1. Confusion about regeneration abounds. Since Jesus instructed Nicodemus concerning the new birth, which we considered briefly in Lesson 4, men have held erroneous notions about this crucial aspect of the ordo salutis.

2. We hear the language of having been “born again” used by secular people to describe a positive outcome from a traumatic experience. There are also false religions in which people claim to have been “enlightened,” which can be a demonic deception with no basis in the gospel.

3. Scripture compels us to reject the Roman Catholic teaching that confuses regeneration with justification. The Roman Church teaches that its sacramental system makes a sinner righteous before God. Justification would be the result of changes that occur within man, making him sufficiently righteous to be accepted, justified by God. Romanism confuses regeneration with justification.

4. We find confusion among our Arminian friends. An Arminian ordo salutis is: 1] the external call; 2] faith/election; 3] repentance; 4] regeneration; 5] justification; 6] perseverance; 7] glorification.

i. Arminianism reverses the order of salvation and places faith before regeneration. Reformed soteriology teaches that we are regenerated by a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit and then, having been regenerated, we can exercise faith and repentance.
ii. One could devote an extensive study to the erroneous and confusing results of the Arminian ordo that characterizes so many Christians today. The crucial point here is that Scripture compels us to place regeneration before faith.
iii. It is important to realize that the proclamation of the gospel is not “You must be born again,” but “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.” [See Ferguson, Know Your Christian Life, p. 42–43. See also the Canons of Dort [1618–1619], from which the “Five Points of Calvinism” originated as a response to five propositions made by the students of Jacobus Arminius.]

1st: The necessity of regeneration is seen in the light of man’s natural condition

1. The doctrine of total depravity makes the doctrine of regeneration necessary. Man’s problem is not his ignorance, as if all he needed were more information [Pelagianism]. Nor is it that man is simply sick, as if by cooperating with God—for example, through the Roman sacraments—he could be healed, as if Jesus were a physician and sacramental grace a medicine [Semi-Pelagianism]. No, man is dead in sin [Eph 2:1], and he needs the God of Abraham who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were [Rom 4:17] [See Rom 3:10–18; Jer 17:9; Mark 7:20–23].

2. Total depravity is spiritual death. In such a state, man can do nothing to move himself toward a saving relationship with God, but this does not mean he is inactive in his spiritual death. He is actively engaged in enmity and rebellion against God, suppressing the testimony of God given in his conscience and evidenced in creation [Rom 1:18, 23, 25]. Death, in its most technical sense, means separation, alienation from God [John Murray, CW2, p. 169. See The Westminster Shorter Catechism, Questions 18 and 19]. Man’s natural and fallen condition in Adam is one of legal guilt [original sin] and total depravity [spiritual death, incapacity, and active rebellion in every faculty of our humanity, including the will].

3. The sinner is called to respond to God’s call because he is a creature with moral responsibility and accountability to God, yet the sinner is dead and unable to respond on his own. In the Fall, our obligations to God did not change. We still live under what is called “the covenant of works.” We, in our humanity, changed in the Fall. In Adam we inherit his guilt and the curse of death. Our situation is extremely tragic. If the sinner is to change, it is God who must change him. [We need a new Adam in whom we have legal righteousness, through whom the penalty of God’s broken Law is paid to deal with our original sin. We need a new Adam who has conquered death in the victory of resurrection, in whom we have life to deal with our fallen depravity. It is evident that our understanding of the atonement immediately affects our understanding of salvation.]

2nd: The epitome text – John 3:1–10. “You must be born again.”

1. Jesus speaks of a birth from above – v.3. The word a;nwqen means “from above” and refers to God as the Originator of life. However, the word also conveys the idea of repetition. Nicodemus thinks in terms of repetition in his question in v.4 – “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” But Nicodemus uses the word deu,teron, which indicates that Nicodemus is thinking of a second natural birth in this present life. Jesus is speaking of a new birth by the Spirit into the life of the age to come. This is a birth “from above,” from God, who is the originator of life.

2. The aorist passive of genna,w [to be born] speaks of the divine parentage of those who are born again, as well as the passivity of those who are born again. As in natural birth, the one who is spiritually born is passive.

