Part 4. The Regenerating Power of God’s Word-- [If you have not read Parts 1, 2, & 3 of this blog, I recommend that you do so prior to reading Part 4.]

Part 4. The Regenerating Power of God’s Word

Peter extolled the regenerating power of God’s Word in I Peter 1: 22-25: “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,” (“corruptible,” meaning perishable and “incorruptible,” meaning nonperishable) “because ‘All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.’ Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”

Peter is declaring that the regeneration of the human spirit, that comes with being born again, and occurs when the believer obeys the Truth. Again, how does one know the “Truth,” but by The Word. We must remember that the Word of God is the ultimate “Truth” --- the ultimate reality! This obedience purifies the soul and is manifested in “sincere love of the brethren” and the ability to “love one another fervently with a pure heart.” By no other means can the human heart love in this manner! Without the transformation through the Word of God, the heart of man is so corrupted by human motives, self centered desires and deceits, imposed on it from within as well as from without. Our capacity to love is so bombarded and colored day to day by corrupt media and other people that, without daily washing with the Word, even any serious, well meaning Christian will fall prey to unrighteous thought patterns and thus worldly attitudes toward people both inside and outside of the body of Christ. Many Christians attest to the fact that after being born again, they have the capacity to love others with depth and purity that they never had before. How else can one offer selfless love or even love his or her enemies? It is compassion that can come only from the indwelling Spirit of Christ Jesus, infusing the believer’s own spirit, which is then washed and nurtured by the Word of God. And it is the believer’s responsibility to nurture him or herself with the Word. One who is not born again cannot even comprehend this kind of love, which is one reason we cannot expect non-Christians to understand Christians.

Look at this same passage in God’s Word for the Nations: “Love each other with a warm love that comes from the heart. After all, you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth. As a result you have a sincere love for each other. You have been born again, not from a seed that can be destroyed, but through God's everlasting word that can't be destroyed. That's why Scripture says, ‘All people are like grass, and all their beauty is like a flower of the field. The grass dries up and the flower drops off, but the word of the Lord lasts forever.’ This word is the Good News that was told to you.”

This passage speaks volumes about the regenerating power of God’s Word. How else could a mere human love so purely and completely? Let’s examine the meaning of “regenerate.” Strong’s #G1080, γεννάω, gennaō ghen-nah'-o: “From a variation of G1085; to procreate (properly of the father, but by extension of the mother); figuratively to regenerate: - bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring.” Also, #G3501, νέος, νεώτερος, neos neōteros, neh'-os, neh-o'-ter-os: A primary word, including the comparative (second form); ‘new’, that is, (of persons) youthful, or (of things) fresh; figuratively regenerate: - new, young.” From E-Sword Strong’s Dictionary. So, the knowing and obeying the instructions of God brings a transformation--- a regeneration. Look, also, at Webster’s New World Dictionary: “spiritually reborn. 2. renewed; restored; reformed. 1. to cause to be completely reformed or improved. 3. to bring into existence again; re-establish. 4. in electricity and radio, to amplify by feeding energy back from the output into the input circuit. 5. in biology, to grow (a part) anew, as a replacement for one hurt or lost. 1. to form again; be made anew. 2. to regenerate.” Did you catch that first definition, “to procreate (properly of the father…)”? The source of the begetting of the regenerated spirit is our Heavenly Father. I believe that my personal favorite of all these is from Webster--- “be made new.”

This is Huge! Are we capable of comprehending what I Peter 1:22-23 means to us? Only with God’s help! Let’s put these instructions on purity in love into a better context and read the preceding verses: “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believed in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” 1 Peter 1:13-21.  In these passages, Peter sets up the foundation that enables the brethren to love one another purely.

Matthew Henry’s comments on this passage, beginning at verse 13, are lengthy but extremely valuable. Let’s look --- in his own words and vintage spelling: “1Pe 1:13-23 - Here the apostle begins his exhortations to those whose glorious state he had before described, thereby instructing us that Christianity is a doctrine according to godliness, designed to make us not only wiser, but better.

I. He exhorts them to sobriety and holiness.

1. Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, etc., 1Pe_1:13. As if he had said, ‘Wherefore, since you are so honoured and distinguished, as above, Gird up the loins of your mind. You have a journey to go, a race to run, a warfare to accomplish, and a great work to do; as the traveler, the racer, the warrior, and the labourer, gather in, and gird up, their long and loose garments, that they may be more ready, prompt, and expeditious in their business, so do you by your minds, your inner man, and affections seated there: gird them, gather them in, let them not hang loose and neglected about you; restrain their extravagances, and let the loins or strength and vigour of your minds be exerted in your duty; disengage yourselves from all that would hinder you, and go on resolutely in your obedience. Be sober, be vigilant against all your spiritual dangers and enemies, and be temperate and modest in eating, drinking, apparel, recreation, business, and in the whole of your behaviour. Be sober-mined also in opinion, as well as in practice, and humble in your judgment of yourselves.’ And hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Some refer this to the last judgment, as if the apostle directed their hope to the final revelation of Jesus Christ; but it seems more natural to take it, as it might be rendered, ‘Hope perfectly, or thoroughly, for the grace that is brought to you in or by the revelation of Jesus Christ; that is, by the gospel, which brings life and immortality to light. Hope perfectly, trust without doubting to that grace which is now offered to you by the gospel.’ Learn, (1.) The main work of a Christian lies in the right management of his heart and mind; the apostle's first direction is to gird up the loins of the mind. (2.) The best Christians have need to be exhorted to sobriety. These excellent Christians are put in mind of it; it is required of a bishop (1Ti_3:2), of aged men (Tit_2:2), the young women are to be taught it, and the young men are directed to be sober-minded, Tit_2:4, Tit_2:6. (3.) A Christian's work is not over as soon as he has got into a state of grace; he must still hope and strive for more grace. When he has entered the strait gate, he must still walk in the narrow way, and gird up the loins of his mind for that purpose. (4.) A strong and perfect trust in God's grace is very consistent with our best endeavors in our duty; we must hope perfectly, and yet gird up our loins, and address ourselves vigorously to the work we have to do, encouraging ourselves from the grace of Jesus Christ.

