When Adam became disobedient to the commandment of God and sinned, sin entered the world. And through sin, death entered. Every person, who would be born on this earth of the seed of Adam, would be born with a sinful nature and would bear the penalty of sin, which is death. Every person would be affected by sin and death would be passed on unto all man. Therefore the sinful nature and death reign as king in the person’s life. The creation was affected by evil, defiled, unclean, and condemned, 所以, there had to come a new creation. The good news is, that when Adam sinned, God had already a redemption plan in mind, namely the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and新的創造, who is born in Jesus Christ. How can you become born again in Christ? What are the 5 essential components of regeneration?
Prophecies about the new creation
然後我會給你灑清水, 你們就會潔淨了: 遠離你所有的污穢, 和你所有的偶像, 我會淨化你嗎. 我也會給你一顆新心, 我將為你注入新的精神:我將從祢的肉體中除去石心, 我會給你一顆肉心. And I will put My spirit within you, 使你們遵行我的律例, and ye shall keep my judgments, 並做他們(以西結 36:25-27)
Throughout the Old Testament, God prophesied through the mouths of His prophets about the new creation. For example in Ezekiel 36, God said, that man would be cleansed from all filthiness and from all their idols. God would give them a new heart of flesh, and a new spirit. God would justify man and make them holy and righteous, so that God could have communion with man again. Just like God had initially intended, when God created man.
Every person, who is born on this earth is born a sinner. But the good news is, that every person doesn’t have to remain a sinner.
It is possible for every person, to become this new creation. The only requirement is, that a person must lay down his or her old life as the old creation aka the sinner.
When a person doesn’t see his or her sinful nature (behavior) and its sins, or when a person is not willing to give up his or her life, then it will be impossible for a person to become 一個新的創造.
The person can apply all the Scriptures and promises from the Bible to his or her life, but there will not be a renewal.
The person shall remain carnal and be separated from God and shall not be able to see the Kingdom of God, nor enter the Kingdom of God. The person shall be carnal and shall walk after the flesh in the Kingdom of darkness.
If you really want to become a new creation, you must lay down your present life and become born again in Christ by water and Spirit. Only through the process of regeneration, you will enter and will see the Kingdom of God (另請閱讀 ‘What does it mean to be born again?’)
What are the 5 essential components of regeneration?
There are 5 essential components of regeneration:
- 信仰
- 潔顏
- 復活
- New creation
- The renewal (put on the new man)
Let’s look at the 5 essential components of regeneration one by one:
1. 信仰
It is impossible to please God without faith (希伯來文 11:6) 和 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (1 約翰 5:1)
The first essential component of regeneration is faith. Faith is the beginning, middle, and end of regeneration. The process of regeneration begins with having faith in Jesus Christ, 永生神的兒子, and by believing that Jesus came to this earth and became fully Human, and took all the sins and iniquities of humanity upon Himself(另請閱讀: ‘Was Jesus fully Human?')
Jesus died at the cross, and because Jesus carried all sins and all the iniquities of man, Jesus descended to Hades (hell).
Jesus was in Hades for three days and conquered death and took the keys of hell and death.
After three days Jesus was raised from the dead as a Conqueror. He legally took back the authority (the keys), that was first given to Adam. By His blood, He reconciled man back to God.
每個人, 誰相信他, and in His work, shall be reconciled with God and shall receive eternal life.
It is believing, that you are justified (made righteous) by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
2. 潔顏
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, 透過再生的洗滌, 和聖靈的更新” (提圖斯 3:5)
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 因此我們藉著洗禮歸入死亡而與祂一同埋葬: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, 即使如此我們也應該走在新的生活中 (羅馬書 6:3-4)
The second step of the process of regeneration is that you shall be cleansed. Through the water baptism, you shall lay down your old life.
We might also call ‘the cleansing’, the dying of the flesh(the death of your life as a sinner). Because that’s what really happens through water baptism, you are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ.
You will be cleansed from all your iniquities and sins. You will down your old life, and die as a sinner in the baptistery.
3. 復活
然後我會給你灑清水, 你們就會潔淨了:遠離你所有的污穢, 和你所有的偶像, 我會淨化你嗎. 我也會給你一顆新心, 我將為你注入新的精神:我將從祢的肉體中除去石心, 我會給你一顆肉心. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, 並做他們 (以西結 36:25-27)
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 同樣，你們也算自己確實在罪上是死的, 而是藉著我們的主耶穌基督向神活 (羅馬書 6:10-11).
