After Regeneration
Regeneration is a begetting relationship between God and man, where God's life is mingled with the believer's spirit, resulting in eternal life and salvation forever.
Watchman Nee emphasizes the transformative power of regeneration through faith in Jesus Christ, explaining that when a sinner believes in Him, they are spiritually reborn and receive eternal life. This regeneration establishes an unbreakable relationship between God and the believer, akin to that of a father and son, ensuring that once saved, a believer remains saved forever. Nee highlights that the Holy Spirit enters the believer's spirit, mingling God's eternal life with theirs, which cannot be lost. He contrasts the believer's former state 'in the flesh' with their new identity 'in the spirit,' affirming that this new birth is a divine act of God through the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the believer's spirit is alive because of righteousness, despite the body's mortality due to sin.
Text
"For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14), and God "was manifested in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). This One, dying on behalf of men and bearing the judgment on all sins, became a sacrifice for sin. When a sinner believes that the Lord Jesus has died for him and has become his Savior, he is regenerated (John 3:16).
The minute he believes, the Holy Spirit enters into his spirit to regenerate him. The eternal life of God is mingled with his spirit, and he has eternal life. Regeneration is a begetting relationship between God and man. This relationship can never be annulled. For example, when a father begets a son, regardless of what he becomes or what his son becomes, the relationship--that his son has been begotten of him--can never be annulled. A believer, who is regenerated, is saved forever.
Although he may fall, he still has eternal life. This begetting relationship can never be dissolved. Moreover, God's life has already been mingled with his spirit. He will lose his life only when God's life dies. If God's life can never die, his eternal life can never be lost. Formerly, he was "in the flesh" (Rom. 7:5). Now he is "in the spirit" (8:9). In this way, he is "begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). He is also "born from above" (John 3:3, lit.) and "born of the Spirit" (3:6).
He is born of God because God's life is mingled with his spirit. He is born from above because this life comes from heaven. He is born of the Spirit because regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit. Now "the Spirit of God dwells in you [in your spirit]" (Rom. 8:9). Through this Holy Spirit, Christ also dwells in us. Hence, "though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness" (v. 10).
Sermon Outline
- Regeneration Defined
- The Nature of Regeneration
- The Result of Regeneration
- The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
- The Holy Spirit dwells in the believer's spirit
- Christ also dwells in the believer through the Holy Spirit
Key Quotes
“The Word became flesh” — Watchman Nee
“For example, when a father begets a son, regardless of what he becomes or what his son becomes, the relationship--that his son has been begotten of him--can never be annulled.” — Watchman Nee
“Though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness” — Watchman Nee
Application Points
- Recognize that regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit, and it is a begetting relationship between God and man.
- Understand that eternal life is a gift from God, and it can never be lost.
- Realize that regeneration changes a person's nature from being 'in the flesh' to being 'in the spirit'.