THEOLOGICAL ISSUES #11 - THE HOLY SPIRIT AND REGENERATION

 THEOLOGICAL ISSUES #11

STATEMENT

The Holy Spirit gives a spiritual new birth or new life before a person has faith in Jesus Christ.

26% of respondents strongly agreed with 23% somewhat agreeing. So, 49% of respondents agreed to some degree. 19% strongly disagreed and 9% somewhat disagreed, so 28% disagreed at some level. 25% were unsure. I imagine many people have not thought about it. 

This is about the doctrine of regeneration. 

So, we could restate this sentence as “The Holy Spirit regenerates a person before that persons comes to faith in Jesus Christ. 

DEFINITION

Regeneration is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit of granting spiritual life to spiritually dead sinners so that they are now able to repent and trust in Christ as a new creation.

This is not a work in which man contributes. It is a work of God alone. “Of his (God’s) own will he brought us forth by the word of truth…”. (James 1:18) “As an infant receives no credit for being born, man receives no credit  for being regenerated by God. The grace of regeneration is the power of God that grants humans the ability to exercise faith and new inclinations towards God.

Why do we need regeneration?

We need regeneration because, in our natural state, we are spiritually dead. Ephesians 2:1-3 says:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body, and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

This is not talking about physical death, but spiritual death. We are not born as children of God, but as children of wrath. 

What does “children of wrath” mean? 

In the Bible, to be a “child of” something was to be characterized by that trait. That trait defined the person and his or her destiny. For example, when  Paul instructed Christians to live as “children of light,” or as people defined by their association with the truth and holiness of Christ (Ephesians 5:8)

We are children of wrath because, prior to knowing Christ, we all are under the judgment of God. Because of Adam’s original sin and the way we continued to sin, we all deserved God’s wrath. 

God is just. Deuteronomy 32:4 says “his work is perfect,

for all his ways are justice”. The just response to our sins is condemnation. Consider these verses in Romans. 

Romans 5:18 says “one trespass (Adam’s) led to condemnation for all men”. 

Romans 3:23 tells us “for fall have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. 

Romans 6:23 tells us “For the wages of sin is death”.

We need regeneration because we will not otherwise come to Christ for salvation. Thus, regeneration precedes faith. John 5:1 says “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God”. Jesus said “no one comes to me unless the Father who sent me  draws him”(John 6:44) meaning that coming to Christ in faith is not just a human choice, but requires God the Father to actively draw or enable people through the Holy Spirit; it is a core concept in Christian theology about divine initiative in salvation. 

Without regeneration, the “natural person”, the one who has not been regenerated and come to faith in Christ, “cannot accept the things of the Spirit of God for they are folly to him and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

This does not mean they cannot understand the words. It means they cannot accept them as true and understand the need to come to Christ. Romans 1 tells us the unregenerate person is foolish and his or her mind is darkened. 

Jesus explained this to Nicodemus. He said: “Unless one is born again (regenerated) he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:2). Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus meant. He said: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4). 

Nicodemus failed to see that Jesus was using a human metaphor (birth) to describe a spiritual reality. Nicodemus wanted to know what he could do and Jesus told him what must be done to him.

God may have regenerated Nicodemus, though. He defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin, though that could have just been that he respected Jesus and wanted him to get a fair trial. (John 7:50) But, more telling, is that Nicodemus helped Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, prepare Jesus’ body for burial. (John 19:38-40) That was a very public act that would upset his fellow members of the Sanhedrin. 

Yes, the believer does choose Christ. But it is only because the Spirit has breathed new life into his dead spirit and shined new light to open his blind eyes. 

Previously we were blind to the “light of the gospel”. Paul wrote: “and even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-5)(

But when God said, “Let light shine out of darkness”, suddenly and instantaneously he “has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). 

We are like Lydia in the book of Acts; until the “Lord opened her heart” she did not believe in the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:14).

