What is regeneration?

Regeneration is a word found only twice in the New Testament: Matthew 19:28, where it's not talking about personal regeneration; and Titus 3:5.


Okay, this sounds suspiciously like baptism. I'm reminded of 1 Peter 3:21: "There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,"

I know already people are going to turn this into a does baptism save debate; but my question is: What exactly is regeneration? What happens to us when we're regenerated. Please prove scripture if possible.

Seeing how the prefix "re-" means "again", and seeing how "generate" means "to cause something to come into being", "regeneration", biblically speaking, is referring to being born again in Titus 3:5.

What happens to us when we're born again?

We ought to change from being servants to sin to being servants to righteousness.

Romans 6

1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7For he that is dead is freed from sin.

8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

15What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Regenerate is an interesting word. In the natural if you cut a leg off of a star fish it grows another, or if the tail of a lizard is broken off he regrows another. If you cut certain trees down even to the ground that tree will begin to grow again via little green shoots will sping up from a seemingly dead stump. Regeneration seems to be a restorative term. Something lost is restored, even life from death.
As a christian one is buried dead into Christ amd is resurrected into the life of Christ. Yes it seems baptism and regeneration go hand in hand.

Job 14

7For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. 8Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; 9Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.

Job?

Is that you?

That's an interesting way to look at it. It could be the death or cutting off of the old sinful man and replaced by Christ, the sinless One.

Colossians 3

1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Regeneration is being "born again" which is a work of the Holy Spirit. When a person believes in Christ he is made spiritually alive. This means he gains a human spirit by which he can now relate to God. That's what Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus in John 3.

What do you mean by "human spirit?"

Strong's Concordance
paliggenesia: regeneration, renewal
Original Word: παλιγγενεσία, ας, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: paliggenesia
Phonetic Spelling: (pal-ing-ghen-es-ee'-ah)
Definition: regeneration, renewal
Usage: a new birth, regeneration, renewal.

3824 /paliggenesía ("renewal, rebirth") is used twice in the NT referring to:
a) the re-birth of physical creation at Christ's return (Advent), which inaugurates His millennial kingdom (Mt 19:28; cf. Ro 8:18-25); and

b) the re-birth all believers experience at conversion (Tit 3:5).

Titus 3:5 (the word denotes the restoration of a thing to its pristine state, its renovation, as the renewal or restoration of life after death

that signal and glorios change of all things (in heaven and earth) "for the better, that restoration of the primal and perfect condition of things which existed before the fall of our first parents," which the Jews looked for in connection with the advent of the Messiah, and which the primitive Christians expected in connection with the visible return of Jesus from heaven: Matthew 19:28 (where the Syriac correctly )tDX )MLOB [], in the new age or world);

Regeneration is to be born again. Its term is equal to restored. Repurposed.
For GOD saw all that he created was very good. God is the redeemer of man kind.
A redeemer restores and repurposes. This is one of the foundational truths that is throughout the bible.

The human spirit is the immaterial part of man that Adam lost at the fall. Adam originally had 3 parts: body, soul and spirit. With the body you relate to the physical world, with the soul to other human beings, and with the spirit to God. When we are born again the Holy Spirit regenerates the human spirit for fellowship with God.

My question would be: Where does scripture say we died spiritually at the fall? I know God told Adam if he ate of the tree he would die, but how do you know He didn't mean physical death? I was hoping people would supply scripture references that show where their beliefs come from.

To expand on what I just wrote:

Adam was created complete and in perfection and in the image of God. He had fellowship with God and free will. Eventually he sinned breaking fellowship with God and becoming instantly spiritually dead. He would eventually die physically. From then on all of the progeny of Adam and Eve were born into this world physically alive but spiritually dead. We all inherited Adams original sin (in Adam all die), and have no relationship to God. Thus the need for regeneration, the new birth, being restored to spiritual life so we can relate to God now and forever. When we say yes to God's gracious offer of salvation, the Holy Spirit regenerates us restoring the human spirit.

And far be it from me to disappoint your expectation of the coming flood of baptism arguments I'm using that, "your expectation of the coming flood," as segway into my argument.

1Peter3:22 follows a synopsis of the days of Noah where 8 people were saved, and reference this flood, " And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Where Noah's flood washed away the disobedient leaving only the eight, likewise, the resurrection of Jesus Christ caused the pouring out of the Holy Spirit's witness of Him which clears our conscience toward God, and this in turn stimulates us to (a completely new) life. In washing us, not of dirt from the body, the Holy Spirit cleanses us of our dead consciences and renews us to life, i.e., we are reborn.

Titus3-4-5

God said they could eat of any tree in the garden and didn't exclude the tree of life before disallowing the eating from it after they broke the commandment not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Supposing that was the stage 1 plan of eternal life, "scrubbed" only for the need of the Holy Spirit to be made "perfect." considering we will be permitted to eat of the tree of life once more in the world to come.

You posted no scriptures but I found one of my own: "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," Ephesians 2:1-6

He made us alive together with Christ. Is this your view of regeneration, or does the Holy Spirit simply regenerate us in Christ's image; eternal beings in our own right?

Perhaps we should define what regeneration is.

It means:

1. To replace (a lost or damaged organ or part) by the formation of new tissue.
2. To form, construct, or create anew.
3. To give new life or energy to; revitalize.

So this is obviously talking about the human spirit. Sometimes people get mixed up with their temptation to sin and their desire to not sin thinking something is amiss. Actually, everything is working correctly. Our bodies are not regenerated...yet. Some people have exercised walking in the Spirit more than others and thus are more carefully able to discern the difference.

Anytime you have inkling toward something like telling a lie because it would actually give you an advantage versus that little voice poking you saying "you're not allowed to lie", and accepting losing that $750 that mysteriously appeared in your bank account (true story btw) that's the regenerated spirit talking.

Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
(water = physical birth, as in amniotic fluid, this is not about water baptism)

Joh 3:6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
Joh 3:8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Gen 2:16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;
Gen 2:17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

I have seen the pastors take the phase "you will surely die" and expanded it to "dying you will surely die." The first "dying" is spiritual death (immediate) and the the second "die" is physical death (eventual).

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

"He made us alive together with Christ" -- We are "in Christ", we share in everything Christ has: inheritance, priesthood, ruler ship, immortal body, eternal life, sonship, possessors of Gods righteousness, etc. He is resurrected so shall we be. We are eternal and distinct individuals forever.

We're made alive together with Christ, then once we're alive we become distinct eternal individuals?