One cannot be "regenerated" until he is "generated." What does regenerated mean? Well, it means to be born anew. The word is used once in the NT in the context of people being born again and once in the context of the creation being restored to it's pristine condition as at the first. It is a New Testament doctrine because the agent of the New birth for both men and God's creation is Jesus Christ, the son of God, and the work he did in his incarnation and his cross and resurrection.
Let me establish in a couple of verses something about all of us.
Gen 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Gen 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:
It is important to know that Seth was by nature like Adam, after he sinned, and God was nowhere around when Seth was generated. Seth was a son of Adam, not a son of God. Adam, however, was the son of God, not by birth, but by creation. He had the Spirit of God in him from his creation and the Spirit is what made him the son of God. Lk 3:38. All the family of Adam from then until now are like Adam after he sinned. They do not have God indwelling them in the person of his Spirit. They are not like God. Because all the family of Adam are like him and all are generated through him and are in his family, he is the federal head of his own race. Nothing can change that. Because they are by nature like the sinning Adam there is no power in them to resist sin. They are dead spiritually, which only means they, like Adam, do not have God in them. It does not mean they cannot hear God speak from the outside of them, but it does mean they do not have him in them to speak to them and give them his inherent power and life as a possession.
But, what if God could produce a birth of a man where he was born both of Adam and of God? What if this person could receive his physical body through Adam's race and the Spirit from God? Would he then be like Adam before he sinned who was created like God and in his image? Yes, he could. And what if he was guided always in everything he did, great or small, by the Spirit of God that was a part of his being that he received from his Father? What if he was tempted in all points like as all Adam's race is, yet without sin? What if the words he spoke were always given him by God and this was made possible because the Spirit in him was omnipresent and was in God, his Father, and him, at the same time, time and distance being no obstacle for communications? What if all his power to do right came from his spiritual being and none came from his flesh? Answer. He would do always those things that please the Father and would never sin. He would by choice never act independently of his Father. He would be perfect.
So, Jesus Christ is a partaker of humanity through his mother and is physical. Yet he is different from any man who ever lived since Adam in that he has the Spirit from his Father, God. He has power over sin. I will post just two verses to demonstrate this, though I could post many.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Jn 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Now we see that the Spirit is the life of God. As commentary, life in the physical is in the blood. The life of God is the Spirit. Adam's race has life in the blood but not life in the Spirit. Men who are born into the family of Adam are the sons of man. Those who are born into the family of God by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Jesus Christ is called both, son of man and son of God at his first coming. Through his mother he is in the "generation" of Adam. Through his Father he is the "only" begotten of him. Begotten means born. He is the only man who was ever born this way.
Matt 1:1The book of the "generation" of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
Now that Jesus Christ has been tested as the son of man through all the temptations that are common to Adam's race and through weakness of the flesh and has not sinned, can he be a substitute and endure the penalty for the sin of all of Adam's race, which is death and forever separation from God? The answer is yes, that is why he came. Adam's race can occupy the world and live here until they die physically, but they cannot stay here. They must go somewhere and without the Spirit they cannot go where God is. They must go somewhere where God is not, and the only place where the omnipresent God has chosen not to be is in hell. That is the wages of sin. A thrice holy God cannot fellowship with sin and because of his holy nature God must punish sin and put it away before fellowship with any man is possible.
This is what happened with the sacrifice of the holy Jesus Christ.
Jn 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
He 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
We know that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day. He was dead. His soul came out of paradise in the center of the earth, the Spirit came back from God who gave it, and the Spirit quickened him by raising his body and glorifying it. Sin is paid for at this moment. God is propitiated for the sins of Adam's race. All sinners have been reconciled by this death of Christ. Jesus Christ is the firstborn from the dead and the federal head of a new family, the family of God. Any of Adam's race can be forgiven of their sins now and all of Adam's race may be forgiven of their sins. I am going to post some scriptures here for consideration.
