Featured Gospel regeneration

12 but as many as did receive him to them he gave authority to become sons of God -- to those believing in his name,
13 who -- not of blood nor of a will of flesh, nor of a will of man but -- of God were begotten. Jn 1 YLT

Those who receive Christ (v. 12) were already children of God (v. 13). They now have the power to mature and become Sons of God, as Paul drew the distinction between 'children' and 'sons' in Ro 8.

 

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God. Jn 3

It's a redundant theme throughout the NT, God has already wrought within those that come to the light.

 

More from Jn 3:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life. Jn 3:14,15

And Jehovah said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live. Nu 21:8

The brazen serpent was lifted up for those that were bitten. It is the Spirit working within His children that causes them to feel their need for Him.

...They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Mk 2:17

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Mt 5:6

God has already wrought within those that come to Christ, He's given them the "want-to", whether it's manifested as fear of retribution, or a desire to live, or an inexplicable attraction to Him, it doesn't matter, the Spirit works in many ways within His children. It's AFTER they get to Christ is when they learn the truth about things.

There's a member here, salzer mtn, that carries a signature that I love:

"The Only Thing That Can Stop A Screaming Conscious Is A Right View Of The Atonement".

It's the Spirit working within His children that blesses them to have this 'screaming conscious' that drives them to Christ. Yea, how very 'fortunate' they are:

"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

 

BroJoe, your thoughts on Abraham prior to Gen 15:6?

 

I am hopeful that this can be a peaceful and fruitful thread with all the perjoratives being left unsaid, or in this case, untyped.


Take for instance someone in the Congo, I mean deep in the Congo. They have had no outside interaction with the outside world whatsoever. How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? They can not do this. I know that Abram when he was dwelling in the land of Ur, those who oppose gospel regeneration quickly point to him. But, what about John the Baptist? He was indwelt with the Holy Spirit in Elizabeth's womb, so the case with John the Baptist is similar to Abram's account. They were one time occurances in the bible. So it is not wise to use Abram to support God regenerating peoples outside the gospel.


Now, then there is How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? I will use Joanie in America. She has been raised around Christians her whole life, yet she is living a life of debauchery. She has multiple partners, abuses drugs, thumbs her nose at the government, is liberal to the core, supporting gun control, abortion and g@y marriage. She has been exposed to the gospel as she was growing up, but it had no effect on her. Why? She was dead in transgressions and sins. No amount of gospel preaching and/or witnessing to her can help her in her fallen state. In comes someone who presents the gospel to her. In the middle of the gospel presentation, God begins to work in her to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. In this work, is quickening, and in this quickening, faith and repentance. She then makes her statement of faith and is baptized and lives her life for God.

Yes, God is the one who regenerates, but He does so via the gospel.

 

sovereigngrace

It is the Spirit that quickens, or gives Life Jn 6:63

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

The Gospel doesnt give Life, but it does make it manifest 2 Tim 1:10

10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

The Gospel brings to Light the Immortal Eternal Life given by the Spirit after He quickens the Elect !

Thats why Jesus said the Gospel fell upon good ground that bears fruit Matt 13:23

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

So its obvious that the ground was good[by regeneration of the Spirit] in preparation for the receiving of the Gospel !

 

That is what I said mon ami. God quickens via the Spirit. But He does this through the gospel.

 

No its not what you said ! You obviously didnt read my post carefully !

 

bj

Cornelius is even a better example of regeneration before Faith in the Gospel. He was one that feared God before He he heard the Gospel that God sent to him by Peter's mouth.

Acts 10:1-2

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,

2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

And we know that the natural man by nature does not fear God Rom 3:18

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

So Cornelius was regenerated and given a heart that fears God, before he believed the Gospel sent to him by Peter !

 

OUTSTANDING post brother.

Consider the 'correlation' between 'works' and 'faith':

.....the righteous by his stedfastness liveth. Hab 2:4 YLT

who will render to every man according to his works: to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: Ro 2:6,7

....I by my works will show thee my faith. Ja 2:18

The saints of Heb 11 are showing their faith through their patience in well-doing, their stedfastness. This faith is not a choice or the will of the creature. It's a deep conviction that is the motivation for all true good works.

13 for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified:
14 (for when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves;
15 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them); Ro 2

These all in Heb 11 had the law written upon their hearts. That's what the 'heart change' of regeneration does for us, it puts his law within our hearts, and THAT without ever have had the law or heard the law.

 

Actually, you didn't read his post carefully enough. It's exactly what he said.

He said that in the middle of the presentation, God began to work on her. How does God do that? With the Holy Spirit. The gospel was present; the Spirit worked.

 

Did you understand the points I made in the posts? Please review them back to me the way I explained them, then we debate or discuss them!


See, that works both ways.

You need to re-reread my post.

 

In regards to Cornelius:

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. ”While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.[Acts 10:34-48]


Cornelius had heard the gospel before he had been saved. Read carefully what I bolded.

 

Thank you for this kind post. :thumbs::thumbsup: