God Has Regenerated Us according to His Great Mercy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bible Verses~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1Pet 1: 2 Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father in the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and
the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and
peace be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has
regenerated us unto a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Words of Ministry~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From 1:3 we see that the Father has not only chosen us, but has
also regenerated us. In 1:1 through 3 we have four actions in
the following sequence: choosing, sanctifying, redeeming, and
regenerating. In eternity past God chose us, selected us. Then
His Spirit came to us to separate us. Following that, we
received the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, the
application of His redemption. At the very moment we were
sprinkled outwardly by the blood, we were inwardly regenerated
by the sanctifying Spirit. Therefore, following God's choosing,
the Spirit's sanctifying, and Christ's redeeming, we were
regenerated.
Regeneration, like redemption and justification, is an aspect of
God's full salvation. Redemption and justification solve our
problem with God and reconcile us to God. Regeneration enlivens
us with God's life and brings us into a relationship of life, an
organic union, with God. Hence, regeneration issues and results
in a living hope. Such regeneration takes place through the
resurrection of Christ from among the dead. In His resurrection
He imparted the divine life into us and made us the same as He
is in life and nature. This is the basic factor of our
regeneration.
To be regenerated is to receive another life, the divine life,
in addition to the human life. We all received the human life
from our parents. But because of God's choosing, the Spirit's
sanctifying, and Christ's redeeming, God begets us, regenerates
us. As a result, we have a second birth. Through regeneration
God the Father imparts the divine life into us. Therefore, the
first birth was the birth of our human life, and the second
birth, the birth of the divine life. We all have been born of
the divine life. This is what it means to be regenerated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry. Bible verses are taken from
the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry, from
Witness Lee, Life-study of First Peter, pp. 24-25. Both are
published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA.
Please visit us at www.emanna.com
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Message Date: 03/29/2008
