You Must be Born Again

Sermon Text

ephesians 2:1-10

2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

• Human beings are spiritually dead in trespasses and cannot give themselves new life; regeneration is God's gracious act of making sinners alive together with Christ.
• The new birth joins a believer to the risen Christ, so Christian life and hope flow from his resurrection rather than from personal strength or a dramatic experience.
• The Holy Spirit renews the whole soul—mind, will, and affections—so that a person can believe, love God, and obey him from a changed heart.
• Faith is the first act and fruit of this new life, not the cause of regeneration; salvation therefore leaves no room for boasting.
• The Spirit ordinarily uses God's living Word to bring life and continues producing the fruit of a new creation in those whom God has made alive.
• Assurance should rest on God's promises and work rather than on the intensity of one's emotions or ability to identify an exact conversion moment.

• Am I trusting in God's work in Christ, or in the strength of my own decision, emotion, or religious experience?
• What signs of renewed desires, choices, and affections has the Spirit produced in my life?
• How does Christ's resurrection give present spiritual life as well as hope for the future resurrection?
• When assurance feels weak, do I return to God's promises or keep measuring the intensity of my feelings?
• Why can faith be called the fruit of regeneration rather than its cause?
• How am I placing myself under the Word through which the Spirit ordinarily works?
• What old patterns of sin need to give way to walking in the newness of life God has given?
• How does salvation by grace alone protect me from both pride and despair?

Regeneration

The Holy Spirit's act of giving spiritual life to a sinner who was dead in sin; it is also called being born again.

Union with Christ

The real, spiritual bond by which believers share in the life and benefits of the crucified and risen Christ.

Effectual calling

God's powerful call by his Word and Spirit that brings a sinner to embrace Jesus Christ by faith.

Faith

Receiving and resting on Jesus Christ as he is freely offered in the gospel; in the sermon, faith is the first fruit of new life rather than its cause.

Sovereign grace

God's undeserved favor exercised according to his own merciful purpose, not as a response to human merit or effort.

New creation

The believer's renewed life in Christ, with mind, will, and affections redirected toward God.

Assurance

A believer's settled confidence in salvation grounded in God's true promises and accompanied by the Spirit's fruit.