What is Regeneration?

Regeneration means reborn or bring back to life.

At the fall when Adam sinned that in the day He ate of the tree of knowledge He would surely die. Physically Adam began to die, but he did not die physically that same day.

Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

He did die spiritually on that day. Because we are also sinners and Adams descendants we inherited this condition as well as the rest of the curse. Thus a need for regeneration or to be reborn.

Romans 7:11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.

Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Being dead in sin does not mean that the soul ceases to exist but rather we are seperated from God. We become incapable of responding or reacting to God because sin has placed a barrier between the fallen creature(us) and a Holy God.

John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Notice in this verse the word “can” meaning We lack the ability to come to Christ. We can only come if God draws us.

You are probably thinking “ Wait you said we are spiritually dead and unable to respond to God.”

We are, but look at the following verse:

John 11:43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

When Christ called Lazarus out of the grave, Lazarus did not have the power to respond. He was physically dead. But Christ “regenerated” his physical body, so that he could respond.

In the same way that Lazarus experienced physical regeneration, We experience spiritual regeneration when Christ calls us to him. Southern Baptists calls it “coming under conviction”. When we experience regeneration we suddenly come to the realization of our utter lostness and need for God, we are now spiritually alive again and capable of coming to God.

Everyone that is truly regenerated will come to repentance through faith.

John 6:37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

6:39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

5:25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.

Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,