“And you, 死在你的罪孽和未受割禮的肉體中, 他有沒有跟他一起加速, having forgiven you all trespasses” (歌羅西書 2:13)
You died as a sinner, now it’s time for the resurrection. The third step of the process of regeneration is the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Through the baptism with the Holy Spirit, your spirit shall be raised from the dead (the spirit of man died from the moment that Adam sinned). Your spirit shall become alive, and the Holy Spirit shall dwell in you.
在耶穌基督裡, you’ve not only died as a sinner, but you are also resurrected in Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now you’ve become righteous and holy. Not by your works, but by His work.
God has taken your heart of stone and has given you a new heart of flesh (a new life), and a new spirit. His Holy Spirit lives inside of you. From now on, He shall be your Helper and your Comforter.
All you have to do, is to listen to Him, and obey Him. Because if you don’t listen to Him, and keep walking according to your own will, making your own rules, instead of walking according to His will and keeping His commandments, eventually He shall leave you.
You have been given the Holy Spirit, God’s nature lives inside of you. You don’t need any written laws 不再, to live according to God’s will. Because His law is written upon your new heart.
When you obey His Spirit and walk after the Spirit, then you shall walk in His statutes, keeping His commandments, 和 you shall fulfill His law. You shall no longer walk according to your own selfish will, but you shall walk according to His will.
4. Realizing that you are a new creation
“Therefore if anyone who is in Christ is a new creation, 因為舊的生命已經過去, 新的生活已經來臨” (2 哥林多前書 5:17)
After the death and resurrection, you have become a new creation in Jesus Christ. The old life has passed away, and a new life has come. It’s important to know and to realize, that you are a new creation (另請閱讀: 'The eighth day, the day of the new creation’)
This new creature is a new creation of God. There is no other way to enter the Kingdom of God, than by becoming this new creation.
Jesus told Nicodemus, that he could only enter the Kingdom of Heaven by being born again by water and by the Spirit.
The Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom, and there is no other way to enter than by becoming born again by water and by the Spirit.
When Adam sinned, his spirit died. Because of that he, 和他的種子, couldn’t enter God’s Kingdom anymore.
Jesus came and restored fallen man. He reconciled man back to God. Only through faith in Him, it is possible to become born again in the spirit, by the power of the Holy Spirit. When this Holy Seed, the Holy Spirit, comes inside of you, your spirit shall come alive (另請閱讀: ‘What kind of peace did Jesus bring on earth?‘ 和 ‘The peace Jesus restored between fallen man and God’).
5. The renewal; put on the new man
“That you put off concerning the former conversation the old man, 這是因私慾的迷惑而敗壞的; 並在你的心靈中得到更新; And that you put on the new man, 神是按公義和真正的聖潔創造的“(以弗所書 4:22-24)
Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (羅馬書 12:2)
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; 淫亂, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things ‘sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, 憤怒, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him (歌羅西書 3:5-10)
By faith, you’ve died in Jesus Christ, and are resurrected in Him. In the spiritual world, you have become a new creation (by faith, water baptism, baptism with the Holy Spirit), 上帝的兒子, now it’s time to transform the spiritual into the natural realm. Therefore it is time to put the Word into action.
It is time to put off the old man 和 put on the new man and walk as the new creation.
It is time to 更新你的想法 with the Word of God and become a doer of the Word. By renewing your mind, 並成為聖言的實踐者, you shall walk as the new creation (另請閱讀: ‘The hearers versus the doers').
Without the renewal, you shall remain the old man; the old creation. You shall keep walking as the old creation; as a sinner. You shall not walk as a son of God, in the legacy Jesus gave you, but you shall walk as a son of the devil.
Your life shall remain the same. You shall stay carnal and keep walking after the flesh, instead of being spiritual and walking after the Spirit. That’s why it is essential, that the renewal takes place, and that you put on the new man.
The 5 essential components of regeneration
These 5 essential components of regeneration should be part of every Christian’s life. If you are really born again, then these 5 essential components of regeneration are part of your life. 所以, you could ask yourself the following question: “Do I have all these 5 components of regeneration or not?」
If your answer is yes, then you are on your way to growing up in the image of Jesus, and receiving eternal life.
But if your answer is no, or when you doubt. Then it’s not too late to repent and commit your life again to Jesus Christ. If you really want to you can start today, so what are you waiting for?
“Be the salt of the earth”