Acts 2:31
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Rom 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; (his first birth)
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (his second birth)
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. (at the resurrection)
Acts 13:23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: (his first birth)
Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. (his second birth)
Continued
Let me establish in a couple of verses something about all of us.
Gen 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Gen 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:
It is important to know that Seth was by nature like Adam, after he sinned, and God was nowhere around when Seth was generated. Seth was a son of Adam, not a son of God. Adam, however, was the son of God, not by birth, but by creation. He had the Spirit of God in him from his creation and the Spirit is what made him the son of God. Lk 3:38. All the family of Adam from then until now are like Adam after he sinned. They do not have God indwelling them in the person of his Spirit. They are not like God. Because all the family of Adam are like him and all are generated through him and are in his family, he is the federal head of his own race. Nothing can change that. Because they are by nature like the sinning Adam there is no power in them to resist sin. They are dead spiritually, which only means they, like Adam, do not have God in them. It does not mean they cannot hear God speak from the outside of them, but it does mean they do not have him in them to speak to them and give them his inherent power and life as a possession.
But, what if God could produce a birth of a man where he was born both of Adam and of God? What if this person could receive his physical body through Adam's race and the Spirit from God? Would he then be like Adam before he sinned who was created like God and in his image? Yes, he could. And what if he was guided always in everything he did, great or small, by the Spirit of God that was a part of his being that he received from his Father? What if he was tempted in all points like as all Adam's race is, yet without sin? What if the words he spoke were always given him by God and this was made possible because the Spirit in him was omnipresent and was in God, his Father, and him, at the same time, time and distance being no obstacle for communications? What if all his power to do right came from his spiritual being and none came from his flesh? Answer. He would do always those things that please the Father and would never sin. He would by choice never act independently of his Father. He would be perfect.
So, Jesus Christ is a partaker of humanity through his mother and is physical. Yet he is different from any man who ever lived since Adam in that he has the Spirit from his Father, God. He has power over sin. I will post just two verses to demonstrate this, though I could post many.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Jn 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Now we see that the Spirit is the life of God. As commentary, life in the physical is in the blood. The life of God is the Spirit. Adam's race has life in the blood but not life in the Spirit. Men who are born into the family of Adam are the sons of man. Those who are born into the family of God by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Jesus Christ is called both, son of man and son of God at his first coming. Through his mother he is in the "generation" of Adam. Through his Father he is the "only" begotten of him. Begotten means born. He is the only man who was ever born this way.
Matt 1:1The book of the "generation" of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
Now that Jesus Christ has been tested as the son of man through all the temptations that are common to Adam's race and through weakness of the flesh and has not sinned, can he be a substitute and endure the penalty for the sin of all of Adam's race, which is death and forever separation from God? The answer is yes, that is why he came. Adam's race can occupy the world and live here until they die physically, but they cannot stay here. They must go somewhere and without the Spirit they cannot go where God is. They must go somewhere where God is not, and the only place where the omnipresent God has chosen not to be is in hell. That is the wages of sin. A thrice holy God cannot fellowship with sin and because of his holy nature God must punish sin and put it away before fellowship with any man is possible.
This is what happened with the sacrifice of the holy Jesus Christ.
Jn 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
He 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
We know that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day. He was dead. His soul came out of paradise in the center of the earth, the Spirit came back from God who gave it, and the Spirit quickened him by raising his body and glorifying it. Sin is paid for at this moment. God is propitiated for the sins of Adam's race. All sinners have been reconciled by this death of Christ. Jesus Christ is the firstborn from the dead and the federal head of a new family, the family of God. Any of Adam's race can be forgiven of their sins now and all of Adam's race may be forgiven of their sins. I am going to post some scriptures here for consideration.
Acts 2:31
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Rom 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; (his first birth)
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (his second birth)
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. (at the resurrection)
Acts 13:23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: (his first birth)
Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. (his second birth)
Continued
