What is a Unregenerate Spirit?

We have Baptists on this forum that believe at death the Old Testament saints, that is their "spirits" went to hades and had to wait there until the cross in order to be regenerated. That means while their "spirits" were in their bodies during their life time they were in an unregenerate state - unregenerate spirits. That means when their bodies died that unregenerate spirit descended into hades to wait. Remember, Jesus told Nicodemus what is born of Spirit "is spirit" and so any spirit not born of the Spirit is an unregenerate spirit.

Now, exactly what is an unregenerate spirit? Isn't that what lost people have today? Unregenerated spirits in their bodies? Isn't that what the Ephesians were prior to being quickened or born of the Spirit (Eph.2:1,5)?

Paul calls the unregenerate spirit "dead in tresspasses and in sins." Paul described the condition of an unregenerate spirit in Ephesians 4:18-19 and in Romans 8:7-8. It is a spirit in your body that is at enmity with God and not subject to his authority. It is a spirit that loves darkness more than light. It is a spirit that is alienated from the life of God. It is a spirit bound by sin and under the dominion of Satan (Eph.2:2-3).

Now, does that kind of spirit characterize what we find in the bodies of Abraham, Job, David, Daniel, Joshua, Caleb,etc. while they were physically alive? Is that the kind of spirit that loves God, walks with God, obeys God?

Now, these Baptists have a doctrine to defend, and scriptures they interpret to defend this doctrine. But really, does not even an ounce of common sense make such a theory completely and utterly laughable? What happens when just plain common sense exposes a carefully crafted doctrine and carefully crafted interpretations of a few Bible passages? What happens? I will tell you what happens, they simply close their eyes, stick their fingers and their ears and say "But the Bible says..." when it says no such thing, it is only made to say what they want it to say and the proof is that such interpretations won't even stand up to common sense.

 

Jeshua1, Van and Darrell all take this same position but are strangely silent. Can they provide reasonable answers for these posts, without changing the subject, without ridicule or innuendo's, without arguments based on circular reasoning (e.g. this can be true because my interpretation of the texts in this debate deny it)?

 

I agree partly with you. The term sheol refers to the place of THE DEAD. The Bible speaks of "lowest" sheol and the "mouth" or upper sheol. I believe both lost and saved have their physical DEAD bodies placed in upper sheol. So in this sense the saints go to sheol. However, the saint has been redeemed from "lowest" sheol which is the place of the departed DEAD spirits.

 

I don't Old Testament saints in general when to heaven in bodily form but went to heaven as regenerated spirits just like we do. For example the tombs of David and other OT saints are still here today and Peter makes it clear that his body did not go to heaven (Acts 2). Job also did not go to heaven bodily as he expected his body to return to dust (Acts 19). David anticipated going to heaven at death (Psa. 73). I believe the only difference in the work of the Holy Spirit then that is different now is only extent. Now the Spirit is indwelling "all flesh" (anarthous construct - all classes, kinds) whereas prior to Pentecost the redemptive work of the Spirit was PRIMARILY restricted to one ethnic class - Jews.