of an unregenerate man, Nicodemus, to Christ is a significant fact that should not be overlooked; but let me emphasize that it must be studied in the light of its context. His coming was a physical act, brought about by God’s providence, the outcome of which was unknown to himself. This physical act must not be confused with coming to Christ for salvation, which is the inward drawing of the Father. His natural ability enabled him to go where Jesus Christ was, but his spiritual inability kept him from recognizing the blessed Person of the eternal Son of God.

Jesus Christ replied to the statement made by Nicodemus, saying, “...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). The true value of Christ’s work cannot be known by natural man. Until one is born again, he is unable to recognize the merit of Christ’s life and death.

“Verily, verily” is an expression of strong affirmation, denoting certainty and importance of what Christ was about to say. This double oath of affirmation is used twenty-five times by our Lord, and is recorded by the apostle John alone. Each time this assertion is followed by, “I say unto you.” Thus, our Lord gives absolute assurance that His Word can be trusted. The word is really “Amen.” Paul said, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (II Cor. 1:20). The “yea” of established truth is in Jesus Christ. Christianity is not imagination but revelation. Therefore, when truth is revealed to the mind and heart of a regenerated individual, his response will be the “Amen” of faith.

The reason this double affirmation, “Verily, verily,” is found in John’s gospel only is understandable, since John presents Christ as God. The sovereign God assures us of the fulfillment of redemption’s application to His chosen ones by prefacing the subject of the new birth with such strong verification. The Lord Jesus is worthy of our fullest confidence; therefore, the enlightened mind does not doubt the fulfillment of His eternal purpose.

Regeneration is necessary in order for one to see further than the flesh. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see....” Some, after the presentation of God’s message of the gospel, say, “I just do not see it.” If they have not been regenerated, then they are telling the truth. Are you going to become angry with them because God has not opened their eyes to behold spiritual things? You may use all human persuasion possible, but you cannot give spiritual life where death reigns. God alone, by a creative act, can bring life out of death.

The sinner is not dying; he is spiritually dead. Every faculty of his being is completely ruined. He cannot see (John 3:3), understand (I Cor. 2:14), receive (John 14:17), come (John 6:44), cease from sin (II Pet. 2:14), call (I Cor. 12:3; Rom. 10:9, 10, 13), please God (Heb. 11:6), or enter the kingdom (John 3:5). Man’s only hope of spiritual life is in the life-giving power of God’s Spirit. Spiritual arguments to an unregenerate man are only warm clothes to a corpse. Debating in this manner is like standing before Lincoln’s Memorial and talking to the statute of the former president about moon trips.

External influences neither help nor hinder regeneration. Nicodemus is an example of the former; and Rahab, the harlot, is typical of the latter. God’s sovereignty, revealed in regeneration, is seen all through the Scriptures. He is viewed as passing by the rich man, who fared sumptuously every day, and bestowing salvation on Lazarus, who begged at the rich man’s table (Luke 16:19-25). God bestows salvation on some who have been brought up under the most advantageous conditions of piety, and on others without any religious training. We read of Godly Hezekiah, the son of wicked Ahaz (II Kings 16); but on the contrary, Scriptures present wicked Absolom, the son of righteous David (II Sam. 15). The only answer to God’s sovereign actions is His desire to glorify Himself. Since God glorified His power, justice, and love in the exercise of them, He magnifies His sovereignty in the exercise of His absolute sovereignty. Paul said, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (I Cor. 1:26-31).

The new birth, contrary to what is commonly taught, is something done not merely “for” but “in” man, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Some believe that the subject is active in the new birth, and the Spirit employs the Word as God’s means of accomplishing regeneration. But the subject, according to Scripture, is spiritually dead, blind, deaf, and dumb. Thus, the sinner is passive, spiritually speaking; but he is actively engaged in sinful acts. If he cannot cease from sin (II Pet. 2:14), then he is filled with all unrighteousness. He not only commits things worthy of death, but has pleasure in those who perform such evil deeds (Rom. 1:29-32). The Holy Spirit, therefore, must quicken the passive spirit of the sinner making him sensitive to the call of the gospel. Sensitivity to the gospel is the fruit of regeneration. Scriptures classify this as conversion. Conversion will be the subject of study in John 3:14-16. Since the Bible is an orderly Book, we must consider things in their proper order.

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REGENERATION PRESUPPOSES DEPRAVITY

Man’s inability to recover himself is vividly portrayed in Ezekiel 16. The helpless infant, exposed in the field, would die without help from some other source. Israel is represented under the figure of a woman, who was taken when she was a forsaken and helpless baby, made vulnerable to the vultures of the world. The Lord found her in her own blood—her natural, lost condition. He entered into covenant for Israel, and made her His own.

The covenant preceded Israel’s deliverance, just as God’s choice of His own in Christ Jesus precedes the provision and application of redemption. The reason religionists frown upon this fact is because it dethrones them as gods. The statement “We need to let God be God in our lives” is ridiculous. What is man? Is he a god greater than the God of creation, providence, and redemption? Christians should be afraid of anyone who thinks unworthy thoughts about God. David said, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?...” (Ps. 8:4). It has been said that man is nothing more than a little air and dust tempered together, a pile of dust and puff of wind with no solidity in either.

God’s eternal purpose is ridiculed by uninformed people. Some advocate with fleshly fervor that calling precedes God’s eternal election. This is as logical as a contractor building a house before he has the plans drawn. Great struggles continue to rage between human conceptions of the Divine decree. We must not, in the discussion of God’s order, suppose a transposition of “temporal succession” into the eternity of God’s counsel. The concept of succession in God’s decree is a clear form of humanization of God. God is eternal; He is pre-temporal, co-temporal, and post-temporal. Therefore, His decree is present and future as well as past. It is with and after its fulfillment as well as before it. “But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth” (Job 23:13). God’s order of salvation cannot be broken down into disorder (Eph. 1; Rom. 8).

Nicodemus was acquainted with God’s covenant with Israel. He did not recognize his depravity and need of regeneration when he confronted the Savior. The doctrine of election, like every other doctrine, is not without its misunderstanding and distortion. Nicodemus, as a Pharisee, prided himself in being the seed of Abraham. He was a member of God’s covenant people, but they are not all Israel which are of Israel (Rom. 9:6). He felt as many of his forefathers, when they said, “...Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us” (Micah 3:11). The same trend of thinking was manifested by many who came to John’s baptism. “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father...” (Matt. 3:9). The Scriptures do not present election as a way to self-exaltation, but to true humility. God’s mercy and justice go together.

Regeneration presupposes depravity. Nicodemus, a teacher of the Jews, was familiar with Old Testament Scriptures. But familiarity, apart from Divine grace, breeds contempt. The language of our Lord was nothing new to him. The change that must take place in his depraved heart was something more than mental; it was to be an inward cleansing by Divine influence. As there was no beauty in the loathsome child of Ezekiel 16, so there was nothing in this religious Pharisee to please the Lord Jesus Christ.

Non-existent spiritual life cannot give being to itself. Light is not brought out of darkness, neither does love come from hate. Every seed bears its own kind. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). A new creature, therefore, cannot be the product of natural power.

The sinner is not regenerated by combined efforts of God and man. There is no “I will if you will” in regeneration. The record states, “And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live” (Ezek. 16:6). God’s passing by was not by chance, but according to His own eternal purpose. Who but God could dispense life with a single syllable, “Live.” This is a demonstration of God’s unsought and free grace. “...I am found of them that sought me not...” (Is. 65:1). “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee...” (Ps. 65:4). But some untutored person cries out, “That is national, not individual.” The principle is the same, whether it is national or individual. There are many references, however, to personal election if one has a spiritual mind to see them (Eph. 1:4; Matt. 22:14; Luke 18:7; Rom. 8:28, 30, 33; Col. 3:12; II Thess. 2:13; II Tim. 1:9). Spiritual honesty, which is greatly lacking today, will take this important doctrine, give its meaning, and show how it is used.