Part 3: That I Might Not Sin ~ Conclusion

Let’s look more at the Holy Spirit’s role in our capacity to resist the temptation to sin. This is a huge component in the equation. Read Ezekiel 36: 26-27 – “Then I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

Once we are born again, without the work of the Spirit of God dwelling in us, we are pretty much doomed to a life of continued sin, along with its frustration in our faith fight. Try as we may, our best efforts apart from the supernatural work of God’s Spirit, we might just barely hang in there, wanting to live righteous but lacking the internal power to do so. It looks like Ezekiel is saying that the main purpose of the Holy Spirit coming to reside in God’s child is to cause us to walk in God’s ways and keep His commandments. In other words, “He gives us the power to resist sin,” as Pastor Hal put it.

In his sermon on June 22, 2008, Pastor Hal addressed this beautifully, using the passage from Ezekiel 36. Up till that point I had not thought much about the main purpose of the Holy Spirit’s residence in us. I was just grateful that He was there! In addressing our need for a changed heart and God’s supernatural ability to do that, Pastor discussed the fact that we each have a moral compass. According to my note taking, he said, “This is the main reason God gave us His Holy Spirit --- to give us the power to resist sin! When we resist the truth, we weaken the conscience, resulting in sinful actions and rebellion --- a weakened conscience. We all have moral radar. It can be strengthened and can be weakened. It should be based on moral truth. If you don’t have truth in you, your moral radar will be weak. Hebrews 10:22 – ‘Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.’ As we strengthen God in our life, our moral compass is more sensitive. We have moral truth.”

He went on to give these statistics: “In 1952, 6% of children in the US did not have religious training. In 1993, 35% did not. In 2008, 4% do have religious training. Today 96% of children in the US do not have religious training!” This should explain many things about the moral code of so many children and young adults of today. Most of them have no Word in them and certainly not the presence of the Holy Spirit. We cannot expect these people to have a Christian world view and live according to God’s principles.

Pastor Hal sited Hebrews 5: 14 – “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” He went on to say, “The more solid we become, the more we grow, mature and build our lives on absolutes. ... Martin Luther said, ‘My conscience is captive to the Word of God.’ ” Quoted from Pastor Hal Adams, Radford Worship Center, Radford, VA.

Armed with a redeemed spirit, knowledge of the Truth of God’s Word, love and gratitude toward God, and having the will to serve and honor God and His Spirit residing in us, every believer really can live above sin. I have to note here that none of us will at all times live sinless lives ---- because of our human weaknesses. But the fact remains that we can overcome sin’s draw more times than not. This fact gives hope and encouragement, helping us overcome greater hurdles as we mature in the Word and in faith. This truth should take a worrisome burden off of every believer.

Jesus is the perfect example for us in every situation so let’s look at how He handled temptation. Naturally, Satan wanted Jesus to fail in His mission to restore mankind back to God, our Creator. As recorded in the Gospels--- Matthew, Mark and Luke--- Satan tempted Jesus. The ways in which our Lord was tempted represent our own human desires and weaknesses. In like manner as we are tempted, Jesus was tempted and He overcame by applying God’s Word in each situation. Every time our Lord responded with, “It is written...” or “It has been said ... .” Jesus knew His Father and He knew the things that His Father had said. After these days of great temptation, Luke 4: 14 – 15 tells us: “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.”

God will never call us to anything that is not possible for us to attain – certainly holiness is one of them. And He knows that it will not be accomplished without Him. Yes, it’s true: Thy Word I can hide in my heart so that I will not sin against God. We must remember that the only way to take advantage of this amazing provision is to abide in the truths of God’s Word on a daily basis. Jesus said: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, You will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15: 1-11 NKJV

The word, “abide” in this passage is translated “to remain.” That is to “continuously be in.” We need to continuously be in Christ Jesus and His words. When we abide in Him, our prayers are effective (v.7), we bear much fruit which glorifies the Father (v.8), we will abide in Christ’s love (v.10) and our joy will be made complete (v.11). And oh, the troubles and heartaches believers could avoid if we would do John 15 and Psalm 119! Risikili!

My next post will begin Part 4: The Regeneratig Power of God's Word