3. Unless one is born again, he cannot “see” or “enter” the kingdom (John 3:3, 5). “See” means to have an intelligent understanding, and “enter” means to become a citizen of this kingdom, subject to the government of the King. This describes faith and repentance. Jesus informs us that the new birth precedes and is necessary before we come to faith. We are not born again by faith. We are not born again by repentance. Rather, we believe and repent because we have been born again.

4. The new birth not only imparts life but also produces spiritual cleansing (John 3:5). Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

i. Some say that Jesus is referring to baptism when He speaks of being born of water and the Spirit [v.5]. But Nicodemus, a Pharisee, would probably have understood water and Spirit in terms of Ezekiel 36:25–26: “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; from all your filthiness and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” [See also Ps 51:2–3; Isa 1:16; Ezek 36:25; Zech 13:1].
ii. Here we can see how regeneration produces both faith and repentance. Jesus presents two ways of understanding the New Birth: negatively, it produces a removal of sin—water; positively, it produces a new principle of spiritual life—Spirit. The new birth, with this inherent dual dynamic, is then seen in the dual character of the response to the gospel made by each dead sinner who is born again. Negatively, we repent, definitively turning away from sin, so that sin is removed from us and we are removed from sin. This is the result of having been washed. Positively, we exercise faith in Christ, desiring to be united with Christ. This is the result of having been made alive to God. Repentance manifests the cleansing effects of regeneration. Faith manifests the life that inevitably grows toward God as a plant inevitably grows toward the sun. Paul speaks of the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit [Titus 3:5].

1. In v.6, we see that there are two kinds of life: the life of the flesh and the life of the Spirit. Flesh refers to our natural, fallen life in this age. As fallen sinners, we can only give birth to other fallen sinners. But the Spirit gives birth to a new kind of man with a new kind of life. The man who has been born again has his human nature renewed, cleansed, and oriented toward God. Humans give birth to sinners, but the Spirit gives birth to saints.

i. We must remember this as we work in the pastoral ministry. The nature of our birth determines what we can and will become. Puppies grow to be dogs; calves into cows; babies into people; etc. In ministry, we must realize that those born of the Spirit will, to some degree, grow in holiness and sanctification. The new birth results in a holy life.
ii. We do not need to categorize Christians as “carnal,” or “victorious,” or “baptized in the Spirit,” and so on. Such distinctions are neither biblical nor necessary. We simply need to understand that those born of God grow to live holy lives. Yes, Christians struggle, but as pastors we must realize that the fundamental reality defining God’s people is that they have been born again. They can believe, repent, and follow Jesus, even though they are weak and struggle with remaining sin. Yet the life that God has given them will bear fruit.

1. In v.8, Jesus tells us that this new birth, though mysterious, inevitably becomes evident. Jesus compares the work of the Spirit to the movement of the wind. Let us consider four analogies:

i. The work of the Spirit is invisible and mysterious. He moves like the wind, and we do not know where He comes from or where He goes (Eccl 11:5).
ii. The work of the Holy Spirit is irresistible and effectual. Jesus tells us: “the wind blows.” We cannot resist its movement or regulate its speed. The Spirit has a power that is His, and we do not control or direct it.
iii. The Spirit works according to divine sovereignty. The wind blows where it wishes. The wind is personified as if it has a will. He works with freedom and independence. We cannot initiate or control His work. No one can tell Him whom to regenerate. He moves in the sovereign freedom of His divine will.
iv. The work of the Spirit necessarily and inevitably becomes evident. Its sound is heard. The wind itself is invisible, but its presence is unmistakable. The wind is recognized by the effects it produces on the objects it moves. We know there is wind, not because we see the wind, but because we see the movement of the leaves and hear the blowing of the air. So it is with those born of the Spirit. They are recognized not by any biological or physical alteration, but by their movements: they begin to act as men animated with spiritual life. They repent of sin, trust in Jesus, and begin to follow Him in loving obedience.

