Tag Archives: John Murray

The Mystery of Regeneration

This morning I had a few people ask for the list of Scripture passages I referenced in my Sunday School lesson last week, so I decided to just copy and paste my lesson outline to the blog. Hope it’s helpful for the guys who asked, and for anyone else who happens to stop by. Also, the numbers next to each text are references to numbered bookmarks I printed out before class. I figured we’d spend the entire lesson flipping through pages, so I had everybody grab two or three bookmarks and find their passages before class started so I could just call out a number to have the verses read. It worked pretty well!

Here’s the outline:

“The Mystery of Regeneration”

What is regeneration?

  • What does the word make you think of? (biology, theology, electronics?)
  • Dictionary definition of “regenerate”:  to re-create, reconstitute, or make over, especially in a better form or condition
  • Word only used once in Scripture: Read Titus 3:4-5 (#1)
  • Theological definition of regeneration: Regeneration is a secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us. (Wayne Grudem) Sometimes called “being born again” (the word “generation” has to do with birth; regeneration is re-birth). Scripture tells us a lot about regeneration, but much of the process is a “mystery”.
  • There are some important questions that we must ask about regeneration. All Christians believe that regeneration happens, but differ in how and when it happens. So the way we answer these questions has a lot to do with how we will understand salvation. Rather than reading a system of theology (like Calvinism or Arminianism) into our understanding of regeneration, let’s try to build our understanding from Scripture. Here are the questions we’re going to ask:
    • What is our state prior to regeneration?
    • What happens in regeneration?
    • When does regeneration take place?
    • What is our state after regeneration?
    • What is God’s role in regeneration?
    • What is man’s role in regeneration?

What is our state prior to regeneration?

What happens in regeneration?

  • To sum it up, regeneration does what?
    • New heart
    • New spirit
    • New life

When does regeneration take place?

  • Now it gets trickier… Regeneration is not the same thing as faith. The Bible tells us that we are saved through faith, but given a new life of obedience through regeneration. So which comes first, regeneration or faith? This is one question lots of people don’t agree on, so let’s see what we can figure out.
  • Starting with Scripture:
    • First set of verses:
  • Next set (revisiting):
    • 2 Corinthians 5:17 – New Creation
    • 1 Corinthians 6:11 – You were washed
    • Passages in Jeremiah & Ezekiel – Once God gives us a new heart, it works
    • Conclusion: Regeneration happens in an instant and it only happens once
  • Next set:
    • (#21) 1 Corinthians 2:14 – Remember: what is the state of the “natural” man?
    • (#22) Romans 3:11 – Without a new heart, nobody is seeking God
    • (#23) John 3:5
    • (#24) John 6:44; 63-65 – Notice verses 60 & 66; a lot of people don’t like this teaching!
    • (#25) Acts 16:14, which is similar to…
    • (#26) Luke 24:45 – After the resurrection
    • Conclusion: Regeneration appears to be necessary before someone can understand the message of the Gospel and place faith in Christ. However…
    • This is a logical progression from regeneration (or being born again) to having faith and being saved. On a practical level, for all intents and purposes, these things happen at the same time. Another way to put it is that from God’s perspective, he acts to regenerate someone’s heart so that that person can believe, but from our perspective this is pretty much simultaneous. It’s one reason why we tend to use the terms “born again” and “saved” interchangeably, even though the Bible describes them as separate things.

What is our state after regeneration?

  • Scripture verses:
  • Second set:
    • (#30) 1 John 3:9 – This refers to habitual, unrepentant sin
    • (#31) 1 John 5:18 – We have protection from Satan’s attacks
    • (#32) Galatians 5:22-23 – Regeneration produces fruit (evidence of salvation)
    • Conclusion: Though we still have two natures, we become more and more like Christ (sanctification)
  • Last set:
    • (#33) 1 Corinthians 15:49-58
    • Conclusion: One day we will be made perfect like Christ is perfect, and will sin no more (glorification)

What is God’s role in regeneration?

