When Adam became disobedient to the commandment of God and sinned, sin entered the world. And through sin, death entered. Wonke umuntu, 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, therefore, 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 andindalo entsha, 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
ngizakufafaza amanzi ahlanzekileyo phezu kwenu, niyakuba ngabahlambulukileyo: kukho konke ukungcola kwakho, nakuzo zonke izithombe zenu, ngizokuhlambulula. Futhi ngizokunika inhliziyo entsha, ngiyakufaka umoya omusha phakathi kwenu:ngiyakususa inhliziyo yetshe enyameni yenu, ngiyakuninika inhliziyo yenyama. And I will put My spirit within you, futhi nginenze nihambe ngezimiso Zami, and ye shall keep my judgments, futhi uzenze(UHezekeli 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.
Wonke umuntu, 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, ukuba 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 indalo entsha.
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 (Funda futhi ‘What does it mean to be born again?')
What are the 5 essential components of regeneration?
There are 5 essential components of regeneration:
- Ukukholwa
- Ukuhlanza
- Uvuko
- New creation
- The renewal (gqoka umuntu omusha)
Let’s look at the 5 essential components of regeneration one by one:
1. Ukukholwa
It is impossible to please God without faith (IsiHebheru 11:6) futhi Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (1 UJohane 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, iNdodana kaNkulunkulu ophilayo, and by believing that Jesus came to this earth and became fully Human, and took all the sins and iniquities of humanity upon Himself(Funda futhi: ‘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, Wabuyisela umuntu kuNkulunkulu.
Wonke umuntu, who believes in Him, 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. Ukuhlanza
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, ngokugezwa kokuzalwa kutsha, kanye nokwenza busha ngoMoya oNgcwele” (Thithu 3:5)
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, kanjalo nathi kufanele sihambe ekuphileni okusha (AmaRoma 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. Uvuko
ngizakufafaza amanzi ahlanzekileyo phezu kwenu, niyakuba ngabahlambulukileyo:kukho konke ukungcola kwakho, nakuzo zonke izithombe zenu, ngizokuhlambulula. Futhi ngizokunika inhliziyo entsha, ngiyakufaka umoya omusha phakathi kwenu:ngiyakususa inhliziyo yetshe enyameni yenu, ngiyakuninika inhliziyo yenyama. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, futhi uzenze (UHezekeli 36:25-27)
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Ngokunjalo nani zibaleni njengabafileyo ngempela esonweni, kodwa niphilele uNkulunkulu ngoKristu Jesu iNkosi yethu (AmaRoma 6:10-11).
“And you, nifile ezonweni zenu nasekungasokini kwenyama yenu, uphile kanye naye, having forgiven you all trespasses” (AbaseKolose 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.
In Jesus Christ, 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 anymore, 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, futhi 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, ngoba impilo endala idlulile, futhi impilo entsha isifikile” (2 AbaseKorinte 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 (Funda futhi: ‘Usuku lwesishiyagalombili, 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, and his seed, couldn’t enter God’s Kingdom anymore.
Jesus came and restored fallen man. Wabuyisela umuntu kuNkulunkulu. 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 (Funda futhi: ‘What kind of peace did Jesus bring on earth?‘ futhi ‘The peace Jesus restored between fallen man and God’).
5. The renewal; gqoka umuntu omusha
“That you put off concerning the former conversation the old man, okonakala ngokwezinkanuko zenkohliso; nenziwe basha emoyeni wengqondo yenu; And that you put on the new man, okuthi ngemva kokuba uNkulunkulu wadalwa ekulungeni nasebungcweleni beqiniso “(Kwabase-Efesu 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, intando kaNkulunkulu (AmaRoma 12:2)
Ngakho bulalani amalungu enu asemhlabeni; ubufebe, ukungcola, uthando oludlulele, inkanuko embi, kanye nokuhaha, okungukukhonza izithombe: Ngenxa yalokho ‘ulaka lukaNkulunkulu lufika phezu kwabantwana bokungalaleli: enanihamba kukho nani isikhathi esithile, lapho lanihlala kizo. But now ye also put off all these; intukuthelo, wrath, 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 (AbaseKolose 3:5-10)
Ngokukholwa, 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), a son of God, 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 futhi gqoka umuntu omusha and walk as the new creation.
It is time to vuselela ingqondo yakho with the Word of God and become a doer of the Word. By renewing your mind, nangokuba umenzi weZwi, you shall walk as the new creation (Funda futhi: ‘The hearers versus the doers‘).
Without the renewal, you shall remain ikhehla; indalo endala. You shall keep walking as the old creation; as isoni. 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 gqoka umuntu omusha.
I 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. Ngakho-ke, 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?
“Yiba usawoti womhlaba”
