“Regeneration through the Spirit”
“Gospel People” — Week 4 Reflection
The Work of the Spirit
In many ways this week’s chapter echoes some of the conversation we had on this week’s “ON SUNDAY” episode of the Canby Christian Church podcast. In that discussion, we ruminated on how our participation in the Great Commission demonstrates belief and faith. In chapter 4 of “Gospel People – Regeneration by the Spirit” Michael Reeves urges us to consider a third perspective of our salvation. The Father plans or salvation, the Son accomplishes our salvation, and finally, the Spirit applies our salvation by giving us life anew.
A truly saving faith fills us with the Spirit and regenerates our hearts. Our actions and desires flow from that new heart. As Reeves writes, "The Spirit is not the add-on of the gospel. Without him, the gospel does nothing to us.” Though we will discuss the problem with being too individualistic in our mindset about the gospel, the gospel is a supernaturally personal thing. Just as Martin Luther described hating the righteous God before his conversion. Loving God is not something we can muster up in our hearts on our own. Love for God is placed there by the Spirit upon our conversion.
A Renewed Heart
Anyone who knows me well knows I can be a bit hard on myself. I often say, “I don’t feel like a new creation.” I have to simply believe what the Bible says about me is true. However, I can put aside my own self-esteem issues long enough to look back over my life and see that though I am not sinless, I sin far less than I used to. More importantly than that, I desire to sin less than I used to. The only explanation to that is that my heart has be renewed and regenerated. The things I love are far different than what my pre-converted heart loved. The things that give me the most pleasure are far different than the pleasure I used to seek. The things I hate and am disgusted by were once things my fallen heart tolerated, or worse, delighted in.
This is a crucial process to being Gospel People. This is a change that is not rooted in any rules, expectations or social pressures on how to behave. This change is fully rooted in the heart. It’s the only type of life change that actually matters for the Christian. Anyone can fake actions for a period of time, only a regenerated heart and a new life given by the Spirit can live a continually sanctified life over the long haul (or as Eugene Peterson stated, a long obedience in the same direction.)
The Spirit Working through the Church
I guess the only thing I wish Reeves would have commented on further in this Chapter is the role that church can play in both seeking this type of life for the Christian and preserving this type of life in the church body as a whole. This is exactly why we do membership the way we do at Canby Christian Church. When we affirm someone as a Christian and covenant with them in membership, we have a lengthy discussion with people to discern if there is evidence of regeneration in this person's life. We take this part of each person’s conversion seriously. Knowing that we can’t know someone’s heart with certainty, we still want to do our best. The goal is that an unconverted person would not have any false assurance and that the converted person would have an ever fuller assurance by the affirmation of this Christian community.