  • What we’ve already seen:
    • Gives us a new heart, spirit, and life
    • Works alone in this (“I will do this…”)
    • See also:
      • (#34) Ephesians 1:3-12
      • Conclusion: God not only works alone to regenerate our hearts; he also had a plan “before the foundation of the world”, and salvation happens according to the purposes of his sovereign will.

What is man’s role in regeneration?

  • Is there anything then left for man to do? Yes!
  • Starting with Scripture:
    • First set:
      • (#35) Acts 2:21
      • (#36) Romans 10:9, 13-17
      • Conclusion: We are not puppets. Man has responsibility to exercise faith. Those who do this will be saved, those who do not will be held accountable for their choice.
  • Second set:
    • (#37) Colossians 3:1-2 – “Seek… set…”
    • (#38) Colossians 3:5-10 – “Put to death… put them all away…”
    • (#39) Colossians 3:12-17 – Things to “put on” in place of the old self
    • (#40) Romans 13:12-14
    • (#41) 1 Peter 2:1
    • (#42) Ephesians 6:10-20 – The armor of God
    • Conclusion: Man has responsibility to walk according to the new life he has been given, following the example of Christ and putting our own sin to death (what the Puritans called mortification).
  • Last set:
    • (#43) James 2:17
    • (#44) 2 Peter 1:10
    • Conclusion: While we are not saved by our works, a regenerated person will produce good works (this is the fruit of the Spirit). Thus, an absence of good works means that our “faith” is dead – it is not true faith at all. Someone who does not bear fruit has not lost salvation; it is evidence that he has not (yet) been given a new heart at all.

Final Thoughts

There is a huge debate going on within the Southern Baptist Convention right now about whether the SBC should officially affirm or deny the “Five Points of Calvinism”. Thankfully, most Southern Baptist leaders on all sides agree that Calvinists, Arminians, and others can all worship and minister together as Southern Baptists. Most of the area of dispute between Calvinists and Arminians (and those in between) has to do with where regeneration and faith relate chronologically to one another. Do we believe because God gave us new hearts, or do we get new hearts because we believe?

As we’ve seen this morning, from our perspective these things happen pretty much simultaneously. Here are some things that Calvinists and Arminians all affirm:

  • Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone
  • God is triune, and sovereign over all things, including salvation – (Though there are different understandings for how God exercises his sovereignty)
  • The Bible is inerrant and authoritative – We all believe the Bible and base our doctrinal beliefs on it
  • We agree on how Christians should live; on what the “new life in Christ” looks like

I really like an illustration that a theologian named Donald Barnhouse used to use:

Imagine a cross like the one on which Jesus died, only so large that it had a door in it. Over the door were these words from Revelation: “Whosoever will may come.” These words represent the free and universal offer of the gospel. By God’s grace, the message of salvation is for everyone. Every man, woman, and child who will come to the cross is invited to believe in Jesus Christ and enter eternal life. On the other side of the door a happy surprise awaits the one who believes and enters. From the inside, anyone glancing back can see these words from Ephesians written above the door: “Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.” Election is best understood in hindsight, for it is only after coming to Christ that one can know whether one has been chosen in Christ. Those who make a decision for Christ find that God made a decision for them in eternity past.”

I’m a Calvinist, and I believe that the doctrines of grace (the Five Points of Calvinism) are true, but I’m not that concerned with convincing you to be Calvinists. But I do want to point out that saying “I don’t believe in predestination or election” is not an option. The words are in the Bible and we have to deal with them. Some people have different understandings of how God predestination and election work, but we can’t just totally throw them out like a lot of non-Calvinists want to do. Likewise, we must avoid thinking of the doctrine of sovereign election as an excuse to not evangelize, which is a common error among Calvinists.

For further study:

The Ordo Salutis

Over the last several weeks, the term Ordo Salutis — or, the Order of Salvation — has come up a couple times. I thought then that I would post a few of my favorite resources for studying one of the most pivotal areas of theology: How does God save people?

