Regeneration - a New Disposition
A Sermon on Regeneration
Originally preached Feb. 12, 1954
Scripture
Sermon Description
How does God remove sin and make a person new? In this sermon on regeneration, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that it is the result of the work of God’s Holy Spirit applying the work of Christ to the hearts and minds of those that are called according to His will. When people are granted the gift of God’s grace by the work of the Spirit, they are transformed and renewed. They are new creatures and part of the new creation that Christ has brought and will bring. The transformation that is brought about by regeneration does not change the substance of people, but it renews their minds and gives them new desires. These new Spirit-gifted dispositions result in a new life. This is the life of the Christian who seeks to love God and their neighbor. It causes them to love new things that they once despised, and it causes them to hate old things that they once loved. This is brought about by the sovereign work of God in the life of sinners that He chooses to renew and adopt into His family. This work cannot be directly perceived, nor can it be understood fully, but it is the beginning of the new life. It is a rebirth that wholly and completely reorients the will and desires of a once sinful people. It is the fountainhead of the new life in Christ.
Sermon Breakdown
- The work of redemption was completed by Jesus Christ but must be applied to individuals by the Holy Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit's first work is to ensure the message of redemption is preached and offered to all in a general call. This results in some believing and some not believing.
- For those who believe, the call becomes effectual due to the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes the general call personally effective in the lives of believers.
- Regeneration refers to the implanting of new spiritual life in an individual by the Holy Spirit. It results in a radical change of the governing disposition of the soul.
- Regeneration is not:
- A change in human nature's substance or raw material
- The introduction of a new physical seed or germ of life
- A complete change of the whole nature of man
- Man becoming divine or God
- An addition or subtraction from the faculties of the soul
- Moral reformation
- Regeneration is the implanting of a principle of new spiritual life and a radical change in the governing dispositions of the soul.
- Regeneration changes a person's fundamental disposition, not their faculties. A person's gifts and personality remain but are redirected.
- Because the disposition is changed, the whole person is affected in principle. The way a person uses their mind, heart, and will is changed.
- Regeneration is instantaneous. There are no intermediate stages. Life is either implanted or not.
- Regeneration happens in a person's subconscious or unconscious. It is a secret and inscrutable act that cannot be fully perceived or understood. We only know it has happened because of the resulting change in our consciousness.
- Regeneration is a sovereign act of God in which man is passive. It is not of man's will, blood, or flesh but of God. Man contributes nothing.
Sermon Q&A
Key Questions from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Regeneration
What is regeneration according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, regeneration is "the implanting of new life in the soul." More specifically, he defines it as "the act of God by which a principle of new life is implanted in men, with the result that the governing disposition of the soul is made holy." It's not a complete change of human nature but rather a fundamental change in the disposition that governs how we use our faculties.
How does regeneration differ from conversion?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones clearly distinguishes between regeneration and conversion. Regeneration is something done to men by God, while conversion is something that men do. As he explains, "When a man converts himself or turns, he is giving proof of the fact that he is regenerate." Conversion follows regeneration - the change in a person's outward life and behavior happens because of the prior change that God has made within them.
What terms does the Bible use to describe regeneration?
According to Lloyd-Jones, the Bible uses several terms to describe regeneration: the word "regeneration" itself (found in Titus 3:5 as "washing of regeneration"); terms that mean "to beget" or "be born" (John 1:13, John 3:3-8, 1 John); terms that convey "bringing forth" (James 1:18); words that mean "creating" (Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15); and the word "quicken" (Ephesians 2:5, Colossians 2:13).
What changes occur during regeneration?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that regeneration involves a change in the "disposition" of a person - not a change in the faculties of the soul themselves. The disposition is what's behind the faculties and governs them. When this disposition is changed, it affects how a person uses their mind, heart, and will. He illustrates this with Paul's conversion - Paul had the same abilities before and after conversion, but his disposition completely changed.
Is regeneration gradual or instantaneous?
According to Lloyd-Jones, regeneration is instantaneous. He compares it to generation (conception), which happens in a moment: "There is a moment, a flash, in which the germ of life enters, impregnates, generates, that's one action, instantaneous." He emphasizes that "there are no intermediate stages in regeneration. Life is either implanted or it isn't."
What role does man play in regeneration?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones is unequivocal that regeneration is "a creative act of God in which man is entirely passive and contributes nothing, nothing whatsoever." He cites John 1:13 which states that believers are born "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Man is completely passive in the process of regeneration.
How does the Holy Spirit's work in regeneration relate to Jesus's explanation to Nicodemus?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus as providing insight into the mysterious nature of regeneration. Jesus compared it to the wind - you can see its effects but can't see the wind itself or understand exactly how it works. Lloyd-Jones explains that regeneration happens in the "subconscious" - it's a "secret operation... an inscrutable operation... an operation that cannot be directly perceived by us."
Why is the doctrine of regeneration so important?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that "this doctrine plus the doctrine of the atonement are incomparably the most important doctrines of all." He believes many people struggle with other doctrines because they haven't clearly grasped regeneration. He says, "If we only grasp this clearly, most of the other problems, it seems to me, solve themselves."
Great Biblical Doctrines
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.