Multifaceted Gem of Salvation
This response is rather long and goes beyond the regeneration of those who are dead in trespasses and sins to discuss what I call the ‘Multifaceted Gem of Salvation”. My Apologies but I think discussing regeneration alone is not sufficient.
Salvation, the blessing of grace, is that work of the Triune God by which He eternally redeems and reconciles to Himself those chosen in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world [Ephesians 1:4], freeing them from bondage to sin and His holy wrath. That salvation is purchased by the blood of the Incarnate Son [Romans 5: 9; Hebrews 9: 14; 1 Peter 1: 18; 1 John 1: 7; Revelation 1: 5; Revelation 7: 14], the blood of the everlasting covenant [Matthew 26: 28; Hebrews 13: 20], and is made effective in the life of the elect through regeneration by the Holy Spirit and union with Jesus Christ. Salvation from beginning to end is entirely by the Sovereign Grace of the Triune God. During his earthly ministry Jesus Christ expressed this truth by the following simple statements:
John 5:21 KJV
21. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
Salvation is a once for all time occurrence in the life of the elect. A person is either saved or he is lost, there is no in-between. However, as we see explicitly in Romans 8:28-30, and throughout Scripture, there are a number of events that are associated with salvation. In some of these man takes an active roll but in most of them he is entirely passive. If we consider salvation as a multifaceted gem we may better appreciate both the gift of salvation and the work of God, in particular God the Holy Spirit, in the salvation of those whom God the Father, before the foundation of the world, has chosen in Jesus Christ.
A. The initial event in salvation is regeneration, the theological term synonymous with ‘rebirth’ or ‘being born again’. Regeneration is solely the work of God the Holy Spirit whereby those who are spiritually dead in trespass and sin are made spiritual alive and are brought into union with Jesus Christ. Whereas the unregenerate person has no disposition, interest, or desire for the things of God the regenerate person is a new creation and is now receptive to the ‘effectual call’ of the Holy Spirit.
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus Christ by night to question Him.
John 3:3, KJV
3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Various forms of expression are employed in the Scriptures, to denote the change that occurs at the new birth or regeneration:
1.0 It is taking away the heart of stone, and giving a heart of flesh, a new heart.
Ezekiel 36:26, KJV
26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
2.0 It is putting the law in the heart.
Hebrews 8:10, KJV
10. For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
3.0 It is a resurrection from the spiritual death.
John 5:25, KJV
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.
4.0 It is quickening or making alive.
John 6:63, KJV
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.
John 5:21, KJV
21. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth [them]; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
As noted earlier regeneration is solely the work of God the Holy Spirit. In discussing the work of God the Holy Spirit we look first at the spiritual condition of unregenerate man. The Apostle Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 2:14, KJV
14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
The doctrine that the natural man of himself is unable to affect his standing before God is called ‘total depravity’. This term is frequently misused to indicate the state or level of sin to which man has fallen. However, the doctrine is that man, regardless of his moral condition, is unable through his effort alone to effect any change in his spiritual relationship with God.
We once again turn to Scripture to determine or define the Work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration. Perhaps nowhere is this as clearly expressed as in the following passage from Ephesians.
Ephesians 2:1-10, KJV
1. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)
6. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
From this passage we note six significant Biblical truths:
1.0 Unregenerate man, man who is spiritually dead in trespass and sin, is given spiritual life through no merit of his own or through any effort on his part.
2.0 God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, effects this change as an act of His love and mercy toward those He has chosen unto salvation.
3.0 Man, being regenerated, is united with, or enters into a union, with Jesus Christ.
4.0 We are raised from spiritual death and sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That is we have been delivered .. from the power of darkness, and .. translated .. into the kingdom of his dear Son, Jesus Christ [Colossians 1:13, KJV].
5.0 The regenerate man receives the gift of faith by which the ‘gospel call’ becomes effective.
6.0 Having been given the gift of salvation we become His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Although Regeneration is the initial event in Salvation there are many facets in the Gem of Salvation as indicated below [not necessarily presented in chronological order].
B. Union with Jesus Christ
C. Effectual Calling
D. Conversion
D1. Saving Faith
D2. Repentance
E. Pardon
F. Justification
G. Adoption
H. Sanctification
I. Perseverance or Security of the True Believer
J. Assurance of Salvation
K. Glorification
Yeah. And given to whom? Those that believe, right?