The Difference Between Being Born Again and Being Saved (Part One)

          The terms "Born Again," (also known as The New Birth, Born of God,
     Born from Above, or Regeneration), and "Salvation" are found in various
     places throughout the New Testament.

          Some consider them to mean the same thing, but they do not.


          REGENERATION is the "spiritual transformation in a person, brought about by
     the Holy Spirit, that brings the individual from being dead to become a
     spiritually alive human being" (Definition by Theopedia).

          "The Bible conceives SALVATION as the redemptive renewal of man on the
     basis of a restored relationship with God in Christ, and presents it as involving
     a radical and complete transformation wrought in the soul by God the Holy Spirt,
     by virtue of which we become new men, no longer conformed to this world, but
     in knowledge and holiness of the truth created after the image of God."
                                                                          J.I. Packer


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          First, we'll look at the new birth, also known as regeneration.

          Tomorrow, we'll take a closer look at salvation.


                                                             REGENERATION

          The Bible tells us that the new birth is a sovereign act of God, and that man has
     nothing to do with it. 

                                    "Yet to all who received Him, to those who
                                      believed in His name, He gave the right to
                                      become children of God - children born not
                                      of natural descent, nor of human decision,
                                      or a husband's will, BUT BORN OF GOD."
                                                                      John 1:12-13

          Dan Phillips writes in The World-Tilting Gospel:

                          "There we have the certain fact that all who are
                            born again believe in Jesus Christ.  But their new
                            birth is expressly traced - not to anything they had
                            inherited from their parents, nor to any exercise of
                            their own will or any decision they made, nor to
                            any decision any other mortal made, but to the
                            kingly grace and work of God.

                            They believed savingly in Jesus because God had
                            given them new birth before their embrace of Christ."
                        

          Jesus said that a person must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God.

                                     [Speaking to Nicodemus]

                                     "Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one
                                      can see the kingdom of God unless he is
                                      born again."
                                                                     John 3:3


          He also made it clear that the new birth comes from the Holy Spirit, and is
     a sovereign act of God, with which man has nothing to do .

          He compares regeneration to the wind which man can't control, and blows
      where it wills.  So it is with the new birth, as the Holy Spirit moves upon
      whomever He pleases.

                                     "You (Nicodemus) should not be surprised at my
                                       saying, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows
                                       wherever it pleases.

                                       You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes
                                        from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone
                                        born of the Spirit."
                                                                           John 3:7-8

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          Why do we need to be "born again" in order to see the kingdom of God?

     The answer is that we are "dead in our transgressions and sins," and under God's
     wrath, necessitating a new birth that the Bible tells us comes only from Him.

                                       [Paul writing to "the saints in Ephesus, the faithful
                                        in Christ Jesus"]

                                       "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and
                                        sins, in which you used to live when you followed the
                                        ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of
                                        the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are
                                        disobedient.

                                        All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying
                                        the cravings of our sinful nature and following its
                                        desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature
                                        objects of wrath."
                                                                               Ephesians 2:1-3

                    
                                                  ***************

           Since we were "dead in our sins," we need to be "born again," and only
     God can perform such a miracle for us.

           God, in His great love for His chosen people, and His mercy and grace,
     made us spiritually alive (when we were spiritually dead) in Jesus Christ.

                                        "But because of His great love for us,
                                         God who is rich in mercy, MADE US
                                         ALIVE WITH CHRIST even when we
                                         were DEAD in transgressions - IT IS BY
                                         GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED."
                                                                          

                                         FOR IT IS BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN
                                         SAVED, THROUGH FAITH - AND THIS
                                         NOT FROM YOURSELVES, IT IS THE
                                         GIFT OF GOD - NOT BY WORKS, so that
                                         no one can boast."
                                                                           Ephesians 2:4-5,8-9


                                       "WHEN YOU WERE DEAD IN YOUR SINS 
                                         and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,
                                         GOD MADE YOU ALIVE WITH CHRIST."
                                                                           Colossians 2:13

              God chose to regenerate His people through the proclamation of the gospel.

                                        "He chose to give us birth through the word of
                                          truth ..."
                                                                           James 1:18a

              Because of His great mercy, God CAUSED us to be born again through Jesus Christ,
     and everyone who is born again will be saved and preserved by His power.