Most religionists think sinners take the first step in their salvation, but informed Christians know better. The day of regeneration is solely the time of God’s love and power. “Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness; yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine” (Ezek. 16:8). Just for the sake of argument, if sinners did take the first step, they would be like the Roman myth of St. Dennis. It is said that after the head of Dennis had been cut off, he picked it up and walked two thousand miles with his head in his hand. Some wit, when hearing the story, said, “I see no difficulty in the two thousand mile walk. The difficulty lay in the first step.”

There was a debate some years ago between a liberal preacher and an evangelical minister. The liberal’s subject was entitled, “Fanning the spark into a flame.” He taught that there is, in every person, a Divine spark which only needs fanning by good influence and education. “If the spark is given proper attention,” he said, “It will burn into a blazing fire of good influence and works.” The evangelical minister took the position that there is no Divine spark in natural man. Therefore, his rebuttal was, “There is no spark to fan.” At the conclusion of the rebuttal address, the liberal preacher stood up and said, “I commend you on your reply, but I have a question to ask you. Do you believe that man has the ability, in himself, to either accept or reject the gospel?” The evangelical minister, without a moment’s hesitation, replied, “Yes, I surely do.” The liberal then asked, “What is this ability in man?” The evangelical replied, “That ability is man’s free will.” Then the liberal smiled and said, “You call it free will, and I call it a spark of goodness.” Actually, there was no difference between these men when it came to the subject of man’s condition by nature. They both denied depravity, which is essential to the proper concept of regeneration and conversion.

Ability to believe on Jesus Christ is not produced by the fire of man’s own kindling. Nicodemus sat in the presence of Jesus Christ, who was the light of the world, but Nicodemus knew not his own true condition. Knowledge of spiritual things, in a natural way, only increases blindness. This is the reason Nicodemus asked, “...How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” (John 3:4). Apart from spiritual blindness, this would be hard to understand because “to be born again” was a common expression among the Jews. It denoted a change from Gentileism to Judaism. Now, that the Lord was applying this same expression to the Jews, in fact to every man, it appeared absurd to a religious master of the Jews. The proper question for Nicodemus should have been, “Who can?” Our Lord said, “If thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matt. 6:22, 23).

Nicodemus sat in subjective, not objective darkness. There is a twofold darkness: objective and subjective. This word is a metaphorical expression borrowed from that which is natural. It is the absence of light. (1) Objective darkness consists in the want of those means whereby men may be enlightened in the knowledge of God (Ps. 19:7-11; 119:105; II Pet. 1:19). Paul was indebted, therefore, to take the light of the gospel to Rome, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also” (Rom. 1:14, 15). The work of the Holy Spirit is needed to dispel this condition. Hence, Paul was sent, by the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of dispelling objective darkness (Acts 16:6-13). As in darkness we can see nothing, so those who are ignorant of God are said to be in darkness. Christ said, “The people which sat in darkness saw great light...” (Matt. 4:16). (2) Subjective darkness is that of the unregenerate. The light shines in darkness, but the darkness comprehends it not (John 1:5). This was the position of Nicodemus. Whatever light men might have by nature, or may gather from the book of creation, will not enable them to comprehend the light of God shining in the face of His Son. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (II Cor. 4:6). Subjective darkness can be dispersed only by the work of the Spirit in regeneration and calling, “...called you out of darkness into...light” (I Pet. 2:9). “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord...” (Eph. 5:8). The regenerated and called person, “...shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Nicodemus did not need objective light. Subjective light in regeneration, which he must possess in order to see the kingdom, was his need.

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REGENERATION PRECEDES THE
SANCTIFYING INFLUENCE OF THE GOSPEL

The new birth is not accomplished by preaching the gospel. Gospel light held no more attraction to Nicodemus than the light of the sun to a blind man. The good news of Christ’s Person and work is spiritual, but the natural man cannot understand spiritual things: “...the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (I Cor. 2:14). Nicodemus’ spiritual destitution was manifested in his question, “...How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” (John 3:4). This proves that he was yet a natural man. Our Lord did not satisfy his curiosity; but in reply, stressed the absolute necessity of being born again.

Regeneration precedes the sanctifying influence of the gospel. This is necessary to render the light of gospel truth effective. What is the good news to a dead man? As light cannot restore sight to a blind man, so the light of the gospel cannot give spiritual light to one who is spiritually blind.

Some earnestly maintain that life is in the seed of the Word. They use Hebrews 4:12 as their proof text: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” This verse cannot be properly ascribed to the word of the gospel. The word of the gospel is the instrumental means of conversion, not regeneration. In the light of the context of Hebrews 4:12, the Word could refer to none other than Jesus Christ. The exhortation is based upon His infinite understanding: “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13). The all-seeing eye of Jesus Christ, not the word of the gospel, penetrates every thought and action of man. Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word (Rev. 19:13), is the Person to whom the Hebrew believers must give an account of their profession of faith and obedience. The attributes of “living,” “powerful,” and “discerning” are attributed to the Lord Jesus Christ. The word of the gospel is living (John 6:63; I Pet. 1:23), but the word of preaching cannot discern the human heart. This is a prerogative that belongs to the Persons of the Godhead. Only the prepared soil, according to Matthew 13:1-9, understands and bears fruit. Such preparation is accomplished by the Holy Spirit in regeneration.

Although light cannot restore sight to the blind or heal the diseased organ of sight, it is essential to every exercise of the power of vision. Without objective truth, concerning the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, regenerated Nicodemus would remain in darkness. But that is not the subject of John 3:1-13. That will be the topic that shall form the basis of the study of John 3:13-18. The word of the gospel is powerful; it convinces, converts, and sanctifies the regenerated mind and heart. But, just as the Lord gave the apostles power to work miracles, a power not in themselves, so the Lord has given the word of truth; yet the power of God is not in the written word itself.

One of the greatest blunders, on the subject of the new birth, is to make it dependent on man’s faith. Opposers of Biblical regeneration advocate that the new birth must, in some way, be the response of one who hears the gospel. Such verses as James 1:18 and I Peter 1:23 are used to prove their theory; but the exegesis of the two texts demands no such conclusion. James 1:18 does not refer to begetting or conception, but bringing forth or giving birth. Immediate regeneration does not deny that the new birth, in which the new life becomes manifest, is secured by response to the gospel; but distinction must be made between conception and birth. They are not the same, There are two prepositions in I Peter 1:23 that must be distinguished before the verse can be understood. The first is “of [ek—from out of—the source] incorruptible seed.” This is not the instrument, but the source of regeneration. “By [dia—through—the instrument] the word of God” is the second; this shows that God’s word is the instrument of conversion, not regeneration.

God’s act of giving life to those who are spiritually dead is distinct from the gospel, just as the faculty of sight is different from light. Quickening is an immediate and creative act: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). No instrumental means are used with God’s creative act. The word does not produce life, but it is effective in those who possess life. Life is responsive to living things. Nicodemus was told that he had to be born again before he could see. Once the faculty of sight is given, the recipient is guided by the word to repentance and faith.

