When we are saved, God’s grace brings to us several
things. I borrowed eight of nine of these from
a sermon I heard from Pastor Piper. He
was stating it in a slightly different way than I was thinking about it, but
these eight points (along with the ninth that Piper did not mention) are
the foundation for my this idea. So I think
it is fair to borrow them from Piper.
Anyways, when saved, grace grants unto us several actions
that take place in our soul. These
combined cause the born-again experience.
Do they all come at once and at the same time? Or are they simultaneously experienced in
concurrent fashion? I’m not sure. One thing I know, we get them all at the new
birth. Whether they are in order and at
exactly the same time, I cannot tell.
Like a dead body being brought to life.
As the electricity of resuscitation hits the body, does the heart beat
first, or do the synapses of the brain trigger first? Do the nerves fire, does oxygen move in the
blood, does the blood flow, in particular order, or do they all happen simultaneously? I do not know. But I do know that all are needed for life,
as it is in our born again life. All nine of these items are needed for new life (there may be more, these are the nine that came to mind).
Let me list them.
2. Faith. Faith is not something inherently in man. We are born spiritually dead. Unable to come to God (Ps. 14:3; 1st Cor. 2:14). Faith must be granted
to us through grace (Eph. 2:8; Rom. 10:17; Gal. 3:23, 25)
3. Regeneration. We are brought back to spiritual
life. God grants this to us through
Jesus Christ! (John 11:25; John 3:8; 2nd Cor. 5:17; 1 Peter 1:23)
4. Forgiveness. God grants unto us the forgiveness of
our sins by His loving mercy in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 1:7; Acts 10:43; Acts 2:38; Acts 26:18)
5. Reconciliation. We are brought near to God through the
blood of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:13; 1st Tim. 2:5; 2nd Cor. 5:20)
6. Justification. We are made right with God by the blood
of Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1; Rom 9:30; Rom. 3:22; 2nd Cor. 5:21)
7. Adoption. We are brought into the family of God by
Jesus Christ! (Rom. 8:15; Eph. 1:5; Gal. 4:5-7; John 1:12)
8. Sanctification
leading to glorification. Gods
Spirit has come and dwelt in us and will produce a life of progressive
holiness. (Eph. 2:10; 2nd Thes. 2:13; Rom. 6:6; Heb. 13:12)
9. Eternal
Life. We are born again with an
everlasting life! (John 3:36; John 3:16; Rom. 6:23; John 5:24)
So, when a person is born again, these nine graces are given
unto them. They were dead. Unable to do any of these. Unable to achieve them of themselves. These where and are works of grace, given
solely by the merciful work of our Father, by the work of His Son Jesus Christ,
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Unto these once dead creatures, God brings repentance from
the past life and sin. He grants faith in
His Son Jesus Christ and regenerates the once dead heart and spirit back to
life! He forgives us of our sins and
draws us back into fellowship with Himself!
He declares us righteous in His Son and adopts us as His own
children! He begins a work of guaranteed
sanctification and ultimate glorification, and grants unto us eternal
life! Do these items of grace occur in
this order? Or do they all occur simultaneously? I cannot tell. But what I do know is that they are ALL gifts
from God, given at the moment of rebirth, and in fact are the CAUSE of the new
birth! Praise God for His mercy and
grace!
*One precursor to add to this. God precedes these acts of grace, with one
other act of grace. The preaching of His
Word! It is through the Word that He
initiates and brings these acts of grace by the power of His Holy Spirit!* (Rom.10:17; Rom. 1:16; 1st Cor. 15:1; 1st Cor. 1:21; 1stPeter 1:23)
