Regeneration: Instantaneous or Elongated

How about the Holy Spirit, who knows all things, is all powerful, is everywherem and who can accomplish the complete will of God?

No rope, no lure, we're not fishing or ranching. This is God at work doing what only God can do, including the giving of the gift of faith, rearranging circumstances to bring about His will, changing hearts, etc., all so that He will be glorified forever.

 

Scripture is clear.....

NASB
Acts 26.......

15 And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have [a]seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes >>>>so that >>>>>>they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God,>>>>>>>> that they may >>>>>>>>receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

*****************
ESV

18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

NKJV

18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

Amp

18To open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may thus receive forgiveness and release from their sins and a place and portion among those who are consecrated and purified by faith in Me.


Scripture is clear.....

 

“I believe that the new birth must be instantaneous, that there is a moment in which a man is dead and another moment in which he is alive and that, just as there is a certain instant in which a child is born, so there is an instant in which we become the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.” —Charles Spurgeon, preaching from Luke 8

 

18 to open their eyes >>>>so that >>>>>>they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God,>>>>>>>> that they may >>>>>>>>receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

Romans 5:8,9,10 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Paul will preach God will give them the gift of the Spirit and remove the scales from their eyes, were blind now see, They will be translated from power of Satan which is death, darkness to God, which is life, the kingdom, the power and the glory. The inheritance.
that they may receive forgiveness of sins, because of the death, blood of Christ see 1st part of R5:9,10. However if he had not been given life again that blood would have been for naught. For it is by his resurrected life that you shall be saved (future) said twice in v 9 and v 10 shall be saved. Washed in the blood through life. Even then all you get is the earnest of an inheritance. You become an heir then not an inheritor. You are in a gestation period until your inheritance, you are a begotten son/child of God.
You and Enoch have the exact same translation. The power of Satan is death Heb. 2:14 You are also translated that you will not see death. You will die but resurrected, born again with eternal life. you will then have inherited your inheritance.

Please show where this would conflict with the word of God.

Notice in Col. 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son: That this translation is relative to the preceding verse: Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

The kingdom is the inheritance of which flesh and blood cannot inherit. We being in Christ are in the light of the kingdom the very same thing said in Acts 26.

 

Brother, in my ignorance, I fail to see what point you are trying to make here. Will you please further elaborate? Thanks in advance.

Of course Christ's blood and flesh are spiritual. But our "dead" soul can respond. In fact, our "dead" soul can also hear.

John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

A "dead" soul is much different than a dead corpse. A dead soul can't respond because the soul has left the body. A "dead" soul is "dead" based solely(no pun intended ) on being seperated from God due to sin. This "dead" soul can, and does, hear when God calls.

The blood cleanses the soul, makes it white as snow, makes have have on the wedding garment, without spot, wrinkle or blemish. When we got the blood, we also got a drink of living water, that is in us as a well of living water, springing up into everlasting life. These things are given to us simultaneously.

Santification and justification happen simultanelously(sp?) and are not given in a "step up" program, where you are first sanctified, and then later justified. These things all happen together with the new birth.

1 Cor. 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

So you are washed in the blood, then at the same time of the washing by blood of Jesus Christ, you are sanctified, and justified by the Spirit of God.

Nowhere can you prove that salvation and/or regeneration come at different times in one's life. When God saved me, He gave me the "whole ball of wax" in one lump sum. He washed me, sanctified me, justified me, and gave me Himself, Jesus, and the Spirit all at the same time. This is when I was regenerated, i.e. , the new birth.

i am I AM's!!

Willis

 

Amen, scripture is clear. When we are regenerated, we are saved, and when we are saved, we are regenerated. These two happen simultaneouly, and not bestowed to the heathen at different times in one life!! Amen Brother, scripture is clear!!!

 

Spurgeon, sermon on I John 3:23:

"If I am to preach faith in Christ to a man who is regenerated, then the man, being regenerated, is saved already, and it is an unnecessary and ridiculous thing for me to preach Christ to him, and bid him to believe in order to be saved when he is saved already, being regenerate."

 

Becky Mae Rottweiler is due to deliver her son they are going to name Ralph tomorrow 5/30/2011 and he is destined sit on a thrown ruling over the Zardonians in the regeneration when the Son Of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory

Counting tomorrow when he is born how many times will he have to be born and or be made alive before he can sit on his throne assuming Christ returns in three hundred years?

 

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God

Everyone who believes

Everyone who believes

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ>>>>>>> is born of God

1 John 5:1 NIV

 

John 1:4....

In him was life, and that life >>>>>>>>>was the light of all mankind.