1. Jesus informs us about the necessity of the new birth (John 3:7, 9, 10). He tells Nicodemus what must happen to him. gennēthēnai is an aorist passive infinitive. The new birth is something that must happen to a man if he wants to see and enter the kingdom. Jesus is not giving Nicodemus a command. He is not telling him to do anything! He is teaching the teacher.

i. Nicodemus’ response is not: “What do you want me to do?” but: “How can these things happen?”
ii. Jesus asks (v.10): “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?”
iii. Nicodemus should know all the ways the Old Testament speaks of God giving life to the dead. Consider the birth of Isaac from the dead womb of Sarah (Rom 4:19–21); Isaac being raised from the altar (Heb 11:19); the Exodus; the return of the exiles from Babylon as seen in Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones (Ezek 37). Once we understand man’s natural condition as death, we learn that the Old Testament is full of deliverances that are types and prophetic images of the God who raises the dead to resurrection life.

3rd: The Monergistic Nature of Regeneration

1. We will encounter some aspects of the ordo salutis in which both man and God play an active role. Only God works in regeneration. The new birth is solely the work of God. The term that describes this singular work is “monergism: one energy/work.” The term that describes two working together is “synergism: joint energy/work.”

i. Monergistic salvation is characteristic of Reformed soteriology—salvation by grace alone.
ii. Synergistic salvation is characteristic of both Roman Catholic and Arminian soteriology—salvation by cooperation, either through the sacraments of the church or by the free will of man.

1. The only unique and singular cause of regeneration is God—especially the Spirit and the Father.

i. The Holy Spirit is the efficient cause of regeneration, as seen in John 3:6, 8; and Galatians 4:29.
ii. The Father gives the new birth in Acts 16:14; Eph 2:5; Col 2:13; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3.

1. Let us remember the simple statement: “God saves sinners.” That is monergistic salvation.

4th: The Biblical Descriptions of Regeneration

1. To regenerate (paliggenesia) is used to describe both the cosmic renewal accomplished in conjunction with the return of Christ (Matt 19:28) and the individual renewal initiated and applied to the child of God. The new birth is the “end of the world” that occurs in the soul of the elect (John 5:24).

2. Birth: “Giving birth” is one of the dominant analogies of spiritual regeneration (John 1:13; John 3:3–10; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18). Peter tells us that we have been born again through the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23), and James tells us that God has caused us to come forth as firstfruits.

3. Creation: “To create” is another analogy by which we understand regeneration. The new birth is a new creation (Eph 2:10; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:24).

4. Resurrection: “To make alive” means to be raised from the dead, resurrection (Eph 2:5; Col 2:13).

5. Circumcision: There is debate among godly brothers about the meaning of Abrahamic circumcision in the New Covenant. Some brothers tell us that circumcision is now fulfilled in the rite of baptism. These brothers sprinkle their infants and see them as part of the church, the covenant community. It is better to see that the fulfillment of circumcision in the New Covenant is regeneration.

i. In Genesis 17, when God gave Abraham the sign of circumcision, it came to announce the birth of Isaac. Circumcision is connected with the birth of Isaac. What kind of birth was Isaac’s? A supernatural birth, a resurrection birth from the barren womb of Sarah and the “dead” body of Abraham (Rom 4:17–22; Gal 3:29; see Gal 4:22–31). Although the physical rite of circumcision was administered to all of Abraham’s physical descendants, the rite also had a spiritual or eschatological meaning, pointing to life from the dead.
ii. In the Old Covenant, God calls Israel to circumcise their heart and ears (Deut 10:16; Lev 26:41; Jer 4:4; 6:10). Jeremiah and Ezekiel speak of two kinds of circumcision: of the flesh and of the heart (Jer 9:25–26; Ez 44:6–9).
iii. Upon the arrival of the New Covenant, we are told that circumcision of the flesh is irrelevant, having ended with the Old Covenant. Now the people of God are those whose hearts are circumcised (Rom 2:28–29; Eph 2:11–12; Phil 3:2–3; Gal 6:15–16; Col 2:9–14).
iv. As can be seen, there is much to consider in this matter, but circumcision of the heart is another way to describe regeneration, the removal of a dead heart and the giving of a heart that is alive.

