The word regeneration appears only twice in the Bible, both in the New Testament. It was used once by the Lord in Matthew 19:28 and once by the Apostle Paul in Titus 3:5.

The word regeneration is the translation of palingenesia, from palin (again) and genesis (birth). It means simply a new birth, a new beginning, a new order.

When the Lord used the word, He said to His disciples, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).

Here the Lord used the word when referring to His coming kingdom on earth. It is the time of the earth’s regeneration, the new order the prophets wrote about, when Jehovah will set His King upon His holy hill of Zion (Psalm 2:6), And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3).

The coming kingdom of Christ on earth is the day of the earth’s regeneration, the times of restitution (restoration) of all things (Acts 3:21).

This re-birth of the earth in the coming Millennial Age will also fulfill God’s covenant with Abraham concerning his descendants, for Israel, too, will experience a re-birth at that time (See Ezekiel 37).

The kingdom of Christ on earth will be a time of world-wide subjection to the authority of Christ, when sin, sorrow, sickness, suffering and strife will not touch earth’s inhabitants. In that day God shall renew His creation. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6), and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).

In summing up the regeneration of the earth, it is that time still future when Christ shall rule on the throne of David (II Samuel 7; Luke 1:32, 33; 2:11), Satan will be incarcerated (Revelation 20:2), Israel will be spiritually re-born (Isaiah 66:8; Ezekiel 37; Matthew 24:8; Romans 11:1, 2, 26), peace, prosperity, social justice and equality will prevail (Isaiah 42:1-4; Micah 4:1-7). This is the golden age, the utopia for which man has sought in vain. It is God’s coming great society, the Theocracy in the earth.

When the Apostle Paul used the word regeneration, he wrote, 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). The difference between our Lord’s use of the word and Paul’s use of it is obvious. The Lord used it in its widest sense, of the restoration of all things, at His Second Advent to the earth. Paul used it in referring to the regeneration of the individual man, his being born again into God’s new order. This new order is the Church, the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22, 23), not an organization, but a spiritual organism. No effort on man’s part can bring him into God’s order, for it is not by works of righteousness which we have done (Titus 3:5), Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9).

Regeneration then, may be defined as an act of God whereby He bestows upon the believing sinner new life. This life is God’s own life, the imparting of His own nature. God Himself is the Source and Bestower of His life, so that believers are said to be partakers of the Divine nature (II Peter 1:4), created in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10), born of God (John 1:13), born again (John 3:3, 7), a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17).

It was not to a social outcast, criminal or drunkard, but to a religious, law-abiding man that Christ addressed the command, Ye must be born again. Some persons who possess a certain moral goodness and are therefore self-righteous, do not realize any need of regeneration. They feel that only drunkards, thieves, murderers, harlots, dope addicts, and the like need to be born again. A woman, whose parents were missionaries to India, told me that she did not need to be born again because she was born right the first time and simply needed to continue being good. This is far from the truth.

The necessity of regeneration for all men grew out of the depravity of man’s nature. The natural man is dead in trespasses and sins . . . alienated from the life of God (Ephesians 2:1; 4:18) because his iniquities have separated him from God (Isaiah 59:2). The need for being regenerated is universal. There is none righteous, no, not one .. . For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10, 23). And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). 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 (Psalm 14:2, 3). The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). The best thing God can do for man is to bring him to a knowledge of his sin so that he will realize his need of being regenerated. The Lord left no doubt as to the indispensable necessity of the new birth as a pre-requisite to entrance into the Kingdom of God.

Heaven may be reached without education, wealth or worldly acclaim, but it will not be inhabited by those who have not been regenerated. It has been said that George Whitfield preached more than three hundred times using John 3:3-7 as his text. When asked why he preached so frequently from these verses, he replied solemnly, Because ye must be born again. This is a Divine imperative. That which is born of the flesh is flesh (John 3:6), and they that are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8), because in the flesh dwelleth no good thing (Romans 7:18). Man’s sinfulness and God’s holiness are opposed to each other so that regeneration is an absolute necessity. Inasmuch as our Lord said, Ye must be born again, you better believe it!

Regeneration is the implantation of a new life. The theory known as Spontaneous Generation, that is, that life can spring into being of itself, is no longer believed by modern day scientists. The evolutionary theory holds that life must come from pre-existing life, but it is at a loss to know where life begins. The basic error of false systems of theology, philosophy and science is the failure to accept the most sublime and comprehensive statement in human language which introduces us to the greatest revelation of truth ever given to mankind. The opening statement in the Bible says, In the beginning God created . . . (Genesis 1:1).