SUMMARY

1. Regeneration is the supernatural work of the Spirit.

2. Regeneration is not the work of man but God of alone.

3. Regeneration precedes faith.

THEOLOGICAL ISSUES #10 - CAN THE HOLY SPIRIT CONTRADICT THE BIBLE?

Statement: The Holy Spirit can tell me to do something which is forbidden in the Bible. 

Fortunately, only 16% of respondents agreed with this statement. 52% strongly disagreed, but there were 32% that were either not sure or only somewhat agreed. That number goes up to 36% in the 18-34 age group.

We, and the majority of respondents, agree that the Bible is the ultimate authority for what we should believe. Here is what Paul says about Scripture:

All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Peter also wrote regarding Scripture:

knowing this first of all, that no prophet of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21) 

Since the Holy Spirit moved men to write the Bible, he would not contradict it. That would conflict with his nature.

One of the attributes of God is his immutability. He does not change. All three members of the Trinity share his attributes. Therefore, the Holy Spirit does not change. Times change, but he does not. So, the truths of the Bible, being God’s word, remain unchanged as well. 

We have to remember that has a plan, his will, for creation. He works toward a goal from beginning to end. Ephesians 1:11 tells us that, in Christ, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will”. 

The Lord seeks to establish his kingdom across the whole earth and to dwell with his people. He created human beings in his image to rule and order creation to accomplish this. 

For example, God gave Adam and Eve, our first parents, a command or commission to accomplish this. They were to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, extending the garden over all the earth. (Genesis 1:28) They were to exercise dominion over creation. They were to work the garden and keep it. (Genesis 2:15) 

And God dwelled with them. We see him walking with the in the garden in the cool of the day. (Genesis 3:8) 

Since they were image bearers (made in the image of God), the would be filling the earth with image bearers as they were fruitful and multiplying. As image bearers, they would reflect God’s glory. Therefore, they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:17)

As humans spread over the earth as image bearers, they would establish and expand God’s kingdom over all the earth. 

We know that Adam and Eve failed in this mission and, rather than expand the garden, were excluded from it. 

But God continued to work to accomplish his purpose and will. He signaled that intention when he cursed the serpent\Satan and said one would come in the future who would defeat him. (Genesis 3:15)

God gave Israel rules. We call it the law.

Fast forward to the time of Christ. God’s plan entered its last phase, bringing about the new creation. When we come to Christ, we become a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Our commission is to evangelize the world, to be fruitful and multiply in the spiritual sense. Because God is still working toward the end of filling the earth with people who love and worship him and with whom he dwells. 

Jesus reflected God’s purpose in the Model Prayer. The first request in that prayer is this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. your kingdom come, your will be one, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10) 

So God’s people were and are always to live in such a way that we reflect the glory of God as his image bearers. To accomplish the, God gave mankind laws and rules to live by. These rules are for our good and for the accomplishment of God’s purpose. 

So, he gave rules to Adam and Eve. They disobeyed them. He gave rules to Israel. They disobeyed them. He gave rules to new covenant believers. 

Since he is God, he has the right and the power to do so. Since we, as believers, want to please God and bring glory to him, we study God’s word, the Bible, in order to know God and his will. Peter admonished believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. (2 Peter 3:18)

He also gave us the Holy Spirit to help us know, understand, and obey them. To be holy as God is holy. 

God made men and women in his image. (Genesis 1:26) We are to reflect God’s character and his attributes. God is holy. The Bible tells us this. (Leviticus 19:2)

 We should be too so that we reflect him. He said this to Israel: 

Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6)

And again he said “you shall be holy for I, the LORD your God am holy”. 

The Bible applies that same standard to New Covenant believers. (1 Peter 1:15). He also gives the same promise that believers are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nations. (1 Peter 2:9) 

All of that comes to fruition in the new heavens and earth that we see in Revelation 21 and 22.

This is the long way around to make the point that the Holy Spirit has been involved in every step along the way to accomplishing God’s purpose. The purpose has not changed. The Spirit has not changed. He does not change to fit the times. Therefore, he never contradicts himself. He never contradicts his word which he has given us in the Bible. 