Besides going through an entire systematic theology (such as this one by Wayne Grudem), one of the most helpful books I can recommend is Redemption: Accomplished and Applied, by John Murray (my review). There is also a very helpful summary and outline of Murray’s thought progression available free here. Murray lists the steps in the order of salvation this way:

  1. Effectual Calling
  2. Regeneration
  3. Faith & Repentence
  4. Justification
  5. Adoption
  6. Sanctification
  7. Perseverance
  8. Union With Christ *
  9. Glorification

* Note: Murray does not actually treat this as a sequential “step” in this order, but addresses the believer’s union with Christ at this point in the book. Believers are “in Christ” through the entire process.

Those who learn better graphically may benefit from this infographic produced by Tim Challies (click to enlarge):

You can purchase a print of this graphic or download a much higher resolution PDF here.

Recently I became aware (HT: Bob Wilson) of a much, much older “infographic”, designed by John Bunyan, the author of The Pilgrim’s Progress. You can read a little about this one here, or go directly to Bunyan’s “Map Shewing the Order & Causes of Salvation & Damnation” here. I need to get myself a poster-size print of this one!

What helpful study tools have you found to aid you in your understanding of salvation?

Did Christ Die for You?

People often wonder how Calvinists answer this question since they believe that he did not die “for” everyone — meaning simply that his death on the cross did not accomplish the salvation of everyone who has ever lived. This is often called the doctrine of “limited atonement”, though I prefer the term “particular redemption”. I’ve not heard a better way of answering it than in a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled, oddly enough, “Particular Redemption” (which happens to be the same sermon from which the excerpt I posted last week was taken). While the doctrine of limited atonement may be somewhat controversial, I hope that the conclusion of this sermon will be less so:

Leaving controversy, however, I will now answer a question. Tell me, then, sir, whom did Christ die for? Will you answer me a question or two, and I will tell you whether He died for you. Do you want a Saviour? Do you feel that you need a Saviour? Are you this morning conscious of sin? Has the Holy Spirit taught you that you are lost? Then Christ died for you and you will be saved. Are you this morning conscious that you have no hope in the world but Christ? Do you feel that you of yourself cannot offer an atonement that can satisfy God’s justice? Have you given up all confidence in yourselves? And can you say upon your bended knees, “Lord, save, or I perish”? Christ died for you. If you are saying this morning, “I am as good as I ought to be; I can get to Heaven by my own good works,” then, remember, the Scripture says of Jesus, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” So long as you are in that state I have no atonement to preach to you. But if this morning you feel guilty, wretched, conscious of your guilt, and are ready to take Christ to be your only Saviour, I can not only say to you that you may be saved, but what is better still, that you will be saved. When you are stripped of everything, but hope in Christ, when you are prepared to come empty-handed and take Christ to be your all, and to be yourself nothing at all, then you may look up to Christ, and you may say, “Thou dear, Thou bleeding Lamb of God! thy griefs were endured for me; by thy stripes I am healed, and by thy sufferings I am pardoned.” And then see what peace of mind you will have; for if Christ has died for you, you cannot be lost. God will not punish twice for one thing. If God punished Christ for your sin, He will never punish you. “Payment, God’s justice cannot demand, first, at the bleeding surety’s hand, and then again at mine.” We can today, if we believe in Christ, march to the very throne of God, stand there, and if it is said, “Art thou guilty?” we can say, “Yes, guilty.” But if the question is put, “What have you to say why you should not be punished for your guilt?” We can answer, “Great God, Thy justice and Thy love are both guarantees that Thou wilt not punish us for sin; for didst Thou not punish Christ for sin for us? How canst Thou, then, be just—how canst Thou be God at all, if Thou dost punish Christ the substitute, and then punish man himself afterwards?” Your only question is, “Did Christ die for me?” And the only answer we can give is—”This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ came into the world to save sinners.” Can you write your name down among the sinners—not among the complimentary sinners, but among those that feel it, bemoan it, lament it, seek mercy on account of it? Are you a sinner? That felt, that known, that professed, you are now invited to believe that Jesus Christ died for you, because you are a sinner; and you are bidden to cast yourself upon this great immovable rock, and find eternal security in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

If you’ve never taken the time to read or listen to a sermon from Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers”, I can’t recommend this one highly enough! My preferred way to “hear” him is by reading a transcript while listening to someone preach the sermon. For this message, you can find the text here at the Spurgeon Archive, and can download or stream the audio here at SermonAudio.com. You can also hear it in this YouTube clip:

To learn more about how particular redemption works (when it is being taught well and not being misrepresented by those who don’t understand it), check out first J.I. Packer’s book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (my review) for an easy introduction, and then John Murray’s Redemption: Accomplished and Applied (my review) to dig a little deeper.

