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.

 1.  Repentance.  The Bible says that repentance leads to life (2^nd Corinthians 7:9-10).  And it is not something we can do of ourselves.  It is a gift of God, granted unto us (Acts 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25).

2.  Faith.  Faith is not something inherently in man.  We are born spiritually dead.  Unable to come to God (Ps. 14:3; 1^st 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; 2^nd 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; 1^st 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; 2^nd 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; 2^nd 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; 1^st Cor. 15:1; 1^st Cor. 1:21; 1stPeter 1:23)