The Process Of Regeneration

Minister Monardo · Jul 16, 2026

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Is regeneration instantaneous, or a process of the inner working of the Holy Spirit?

The idea that being regenerated at conversion is another questionable interpretation of scripture,
along the lines of "working out your salvation". A person must be saved to have the Holy Ghost,
Who does the work in us as we do the work preordained by God.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

In other words, I would say "if someone is saved and does nothing, they will limit
the regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
For the perfection of the Saints is accomplished in Fellowship.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

To be saved and do nothing is a dead faith!
Faith without works is salvation without the full regeneration by sanctification in Christ.
We do not "allow the Holy Spirit to change us", we obey the Holy Spirit,
and do work befitting repentance for salvation.
The Holy Spirit can transform us into the image of Christ in accordance with the good,
acceptable and perfect will of the Father.
Regeneration does not simply perfect individuals,
it is the perfection of the relationship among imperfect people!

Philippians 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect:
but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended
of Christ Jesus.

On earth, as it is in heaven
2 Corinthians 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man is perishing,
yet the inward is renewed day by day.
5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God,
a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Working out our salvation is a daily practice, and to neglect so great
a salvation risks a loss of rewarded inheritance.

2 John 1:8 Look to yourselves, that you do not lose those things we worked for,
but that you may receive a full reward.

Closing Exhortation
Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly,
that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works.
These things are good and profitable to men.

bling · Jul 16, 2026

It is up to us to not quench the Spirit and thus go about doing our selfish desires. Love grows with use, but unused it can wither away with time.

NewLifeInChristJesus · Jul 16, 2026

Minister Monardo said:
Is regeneration instantaneous, or a process of the inner working of the Holy Spirit?

The idea that being regenerated at conversion is another questionable interpretation of scripture,
along the lines of "working out your salvation". A person must be saved to have the Holy Ghost,
Who does the work in us as we do the work preordained by God.

In other words, I would say "if someone is saved and does nothing, they will limit
the regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
For the perfection of the Saints is accomplished in Fellowship.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away (Present Passive Indicative Third Person Singular). 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed (Present Passive Indicative First Person Plural) into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Co 3:16–18)

Why do you suppose that the translators added "being" to the second instance of the present tense verb above and not the first? Answer: It was probably to support the common notion that sanctification is an ongoing process that slowly over time transforms our likeness into the likeness of Christ. If the translators were consistent, they would have added "being" to the first instance also, translating it as, "When one turns to the Lord, the veil is being taken away". This would also indicate a progressive unveiling of people to the glory of the Lord over time as they are being transformed into the image of Christ. However, they were precluded from doing this in the first instance because it is clear that the veil is completely removed when a person turns to Christ because verse 18 says our faces are (completely) unveiled. What the translators should have done is leave out the word "being" in the second instance so that people would not be confused about the meaning of the verse.

So, no, the the transformation that takes place when Jesus comes to live in a person's heart is not progressive. We are presently new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). We are not "becoming" new creatures. Old things have already passed away, and all things have already become new, and we are standing in that newwness of life right now (2 Cor 5:17). The new man is a created being, he is created according to God, and he was created in "true righteousness and holiness" (Eph 4:24).

fhansen · Jul 18, 2026

Right, and he could also return to the pigsty if his desire for God wanes, outweighed by those other, temporal desires that seek to tempt and draw us all away.

We know this because the change is not so complete or all-at-once in believers-and we know that because all continue to sin.

Minister Monardo · Jul 18, 2026

NewLifeInChristJesus said:
The new man is a created being, he is created according to God, and he was created in "true righteousness and holiness" (Eph 4:24).

Isaiah 28:13 But the word of the LORD was to them,
“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little,”
That they might go and fall backward, and be broken
And snared and caught.

The context of a citation proves and removes the errors formed
by “here a little, there a little” theology with a noble and good heart.

Ephesians 4:
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called
in one hope of your calling;
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ;
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer
walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which
grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God,
in true righteousness and holiness.

Putting on the New Man is a process:
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

After the spiritual rebirth and receiving the Holy Spirit, nothing prevents
someone from continuing in “dead works”.
Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The part about becoming a servant is a stumbling block for most,
which is why “many are called, and few are chosen” to be numbered
among the Elect.
Romans 6:
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey,
you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death,
or of obedience leading to righteousness?
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God,
you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.\

Time and time again, I have witnessed people who are willing to skip Romans
chapter 6 and go straight to Romans 8 and claim the finished work, in spite of
the many ifs that are found there.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
His Spirit who dwells in you.

You cannot bypass discipleship, abiding and overcoming to receive the full reward.
2 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

The Saints retain their free will to offer themselves unto the Master.
Romans 12:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

NewLifeInChristJesus · Jul 20, 2026

Minister Monardo said:
Isaiah 28:13 But the word of the LORD was to them,
“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little,”
That they might go and fall backward, and be broken
And snared and caught.

The context of a citation proves and removes the errors formed
by “here a little, there a little” theology with a noble and good heart.

How is this an answer to the statement in Ephesians 4:24 that the new man "was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness"?

