In the previous lessons, a foundation concerning life has been laid. Now we can get into the experiences of life, and the first experience of life is regeneration.
First, we need to see the definition of regeneration. To be regenerated is to be born of God that we may have the divine life, a life other than our human life. We have to impress all the saints with this clear definition of regeneration. This definition has not been made clear to most Christians. When I was young, I read a book on the real definition of regener-ation, but the definition it presented was wrong. This book said that regeneration is the new beginning we have when we repent and all our sins are forgiven and considered as something in the past. Regeneration, however, is not merely a new beginning. This thought somewhat matches the teaching of Confucius, who said that whenever you repent, you can consider that everything is new from that day.
One day I read a book by Brother T. Austin-Sparks which said that to be born again is to receive another life, the eternal and uncreated life of God, in addition to our human life. He gave a brief yet very clear definition of regeneration which deeply impressed me. We may take this definition for granted, yet we have to realize that such a definition is profound. It is difficult to find such a word in any other Christian writings. We need to be impressed that through regeneration, we receive the divine life in addition to our natural, human life.
Regeneration is to have another birth, to be born of God. This is clearly revealed in John 1:13 which says that those who receive Christ are "begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Whoever is regenerated is born of God. Regeneration is not a matter of considering that all things in the past are dead and that everything is new today. Regeneration is not a consideration but a real birth. Regeneration is to be born of God in order that we may have the divine life in addition to our human life.
I feel strongly that we need to impress the brothers and sisters that to be born again means to be born of God that we may have a second life, a life in addition to our natural life. Our natural life is a created life and a temporary life. It is not an eternal life and an uncreated life. In regeneration, we receive another life which is the eternal life, the uncreated life, the divine life, that is, the life of God. We must point this out clearly.
Some Christian teachers would say that to be born again is just to have a new beginning, a new day in your human life. This is not the truth of regeneration revealed in the Bible. Regeneration is a matter of birth, a matter of life. It is not a birth of the natural life, of the human life; it is the birth of the divine life, of the eternal life, the life of God. To be born again is to experience an extra birth of the life of God, the eternal, uncreated, divine life.