Our Lord first mentioned the new birth before He told Nicodemus to believe. Faith that embraces Jesus Christ in salvation is the fruit of regeneration. But, does not faith come by hearing, and hearing by the word of truth? The ministry of the word effects conversion and sanctification, but the word itself does not effect regeneration. It does not unstop deaf ears and open blind eyes. Scripture teaches that faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17), but this faith is not of man. Saving faith is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29; Heb. 12:2). Distinction must be made between the faculty of faith and its exercise. (1) The faculty of faith (ability to embrace Christ in a spiritual manner) is implanted in man’s heart in regeneration. This is the immediate (without means) and sovereign work of the Spirit. (2) The exercise of faith is wrought in conversion and sanctification by the power of indwelling life.

God’s servants, in witnessing, are to beseech men to believe the gospel. But does this not contradict what has just been stated by Christ in His discourse with Nicodemus? No, it does not. The Lord knew that Nicodemus had not been born again. Christians, however, cannot know whether or not a man is born again because they do not see his heart. Therefore, their exhortation is for people to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. When someone asks, “What must I do to be saved?” the answer should be, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved...” (Acts 16:31).

The word of God is very clear in its manner of presenting the truth of the gospel to sinners. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:13, 14). Four words stand out in these verses: call, believe, heard, and preacher. (1) They cannot call on Christ in whom they have not believed. (2) They are unable to believe in him of whom they have never heard. Who unstops deaf ears? “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them” (Prov. 20:12). Ability to hear does not originate with either the spoken word or the preacher; it is the sovereign work of God. (3) The preacher is God’s ordained means of conversion, not regeneration. “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God...For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (I Cor. 1:17, 18, 21). The power of preaching comes from neither the spoken word nor the preacher, but from the Spirit of God, whose instrument it is. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17). The word taken abstractly, separated from the soil of the human heart, is called “foolishness of preaching” (I Cor. 1:21). The excellency of God’s power is of God, not of His ministers. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (II Cor. 4:7). Ministers are nothing, in a comparative sense, when it comes to effecting the increase of God. “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (I Cor. 3:6, 7). What are trumpets if no breath is breathed into them, and what are preachers if they are not indwelt and empowered to preach the gospel of truth?

The necessity of the new birth is the natural consequence of man’s depravity. Thus, to see and enter the kingdom, man must be born again. As we have proved that the hearing ear is of God, so we shall now establish the fact that the seeing eye is also of God. Christ said to blind Nicodemus, “...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Nicodemus’ spiritual blindness was manifested by his question, “...How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” (John 3:4).

Spiritual blindness is attributed to the “nature of sin,” not to the sin of nature. We have a Biblical example of this in John, chapter nine. Our Lord had been driven from the temple by His enemies. “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:1-3). The meaning of these words is not to be taken from what appears on the surface. Our Lord was not teaching that neither this man, nor his parents, had never sinned. Scripture states that all men have sinned and come short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23), but the Lord was telling the disciples that this man was not being punished for actual sin committed by either him or his parents. It should be remembered, that the nature of sin is the fountain from which all afflictions and acts of sin flow. This particular case of blindness was ordained of God, for the manifestation of His glory and mercy, not for any particular sin committed. All men are, by nature, spiritually blind; but if men had their just punishment, they would all be physically blind. Only an act of mercy prevents all from being born physically blind. The complaint should not be why this man was born blind, but why were any of us born with physical sight? It has been said that sentences of providence are very long, and we must read a great way before we shall understand.

It is vain to say that men are regenerated by the power of the gospel. The brightness of the noonday sun has no effect on a blind man any more than the flickering of a match. Nicodemus stood in the presence of not only Incarnate but spoken truth. He saw neither the Person of Jesus Christ, nor the truth of what He was saying. “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (I Cor. 2:7-10).

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REGENERATION IS A NECESSITY

Seeing and entering the kingdom must be preceded by regeneration. The kingdom in John 3:3 and 5 is not soteriological (pertaining to the science of salvation). When Nicodemus was perplexed about the way of entrance into the kingdom, the Lord’s reply was a rebuke rather than a definition. “...Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” (John 3:10). This rebuke makes no sense without assuming that the kingdom announced was the kingdom of Old Testament prophecy. The Lord appealed to Nicodemus on the basis that he ought to know these things, evidently, because they were recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures. Sprinkling with “clean water,” obtaining of the “new spirit,” and “raising of the dead” are all represented as essential to the introduction of the kingdom and its blessings.

Regeneration qualifies a person for the kingdom. Through regeneration and conversion, the believer becomes an heir of the kingdom, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (James 2:5). An heir is one who is entitled to something promised. Heirship is the consequence of faith, and faith is the fruit of election. Election to grace is signified in faith, and predestination to glory is denoted in heirship (Rom. 8:29). The believer, through much suffering, shall enter into the kingdom (Acts 14:22). This kingdom cannot fail because it was prepared for the heir from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34).

The kingdom is sure to all believers, whether in heaven or on earth. The realization of this blessed experience, however, must wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ in glory. The patriarchs all died in faith, not having received the promise (Heb. 11:39, 40); but having seen it afar off, they were persuaded of its ultimate fulfillment (Heb. 11:13).

How did the patriarchs see the kingdom afar off? Through the eye of faith because faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Nicodemus, in the same manner, would be able to see the kingdom as his inheritance. Thus, seeing, by faith, precedes entering the kingdom. Nicodemus could never expect to enter the kingdom, though he was of the natural seed of Abraham, except by the new birth. Regeneration would make him an heir of the kingdom, and then enable him to see it by faith.

Knowledge of religious subjects may be possessed apart from regeneration. It cannot be denied that Nicodemus had some knowledge of the kingdom, but his question concerning the new birth proves that he lacked grace. His ignorance of regeneration, however, does not alter the meaning of the kingdom in Old Testament prophecy.

The kingdom of Christ will be different from both His control of the church as her Head and His sovereign providential rule over the universe. If the kingdom of prophecy were in existence now, the knowledge of the Lord would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Christ’s reign in the kingdom will be visible; His Headship of the church and His sovereign action in providence are both invisible. The world knows nothing about Headship and Sovereignty, and this age could care less about what God is doing. The time will come, however, when all shall acknowledge the Lordship of Christ Jesus. This will be when He reigns visibly on the earth (Phil. 2:9-11).

Those who believe the kingdom should be interpreted eschatologically are accused of carnalizing that which should be spiritual. Such a charge makes as much sense as saying the human nature of Jesus Christ detracts from the spirituality of His Person. The kingdom, when it is established, will be thoroughly spiritual.

Jesus Christ, in answering the question of Nicodemus as to how the new birth takes place, repeats the necessity of regeneration. “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Baptismal regeneration is as far removed from this text as hell is from heaven. There is as much similarity between regeneration (the immediate work of the Spirit in the soul) and baptismal regeneration (the mediate work of man by the use of water) as there is between light and darkness. If it were not for the heresy applied to this verse, there would be no need for such discussion. But when willful and persistent distortion of a verse continues, it behooves the man of God to expose the evil doctrine. Many illustrations of such exposure are seen throughout the Scripture. “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jer. 5:31). False prophets and teachers are called reprobate silver because the Lord has rejected them (Jer. 6:30). As there is no real value in reprobate silver, so there is no spiritual value in false teachers. “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8, 9). “I would they were even cut off which trouble you” (Gal. 5:12).

In refuting the heresy of baptismal regeneration, there must be a distinction between birth and burial. Regeneration is a birth, but baptism is a burial: “...buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead...so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). Now, the question is, was our Lord talking about regeneration (new birth) or burial (baptism)? The context proves to every enlightened mind and heart that the new birth is the subject of John 3:1-10.