Book Review: Redemption Accomplished and Applied

“Redemption Accomplished and Applied” by John Murray

This short (under 200 pages) but heavy book has been on my reading list for quite a while. It’s been described by many a pastor as one of the greatest books ever written on the doctrine of atonement, which is absolutely central to the Christian faith. Having finally worked my way through it, I can see why it comes so highly recommended!

The first half of the book builds a foundation for our understanding of atonement. Murray describes the necessity of redemption, and how Christ was the only One who could possibly accomplish it. The work He accomplished was perfect and complete. There is nothing that man can do to add to what Christ has done, nor to take away from it.

This section ends with a very clear and biblical look at the doctrine of “limited atonement”, which is the teaching that Christ died not for the sins of everyone in the world, but only for those of the elect. The “L” in “TULIP”, this is probably the most controversial of the five points of Calvinism, but Murray handles it with aplomb. Essentially, he tells us that atonement is limited not by the efficacy of Christ’s blood, but by it’s application. In other words, if one believes that anyone will spend eternity in Hell, one believes in limited atonement, because atonement has not been applied to that person. What remains, then, is to see how and to whom this redemption which Christ has accomplished is applied. This is the subject of Part II, which accounts for most of the book.

In Part II, Murray gives a very thorough and systematic exposition of the many components of the atonement, as well as their order of application. Though many of these components happen nearly simultaneously, Murray presents them in the following order: effectual calling, regeneration, faith & repentance, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance, union with Christ, and  glorification. With the exception of union with Christ — which is not a step in the application of redemption, but something which underlies every step — this is also the chronological order in which Murray places these phases. Some, of course, are one-time events, while others are ongoing processes.

It is this second half of the book which is so valuable. It has greatly enhanced my understanding of the doctrine of atonement, and of the distinctions between the various steps in its application. This understanding doesn’t come easily, though, as it’s a very difficult book to read. Part of the difficulty lies in the language; Murray was a mid-20th century academician (and a Scotsman to boot), and so uses many words that may be unfamiliar to contemporary readers. I consider myself to have a better-than-average vocabulary, but definitely found myself reading this book with a dictionary within reach!

Some of the difficulty also lies in Murray’s writing style. At times his sentence structure seems unnecessarily complex, making it hard to figure out which words modify which. Because of this, I found myself frequently re-reading passages to make sure I really understood the point he was making. He was also fond of using multiple forms of the same word in a sentence, leading to some real humdingers like this:

“To glory in the cross is to glory in Christ as the propitiatory sacrifice once offered, as the abiding propitiatory, and as the one who embodies in himself for ever all the propitiatory efficacy of the propitiation once for all accomplished.“

What a mouthful! Besides these nit-picky things, though, this is a truly great book. The Scripture index and the Subject index at the end of the book will make this a frequent reference tool during future studies.

Anyone looking to undertake a serious study of the doctrine of atonement — and I would hope this would include every Christian! — must read this book. It’s not easy, but totally worth the effort. Buy it here.

What Did Christ Accomplish?

From John Murray’s Redemption — Accomplished and Applied:

The very nature of Christ’s mission and accomplishment is involved in this question. Did Christ come to make the salvation of all men possible, to remove obstacles that stood in the way of salvation, and merely to make provision for salvation? Or did he come to save his people? Did he come to put all men in a salvable state? Or did he come to secure the salvation of all those who are ordained to eternal life? Did he come to make men redeemable? Or did he come effectually and infallibly to redeem?