Yes, Tony Jones, we have a New Nature.

Paliggenesia

It means new birth. It means reproduction, renewal, recreation, regeneration.

Recently, our radio show , My co-host Rusty Beals gave a testimony of His conversion, and how God changed Him. (this starts about 33 minutes into the show)Tony dismissed the fact that his very nature had been changed by God out of hand. I quoted a number of verses, and Tony Jones called that doing violence to the Bible. But the theme of regeneration- God giving us a new nature-Paliggenesia- is seen throughout the New Testament.

It appears in a famous verse in the New Testament, Inspired by God, penned by Paul, who spoke at length of his own new nature, and the new nature that one experiences as a Christian.

Titus 3:5
he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

A little context? Okay…

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We were once this- foolish, disobedient, slaves to passions and pleasures, filled with malice and envy, hated and hating. We were heirs of wrath

Now we, despite our worst and our best efforts, according to God’s mercy he saved us- saved us from the penalty of sin, but also gave us new birth, a re-creation, a re-generation. It is even more clear in Ephesians 2:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following m the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses,

made us alive

together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

So…those who are Christians before they were saved were-dead in trespasses and sin, we were following the course of the world-we were followers of Satan-following the Spirit of the sons of disobedience. We were trapped- like Rusty described- by passions of the flesh and in carrying out the desires of body and mind. Now here is the key phrase: We were, like the rest of mankind, BY NATURE, children of wrath.

But God is rich in mercy- even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins- MADE US ALIVE! raised us up- and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that he might in the coming ages demonstrate the immeasurable riches of His grace.

Death to life-children of wrath to children of God- followers of Satan to followers of God…
No ontological change? Huh?

How about Romans 6?-
Old nature in BOLD
New nature in italics

6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died a has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

No ontological change? No change in attitude about sin? Huh? We have been baptized into Christ- into His death, and raised up again with him. Now we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Our old self is brought to nothing. Our wages of sin have been paid, and now we can experience eternal life in Christ Jesus.

How about 1 Corinthians 5?

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Pretty cut and dry….no ontological change? God is lying through Paul?

Well…since the women in my church do not wear head coverings, this verse is not to be taken literally…HOGWASH!

again, in verse 21:

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God performed this amazing feat: He placed the consequences of my sin on Christ, and poured on Him the wrath for all sin- past present and future- so that we might have a change of nature- literally becoming the righteousness of God.

No ontological change? Yes Tony, God does give us a new nature.

God gives us the grace of repentance, the grace of faith, so that we can be born-again, and become the righteousness of God.

~ by pastorboy on May 20, 2009.