salvation

Word of the Week: Regeneration

Regeneration means “to be made alive.” It is spiritual birth.

The Old Testament contains imagery that depicts salvation as regeneration. God gives us a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), writes his law on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33), and gives his people a heart for himself (Jeremiah 32:39). 

The New Testament describes regeneration as being born again (John 1:13; 3:3; 1 John 2:29; 4:7, 5:1), made new (2 Corinthians 5:17), and made alive when we were dead (Ephesians 2:5). 

To be regenerated is a work of God that brings spiritual life to those who were spiritually dead. 

The importance of regeneration as an aspect of salvation is that it emphasizes the glorious necessity of the work of God in our salvation. We are not saved by works, but by God’s grace through faith. Spiritually dead people cannot work, and therefore cannot earn God’s salvation. 

A number of years ago, Jeremy Bentham, British philosopher, willed his entire estate to the University Hospital of London. Bentham promoted Utilitarianism, an ideology teaching that anything that is painful is evil and anything that is pleasurable is good. Bentham longed for his life to mean something more, so his will included provision for the physical preservation of his body/skin. The condition for his estate going to the University Hospital was that his preserved body would be rolled by wheelchair to all board meetings. A sign was placed on his corpse, “Mr. Bentham, present but not voting.” Dead in every way, Bentham wanted to be present at the board meetings for the hospital in his will. 

We may sneer at such hubris. While Bentham’s wealth may have outlasted him, he longed for significance past death. All he accomplished was something creepy. He was and is still dead. 

Bentham’s act is an illustration for humanity. Without God’s work of regeneration, mankind is “dead in trespasses and sins.” We are in need of spiritual resurrection. That’s what happens when God regenerates us.

Regeneration is the hope that God offers us life. In the gospel and through Christ’s regenerating work, we can have new life, real life, and eternal life. 

If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been made alive. Through regeneration, you are no longer spiritually dead, but you can know Jesus and be known by Jesus. This is good news. 

  • Regeneration should result in us praising the One who gave us life. 
  • Regeneration should result in us living our lives for the One who raised us from the dead. 
  • Regeneration should result in us walking in the good works God created us for. 

Photo by Klara Kulikova on Unsplash

Word of the Week: Redemption

We have been redeemed. We often use this phrase with reference to our salvation. To be redeemed means that we have been bought or ransomed.

The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines redemption as follows: To pay a price in order to secure the release of something or someone. It connotes the idea of paying what is required in order to liberate from oppression, enslavement, or another type of binding obligation.

It is a term used in both the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament God redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt, from Canaanites during the time of the judges, and from the exile in Babylon. In the New Testament, God redeemed sinners from their slavery to sin, buying them from their spiritual death by the blood of Jesus.

Two passages of Scripture below highlight the theological concept of redemption.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 

Romans 3:21-25

In 1 Peter, below, the word ransomed is the idea of redemption.

Therefore, preparing your minds for action,[a] and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 

1 Peter 1:13-19
  • Redemption means we’ve been bought. Think about this. God wanted you enough to buy you from your slavery to sin and exile under the enemy’s power. We should be amazed at the love God has to redeem sinners.
  • Redemption means we’ve been bought by Someone precious. God did not redeem us with money or something perishable. Rather, Jesus’ blood, his precious and perfect and imperishable blood is the means of our redemption. Jesus gave his life and shed his blood for our redemption.
  • Redemption is why God demands everything of us. Experiencing salvation and redemption is more than just praying a sinner’s prayer; it is following Jesus with our lives. Following Jesus means that Christ demands everything of us. He demands everything because our redemption cost him everything.

What do we do with such glorious truths?

  1. Pause and thank God for redeeming you.
  2. Worship God in this moment because he wanted you enough to redeem you with his blood.
  3. Meditate on these verses and the wonder of our redemption.
  4. Share with someone today that Jesus died to redeem them.