Regeneration, while sometimes perceived to be a step in the Ordo salutis ('order of salvation'), is generally understood in Christian theology to be the objective work of God in a believer's life. Spiritually, it means that God brings Christians to new life from a previous state of subjection to the decay of death (Ephesians 2:4).[1] While the exact Greek noun palingensia ("rebirth" or "regeneration") appears just twice in the New Testament (Matthew 19:28 and Titus 3:5), regeneration represents a wider theme of re-creation and spiritual re-birth.[2] Furthermore there is the sense in which regeneration includes the concept "being born again" (John 3:3-8 and 1 Peter 1:3).[3]
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Regeneration is a topic that is one of the key elements of the Christian faith. It is through regeneration, or rebirth, that an individual is able to become one with Christ. Galatians 3:28 states that “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” By saying that we are all one, what is meant is that the individual identities that we are categorized in go away once we put faith is Jesus Christ. This is because Christ came to earth and lived a perfect life, then died for our sins and conquered death by rising from the dead so that we would not have to die for our transgressions, and spend an eternity in hell. So what does it mean to put faith in Christ? Putting faith in Christ means that you trust him with your life, leaving your past ways of life behind, hence the term rebirth. What happens when you are reborn? There are a number of things that happen when a person is reborn. First, they receive forgiveness of their sins, and are seen as blameless in God’s eyes. Ephesians 1:4 states that “God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” We are only seen as faultless when we are “in Christ”, or we put our faith in Christ and believe he died for our sins. The second thing that happens to someone who experiences regeneration through Christ is that they become a new person. 2 Corinthians explains this concept by saying that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun”. Because we have put our faith in Christ we have a new way of thinking, a new of acting, and a new way of viewing the world. Many times when someone has given their life to Christ, others around them will see a complete change in the person. This is because, as stated earlier, their life been renewed, and they view life through the eyes of Christ because that person and Christ has become one. The next thing that happens to a person who undergoes regeneration through Christ is that they become apart of the body of Christ. No matter the individual’s background, social class, economic income, or race, once they give their life to Christ, they become apart of the body of Christ, meaning they have the same identity as other believers. An example of this that further explains this concept can be found in 1 Corinthians 12:13, which says, “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But, we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit”. The Final aspect of regeneration I will discuss is how someone receives the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sort of like a stamp from God the claims you are His’. Ephesians 1:13 says that when we believed in Christ “he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit”. In verse 14 it goes on to state “the Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he purchased us to be his own people”. The Holy Spirit was sent to earth so that those who believed in Christ, and trusted their life in him would not forget what had been promised to them, which is eternal life. It dwells within a believer and is constant reminder that God is with them.
Lutheran and Roman Catholic theology holds that "baptism confers cleansing of [original] sin, the infusion of regenerating grace and union with Christ."[4] Official Roman Catholic teaching specifically states that regeneration commences with baptism.[5]
During the period of the Great Awakening, emphasis in Protestant theology began to be placed on regeneration as the starting point of an individual's new life in Christ.[6]
Pelagius believed that people were born pure, with God's spirit already at work, making the need for spiritual regeneration from a previous sinful state irrelevant.[7] Since Pelagius, modernist theology has seen regeneration as more a matter of education than spiritual renewal.[8]
Reformed theology views baptism as an outward sign of God's internal work. So, for example, the French Protestant reformer John Calvin describes regeneration as the "secret operation of the Holy Spirit." [9]
Arminian theology holds that after a believer has made the faithful decision to follow Christ, God regenerates them spiritually.[10]
This table summarizes the classical views of three different Protestant beliefs.[11]
| Topic | Lutheranism | Calvinism | Arminianism |
| Justification | Justification of all of his people completed at Christ's death | Justification is limited to those predestined to salvation, completed at Christ's death | Justification made possible for all through Christ's death, but only completed upon placing faith in Jesus |