It is commonly questioned, by those who believe in baptismal regeneration, “If Jesus did not mean water, why did He say water?” The reply is, “If our Lord meant baptism, why did He not say baptism?” Christ did not say, “Except you be baptized of (ek) water” in this verse. A repentant person is said to be baptized in (en) water (Matt. 3:11). Baptism is never expressed by water only, without some additional words to show that the ordinance of baptism is intended (John 4:2; Acts 2:38-41; 8:36, 37; 9:18; 10:44-48).

Water, in a baptistry or font, is as impotent to regenerate man as the water in Jacob’s well. “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13, 14). Life-giving water, according to John 4:14, is the gift of God. There are four things we must observe about this gift of life-giving water: (1) The Giver—“I shall give him.” (2) The habitation—“The water that I shall give him shall be in him.” Hence, it is internal, not external. (3) The function—“a well of water springing up.” Conversion experiences arise from the indwelling principle of life. (4) The purpose—“into everlasting life.” The difference between grace and glory may not be as great as one might imagine. The nature of both is the same. Grace is glory in the bud; glory is grace in the flower. The Christian, therefore, has something of heaven now. God purifies the streams by, regenerating the fountain.

We are told that baptism does not put away the filth of the flesh. “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (I Pet. 3:19-21). The new birth, therefore, is not an outward washing, but an inward cleansing by the Holy Spirit. It is the washing of regeneration. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). Regeneration is an inward work of grace; baptism is an outward work of man. Regeneration is the inward and immediate work of the Spirit; baptism is the mediate symbol of inward cleansing, applied externally. Christ said, “...the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). The water of baptism is not water that shall be “in” man; neither is it water that brings everlasting life or salvation. How can the heart of man be cleansed by the outward sign of baptism?

The religion of most people is only external. The baptismal regenerationist has the same order of religion as the Pharisees. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:23-27). The outward righteousness of man is of no value, until the heart is first made pure. Good works may be produced by a storm of human compulsion, rather than the fruit of a regenerate tree. It is possible to do many things without the heart being in the things accomplished. The order which our Lord gave is quite different. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14). “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Thus, “born of water and Spirit” no more means baptismal regeneration than the eating of Christ’s flesh and drinking His blood in John 6:33-58 means transubstantiation in the Lord’s Supper.

Regeneration is accomplished by neither natural power nor external ordinances. As Abraham was justified through faith, apart from circumcision (Rom. 4:10), so the chosen of God are regenerated and justified by God, without any ordinance performed by man.

The Holy Spirit in performing regeneration works like water. As the “Holy Ghost [Spirit] and fire” (Matt. 3:11) signify one thing—the purging of dross—in sanctification, so “water and Spirit” (John 3:5) indicate one thing—the Spirit cleansing like water—in regeneration. This expression, concerning the work of the Spirit under the name of water, was not unusual in the Old Testament. “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring” (Is. 44:3). “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you” (Ezek. 36:25). Hence, it is that Christ repeats only the Spirit in verse six, so He includes all that is signified by water and Spirit in verse five. “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).

Man is, by his natural birth, depraved. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6). Flesh, in this verse, is not the fleshly part of man. It does not refer to his body, but to his unregenerate nature. The preposition is of (ek), which means source; this is the same as “of corruptible seed” (I Pet. 1:23). Thus, the source of unregenerate nature is unregenerate nature. As Adam begat a son in his own likeness, not God’s likeness, so the descendant of Adam begets a son in his own likeness, not the likeness of God. This means that a born-again parent begets an unregenerate child. The parent cannot communicate grace, but he does transmit the fallen nature. Salvation, therefore, does not run in the blood stream. “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13).

The Bible teaches “universal corruption.” “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3.23). “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Eph. 2:1-3). Scripture refers to corruption in various ways. It emphatically states that there is no one, in his natural condition, who has an understanding heart and seeks God. “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Ps. 14:2, 3). “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” (Rom. 3:11). Regardless of what has been taught, no unregenerate person seeks the Lord. He is always viewed as running and hiding from God. Adam, as soon as he fell in the garden, fled among the trees and sought to hide from God. “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8). Isaiah said, “All we like sheep have gone astray...” (Is. 53:6). “I was found of them that sought me not...” (Rom. 10:20).

Man’s corruption is evident in every part of his life. His heart is hard and impenitent (Rom. 2:5), and his life is filled with ungodliness and unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18). The sinner is characterized by these things; and this is not something incidental, but filling his whole mind, heart, and life to its utmost depths. Romans 3:9-10 will disarm any suspicion of finding something good in the sinner.

Our Lord, in showing Nicodemus his true condition, points him to the fact that even in natural things he lacked comprehension. The fall, therefore, caused man’s understanding of natural things to have its limitations. In referring to the wind, Christ said, “...thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth...” (John 3:8). The Savior went on to say, “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12). Job was utterly perplexed by many questions concerning creation (Job 38; 39); but to the spiritual mind, creation is the lattice behind which God hides Himself. “My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice” (S. of Sol. 2:9). And, yet, He reveals Himself to faith. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?” (Rom. 11:33, 34).

The knowledge of man’s depravity and redemption are the two hinges upon which the whole structure of regeneration moves. As the former cannot be understood without apprehending the latter, so the latter cannot be known without a basic knowledge of the former. Here is where the real problem lies. (1) Is man, in his lost condition, totally unable to do anything of a spiritual nature? (2) Is the new birth wholly of God? To say that man, in his unregenerate condition, can repent and believe is to deny depravity. Some ask, “If man cannot do these things, then why is he thus commanded?” A thief’s inability to repay what he has stolen does not affect the right of the person he has deprived. Neither does man’s inability, because of the fall, affect God’s right to command. God, therefore, has the right to command the sinner to repent and believe. However, the sinner has made himself unable to do so by his complicity with Adam in original sin (Rom. 5:12). Each man shall give an account of himself to God.

Redemption is not something provided as an offer for all men, but a redemption made sure to those whom God sovereignly regenerates. Regeneration, therefore, is not a life line thrown out to a drowning man (a drowning man is not dead), but a ransom applied to a person dead in trespasses and sins. Do not overlook the fact that both repentance (Jer. 31:18-21; Acts 11:18) and faith (Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29; Heb. 12:2) are of God. They are God’s gifts of salvation; therefore, they cannot be man’s contribution to his salvation.

The flesh, or old nature, is not changed in regeneration. It is condemned but not changed in the believer. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). Flesh, therefore, either signifies the state of unregenerate man or flesh in the regenerate which resists the Spirit. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Gal. 5:17). The old nature (flesh) resides in the man who has been born of God, but it does not reign. Regenerate man does not live in the old nature, but flesh is in the believer. Regeneration does not destroy the presence and power of the flesh in the saint; but it has been judicially condemned in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

When one is regenerated by the Spirit of God, he is a spiritual person: “...and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). Christ’s first reference to “Spirit” is used of the Author of the new birth; His second reference to “spirit” is used of the spiritual life of the person regenerated.

“Born of [ek] the Spirit” proves that the third Person of the Godhead is the One who applies redemption. If the Holy Spirit were nothing more than an influence, such a creative act could never take place in the soul of a depraved man. A mere influence does not possess inherent power. The Holy Spirit is more than an influence, He is a Divine Person; and as a Person, He exerts Divine influence. He is called “God,” and God is a Person. “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost [Spirit], and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (Acts 5:3, 4).

