regeneration

The Wind Blows Where It Will

SHARON ROCKWELL | CONTRIBUTOR On our most recent road trip we spent a couple of days at the Grand Canyon. It had been years since we were last there, but we were still amazed at the wonder of God’s creation while viewing the deep canyons and rock formations carved by the Colorado River. Because school was not yet out, we were able to drive through the park at our leisure to take in the beauty of the landscape. At one particular spot, we were in awe at how the wind moved across the canyon. Far in the distance we could hear the winds picking up somewhere to our left. Then a minute or two later, the wind would rustle the trees right in front of us before moving further to our right. For a moment we could feel the wind, and just as fast as it came, it would leave us, only to start again somewhere to the left side of the canyon. My husband commented that this reminded him of the description of the Holy Spirit in John. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). This is an interesting verse. “The wind blows where it wishes,” reminds us of the mystery and sovereignty of the Spirit’s work. To be born of the Spirit means we are entirely in His hands regarding our regeneration. If God has elected us to salvation, the Holy Spirit assures that sinners’ hearts are opened to Christ. God will get all the glory because he has the right to choose whom He will save. “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Ex. 33:19)...

The Spirit’s Work of Regeneration and Renewal

EMILY DARNELL|GUEST I recently enjoyed a morning hike to a waterfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. As I hiked closer to the stream, the rushing of the water drowned out all the other noises of the forest. I could no longer hear the birds singing to one another. I sat down to take in my surroundings and a passage that I had just studied came to mind, a reminder from the LORD of His work in me. Titus 3:5-7: He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Regeneration and Renewing The pouring down of that waterfall helped me ponder the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. This passage in Titus is one of two New Testament occurrences of the word “regeneration.” The original audience would have pictured water baptism, which is the outward sign pointing to the inward reality of the Spirit’s washing, and of our cleansed conscience (Hebrews 9:8-14). In Old Testament sacrifices, the sprinkling of the blood symbolized cleansing; water now symbolizes the cleansing that is ours in Christ. The Spirit does the work of regeneration. As He does, the voices surrounding us urging us to just try harder, or the accusatory voices using the Law to conjure up old guilt, begin to fade away. The Spirit washing us by regeneration is the beginning of our new life, the beginning of His rich work in us. In addition to regeneration is the Spirit’s work of renewal where He makes all things new. He doesn’t patch us up, fix what is broken, or strengthen us to remake ourselves; rather, He makes us anew, born again. He takes Christ’s work on the cross and applies it to each of us so that we might have abundant life and growth in Him (see Colossians 3:10)....