Regeneration in the Old Testament? Oh Yes!

In the conversation between Christ and Nicodemus, recorded in John’s Gospel, the Saviour showed that there are no spiritual activities without regeneration; in his first epistle, John labours the converse truth that there is no regeneration without spiritual activities. The fruits of regeneration are repentance, faith and good works. The regenerate believe rightly in Jesus Christ (1 John 5:1). They do righteousness (2:29). They do not live a life of sin (3:9; 5:18; the verbs ‘commits sin’, ‘cannot sin’, ‘does not sin’, express habitual actions, as the present tense regularly does in Greek, and not absolute sinlessness, as 1:8-10 makes clear). They experience faith’s victory over the world (5:4). They love their fellow-Christians (4:7). These are the marks by which the regenerate are known; for no man could do any of these things were he not born again. But we have no warrant for regarding anyone as regenerate without these marks. Any who lack them, whatever they may claim, are to be adjudged unregenerate children of the devil (3:6-10). Regeneration is known by its fruits.

Here, incidentally, is a sufficient answer to the question whether spiritual regeneration was a reality in Old Testament times. Fallen human nature was no less incompetent in spiritual things then than it is now. Had there been no regeneration in Old Testament times, there would have been no faith, and Hebrews 11 could never have been written.

From the chapter on regeneration in  18 Words: The Most Important Words You Will Ever Know by J. I. Packer.

Thankful Thursday

When I write up these Thankful Thursday posts, I feel like I’m thankful for the same things over and over and that’s got to be boring to read. But the truth is, God provides for our daily needs, the things we need day in and day out, and that’s a wonderful—and, when you think about it, rather exciting—thing. 

I remember when I first grasped the concept of God’s active sustenance of the universe—you know: the world turns because every moment God commands it to turn and it responds, and all else does what it does in the very same way—and how that changed my view of everything. Think about it: if God quit commanding, we’d be in deep trouble. Truth be told, if the “word of his power” ceased to exist, I’d cease to exist.

So I’m thankful that the earth rotates. I’m thankful for the days and the seasons. (And while we’re on the subject, can I say, like I said last week, that I’m thankful for warmer winter weather.) I’m thankful, too, that I exist—that I putter along, yesterday, today, and maybe tomorrow, God willing. 

I’m thankful for food in the fridge and oil for the furnace. For trees out my window and white snow everywhere.

I’m thankful that the God by whose word my world exists is benevolent and unchanging. I’m thankful that the God who sustains by his word also speaks to us so that we can know the One to whom we owe everything.

What about you? What are you thankful for?

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