Spiritual living is the fruit of being born of the Spirit. Hence, the word “spirit” in the latter part of John 3:6 refers to the spiritual nature and its exercise. The spiritual man has a spiritual mind; he is possessed with a Person who indwells, seals, intercedes, and empowers. Romans 8 shows the power of the Spirit to: (1) liberate (vv. 2-4), (2) provide (vv. 5, 6), (3) indwell (v. 9), (4) quicken (v. 11), (5) triumph (v. 13), (6) guide (v. 14), (7) deliver from slavish fear (v. 15), (8) give witness to salvation (v. 16), (9) overrule in the affairs of life (v. 26), and (10) search and intercede (v. 27). In I Corinthians 2:10-14, the Holy Spirit reveals (v. 10), teaches (v. 13), discerns (v. 14), and searches (v. 10). But, before leaving these wonderful helps of the Spirit, we must ask, to whom does the Spirit direct the believer’s attention in revealing, teaching, discerning, and searching? The answer is given in John 16:13-14— “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

Evidence of being born of the Spirit is manifested in the disposition, discernment, and action of a believer. He reveals not only the habits, but also the spirit of grace.

Nicodemus’ overwhelming astonishment is brought to light by Christ’s statement: “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). This religious Pharisee was as startled at the subject of regeneration as most religionists are today. It was as new to his religious mind as Paul’s message was to the Athenians (Act 17:22-31).

Before we proceed in the subject of regeneration proper, we must clear away the debris of religious opinion and terminology. The following list explains what the new birth is not:

1. It is not experimental. The creative act of the Holy Spirit in the soul is instantaneous; therefore, regeneration takes place in the sphere of the sub-consciousness. Regeneration is compared to conception in the womb, rather than the bringing forth of life in birth. Thus, as conception precedes birth, so regeneration precedes conversion (I John 3:9; I Pet. 1:23). Repentance and faith are a vital part of the new creation (II Cor. 5:17), and that which is a part cannot be the cause of itself.

2. It is not dependent on repentance and faith. Repentance and faith are the fruit of regeneration, which is the tree. As the fruit does not bear the tree, so repentance and faith do not bear regeneration (Acts 11:18; Eph. 2:8). How can the creative act of God be conditioned on repentance and faith?

3. It is not contingent on the word of the gospel. There is no more disposition in an unregenerate man to receive the gospel of Christ than there is in darkness to receive light. The light shines in darkness, and the darkness comprehends it not (John 1:5). A distinction must be made between a creative word or command (Gen. 1:3; Ezek. 16:6) and the word of preaching (I Cor. 1:18-21).

4. It is not reliant on the sinner taking the first step by manifesting his willingness to trust Christ. Who can will? Christ said to the unregenerate, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40). Those who have the wrong concept of salvation believe that the will of man is the determining factor, but the will that determines is the same depraved will that must be determined. Disease is in the will; therefore, a diseased will cannot provide a cure. If man has a “free will” to choose good or evil, then why is it that all men choose the evil of free will?

5. It is not preceded by Divine conviction. The external preaching of the word alone does not effect conviction; that is of God. Divine conviction is related to and inseparable from regeneration. The indwelling Spirit of the regenerate is necessary to apply the external word, or the subjective Spirit is required to apply the objective word (John 16:8-11). David said, “For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light” (Ps. 36:9). Only in the light of the Divine Spirit in regeneration can a person be brought under the power of the light of the gospel (II Tim. 1:10). The Holy Spirit uses the word of truth to convict the regenerate person of the sins of nature, and the nature of sin. The born-again man is convicted of his sins, but he is also cognizant of his sinful nature from which those sins issue.

6. It is not prefaced by the effectual call. Calling may be distinguished from regeneration, yet it is closely associated with it (Rom. 8:28-31; II Thess. 2:13, 14; II Pet. 1:10; Matt. 22:14). Calling is the Divine summons, which appeals to the principle of life that causes the will to act. Regeneration occurs independently of understanding, but calling is associated with understanding. Calling that is effectual, presupposes life. He that is called must be able to hear and come to Christ, and he is made able in regeneration.

7. It is not effected by the ordinance of baptism. Baptism is a symbolic picture of the believer’s union with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-6; Acts 8:36-38). Baptism, therefore, is a proclaiming but not a procuring ordinance. Blood always precedes water. Since baptism is a picture, then how can a picture save? Baptism is the answer of a good conscience (I Pet. 3:21), and the answer must follow the good conscience. Is the conscience made good by (1) blood only, (2) water only, or (3) blood and water? The answer is found in Hebrews 9:14: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Baptism is “putting on Christ” (Gal. 3:26, 27), but only believers are thus commanded (Rom. 13:11-14).

God has never had but one means for man’s redemption, and that method is grace. Grace can act only on the foundation that all alike deserve nothing. Therefore, through unmerited favor, grace is bestowed on some. The people of God, in the Old Testament, were the recipients of grace. God’s method of salvation was not changed in the New Testament (Eph. 2:8-10). Where does the ordinance of baptism fit into God’s purpose of man’s deliverance from the bondage of sin? Baptism, which is a New Testament ordinance, has no place in God’s message for the sinner’s salvation. Paul, a New Testament apostle and preacher (II Tim. 1:11), preached the same message for sanctification through faith that was proclaimed by Moses and the prophets. “But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:20-23). Paul said “none other things” than those proclaimed by Moses and the prophets for setting apart those, whom God had previously given hearing ears. His message consisted of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and this, according to I Corinthians 15:1-4, is the gospel.

The seemingly difficult verse, Acts 2:38, is not a problem text if a person has the Biblical understanding of regeneration. Repentance, according to the text, precedes baptism; it is the fruit of regeneration. Since regeneration precedes repentance; and repentance precedes baptism; then, how can baptism be the cause of regeneration?

Spiritual birth, which was impossible for unregenerate Nicodemus to understand, has the common character of spiritual operations. For example, in the inspiration of the Scriptures, holy men were borne along by the Spirit to give forth the mind of God. The Spirit, therefore, breathed upon whom He pleased. Since He did not breathe upon all men alike, He discriminated. God’s breathing upon holy men could not be detected by those upon whom He did not breathe. Only the effects of God’s breathing could be observed. Outsiders beheld the revelation of the inspired penmen. Hence, it is the same with every person born of the Spirit. The immediate, instantaneous, and creative work of God in regeneration is unobserved by those outside of whom the Spirit works. Even the theologian of Pharisaism, Nicodemus, stood amazed at the pronouncement by Jesus Christ. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

The text, John 3:8, is one of the clearest in the New Testament on regeneration proper (adapted to the purpose of an exposition). But, before we progress too far into this exposition, we should point out that the discussion, through verse eight, is regeneration, not conversion. The subject of conversion does not begin until verse fourteen.

These are some important distinctions between regeneration and conversion:

1. Regeneration is the immediate act of God in imparting the principle of life; conversion is the act of man, by the power of the indwelling Spirit, in repenting and believing. “...turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed...” (Jer. 31:18, 19). “...helped them much which had believed through grace” (Acts 18:27). Since regeneration is presented as the act of the sovereign God, it is never presented as a duty of the sinner. The demands of the gospel upon sinners are limited to the terms of repentance and faith. “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).

2. Regeneration is a single act of God and is never repeated. Conversion is the beginning of a holy life, but there are many conversion experiences throughout one’s earthly pilgrimage. The position of the believer in Jesus Christ, by virtue of regeneration, can be neither increased nor decreased by anything in the recipient. (Heb. 10:10, 14; Col. 2:9, 11; Col. 3:1-4). Condition of the Christian life, however, will vary according to one’s conversion experiences (Luke 22:31-34).

3. Regeneration is not in itself an experience; conversion is a series of Christian experiences. As there is no consciousness at the time of conception in the womb, so regeneration is not a matter of consciousness to its recipient. A person knows nothing of the beginning of his existence. Conversion, however, is always an awareness of what is taking place; therefore, it is experimental. Repentance and faith are experiences known to the person born of God.