Minister Monardo said:
Ephesians 4:
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called
in one hope of your calling;
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ;
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer
walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which
grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God,
in true righteousness and holiness.

Putting on the New Man is a process

There is a new man, and there is an old man. They do not blend into one over time and neither changes nature over time. The old man grows corrupt over time and the new man matures over time. And the "process" that drives maturity is that we make an identical choice every day (and many times each day) to turn away from the lusts that come from the flesh and to serve Him in the newness of life that Jesus created when He came to live in our hearts. In other words, we are not working hard to become His children. We are already His children.

Minister Monardo said:
:
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

How does John's statement about his role becoming subservient to Jesus' role relate to the conversation about progressive regeneration? Maybe you're saying it's allegorical, meaning that John recognized that he was going to become a new creature bit by bit as Jesus grew in stature in his mind?

Minister Monardo said:
After the spiritual rebirth and receiving the Holy Spirit, nothing prevents
someone from continuing in “dead works”.

This is a strange concept. When you reference spiritual birth and receiving Jesus into our hearts, it sounds like you are embracing the idea that we are new creatures in Christ at the onset of our new lives in Christ. But then you immediately abandon it for the opposite point of view (i.e., that "the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph 4:24) might be "continuing in dead works"). It seems like in the first instance you are pointing to the new man but in the second to the old man.

Do you make any distinction between a person who is "in the flesh" and a person who is "not in the flesh" per Romans 8:9?

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (Ro 8:9)

Minister Monardo said:
Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The blood of Christ cleanses our consciences from dead works so that we might serve the living God without fear. This serves as a sure and steadfast anchor for our souls (Heb 6:19). It has nothing to do with progressive regeneration.

Minister Monardo said:
The part about becoming a servant is a stumbling block for most,
which is why “many are called, and few are chosen” to be numbered
among the Elect.

I don't know how this relates to progressive regeneration.

Minister Monardo said:
Romans 6:
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey,
you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death,
or of obedience leading to righteousness?
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God,
you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.\

Time and time again, I have witnessed people who are willing to skip Romans
chapter 6 and go straight to Romans 8 and claim the finished work, in spite of
the many ifs that are found there.

The verses you quoted above are among many in Romans 6 that are premised on "the finished work". For example, Romans 6:11 says we should consider ourselves as "dead to sin" and "alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord". It's not a call to consider ourselves to be something we are not. It is a call to think of ourselves as who we have become in Christ because we died from sin (vs 2), we were baptized into Christ and into His death (vs 3), we were burried with Christ and were raised with Him to walk in the newness of life and in the likeness of His resurrection (vs 4-5), our old man was crucified with Him and we were released from being slaves of sin (vs 6), we are free from sin (vs 7). And it is clear in Romans 6:22 that we "have become slaves of God" and currently have our "fruit to holiness" and in the end "everlasting life".

Minister Monardo said:
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
His Spirit who dwells in you.

This promise of resurrection at the end of our physical lives is secured by the fact that the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in our hearts and He is the One who will raise us from the dead when the time comes. I don't see how this relates to progressive regeneration.

Minister Monardo said:
You cannot bypass discipleship, abiding and overcoming to receive the full reward.
2 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

The Saints retain their free will to offer themselves unto the Master.
Romans 12:
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

It is true that if we walk in lock step with Jesus as He leads, guides, directs, corrects, and comforts us from the intimacy of our own hearts, we will automatically deny the flesh what it wants and as a result we will enjoy the fruits of the Spirit and not suffer the fruits of the flesh (Gal 5). None of this points to progressive regeneration.

BBAS 64 · Wednesday at 1:22 PM

Good day,

Eze 36:25 And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them.

Yuppers... instantly and the results ( His intentions) can not thwarted,

God does the sprinkling , the cleansing the giving, the removing, the putting and the causing.

Because of the verbs that God does we are effected and the result is we walk in his statues keep his ordinances.

He causes us to believe and repent both are the direct result of "being Born again" ( Regeneration).

REGENERATION is inseparable from its effects and one of the effects is faith. Without regeneration it is morally and spiritually impossible for a person to believe in Christ, but when a person is regenerated it is morally and spiritually impossible for that person not to believe. Jesus said, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me” (John 6:37), and he was referring in this case surely to the giving of the Father in the efficacious drawing of the Father mentioned in the same context (John 6:44, 65). Regeneration is the renewing of the heart and mind, and the renewed heart and mind must act according to their nature.....John Murray

In Him,

Bill

CaspianSails · 2026-07-28T00:25:35-0500

fhansen said:
Right, and he could also return to the pigsty if his desire for God wanes, outweighed by those other, temporal desires that seek to tempt and draw us all away.

We know this because the change is not so complete or all-at-once in believers-and we know that because all continue to sin.

CaspianSails · 2026-07-28T00:30:06-0500

In the believer Paul compared sin to a parasite where sin arose unbeconned and undaunted by the believer. What is the implication of this?

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The Process Of Regeneration

Minister Monardo

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bling

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NewLifeInChristJesus

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fhansen

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Minister Monardo

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NewLifeInChristJesus

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BBAS 64

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CaspianSails

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