Faith Simplifiedનમૂનો

Day 6: GOD RESCUES

INTERTWINING EXPERIENCES OF GRACE

Regeneration, faith, and repentance are intertwining experiences of grace, inseparable from one another, while still being distinct from one another. If that statement seems a bit challenging to wrap your mind around, try thinking about the relationship between regeneration, faith, and repentance as the earliest moments of life. To be born again is, in a sense, like entering into the world as a brand‑new baby. What does a healthy baby do after being born? The baby takes his or her first breath outside the womb and almost immediately begins to cry. The same is true when we are born again. When the Spirit gives us new life, we instinctively respond in faith and repentance. It’s as natural as breathing. (And sometimes involves crying too.)

And if we extend that analogy further, what usually happens with children after they are born? They grow up. The same is true with those who are born again. We begin as spiritual newborns. But eventually, we discover our arms and legs. Soon we’re crawling, then toddling, then walking, and eventually running toward a life of holiness—one where we become more like Jesus as our faith in him grows (Hebrews 12:1). That’s the process Christians call sanctification, which is our gradually becoming more and more like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit—living out our new desires, becoming who God says we already are because of the new birth. And that process continues up until the day that we stand before Jesus, when we see the kingdom of God with our own eyes and are welcomed into Jesus’ presence, to experience the rest he provides (Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:1‑16).

GOOD NEWS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD

Whatever else we could say about it, we need to recognize that to be born again—regeneration—is inseparable from being a Christian. In fact, from a divine perspective, they are synonymous. To be a Christian is to be born again. And to be born again is to be a Christian. Why? Because “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NKJV).

This means that regeneration is good news, and not just for those of us who believe that Jesus loved us and gave himself for us (Galatians 2:20). It is good news for the whole world. It means that God is doing what he has always done: He is saving sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). The Holy Spirit goes where he wills, bringing new life to some of the most unexpected people (John 3:8). And wherever people who love Jesus talk about Jesus, whether in a conversation at home, in a coffee shop, at work, at school, or even over a text message, the Spirit is at work. He is drawing people to Jesus, replacing stone hearts with hearts of flesh. He is making the dead live. And he will keep doing it until the day all things are made new.