REGENERATION IS A NECESSITY--Part Four

REGENERATION IS A NECESSITY--Part Four
JOHN 3;1-13

Regeneration is accomplished by neither natural power, nor by external ordinances.
As Abraham was justified through faith, apart from circumcision [ROMANS 4;10], SO, THE CHOSEN OF GOD, are regeneration and justified by God, without any ordinance performed by man.


The Holy Spirit in performing Regeneration, works like water.As ''The Holy Ghost and fire'' [Matthew 3;11] signify one thing--The purging of the dross-in Sanctification,
so ''water and spirit'' [John 3;5] indicate one thing-The Spirit cleansing like water-in Regeneration.

Isaiah 44;3--''For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.''


Ezekiel 36;25-''Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.''

Christ repeats only the Spirit in John 3;6, so He includes all that is signified by water and spirit in verse 5.
''That which is born of the spirit is spirit'' [John 3;6].

Man is, by his natural birth, depraved.
''That which is born of the flesh is flesh'' [John 3;6].
The word ''flesh'' in John 3;6 is not the fleshly part of man.

It doesn't refer to his body, but to his unregenerate nature.

The preposition is ''of''[ek] which means source; This is as the same as'' of corruptible seed'' [I Peter 1;23].

Thus the source of unregenerate nature, is unregenerate nature.As
Adam beget a son, in his own likeness, not God's likeness, so, the descendants of Adam bear children, in their likeness, not God's.This means that a born again person begets a un-regenerated child.

Now a father cannot communicate Grace, but he does transmit the fallen nature.
Salvation, therefore, does not run in the Blood Stream.
John 1;13-''Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,but of God.''

The Bible teaches ''Universal Corruption''--Romans 3;23; Ephesians 2;1-3.
Scripture refers to corruption, in various ways. It emphatically states, that there is no one, in his natural condition, who has an understanding heart, and seeks after God--
Psalm 14;2-3--''The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.''

Romans 3;11--''There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.''

No unregenerate person seeks the Lord. The Bible always pictures him, as turning and hiding from God [GENESIS 3;8; ISAIAH
53;6]
ROMANS 10;20a--''But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not;''

Man's corruption is evident, in every part of his life. His heart is hard and impenitent [Romans 2;5].
His life is filled with ungodliness and unrighteousness-
Romans 1;18-''For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.''

The sinner is characterized by these things, and it is not incidental, but it fills his whole mind, heart, and life, in its utmost depths-
Romans 3;9-10-''What then/ are we better than they/ No, in no wise; for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one;''

Our Lord, in showing Nicodemus, his true condition, points him to the fact, that, even in natural things, he lacked comprehension. The
Fall, therefore, caused man's understanding of natural things, to have its limitations.
John 3;12-''IF I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not,how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things/''

Job was utterly perplexed by many questions, concerning Creation
[Job 38-39].
But to the spiritual mind, Creation is the lattice, behind which,
God hides Himself-
Song of Solomon 2;9--''My beloved is like a roe or a young hart; behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.''

Yet, He reveals Himself to faith-
Romans 11;33-34--''O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God... how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out.... For who hath known the mind of the Lord/ or who hath been his counsellor/''
The knowledge of man's depravity and redemption are the two hinges, on which, the whole structure of Regeneration, moves. . .

Now, as man's depravity cannot be understood without apprehending
Regeneration, so, Regeneration cannot be known, without a basic knowledge of Depravity.

Here, is where, the real problem lies.
[1.]Is man, in his lost condition, totally unable to do anything of a spiritual nature/
[2.]Is The New Birth wholly of God/
Now, to say that man, in his unregenerate condition, can repent and believe, is to deny Depravity.

Some ask, ''If one can't do these things, why is he thus commanded/''
A thief's inability to repay what he has stolen, doesn't affect the
Right, of the person, he has deprived.
Neither does man's inability, because of The Fall, affect God's Right to command.

God has the right, to demand the sinner to repent and to believe.
However, the sinner, has made himself, unable to do so, by his complicity with Adam in original sin--Romans 5;12.
Each man shall give an account of himself to God.