In addition, there is complete unity among the members of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit will not tell you to do something Jesus said not to do and vice versa. They never contradict each other. 

Jesus spoke about the work of the Holy Spirit in John 16. He called the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of truth”. The Spirit will never lie to you. Instead, Jesus said he will guide you into all truth. This is because he does not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears from the Father and Son he will declare. (John 16:14) 

Jesus further said the Spirit “will take what is mine and declare it to you”. 

Knowing this, what is happening if you feel like the Holy Spirit is telling you something that contradicts Scripture. There are two options. First, it may be that your own desire to do a thing is so strong it makes you want to find a way around the prohibitions of Scripture. 

Here is an example. A person is tempted to commit adultery. He or she knows the Scripture says not to. (Exodus 20:14; Matthew 5:27-28) But someone says “doesn’t God want you to be happy? Of course he does. So do what makes you happy.” So the person goes ahead. His or her desires outweighed Scripture. 

The second option is that it is not the Holy Spirit talking to you. The best example is Eve in the garden. Satan said to her “did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?”. (Genesis 3:1) Whenever you think this way, or think you hear this way, or a friend talks this way, think of it as the hiss of the serpent. It is not the Holy Spirit.

In addition, we should be wary of those who seek to redefine God or his word. For example, be on guard when someone takes the plain words of Scripture and contradicts it, saying “well, I don’t think it means that…”.  

Another one is, “Jesus never said that we could not…”. Jesus may not have addressed every issue directly, but he does address some issues indirectly and he also never contradicts the Old Testament.

Peter also wrote:

And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. (2 Peter 3:15-18)

And, finally, if you are faced with a conflict over what the Scripture says or means, seek out a mature Christian who knows his or her Bible and ask them. “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)

IS THE HOLY SPIRIT A FORCE OR A PERSON - THEOLOGICAL ISSUES #9

Many Christians focus on knowing the Father and the Son, but knowing the Holy Spirit is neglected. As a result, there are misconceptions, incorrect ideas, about the identity of the Holy Spirit. One of those is that the Spirit is a mystical force or an impersonal power. 

There is also an abundance of uninformed speculation and some just plain nonsense. An extreme example is the young Colton Burpo, who said the Holy Spirit is “kind of blue,” in the book Heaven Is for Real.

What does the Bible say? 

Who Is The Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. He comes to us from the Father. 1 Corinthians 2:12 says “Now we have received not the spirit f the world, but the Spirit who its from God…”.  John 14:16 says “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever”.

The Holy Spirit also comes from Jesus, the Son. In John 15:26, Jesus said “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me”. 

The Father is the first person of the Trinity, the Son the second person, the Holy Spirit the third. He is God equally with the Father and the Son, thus the word “Holy” in his name.  He is Spirit in that He is immaterial. The Nicene Creed states: 

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
      the Lord, the giver of life.
      He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
      and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.

Because the Holy Spirit is God, along with the Father and Son, we baptize in the name of all three persons of the Trinity. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells the disciples the make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. 

Peter asserted that the Holy Spirit is God in his declaration to Ananias and Sapphire, saying:

Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4)

The Holy Spirit a person, not just a force.

There is not a verse that specifically says “The Holy Spirit is a person”. However, Scripture presents the Holy Spirit as a divine person doing things a person does. Let’s look at some verses.

1 Corinthians 2:10–11

The Spirit searches and comprehends the thoughts of God the Father. He helps us understand the things of God. 

Ephesians 4:30 

The Spirit can be grieved, as this verse says “…do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”.  

Romans 8:26-27

He intercedes for us with God the Father. Romans 8:26–27 says “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God”. 

He gives gifts or special abilities to believers. 1 Corinthians 12:7–11.

He teaches and helps the disciples to remember what Jesus said. (John 14:26)  and comforts and counsels (John 14:16, 26; 15:26). 

