Baptism & Regeneration

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Jonah Saller
PO Box 363
Ingleside, IL 60041-0363
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[ryandawson]

A great book is by a man by the name of David Pawson called “the normal Christian birth. “It is really awesome.

[ryandawson]

This is so good. It is both and. Then people can actually not run away from scriptures such as Mark 16:16, John 3:5, act 2:38, 22:16, Romans 6–3:6, one Corinthians 6:11, Galatians 3:27, Colossians 2–11:12, James 2:7, 3:5, one Peter 3–20:21, etc. So many Evangelicals run away from or twist these texts, in order to make them merely symbolic and representing of something when in fact, the Holy Spirit of God is working through faith.

[ryandawson]

I like it. We have been regenerated, we are being regenerated, and we shall be regenerated. David Pawson has a really good understanding of this.

[MissingTrails]

I think that the broader issue at hand is the difference between two paradigms: those Christian traditions which stress a moment of salvation, and those Christian traditions that do not. I grew up in American non-denominational evangelicalism, which most certainly stressed a moment of salvation. I remember praying the sinner's prayer on my bed at night when I was maybe nine years old. I was validly baptized at age twelve, but my motivation for getting baptized no longer makes sense to me. My dad probably thinks I was saved earlier that year, at an alter call.

Am I a Christian today? Yes. But I am also becoming a Christian. It is not unlike the "already but not yet" eschatology of the coming of the Kingdom of God. As Christians, we may experience salvation in different ways. There are some who can point to a day, even an hour, when they knew they were saved in Christ. There are some, like myself, who look over their past and cannot find any moment of salvation. We cannot find our assurance in a moment. Then where does our assurance come from? The sacraments, Christ visible signs to us of His work in our lives. That does not mean it is impossible to take the sacraments in an unworthy and dishonest manner, and thereby treat them as gambles and utilities rather than sacred signs. However, that possibility of misuse does not invalidate their proper use, any more than a foolhardy Vegas wedding invalidates holy matrimony.

[ryandawson]

Yes, and amen. I believe the Lord can regenerate through repentance and faith, obviously, through the word of God, through baptism, etc. I believe act 2:38 is the full kingdom package. Of course I’m a Pentecostal, so there you go. I also believe baptism should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that’s what Matthew 28:19 is meaning in that, it is one particular name in the Greek. Then, when we see through the acts and the epistles that when baptism is mentioned, we are always identified with Jesus Christ, so that’s where I am with that. I believe regeneration consists of repentance, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, baptism in his name, and the infilling of his spirit, as well as our sanctification and glorification. I do not believe that if someone could not get to the water or if they were not properly instructed, and didn’t understand that they would be lost, but neither do I believe that baptism is optional, and just an added extra that is only symbolic.

[ryandawson]

Question. Is there any substantial difference in between regeneration and sanctification? Or not really?

Mr Jonah, I respectfully disagree to your perspective of regeneration which you claim is a process of life from salvation leading to glorification and a result of baptism .
Another word for regeneration is rebirth, related to the biblical phrase “born again.” Our rebirth is distinguished from our first birth, when we were conceived physically and inherited our sin nature. The new birth is a spiritual, holy, and heavenly birth that results in our being made alive spiritually. Man in his natural state is “dead in trespasses and sins” until he is “made alive” (regenerated) by Christ. This happens when he places his faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:1).
I'm not contending about our process of sanctification but our regeneration In regeneration, God implants a new heart—together with a renewed will, affections, and desires—in the elect to enable them to walk in a manner pleasing to Him. Regeneration is, therefore, one of the saving benefits of redemption purchased by Christ and applied by the Holy Spirit. If a person professes to be a Christian but has not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, he or she is not a true believer. I believe the spiritual birth is a one time at the point of conversion. Thank you.