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REGENERATION THE NEW BIRTH by the Rev. G. Hamstra a Vice-President of the Society that glorious kingdom of light and lib- esus answered and said erty.The goodness of the Lord is great, Junto him, Verily, verily, that He has entrusted unto us the pre- cious knowledge of the only effectual I say unto thee, Except a way of entering His kingdom, which is man be born again, he by the way of regeneration or new cannot see the kingdom birth. This truth may be familiar, but few do of God. John 3:3 really understand its meaning and realise the importance of taking it to here are many kingdoms on this heart. Let us now consider this great earth, but there is only one king- truth, while we ask and answer a few dom of God. In our text the king- T basic questions. dom of God is to be understood as the kingdom of God in contrast to the king- dom of Satan.The contrast is impres- The Necessity of the sive.The kingdom of God is the king- New Birth dom of righteousness, joy and peace. The kingdom of Satan is the kingdom First of all, why is such a great and radi- of darkness, sin and despair. cal change necessary to enter into the kingdom of God? This distinction concerns all of us, for we belong either to the kingdom of The necessity of this momentous change God and are in the most blessed rela- points to the awful condition of man by tionship with our Maker, or we belong nature.Many overlook the serious char- to the kingdom of Satan and are alien- acter of this point and take refuge in a ated from our Creator, and on account less radical,man-made change.But,alas, of sin and unbelief His wrath and dis- that will not do! We must have a true and pleasure do still abide on us. realistic view of man’s deep need. In the words of our text, the Lord Jesus In Genesis 1 we are taught that man was Christ speaks about the only way in created in the image of God,so he was which one may become a citizen of endowed with knowledge,righteous- TBS QR576 layout.qxd 17/06/2006 13:47 Page 7

The Magazine of the Trinitarian Bible Society

ness and holiness.In Genesis 3 we learn It is to be born from above.This new how man lost what he possessed and birth has its origin in heaven.To be enjoyed in the garden of Eden.He is no born from above is to be born of God. longer in a state of fellowship and com- The figurative language here illustrates munion with his Maker.In the Fall he lost the nature of the new birth.When an this blessed character. infant is born, it is wholly passive in the According to the Word of God,man’s process of birth. So it is in regeneration. heart is now deceitful above all things Not even the smallest part is man’s and desperately wicked.The carnal mind work. It is exclusively and wholly the is enmity towards God.This is true con- work of God. All the glory belongs to cerning every member of Adam’s fallen Him. race,unless by the way of the new birth Christ interprets in the context: it is to he or she has entered the kingdom of be ‘born of water and of the Spirit’. God’s light. Water refers to the great work of Sin is so radical in its character that the cleansing the heart, the washing of entire heart is corrupt and rebels against regeneration.‘And of the Spirit’—this God! Never will man be able to alter that regeneration is of the Holy Spirit. situation.Again,here the witness of This gracious work of God is far more Scripture is:‘Can the Ethiopian change excellent than any human endeavour. It his skin,or the leopard his spots? then is the marvel of the gospel, that God may ye also do good,that are accus- comes down to the lowest depravity of tomed to do evil’(Jeremiah 13:23). man’s iniquities with the grace of purifi- It is impossible for man to correct and to cation. God the Holy Spirit creates a purify his own sinful heart. It is absolute- clean heart and renews a right spirit. ly necessary to realise this humbling The Lord does a radical and total work truth. in the hearts of the objects of His grace. For man to see and to enter into the It is not one part of the human heart kingdom of God,God Himself must that is renewed and cleansed; it is the supernaturally intervene in the human entire heart that is involved in this pur- situation.He alone is able to bring about pose of renewal.There is complete the so much needed change.This is the transformation. If any man is born of great truth that Christ makes in our text: God, he is a new creature.This work of That which is impossible with man,is purification is a work of God’s effica- possible with God. We can never appre- cious grace. ciate this important truth too highly.It is indispensable for salvation. The Author of the New Birth The Nature of the Thirdly, the question must be asked: New Birth Who is this great and blessed Person The second question we must ask and that renews and purifies the heart? seek to answer is:What is the nature of The Author of this work is God Himself, this momentous change? and more specifically,God the Holy

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QUARTERLY RECORD - Issue Number 576 - July to September 2006 Spirit.He alone renews the human heart appropriate then, in conclusion, is the according to His sovereign good pleas- question: Have we experienced this ure.After Christ purchased redemption, regenerating grace of God? the Spirit of grace and of supplications If by grace we have experienced this was poured out.It is this Spirit who blessed cleansing power, we may renews the heart. rejoice with fear and trembling in Him He alone is qualified to do the great who remembered us in our low estate work.There is no heart so hard that the and drew us with the cords of His love Holy Spirit cannot subdue it,none so and translated us from the kingdom of proud that He cannot humble it,none so darkness to the kingdom of His mar- wicked that He cannot make it holy.The vellous light. May we then live to His Holy Spirit displays great beauty in glory and praise! nature,but far greater is the marvel of But if you have never realised the need His wondrous grace when He renews and value of this saving change, how and sanctifies a depraved heart. necessary is it then to reflect seriously May the Lord open the eyes of many to on your eternal destiny, and not to perceive this great truth which testifies delay this all-important matter! For both to man’s need,and to God’s great without this birth from above, there power to meet this need! can be no communion and fellowship with your Maker in this life here below, The Effect of the and what is far worse, no fellowship with Him in eternity.Without the new New Birth birth, an eternity of woe will be your Fourthly:What is the effect or result of portion. the new birth? We are passive in regeneration, but we It is this:a heart renewed by the grace of may not be passive or careless and God is indwelled,controlled and direct- indifferent about this matter that con- ed by the same Spirit Who renews the cerns our eternal well or woe! We may heart.The sinner—by nature dead in sin never rest, till by grace we know, that and trespasses—has been made alive in God has wrought this great work of Christ Jesus.He has become poor in spir- purification within our hearts. it,he mourns because of sin,and This fearful truth will still remain, hungers and thirsts after righteousness. The sinner must be BORN AGAIN Once he belonged to the kingdom of Or sink to endless woe!1 Satan,by grace he has become a citizen of the kingdom of God.He now enjoys God’s pardoning love.His heart cries out for the living God,for His grace in Christ. Endnote He walks in God’s ways and loves His commandments. 1.Quoted by Octavius Winslow in ‘From Grace to Glory’.The Reformed Reader Conclusion http://www.reformedreader.org/rbb/ winslow/gracetoglory/assurance.htm, Entrance into the kingdom of God is 16 May 2006. only by way of the new birth. How

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