[According to the Scripture, to be regenerated is to be born of the Spirit (John 3:3-6). Originally our spirit was dead, but at the time we believed, God’s Spirit came to touch our spirit; thus our spirit obtained God’s life and was made alive. It is in this way that God’s Spirit gave birth to us, apart from our first, natural birth. In brief, to be regenerated is to be born once again, to be born of God (John 1:13), or, apart from our original human life to obtain God’s life.
To be regenerated means to be born again. Why do we use the term “born again’’? Originally we were born of our parents; but now we are born once more, this time of God; hence, this experience is called being born again. Being born of our parents caused us to obtain human life, whereas being born of God causes us to have God’s life. Therefore, we who have been regenerated have God’s life in addition to the human life.] Thus, a Christian is not one who is born in a Christian family, nor one who lives in a so-called “Christian country,’’ but one who is regenerated by the life of God in his spirit.
[How can a man be regenerated? In brief, God’s Spirit enters into man’s spirit and puts God’s life into it; thus man becomes regenerated.
How can God’s Spirit enter into man’s spirit? When man hears the gospel or reads the word of the Scripture, God’s Spirit works in him and causes him to feel that he has sinned and is corrupted; hence, he is reproved for sin and righteousness and judgement (John 16:8). When man sees himself as a sinner, recognizes his corruption, and is willing to repent, then God’s Spirit causes him to see that the Lord Jesus is his Savior, and that He died on the cross to shed His blood for the remission of sin. At this moment, he automatically believes in the Lord and receives Him as his Savior. Once he receives the Lord as his Savior, God’s Spirit enters into his spirit and puts God’s life in it, causing him to be regenerated.
So, speaking from the standpoint of the Spirit of God, it is God’s Spirit entering into our spirit to put God’s life in it which causes us to be regenerated. From our standpoint it is because of our repenting, believing and accepting the Lord Jesus as our Savior that we become regenerated, which means that in addition to our original life we obtain the life of God.]
[The results or accomplishments of regeneration may be briefly categorized into three items:
1) Regeneration causes men to become the children of God. Since regeneration means to be born of God, it automatically causes men to become the children of God (John 1:12, 13) and have the relationship of life with God.
2) Regeneration causes men to become a new creation. A new creation is that which has the elements of God within it. When something has God’s elements within it, it is a new creation. In the old creation, there is no element of God. We human beings originally do not have any of God’s elements; therefore we are the old creation. It is not until God’s element is added into us that we become the new creation. Regeneration causes us to have God’s life and His very element, thereby making us a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). This new creation is the crystallization of God being mingled with man, and it is the most wonderful thing in the universe: it has both the human and divine elements, it is both man and God, and it is like both man and God.
3) Regeneration causes men to be united with God as one. It not only causes man to obtain God’s life and His elements, but also to be united with God as one. By regeneration, God the Spirit enters into man’s spirit, causing man to be joined with Him as one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). This is God causing man to have the deepest relationship with Himself, to become one with Himself.
In conclusion, when the Holy Spirit, by our believing in the Lord Jesus, puts God’s life into our spirit and causes us to be born of God, to become God’s children, and in the new creation to be united with God as one, this is regeneration.]
Since we have been regenerated, we must go on to experience the life of God that came into us every day until we are fully matured in this life.