Regeneration or spiritual birth is a foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. Without the new birth, one cannot see the kingdom of God and receive eternal life and salvation through Jesus Christ. Regeneration is a re-creating of spiritual life in the human heart by God and the Holy Spirit. Through this process, the eternal life from God Himself imparts to the believer’s heart, and the person becomes a child of God, a new creation in Christ. The new believer no longer conforms to the world.
Regeneration is necessary because all people are sinners. They are spiritually dead and are incapable of obeying and pleasing God. Conversion comes to those who repent of sin, turn to God, and put themselves in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Regeneration involves a transition from an old life of sin to a new life of loving obedience to Jesus Christ. Those born again are set free from sin’s bondage and receive a spiritual desire and disposition to love God and follow the leading of the Spirit. They live righteous lives, love other believers, avoid a life of sin, and do not love the world.
Those born of God cannot make sin an addictive practice in their lives. As a believer, one’s desires change to live God sincerely and endeavor from the heart to please God and avoid evil. It is accomplished only through the grace given to believers by Christ through a sustained relationship with Him and a dependence on the Holy Spirit. However, people who profess with their lips to be new converts but do the opposite by giving themselves to the world’s lifestyle demonstrate that they are still unregenerate children of Satan. Similar to one born of the Spirit by receiving the life of God, they can choose to break a relationship with Christ and thereby die spiritually because of ungodly choices and unrighteous living. Therefore, the refusal to follow the Holy Spirit extinguishes the life of God in the believer’s soul and causes spiritual death and exclusion from God’s kingdom.
The new birth cannot equate with the physical, for God’s relationship with the believer is a matter of the Spirit rather than flesh. Therefore, the physical tie of a father and child can never be null and void. However, the spiritual bond between God and man can be. Why? Spiritually, it is voluntary and not indissoluble during our probationary time on earth. That relationship remains conditional and based on our faith in Christ throughout our earthly existence, faith demonstrated by lives of sincere love and obedience.