4. Regeneration is the “cause” of an individual turning to the Lord; conversion is the regenerate person “actually” turning. God does not repent and believe for man, but He enables man to do what he could not do by nature.

5. Regeneration is the Lord opening the heart; conversion is the person whose heart has been opened turning to Jesus Christ in faith and following the Lord in baptism (Acts 16:14, 15).

6. Regeneration is a once-for-all cleansing; conversion is the continuation of the renewal which began in regeneration (John 13:10; I Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:5).

7. In regeneration we have God’s power, the power of the indwelling Spirit; in conversion, the power is not “of” us but “in” us by God’s sovereign choice. An understanding of this Biblical fact will remove all pride and boasting from preachers and other Christians about their successes.

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REGENERATION IS THE CREATIVE ACT OF GOD

Regeneration must be kept within the context of redemption’s application. Application of redemption, as well as its planning and providing, is of God. The application of redemption comprises a series of acts and processes. This is illustrated by Paul in Romans 8:28-31. “And we know, that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Glorification, for example, cannot come first in the Divine order; it is the consummation of redemption. Order must not be violated because God is the God of order. “For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order” (I Chron. 15:13). Regeneration is first in the order of redemption’s application.

Satan is the author of confusion. Confusion, however, must exist that the approved may be made manifest. “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you” (I Cor. 11:19). God has been pleased to make known a method in which His presence is brought into the souls of men. How is His presence to be brought into the souls of those chosen in Jesus Christ, that is, those for whom the Son of God died? God’s initial presence is effected by being born of the Spirit. As the ordinances of God are nothing more than empty sepulchres apart from order, so the series of acts in redemption’s application are devoid of God’s presence unless they are performed in proper sequence. Now, do you see the serious error of placing repentance, faith, baptism, and works before the beginning of life? This would be as foolish as placing a five course meal before a dead man.

The tabernacle in the wilderness illustrates that God is methodical in all His works. The Spirit of God is required to recognize the orderliness of God. When God revealed salvation to Israel, He began with Himself, where it first originated. This is the reason the ark of the covenant is the first vessel mentioned in God’s directions for building the tabernacle. How could it be otherwise, and God be called the God of salvation? “Now, the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20, 21). Since God was first “for” us in planning and providing; then, should He not be first “in” us in applying? The first vessel the Israelites saw was the brazen altar, but this was not the first vessel in the order given to Moses. This vessel was outside the tabernacle, but was vitally connected with the tent of meeting. The brazen altar typified the provision God made for the Israelites, to enable them to have access to the ark of the covenant which denoted His presence (Ex. 25-40).

There is blessed order in the Godhead. What the Father decreed, the Son purchased, and the Holy Spirit applies. The Spirit is last in the Divine order, but He is first in redemption’s application. Keep in mind that the Person of Jesus Christ was not recognized by unregenerate Nicodemus. The Lord Jesus pointed him to the fact that the new birth was effected by the Spirit of God. God’s Spirit would lead him to embrace Jesus Christ, and the Son of God would then reveal the Father. When this order is understood, no one will talk about Jesus Christ dying for all men and God loving all mankind.

Do not the Scriptures state that we are begotten of God? All three Persons of the Godhead are mentioned in Titus 3:5-6. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost [Spirit]; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.” Regeneration is ascribed in some places to God the Father: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Pet. 1:3). The Father’s “will” is emphasized in this verse. In other places, the regenerated are referred to as the seed of Jesus Christ: “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand” (Is. 53:10). Here, the “merit” of the Lord Jesus should be recognized. Regeneration is ascribed sometimes to the Spirit of God: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). In this instance the Spirit’s “efficacy” is prominent.

The new creature in Christ Jesus is not produced by the cooperation of Divine and natural power. Natural man is without spiritual strength (Rom. 5:6), and the flesh is opposed to the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). Would it not be ridiculous to say that a strengthless, unholy, and passive sinner assists the omnipotent, holy, and active God in such a delicate work as creation? If Paul warns Christians about being unequally yoked together with unbelievers (II Cor. 6:14-16), then, what about the holy God and unholy man yoked together in salvation? It has been said that if creatures of several kinds should unite in unequal copulation, what would be the product but monsters? An owl’s egg, though hatched by a dove, will be nothing more than a night-bird. But this is only hypothetical.

The principle of “after his kind” holds true in the spiritual as well as the physical realm. There are different kinds of flesh, and between these there is a biological difference (I Cor. 15:39). The difference is safeguarded in the nature of each kind. Man produces man; fish produces fish; animal produces animal; bird produces bird. Each flesh has its own particular sphere and function. Fish, however, does not become animal, and animal does not become man. As fish does not become animal, neither can fish cross with animal. This same principle is a fact in the spiritual sphere. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). Therefore, unsaved man does not unite with the Holy Spirit in effecting regeneration.

No Christian can believe in the Bible and the theory of evolution at the same time. The theory of evolution, which is the development of one thing into an entirely different thing by its own inherent power, is error from the pit of hell. Evolution is taught as transmutation in present day text books. Transmutation and mutation should be distinguished. Transmutation is the change from one kind to a different kind; mutation is the change which takes place within its own kind. Now, you ask, what does this have to do with the subject of regeneration? The flesh (fallen nature) of man can never become spiritual, and the Spirit can never become fallen human nature (John 3:6).

As man’s essence, as man, was not altered in his fall; so God’s essence, as God, was not changed in the incarnation. Man in his upright condition was man (Gen. 1:26; Eccl. 7:29). Changes have taken place within man, but he is still man. In the fall, man changed from an upright person to a depraved and wicked man. Regeneration does not change the chemistry of man’s body; but it does apply redemption, in a creative way, to the soul. The redeemed soul awaits the redeemed body at the resurrection. God, the eternal Word, was made flesh for the purpose of redeeming fallen man. “Made flesh” does not mean that the Divine nature was made human nature, or that God was changed into a man; but the Divine nature assumed a human nature without altering the Divine Person (Mal. 3:6). Hence, there are two natures, Divine and human, united in the One Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. There have been changes in God’s methods of operation, but never a change in His Divine Person or His eternal purpose.

Theistic evolution is the theory held by many unbelieving theologians. They are fearful of being classified as unscientific; so they have adopted evolution as God’s method of creation. These same theologians, for the most part, view the first eleven chapters of Genesis as allegorical or mythological. Theistic evolution starts man as far down the scale of minute things as possible, and through the process of evolution man becomes civilized and educated to the extent that he becomes like God. If God used evolution as a means of creation, He would have created man imperfect and depraved. But the truth is, God created man upright (finite perfection). “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” (Eccl. 7:29). The complete story of man can be stated in three words: creation, degeneration, and regeneration. Man, therefore, had no place until he became the subject of creative power. This is true both physically and spiritually. The testimony of the Psalmist was, “Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves...” (Ps. 100:3). Thus, as man contributed nothing to his physical creation, neither does he give assistance to his spiritual birth.

Those who believe that man in his depraved condition must make the first move to become a new creature are as heretical as those who embrace theistic evolution. This makes a blind, deaf, and helpless sinner arise to the place of letting the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and sovereign God make him a new creature.