                                        "According to His great mercy,
                                          HE HAS CAUSED US TO BE
                                          BORN AGAIN TO A LIVING
                                          HOPE THROUGH THE RESURRECTION
                                          OF JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD,
                                          ... kept in heaven for you, who BY GOD'S
                                          POWER ARE BEING GUARDED THROUGH
                                          FAITH FOR A SALVATION ready to be
                                          revealed in the last time."
                                                                              1 Peter 1:3b-4a,5

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                How does God "make us alive" and "cause us to be born again?"

          Because the heart of every person is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9),
     and no one is able to do anything to please Him without having the Holy Spirit   
     (Romans 8:7-8), God must circumcise our hearts and give us the ability to follow
     Him in salvation.
                                   
                                          "And the LORD your God will circumcise
                                           your heart and the heart of your offspring,
                                           SO THAT YOU WILL LOVE THE LORD
                                           YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART,
                                           AND WITH  ALL YOUR SOUL, THAT
                                           YOU MAY LIVE."
                                                                            Deuteronomy 30:6

          God replaces our heart of stone that can only respond in rebellion toward God,
     with a heart of flesh, that is made willing to follow Him.  He saves us from all
     our uncleanness with a spiritual cleansing.

                                           "I will sprinkle clean water on you,
                                            and you will be clean; I will cleanse
                                            you from all your impurities and from
                                            all your idols.

                                             I will give you a new heart and put a
                                             new spirit in you; I will remove from
                                             you your heart of stone and give you a
                                             heart of flesh.

                                             And I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU
                                             AND MOVE YOU TO FOLLOW MY
                                             DECREES AND BE CAREFUL TO
                                             KEEP MY LAWS.

                                             ... YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE,  AND
                                             I WILL BE YOUR GOD.  I WILL SAVE
                                             YOU FROM ALL YOUR UNCLEANNESS."
                                                                                Ezekiel 36:25-29a    

                 
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          1 John 5:1 shows that the new birth (or regeneration) precedes faith, which
     leads to salvation.

                                              "Everyone who believes that Jesus
                                                is the Christ HAS BEEN BORN
                                                OF GOD, and everyone who loves
                                                the Father loves whoever has been
                                                born of Him."


          Faith does not produce regeneration, but regeneration produces faith.
    Man does not "born again" himself, but is regenerated by a sovereign act of God.

          Just as man has nothing at all to do with his physical birth, he also plays no
     part in his spiritual birth.  The Holy Spirit moves first, changing his heart, then
     man moves in response to what has happened to him.  Man is the recipient of
     the life-giving action.

         
          Jesus told the Jews who were listening to Him, but not responding in saving faith,
    
                                              " ... YOU DO NOT BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU
                                                ARE NOT PART OF MY FLOCK.

                                                My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
                                                and they follow me.  I give them eternal life,
                                                and they will never perish, and no one can
                                                snatch them out of my hand."
                                                                                       John 10:26-28

          Being in His flock precedes belief.


                                                       ****************

          Dan Phillips writes in The World-Tilting Gospel:

                               "Because I see all of Scripture giving God all the glory,
                                and tracing regeneration to God's action preceding our
                                faith, it does not shock me to find that the Bible teaches
                                that regeneration precedes and necessarily provokes
                                saving faith.

                                But I would hasten to say that it does so like flicking a
                                light switch precedes filling the dark room with bright
                                light.  The relationship is causal, and A precedes B -
                                but not by much.

                               We are alive through faith.  But our very exercise of faith is
                                a grace-gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9), breathed into us
                                through regeneration."

          Phillips concludes:

                                "By a miraculous work of grace, God the Father takes pity on our
                                 dead, lost, God-hating selves.
                                 He breathes His life into us, bringing sight to blind eyes, life to
                                 dead spirits, and the submission of repentant faith (Romans 2:4)
                                 to hard, rebellious hearts.

                                 He causes us to be born again, and as surely as a newborn babe
                                 breaks out in a cry, so our newborn hearts embrace Jesus as Lord,
                                 and His gospel as our hope. 

                                 In Christ, we receive new life."    


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           Tomorrow: SALVATION