1st LIFE....than >>>>>> 2nd light

Life then a understanding (light) for a need for salvation

Its clear

 

Job 33....

NOTE:...
NO UNDERSTANDING BY MAN

NOTE:..
MAN IS DEAD DEEP SLEEP......BUT WHILE IN THAT SLEEP GOD COMES AND...

NOTE:...
OPENS EARS....SEALETH INSRUCTION. WHY DOES HE DO THIS?......AND....THAN WHAT HAPPENS??????..

NOTE:
MAN IS DEAD....GOD OPENS EARS....IN ORDER TO WITHDRAW MAN FROM HIS OWN PURPOSE AND PRIDE.....AND

NOTE....


DEAD...OPEN EYES...DRAWN AWAY FROM SIN TO GOD....TO KEEP HIS SOUL FROM HELL.



Its clear

 

Isa 43.....

NOTE:

Please note the order...

1) Elect....
2) so that the chosen may KNOW God....
3) and that knowing they WILL believe.

Its clear...

 

Deut 30:6


"And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart <<<<[regeneration] and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live." -


It is clear..

 

This is a verse that has been well debated not only among Greek Scholars (and the vast majority of them side against what is seemingly your proposition - that this verse states being born again 'causes' faith/belief) as well as here in the BB,

Here is an exert from John of Japan speaking directly to and with Archangle of this very passage:

Thus IOW - John (writing 1 John) is simply saying that the person who believes in Jesus gives evidence of being born of God, yet this is without any reference to when this being born of God actually took place. This is supported by the surrounding passages as well as context of the book which is speaking to - believers who were already in and of the faith.

 

Hmmm.. not so much, no.

The passage isn't even speaking of salvation.. and more importantly if we go with your rendition we end up in a very awkward place. Note from A.T. Robertson's "Robertson Word Pictures" (a Reformed/Calvinist himself and GreeK scholar) states of the passage in the gospel of John:

You seem to 'really' be trying to stretch and twist the scriptures to say much more than they are intended. Even Reformed scholars disagree with you here.

 

Hmmm.. while I do not disagree that all men are 'dead in their trespasses and sins", you seem to have neglected one important aspect to the the passage - context. The context is not nor does it imply in the slightest degree, that God does this to only a select group or elect group, but in fact establishes that that God does this to all men.

Nice passage though.. I need to remember this one.
God opens the eyes of all men to draw them away.. Thanks

 

Again, Context James, Context!
You seem to have left out the fact that the passage, when it states "my people" is referring to the NATION of Israel and that they as whole were "the servant" He chose. He was not speaking of this 'choosing' as His election to salvation but to PURPOSE. The reason He appeared to them first and did all He did to them first, was so they could 'help' other people believe in Him. Thus while only God is the one true God and therefore also the only true savior, the election spoken of in the that passage was not to salvation as it refers to the whole nation whom God has chosen.

 

It is very clear, but only when you take the context into view, which again, you did not.. but prooftexted it outside of the context.

Note the scriptures - in context:

Now, what is the order of events God gives us?
1. Return or turn(repentance)
2. Obey (both 1 &2 reflect faith and repentance) so it is really 1a&b
3. THEN God will restore
4. and Gather you together

The next passage continue with that same thought but state that God will make sure those who repent and obey, will remain His people and not again forsake him in the same manner as before by circumcising their hearts.. watch:

So you have a reiteration of #4
4. God will gather you together
5. will bring you (lead or guide you)
6. will prosper you
7. will circumcise your heart to love him

We see this same thing reiterated again in the later part of the chapter where God states He has set before the people a choice of life or death.

Note what He says regarding it after God Himself states He gives man a choice (vss 15-18):

NOTE- it says
"Choose" (we know this is repentance and faith)
.... "THAT YOU MAY"
.........Love God, obey Him, and live

In both sections we have repentance and faith (Choosing life) preceding circumcision of the heart whereby we will (state of being) love God, obey him, and live.

 

James, I couldn't have said it better myself.
I agree their eyes must be opened but what is their status or state of being (nature) when their eyes are opened... and for what purpose is their eyes opened.

They are IN darkness when their eyes are opened.
WHY?
So they MAY turn FROM darkness to light..
FROM the power of Satan to God
to receive forgiveness and an inheritance who by faith has be been sanctified

IOW - they were still slaves, in their trespasses and sin, when they believed.

So we have their eyes being opened (illuminated) while they are in darkness and under the power of Satan.. so that they might turn from such a state to God and be forgiven and sanctified by faith in Him.

 

And beside all that I believe when he said let there be light and there was light, he was that light which came before the life that followed. This also is a stretch yet I believe it to be true Yet maybe not in stone.