The Spirit appoints specific people to specific tasks (see Acts 13:2; 20:28). Barnabas & Saul for missions. (13:2) The elders in the Ephesian church. (20:28)

The Bible refers to the Spirit as a person rather than a thing. 

The above verse refers to the Spirit as “the Spirit himself”. John 14:15-17 records Jesus saying: “And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you”. Note that Jesus uses “whom” not “which”, “him” not “it”, and “he” not “it”.

Jesus also uses the words in John 15:26: “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me”. 

In Acts 5:3-4, Peter tells Ananias he lied to the Holy Spirit, which was a lie "not just to human beings but to God". 

In Romans 8:9, Paul wrote: “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament 

The Spirit did not come into existence at the death or resurrection of Jesus. He is eternal. He was active in Old Testament times also, but in different ways.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit's presence was temporary and specific to individuals, empowering them for particular tasks like leadership, prophecy, and craftsmanship. This contrasts with the New Testament, where the Holy Spirit permanently indwells all believers. The Spirit's actions in the Old Testament included creation, inspiring prophets, providing wisdom, and guiding God's people. 

Genesis 1:2 shows us the Spirit of God present at the very beginning, "hovering over the waters" bringing order out of chaos. 

Bezalel was "filled with the Spirit of God" with skill, ability, and knowledge and breath to design and construct the Tabernacle (Exodus 31:1-5).

The Spirit enabled Moses and the seventy elders to govern Israel. (Numbers 11:17, 25)

The Spirit came upon judges like Othniel, Gideon, and Samson, empowering them to deliver the people from enemies. (Judges 3:10, 6:34, 13:25).

The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David when he was anointed king. (1 Samuel 16:13) The Spirit had come upon Saul, but departed from Saul due to his disobedience (1 Samuel 16:14). The Spirit had come upon them when they were anointed as kings, empowering them to lead Israel. 

The Holy Spirit gave messages from God to the prophets to declare. David, for instance, declared, "The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me, and His word is on my tongue" (2 Samuel 23:2).

The Holy Spirit in the New Testament: The Spirit And Jesus 

The Spirit caused Mary to conceive Jesus. (Matthew 1:18, 20)

As prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with the Spirit in the Old Testament, Jesus, who fills all three offices, was anointed by the Spirit. 

The Spirit came onto Jesus at his baptism.(Matthew 3:16; Luke 3:22) He was anointed with the Spirit. The title, Christ, means anointed one. Isaiah prophesied this, saying:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;” (Isaiah 61:1)

Jesus applied these words to himself when he returned to the synagogue in Nazareth after his temptation. He came in the power of the Spirit. (Luke 4:14) He read to the congregation from the scroll of Isaiah during the service and said “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”. (Luke 4:21)

Luke describes Jesus this way in his gospel. He said “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days”. (Luke 4:1)

The Holy Spirit In New Covenant Believers

As Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit is also poured out into those who come to Jesus in faith. 

John the Baptist said Jesus would baptize believers with the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:12)

In Luke 11:13, Jesus promised that the heavenly Father will "give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him”.

In John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-14, Jesus promised the Spirit as an "Advocate" or "Helper" who will teach, be with believers, and convict the world.

In Acts 1:8: Jesus promised power to be His witnesses when the "Holy Spirit comes on you”.

In Acts 2:1-4, 38, at Pentecost, disciples were "filled with the Holy Spirit”, then Peter preached repentance and receiving the "gift of the Holy Spirit” to the crowd.

Believers are described as the temple where God's Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16).

An individual believer's body is called a temple of the Holy Spirit within them (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Believers are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is a guarantee of their inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).

The Holy Spirit is described as dwelling within believers (2 Timothy 1:14).

The indwelling Spirit is given to believers as an assurance of their relationship with God (1 John 4:13)

As believers, we have a personal relationship with the Spirit. Paul gave a benediction to the church in Corinth saying: “..the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”. (2 Corinthians 13:14) 

This is a great thing God has done for us. He did not leave us to our own devices, our own strength, to live the Christian life. He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us.