Here we learn that God is the Source and Cause of all things. Life begins with God. Neither the universe nor anything in it is self-originated. God stands at the commencement of all life. God is life. Man in his original state was the perfect work of God. But man has fallen. His willful sin brought death, both physical and spiritual, so that in his fallen, sinful state he is alienated from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18).

God is the Source of the new life which is communicated to the believing sinner. Man is unable to impart Divine life, therefore he has no part in the New Birth. All Christian parents would bestow eternal life on their offspring if they could, but they cannot. A man is born again., not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). Since only God possesses creative power, He alone can impart life where there is no life. But by what means does God produce the miracle of the New Birth? The Lord said to Nicodemus, 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). We have already stated that it is erroneous to assume that one is born again at the time of his being baptized with water. The water in this verse does not refer to baptism.

But what did the Lord mean by being born of water? Whenever we come to a verse in the Bible, such as this one, about which there is disagreement and difference of interpretation, we must be patient and prayerful in our pursuit of other Bible passages which shed light on the subject under discussion.

There are occasions in the Scripture where the word water is used symbolically, and then the symbolism is not always the same. The following passage teaches that water is sometimes a symbol of the Holy Spirit--In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake He of the Spirit . . . (John 7:37-39). It would appear that when water is used symbolically of the Holy Spirit, it is in connection with drinking purposes.

Water is also used in the Bible as an emblem of the Word of God, and in such uses it is associated with cleansing or washing, not drinking. Baptism does not avail to cleanse the heart from defilement, but our Lord did say, Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). Is Christ speaking of the water of the word in John 3:5? Let us turn to the Scriptures for the answer. In the second most important passage on the means of Regeneration, we find our answer. The Apostle Peter wrote, Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, but the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever (I Peter 1:23). Here Peter speaks of the use made of the Word of God in Regeneration. The Word of God is the means by which the Holy Spirit accomplishes the New Birth. Here Peter is saying the same as Jesus said in John 3:5.

This is understood more clearly when we realize that the Word of God is both living and life-producing. 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 (Hebrews 4:12). The living word came from the living God, and it has power to impart life to all who believe it. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). And if you are wondering how the Word of God quickens faith, the answer is, By imparting knowledge. Knowledge precedes faith, because faith always has an object. The Word of God presents to us the fact of our sin and condemnation, that without Christ we are without a Saviour and with no hope. The Word of God shows us that the Son of God came into the world to bear the sinner’s judgment through His substitutionary death for the sinner (Matthew 20:28; Luke 19:10; I Corinthians 15:3, 4). The Word of God assures us that all one needs in order to pass from death to life is to believe the facts and receive the Saviour. Our Lord Himself said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24). So you see that without the Word of God a man cannot be regenerated, or born again. This is why people are not being born again in churches where the Word of God is not preached and taught.

The Holy Scriptures are both living and life-producing. The Apostle James attributes the sovereign work of God in regeneration to the living Word of God. He writes, Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth (James 1:18). Our Lord said, The words that I speak unto you . . . they are life (John 6:63). Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3). He prayed to the Father, Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth (John 17:17). The Psalmist wrote, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according the Thy Word (Psalm 119:9). These passages of Scripture all lend support to the fact that God’s Word is the Divine means used in the regeneration of sinners, and that the water in John 3:5 is used as a symbol of the Word of God. In further support of the water-Word interpretation of John 3:5, the Apostle Paul wrote how Christ sanctifies and cleanses His church with the washing of water by the word (Ephesians 5:26).

God the Father is the Author of regeneration and His Word the means. However, our Lord said to Nicodemus, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5). The Holy Spirit is the active Agent in regeneration. Just as there must be the human agent in a human birth, so there must be the Divine Agent in the new birth from above. When we came into the world by means of our physical birth, we were born of corruptible (or perishable, dying) seed, because two human parents can beget a child only in their own likeness. Through natural birth they pass on to their offspring their own nature and likeness. That which is born of the flesh is flesh (John 3:6).

But on the other hand, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6). When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begets new life, Divine life, so that we are said to become partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:4). The New Birth is brought to pass through incorruptible seed, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever (I Peter 1:23), but the Holy Spirit is the Agent who accomplishes the miracle of regeneration.

The Holy Spirit was active in the generation of the physical universe. We read, And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2).

The Holy Spirit was the active Agent in the creation of man. 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 (Genesis 2:7). The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life (Job 33:4).

The Holy Spirit was the active Agent in the conception and birth of Jesus Christ. . . . Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 1:20). And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God . . . The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:30, 35).

From the above passages it is clear that the act of imparting life has been the Holy Spirit’s work from the beginning. Regeneration is in a sense a repetition of that which took place in the first man, Adam; however, the processes are different. Adam, in his original state, was created with the gift of life; this was the implantation of life through the creative process. Today God is implanting spiritual life to believing sinners through the redemptive process. In both instances the Holy Spirit is the Agent.

