Regeneration Precedes Faith

And so this phrase, born again, sometimes we toss that around and we don't really know what it's talking about, but Jesus is using this term and the Apostle Paul uses an identical term in meaning he talks about the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

To be regenerated is to be born again. And this must take place before we understand the moment that we place our faith in Christ. Think about it this way, unless the Spirit recreates our nature, we will stay spiritually dead, unreceptive to divine truth.

And I think this is absolutely clear when you look to John chapter 1 and you continue the thought all the way to verse 13. I think Jesus is absolutely clear here in chapter 3 with Nicodemus, but if someone's still not convinced, I do want to draw your attention to 1 John chapter 5 verse 1.

This completely seals the deal for me. Where John says in his epistle, everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Sorry, I got to take a drink from my what's wrong with you people mug.

So I'm reading from the ESV translation, and I think the ESV did a good job of putting this in the past tense. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Not all translations say it like that.

Other ones will say everyone or whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. That's what some translations say, but I think we can still know that that is in the past tense. And so I want to give you three principles of how we can make the correct determination of which comes first, the believing or the being born of God.

And so three principles. Number one, looking at the Greek language. Now let me just say that sounds kind of scary, and that's okay, but just hang on with me for just a moment. Looking at the Greek syntax, the Greek language.

Number two, looking at the immediate context of any particular verse, especially here in verse John. And number three, we want to look at the greater context of all of Scripture. I think about it kind of like a bullseye.

You got these different rings, right? We want to get really close in the very center. We want to look at the Greek language. We want to see what definitions of words have and what they mean in their proper context, and then we want to back out a little bit.

We want to look at immediate context, and then we want to see the whole picture. I think it's even important to start with the big picture in mind as you make your way in. So I think these three principles will help us understand that being born of God, being born from above, must take place in the past before the moment that we believe in Christ.

And so, number one, the Greek word for believes. Let me also say this real quick. Even though I'm talking about this principle of looking at the Greek, I think this is primarily the pastor's job of being diligent to study these things out and modeling these things to you.

We understand that the Bible was not written in English, so we're wanting to examine the English. We believe these are wonderful translations, but we also want to see what's behind the English. We want to handle the Word of God with precision.

So I don't want you to be discouraged by me making a technical Greek argument. At least know that's what Pastor Nathan and I strive to do is to handle the Word with precision and care. I had to throw that out there real quick.

So the Greek word for believes is written in the present tense. Now that's really important because it's referring to the believing ones. That's what we do. This is a description of who we are. We believe as we walk in this world.

We believe in Christ and we walk with Him. Now the Greek word for is born or has been born is in the perfect tense. Now that means it's a past tense action. It's like when Jesus cried out on the cross to Telestai, it is finished.

That was written in the perfect tense. This was a past action that has future ramifications that reach into the future. And so that's exactly what we are reading here with the word is born or has been born of God.

Here's the conclusion from the Greek. All who are caused to be born by God in the past are in the present believing as a result. Okay. So move with me to principle two as we look at immediate context.

First John will help strengthen this interpretation, I believe. In first John 2 29 we read, if you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

So the same setup as the verse we're looking at first John 5 1. Some translations say is born of him, but guess what? It is also in that perfect tense. This is a completed past action that reaches into the future, but this verse we understand it a little bit better.

If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. We know that we do not practice righteousness in order to be born of God. It's absurd.

That would be a works-based system. Okay. So it's easy to understand here that you are born of God, and then that influences us to live righteously to give him glory. So lastly, and I just will briefly touch on this principle number three, the rest of Scripture helps interpret Scripture.

That's what we've been doing all morning. We already know even before going to first John 5 1 that man is dead in his sins and needs God and his grace to bring him to newness of life. God gives us the right and declares us as children of God by title, but God also transforms our nature to become children of God as well.

So if you're a note-taker, write this, regeneration precedes faith. That's the whole point of me going through all that. It's very, very important.