1. Only God, the Father and the Spirit, performs the work of regeneration. It is a work described as new birth, new creation, resurrection, and inward circumcision.

5th: The Relationship of the Effectual Call to Regeneration

1. Our Confession closely connects regeneration with the effectual call. The Westminster Confession 10:2 and the 1689 London Baptist Confession, 10:1, contain regeneration within the effectual call that God gives to His elect people. See also the Shorter Catechism, Question #32.

2. Theologians debate whether regeneration precedes the call. Are men first regenerated and then hear the call of the gospel, or is the call of the gospel issued and made effectual by the Spirit working through the gospel, which is the power of God for salvation (Rom 1:16), to summon the dead and elect sinner to life, thereby endowing him with the gifts of faith and repentance?

3. Logically: the external call given in the preaching of the Word precedes or coincides with the operation of the Holy Spirit. Through the Word, the Holy Spirit generates new life in the soul by effecting a change of heart, convincing the conscience, enlightening the mind, awakening the emotions, and activating the will. In this, man is passive and receives the spiritual ears with which he hears the voice of God. He is moved by the Spirit to believe and repent and discovers that he has the spiritual muscles to respond to the call and move by faith to follow the voice of Jesus.

i. Consider Ezekiel preaching to the dry bones in Ezekiel 37.
ii. Consider Jesus’ call to Lazarus to come out of the dead in John 11.
iii. Peter says that they have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:23).

1. “The effectual call is thus God the Father speaking to us powerfully, and regeneration is God the Father and God the Holy Spirit working powerfully in us, to make us alive.” (Grudem, p.700) There is reason to see these two aspects of God’s grace as occurring simultaneously in conjunction with the ministry of the Word (1 Pet 1:23, 25; Jas 1:18; Acts 10:44).

6th: The New Birth Leads to a Fruitful Life (1 John)

1. The new birth not only gives rise to the initial faith and repentance we call “conversion,” which occurs at the beginning of the Christian life. The new birth is also foundational for the doctrine of sanctification. The man who has been born again by the Holy Spirit will now live the life of the Spirit, a life that produces spiritual fruit.

2. One must pay attention to how many good Reformed men write about salvation by pairing our justification with sanctification. Certainly, these two blessings are united in God’s grace toward us in Christ. However, there is greater clarity when we link regeneration with sanctification. Once we have been born again, we will live a life of holiness. “As He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; because it is written: ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’” (1 Pet 1:15–16)

3. The connection between regeneration and sanctification is evident throughout 1 John, as we saw in Lesson 4. John wrote 1 John to believers so that they may know that they have eternal life (1 John 5:13) and to assure them that their faith is one of the indicators that they have been born again. John’s grammar describes regeneration as occurring before we believe or live the Christian life.

i. If we believe in Jesus, it is because God has given us new life. The Christian believes that Jesus is the Christ, loves the brethren, and does not practice sin but righteousness. We believe because we have been born again (1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18).
ii. Because life has been given to us, we now live that life. The new birth also explains the Christian life. That is why God’s commandments are not burdensome (5:3) and why we overcome the world (5:4). Because we are alive, we obey God’s commandments (2:29), love our neighbor (4:7), and do not practice sin (5:18). This does not mean we are perfect or without sin. If we say we do not sin, we are liars (2:8). But we are grieved by our sin, confess our sin, and rejoice because we have an Advocate, our mediator, Jesus Christ (2:1–2).
iii. The point is that the fundamental and essential reality that defines a biblical Christian is the reality of the new birth. You must be born again.

1. As pastors, we must understand what God does in the lives of His people. We must be kind, patient, loving, and hope for all things (1 Cor 13:7), but we must also be discerning. Sheep act differently from goats. Spiritually alive people act differently from the spiritually dead. We are called to shepherd sheep and to call all to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. May the Spirit convince us of the absolute necessity of the new birth. As regenerated pastors, we must discern the evidences of the new birth in the lives of Christ’s sheep.

1. Once again, consult the diagram “08.1 Building a Detailed Ordo Salutis” to see that we have now considered the two divine acts of the Effectual Call and Regeneration as the logical, causal, and sequential foundations of our initial conversion to Christ.