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2 Peter 1:3–8
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (vv. 3–4).
Yesterday we noted that the timing of God’s work of regeneration remains mysterious, meaning that we cannot pinpoint exactly when a person’s heart has been changed by God to trust Him and love Him. We cannot even do this for ourselves and our own experience of new life in Christ. Yet our inability to pinpoint the exact moment of regeneration does not mean that the Lord has left us in complete ignorance about its timing. Scripture does give us some information on this subject. We know from the Bible where regeneration belongs in the ordo salutis—the order in which God applies the benefits of salvation to us. Regeneration, as Dr. R.C. Sproul frequently reminded us, precedes faith in the order of salvation.
When we talk about the order of salvation, we are not necessarily talking about a chronological order. Chronologically speaking, the moment of regeneration can occur so close to the point at which we first exercise saving faith that we cannot really distinguish them. So when we say that regeneration precedes faith, we are not necessarily saying that regeneration takes place one second, one minute, or one day before we trust in Christ. God has not revealed to us the timing of regeneration in that chronological sense. Yet Scripture’s teaching requires us to affirm that regeneration comes before faith. Jesus says in John 3:3 that we cannot see the kingdom of God without the new birth of regeneration, and if we cannot see the kingdom of God without being born again, we certainly cannot enter it by faith without being born again beforehand. New spiritual life—including love for and trust in the Savior—flows from the new birth, not the other way around. It is possible that regeneration and our act of faith happen at the same time chronologically, but in terms of a logical progression, regeneration comes first.
Other passages likewise assume that regeneration precedes faith and, indeed, the entire Christian life. Notice, for instance, in 2 Peter 1:3–8 that the Apostle speaks of all godly virtues as coming after we have escaped the corruption of the sinful world. God first breaks the power of sin, which prevents us from trusting in Christ, then we believe in Him, and then we grow in virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. The Lord does not remove the presence of sin immediately, but He does cleanse us so that we can trust in Christ and fight wickedness.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Christians still sin, but fundamentally we are cleansed and renewed in regeneration. If we have trusted in Christ, we should see ourselves as such and live as people who are clean because of the Holy Spirit’s work. We have been washed thoroughly by God, and while there will be need for ongoing repentance, let us never forget who we are in Christ and the power for holy living that He has granted.
For further study
- Ezekiel 37:1–14
- Romans 6
- 1 Timothy 1:15–17
- 1 John 1:8–9
The bible in a year
- Zephaniah 3–Haggai 2
- Revelation 16