CONVERSION AND REGENERATION: A TOTAL CHANGE IN AN INDIVIDUAL, PART 3.

So ‘new-birth’ is not a result of man’s endeavors or his works but a creative act of God’s Spirit: “children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1: 13). So when a person becomes ‘born-again’ or ‘regenerated’ it is all due to the Spirit’s act, His will and it is not because of any good works done by a person or his own efforts. So in this act lies God’s part; in conversion, lies man’s part which is to repent or change his mind, and take a step of faith. And once a person becomes ‘born-again’ , they become part of the community of believers; and they become part of the body of Christ, and so they can contribute and participate in extending the kingdom of God here on earth!

According to Dr Hayford, “We believe that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us—the just for the unjust. Freely and by divine appointment of the Father, Jesus took our place on the cross, bore our sins Himself, and received the condemnation for those sins, dying in our place. Jesus finally paid the penalty for our sins and signed, with His own life blood, a pardon for everyone who believes in Him. He bought for us the right—upon our exercising a simple faith in His atonement to be abased from sin and forgiven.” 1 I agree that this is the essence of God’s plan of salvation. But I believe that most people do not get saved because they have this concept right, but mainly because of God’s great love ,mercy and kindness, which leads people to take the step of faith for Jesus as their Savior, and thus to repentance, to a change of mind! So the following Scripture is right on: “ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.” ( Acts 2: 38-39). And I agree in that salvation was something that God, in His foresight that Man would sin, conceived prior to Man’s creation; prior even to the establishment of the present order of the created universe!

NOTES
1 Jack W Hayford, Grounds for Living, ( Tonbridge: Sovereign World, 2001),90.