To be born of water and of the Spirit is to be regenerated by means of the Word of God and by the active Agency of the Spirit of God. It is not by the Word of God alone that a man is regenerated, but by the Word and the Holy Spirit, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost (Titus 3:5).

Human birth is a complex miracle, but the New Birth is a far more complex miracle. The word miracle is used in the New Testament to refer to a work of supernatural origin and character such as could not be produced by natural agents and means. The word is sometimes translated sign, denoting a miracle or wonder of Divine origin and authority. When Christ was on earth He performed many miracles. His first recorded act that could not be produced instanteously by natural means was the turning of water into wine (John 2:1-10). Of this miracle John wrote, This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him (John 2:11).

These miracles, or signs, or wonders, were performed by our Lord as an evidence of His Deity, and they were done by Him so that sinners would believe in Him and be saved. 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 (John 2:23). And many other signs (wonders, miracles) truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name (John 20:30, 31).

In Christ’s day miracles were a substantial aid to one’s faith. In our day of scientific advance, miracles are to some an obstacle to faith. A religion that has none of the miraculous or supernaturalism is easier to accept than one that demands supernaturalism. Men refuse to accept historic Christianity because it claims for itself a supernatural revelation and demands of every man a supernatural Regeneration. A regenerated man makes no attempt to explain the miracles recorded in the Bible, the Miracle-Book. He accepts them. Put God into a miracle and doubt gives way to faith. Once a man has experienced the miracle of the New Birth, he will have no problem with accepting the miracles recorded in God’s Word.

To be born again is to be born of God (John 1:13). Therefore, it is enough to say that God, a supernatural Being, has revealed Himself in His supernatural Son and in His supernatural Book, and He will, by the power of that Word and His supernatural Spirit, impart supernaturally His own life to any person who will receive it by faith. My own regeneration is to me the miracle of miracles. It happened in 1985, and it has been blessedly real.

The New Birth produces some glorious effects in the believer’s life. These should be examined carefully because the new life needs to develop. Where life begins it should mature. The effects of Regeneration are nothing short of miraculous because there is no power within man that can produce them. They are the spiritual birthmarks of the born again ones.

Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Corinthians 5:17). The regenerated person can testify that things are different now. With our New Birth we received a new power and pattern for living. The regenerated man is a new creation, the new meaning a difference in kind. He now possesses a different kind of life. The words in the text mean more than a mere outward reformation, for it is more than the improvement of the old life. A complete change has come. We have here a new creation as against the old creation. The source of the old creation was Adam, and from him we inherited sin and death. The Fountainhead of the new creation is Christ, so that a profound and radical change has taken place in the believer. The New Birth brought with it new life, and the new life has brought an entirely new set of desires, appetites, ideals and goals. Now the New Birth does not eradicate the old nature, but it does give new life to control it. And make certain that you are clear on one point, namely, the new creation begins with Christ.

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren (I John 3:14). When one is born again he instinctively is drawn to those persons of like precious faith. All regenerated persons are one in Christ, and love is their badge. Christ said, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:35). It is not a fellowship of the rich, the elite, or of one denomination as against another. All born again persons have God as their Father; therefore they are one in Christ, sharing a mutual love. No person who hates has Christ’s new life in him. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him (I John 3:15). It is not possible to love God if we do not love our fellow-man. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (I John 4:20). The fellowship of those born again is the most satisfying and productive among all fellowships. And again the point should be made that this fellowship is a spiritual one, having its roots in Jesus Christ (I John 1:3). Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him (I John 5:1).

. . . Ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him (I John 2:29). Righteousness is that character or quality of being right or just in the sight of God. Men have varying standards of righteousness, and they are sometimes sincerely zealous, “but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:2, 3). They refuse to believe that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), and until we are born again, “there is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). But after we are born again, Christ becomes our righteousness (I Corinthians 1:30). This righteousness is imputed to the believer by God on the faith principle apart from human works (Romans 4:5, 6). It is God’s gift to every regenerated man (Romans 5:17). Having become partakers of the Divine Nature we now see sin as God sees it. Our standards of what is right and just we now find in God’s Word. The word again as used by our Lord in John 3:3, 7, where He spoke of being born again, is the translation of another, which means from above. He did not use it with reference to repeated action, but rather in contrast to our physical birth which is from beneath, or earthly. Thus having been born from above, we are to seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:1, 2).

In summing up our study of the doctrine of Regeneration, we may conclude that the regenerated person has been given the power to obey God and to grow in grace. The act of regeneration itself is instantaneous. Spiritually speaking, you are either born or unborn. If you have not experienced the new birth, trust Christ now, and the Holy Spirit will give you new life.