Regeneration is not a product of the depraved human will, plus the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the creative act of God, sovereignly wrought, in a heart that is depraved and unwilling by nature. The new birth makes the unwilling, willing; and the whosoever won’t becomes the whosoever will. Our Lord taught, within the context of our subject, that “...everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved [discovered]” (John 3:20). Again, He said to the Pharisees, “And ye will not come to me that ye might have life” (John 5:40). Depraved man hates the One true and living God (Rom. 1:30), the light of Divine truth (John 3:20), and those who are united to the God of the Bible and embrace His truth (John 15:18). This hatred for God and truth, and unwillingness to come to the true and living God, is changed only by the power of grace in regeneration.

Did not Nicodemus come to Jesus Christ in his unregenerate condition? Yes, but his coming was in the sense that most religionists go to church and Sunday School. Not all depraved people live in the gutter of sin. Many of them enjoy assembling, for what they call church-related activities. Their god is one whom they have conceived in their depraved minds. They do not fear or hate “their god.” But as soon as the sovereign and holy God of the Bible is proclaimed, their hatred is manifested; and they desire to kill Him and all who stand up for Him (Luke 4:25-32; John 8:33-59).

Pure Bible preaching is very discriminating. You can tell Cain from Abel, when sacrifice is the subject; Jacob from Esau, when love is the topic; and Daniel from Nebuchadnezzar, when sovereignty is the thought for investigation.

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ discriminates between the gospel of redemption and the social gospel. When the vicariousness of Christ’s death is preached, everything in natural man is condemned. His self-love, self-righteousness, and self-justification are discovered and condemned. This is something the unregenerate man despises. It does something to his unbelieving ego, and he begins to rebel. Paul instructs us about this very thing in Galatians 4:28-29—“Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.” We are told that during the reformation, as the truth of justification through faith began to spread throughout the European countries, bitter persecution broke out with a deadly cry. The cry went forth, “Put these people to death who believe in salvation through grace, who do not believe that they can be saved by penances and human merit; do everything possible to rid the world of them.” As it was in the depraved human heart then, even so it is now. The difference between then and now is not in the deceitful and wicked heart, but in the restraint of civil authority. Let the Christian be thankful for such restraint in God’s providential dealings with him.

As there was a division in Christ’s day over the subjects of His death and resurrection, so it is impossible to insist upon the spiritual teaching respecting these matters without causing division. “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings” (John 10:14-19). Advocates of the social gospel are not concerned about the cause of social evils. They spend their energies treating symptoms. They, like Cain, have gone the way of human merit and works. These modernists have a hatred, as intense as Cain had for Abel, toward those who promote the truth of free grace. Jude said, “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain...” (Jude 11). These false teachers believe that the preachers of free grace are enemies to their program of social reform.

Our Lord came not to socially reform society, but to redeem the elect. A clear Biblical view of this fact is set forth in Luke 12:13-14—“And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?” At first glance, Christ’s refusal to interfere between these two brothers seems astonishing. Is there not a question of justice to be decided? And who is so competent to deal with it as the eternal Son of God? Why does Jesus Christ refuse to enter into the dispute? There are two ways of dealing with men: (1) Regeneration—internal change by the work of the Holy Spirit; and (2) Reformation—external change by formulating laws, thus seeking to change moral, social, and political evils. Our Lord refused to interfere because His mission was not to socialize, but to redeem the elect of God.

It is imperative at this point, that we emphasize the office and work of Jesus Christ. The Son of God came to give His life as a ransom for many and to proclaim and establish principles.

1. The Lord Jesus disclaimed His position of Judge or Divider at His first coming. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). He reminded the person who spoke that he, as well as his brother, was moved by covetousness. A person may be as selfish in seeking his rights as another man is in withholding them from him. There is a manifestation of this on every hand today.

2. Our Lord forbids oppression. Christ did not take from the oppressor and give to the oppressed; neither did He encourage the oppressed to take from the oppressor. He did not exercise this prerogative at His first coming.

3. The purpose of Christ at His first coming was not to found His Body on outward law and jurisprudence, but on a spiritual disposition applied by the Spirit in regeneration. The gospel, however, does not interfere with civil rights and human laws (Rom. 13); but human government cannot legislate righteousness. Covetousness often presents itself as prudence; the only corrective is the grace of God. Provision for temporal need is not the ruling principle of life. Wealth is not necessary to an ideal life. “For ye know, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (II Cor. 8:9).

What is the role of the church in this world? The church does not need the coercive arm of the state to accomplish God’s will in the world. If that were required, the power of the Spirit in regeneration would be inadequate. God instituted civil authority as a moral governor of the world to extend to all citizens without exception. While it is clear that human government is Divinely instituted for all mankind, it is equally revealed that the church is not to be controlled by the state. The realm of civil affairs is outside of the church. The church’s jurisdiction extends only to her own members, and the jurisdiction of the state extends only to its own citizens.

The redemptive work of Jesus Christ discriminates between all the Abels and Cains today. Are you an Abel by the application of Christ’s blood in regeneration? Now, for the second question, are you a Cain because of your love for the social gospel, which rejects and despises the sacrifice of Christ?

The particular love of God distinguishes between “free grace” and “free will.” Esau and Jacob offer a much stronger case for the freeness of God’s grace than Ishmael and Isaac. It can no longer be debated that the reason Ishmael was not chosen was because he was the son of Hagar, the bondwoman. Paul shows that the same mother bore both Esau and Jacob by the same father. And before they were born, God declared that the elder should serve the younger. This was contrary to Hebrew custom.

Those who oppose free grace present the case of Esau and Jacob in a national sense. They say it refers not to individuals, but only to the national life of Israel. Thus, they compare this passage to Malachi 1:1-5. But what they forget is that the words of Malachi are only an explanation of the spiritual condition of Esau and Jacob. Malachi was talking about the spiritual, not the temporal, condition of Israel. His prophecy came long after Esau and Jacob were dead; yet the Lord directed the murmuring Jews to His regard for Esau and Jacob personally. It cannot be denied that the persons of Esau and Jacob were personally in the mind of the Lord as He directed Malachi to give warning to their descendants. God’s everlasting love is the cause of His choice of particular persons to salvation.

We hear so much today about God’s elected plan. Let us investigate the word “plan.” Plan means a method of action or procedure, a project or definite purpose. No student of Scripture denies that God has a purpose, and that His purpose is definite (Eph. 3:11; Is. 46:10, 11; Rom. 8:28-30; II Tim. 1:9). These are the questions that must be answered: (1) Did God plan (purpose) to save all mankind? If He planned to save all, then why are not all saved? (2) Did God plan (purpose) to save some, that is, believers? Since He saves only believers, then He did not purpose to save all.

Love is, in its very nature, particular and personal. “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (Jer. 31:3). God’s love is not an inclination of His nature; it is an act of His will. There is no imperfection in God’s love; He is all-sufficient. Divine love for all, which, if not perfected in all, would be incomplete. But the great theme of Romans 8 is the love of the sovereign God manifested toward the elect. The love is all from God’s side, and we can account for it only as we are in Christ Jesus, whom to know is life eternal. Thus, God’s love shall be perfected in all for whom it was intended. It has been said that sovereignty holds the scale of love; justice holds the other scale.

The Esaus quickly manifest their natural reasoning. They always argue from reprobation, by presenting it as something awful from God’s standpoint. The truth of reprobation excites all unenlightened and prejudiced minds. Hence, their erroneous conclusion is that God is unjust in giving some mercy and others justice. But who can find any injustice in that? There is no such thing as sovereign, unmerited, damnation. God ordains none but sinners to punishment. He does not force any into sin against their wills; He just leaves them to their own natural desires. Men are not lost because they are hardened, but they are hardened because they are lost. Finally, no person is damned who wants to be saved. If one does not want to be saved, then why be angry with God because he is not chosen? Giving and receiving are relative terms.

All the Jacobs reason from the sovereignty of God. They believe that God can do what He pleases with His own, but how humbled they are for God’s unmerited favor extended toward them: “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost [Spirit]; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7).

God’s absolute sovereignty discriminates between the Daniels and Nebuchadnezzars. King Nebuchadnezzar was troubled in spirit because of some dreams he had dreamed. He called for the wise men of Babylon to interpret them, but they were incapable; so Daniel was summoned to explain the meaning of the dreams. The secret was revealed to Daniel (Dan. 2:19-23). The interpretation was beyond human ingenuity. Later the king had a tree vision; and once again, Daniel was invited to give the interpretation (Dan. 4:20-27). But, in the face of this interpretation, the king claimed honor belonging to God alone (Dan. 4:30, 31). God showed Nebuchadnezzar that He is sovereign; even so, our God shall manifest His absolute sovereignty to the world in the future.

God’s sovereignty is the first of all rights, the foundation of all righteousness, and the ground of all justice. If God is not God, who is He? God is not the object of judgment by any creature, but He alone judges all creatures. God is as sovereign in redemption’s application is He was in its provision.

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THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE
AGENT OF REGENERATION

Nicodemus had objected to the new birth because he did not understand how it could be accomplished. Christ’s term, new birth, had a peculiar significance to a Jew. Were not all His privileges secured to him by birth? Did he not boast of the fact that Abraham was his father? Thus, such terms as “born-again,” “begotten of God,” and “born of God” were appropriate for those who were of the seed of Abraham. Our Lord was showing Nicodemus that just as natural birth ushers one into conscious existence on an earthly plane, so a spiritual birth is required to usher the same person into conscious life on a heavenly plane.

There are other figures of the new birth employed in the Scriptures, and they are equally significant. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, used such terms as “creature [creation]” (II Cor. 5:17), “workmanship” (Eph. 2:10), and “regeneration” (Titus 3:5). Gentiles were more familiar with artistic and mechanical operations; therefore, the Holy Spirit chose these designations for them.

The word “regeneration” is found only twice in the New Testament. It is applied not only to human beings (Titus 3:5), but also to the renewed heaven and earth of the coming kingdom (Matt. 19:28). Only in Titus 3:5 is the word used in the sense of applied redemption. Regeneration and the new birth do not represent successive stages in the work of redemption’s application; they refer to the same work of the sovereign Spirit.

Christ taught Nicodemus that the Agent of regeneration is the Holy Spirit. He used the wind as a symbol of the work of the Spirit in accomplishing the work of regeneration. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). These are the three divisions of this verse: (1) a physical fact—“The wind bloweth where it listeth”; (2) the operation of the Spirit—under the emblem of the wind with its various characteristics; and (3) the result of the operation of the Spirit—regeneration. Thus, the three portions of this verse hinge on three words: wind, Spirit, and birth. “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good” (Eccl. 11:4-6).

The physical fact presents the wind as blowing where it pleases, as it pleases, when it pleases, in the manner it pleases, and on whom it pleases. Its unaccountable changes are the result of material laws as fixed and stable as that by which the planets revolve. Science has made only slight progress in seeking to trace the laws of the wind. The reason is the limited understanding of man of natural laws. To men, the actions of the wind may seem to be inconsistent; but in reality, there is Divine order. Human research cannot discover any law by which this seeming inequality, in the movement of the wind, is ordered.

Some of the greatest powers in nature are invisible. For instance, when a tornado hits an area with destructive force, the results only, not the wind, are seen. When a giant magnet is seen drawing iron, one does not see the strange influence by which the attraction is effected. The law of gravitation is something known to everyone with ordinary intelligence; yet the keenest eyes have never seen gravitation.

There is something mysterious about the wind. Man does not know, where it comes from or where it is going. But he knows that the wind exists because he hears its sound and sees its fructifying effects. “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits” (S. of Sol. 4:16). When we see the leaves of a forest move to and fro, we know the wind is there; but where it came from and where it is going are unknown to us. Thus, there is both a mystery and a manifestation. Man cannot penetrate the mystery of its origin, or the final effects of its work.

Christ borrows a comparison from the order of nature. The fact that the wind blows cannot be denied. Hearing the wind is evidence of the fact. And since man knows neither its beginning nor ending, it is a mystery. The following are characteristics of the wind:

1. It is not accountable to man. The wind does not act according to man’s beckoning. It flows through the world freely; not moving at the command of one man, neither caring for the prohibition of another. Hence, it is answerable to no creature.

2. It is irresistible in its work. It blesses some and destroys others. The same wind that brings refreshing rain to one place drives the clouds away and causes drought in another area (Ps. 147:18; Prov. 25:23).

3. It is incapable of being comprehended. There are some things about the wind which defy all effort of human comprehension. Though these things cannot be comprehended, they are apprehended because the evidence of its existence is clearly seen.

4. It is imperceptible to the eye. The wind is one of the few things in nature that is invisible. We can see the rain and the snow, but not the wind. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork” (Ps. 19:1). “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19, 20).

5. It is absolutely essential to man’s existence. If a dead calm were to continue, all living things would die (Rev. 7:1-3). The atmosphere is an envelopment of air that enwraps our globe, and gets lighter and thinner until it gradually disappears from forty to fifty miles from the earth’s surface. It is the only element in which man can live. As still water stagnates, so will still air. The benevolent Creator, in His providential dealings with mankind, is careful that the wind never remains perfectly still.

6. It has life-giving properties. This is revealed in the advice given by physicians for better health.

7. It works without and with means. It works without means in the tornado and with means of water in the hurricane.

The wind is an emblem of the Holy Spirit. The influences of the Spirit are vital, sovereign, and mysterious. “...And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2). “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created...” (Ps. 104:30). “...the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, 0 breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live...and the breath came into them, and they lived...” (Ezek. 37:8-10).

There is a double signification of the Greek word for Spirit; the word means both “spirit” and “breathe.” Thus, we may read either “the wind bloweth” or “the Spirit breathes.”

These are some characteristics of the Holy Spirit in regeneration:

1. The free action of the Spirit is vividly portrayed in the Scriptures. He does as He wills, but He wills the eternal purpose of the Godhead. The third Person of the Godhead is the Spirit of the Father and of the Son. His purpose is to regenerate those whom the Father elected and the Son purchased. God alone has free will in the absolute sense. The Spirit’s arbitrariness, which characterizes His work, is not the same as arbitrariness in man. Arbitrariness in man is revealed when he refuses any norm or standard above himself. Human arbitrariness, therefore, is always without a standard; but God cannot be guilty of arbitrariness because He is His own law. There is no standard above Himself. It is impossible to subject God to a law above Himself that would restrict His own actions. God’s sovereignty rules out arbitrariness because His sovereignty forms the enduring foundation of all authority. Man must not reason by starting from a law above God, for there is no law above God. He must begin with God, who is above arbitrariness. Is the hand of God ever shortened that it cannot save those whom He purposed to save?

2. The Spirit is irresistible in regeneration. Opposition to the Spirit and resistance thereof by men, pertains only to the external dispensation of grace. Acts 7:51 does not refer to the subjective work of the Spirit in regeneration, but to the objective proclamation of the gospel: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost [Spirit]: as your fathers did, so do ye.” When you contrast this verse with John 3:8 and Romans 9:19, the meaning is clear. The resistance by these Jews was not to the Spirit of God within them, for they were destitute of the Spirit. They resisted the Spirit of God in His ministers, and particularly in Stephen. Their subjective darkness resisted the objective light of the gospel. This fact is illustrated in John 1:5, “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”