God’s Plan of Salvation has many integral parts. Included are grace and regeneration. This daily devotional looks at what those aspects interconnect with morals.
Nuggets
- Regeneration allows grace to reside in our hearts.
- Because God has shown us repentance, we are called to fulfill the good works that He has in our plans.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Moralities Lead to Godliness series
Manton made a really interesting statement when he was concluding the The Moralities of Christianity sermon. He wrote, “These things grow from that internal principle of grace which is planted in our hearts by regeneration (Acts 26:20; Matthew 3:8).
Resources
Morality comes from grace, which comes from regeneration? Hmmm. Let’s see if we can figure out the progression.
Let's Put It into Context
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy — dwell on these things” (Phil. 4: 8 CSB)
The definition of moral, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior.” Morality, then, is “a doctrine or system of moral conduct.” When it is the plural form — moralities — it is a “particular moral principles or rules of conduct.”
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Our morals determine our character. Character, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation.”
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Grace is a free and unmerited gift from Heavenly Father given through His Son, Jesus Christ that enables salvation and spiritual healing to believers by the work of the Holy Spirit. Because of God’s infinite grace, He devised the Plan of Salvation that made Jesus our Redeemer in order to forgive us of our sins.
Regeneration is the change in us that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit when we go from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive. Spiritual death is the separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin. The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
What Role Does Regeneration Play?
“Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance” (Ac. 26: 20 CSB)
Regeneration allows grace to reside in our hearts.
Regeneration is all about being a new creation. One of the best examples of that in Scriptures is Paul.
Glossary
Person of Interest
Regeneration is all about being a new creation. To get the full picture, we have to look back to when he was called Saul.
“Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest” (Ac. 9: 1 NLT).
Saul had to have made good on at least some of his threats. Remember how scared Ananias was when God sent him to go see Saul? “‘But Lord,’ exclaimed Ananias, ‘I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name’” (Ac. 9: 13-14 NLT).
Yeah, this is the person who became the Energizer Bunny for God.
Which comes first: regeneration or repentance? Repentance is acknowledging our separation from God and expressing sorrow for breaking God’s laws and commandments by making the commitment to changing ourselves through obedience so that we no longer do the wrong things.
I would say that repentance has to come before regeneration, but it is one of the multi-step words. Just as regeneration is a we-were-changed, we-are-being-changed, we-are-gonna-be-changed word, repentance has at least two levels.
We have to be repentant when we go to God to ask for salvation. Salvation is deliverance from evil and the consequences of sins to replace them with good and eternal life.
Glossary
But it isn’t a once-and-done event. Turning away from our sin is a life-time choice. We have to choose daily to not give in to temptation.
Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings. Temptation is a suggestion in our mind that would lead us to sin rather than following God’s Will. It is also that period of time between conception and execution of doing what is sinful.
Glossary
We are going to get it right sometimes, but other times, we are going to sin. We will still need to repent throughout our lifetimes.
Plumptre also thought there were three stages of salvation. He saw them as
- Repentance
- Turning to God
- Doing good works.
Plumptre felt the repentance had to be more than just sorrow over the consequences we would incur if we didn’t repent. It has to be more than our just wanting fire insurance.
It has to be a true turning our backs on sin. This brings in faith and justification.
Faith is the conviction that the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, even if we do not understand all aspects of them, a belief which impacts our lives. Justification is the act through the merits of Christ that makes us free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws. Jesus justifies us when we put our lives in His hand.
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Glossary
Spurgeon brought up a great point. Just because we will continue to repent doesn’t mean we should take our time doing it. He wrote, “Changes of mind such as are necessary to conversion had need be quick when sin is to be forsaken, for every moment deepens the guilt.”
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I get what Spurgeon is saying about the guilt. I just think he could have made a different argument.
When we don’t repent, that means we continue to have sin in our lives. That doesn’t work.
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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” (Rom. 6: 1-4 ESV).
Sin puts a wall between God and us. We need to diligently work to tear down those walls, not lollygag around until we deem we can give up the sin.
We’ve got to come to God with a true confession of faith. If we say the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, we have to say all sin is wrong, and we want nothing to do with it. Just as we can’t pick and choose what is and isn’t a sin, once we decide to accept the gift of salvation, we can’t pick and choose when we are going to repent.
We can’t be a regenerated new creation when we are hanging on to old sin.
What Are Fruits Consistent with Repentance?
“Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance” (Mt. 3: 8 CSB)
Because God has shown us repentance, we are called to fulfill the good works that He has in our plans.
This verse was used as Plumptre’s third stage of spiritual life. It pulls in sanctification. In fact, Plumtre said doing works “… are the elements of a progressive sanctification.
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Glossary
You see, our commitment to God has to be so sincere that we produce fruit. Hughes said that “… it should permeate the entire constitution of man. … The whole of man should be completely melted by repentance, so as to be purged of all the cross of sin and be remodelled by the plastic influences of God’s Spirit, and made to bear anew the Divine image.”
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We aren’t going to witness if we haven’t really given our all to God. If we don’t totally believe in His Word, we aren’t going to be believable when we present how wonderful God is.
But let’s look at it another way. Hughes said it was a molding energy. South said that is because repentance is a purifying energy, “… a cleansing virtue …”
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Repentance can’t be a single act. There is so much sin in us — and the continued opportunity to sin — that it is going to take a while for us to cut it out of our lives.
Besides, we are working to change our nature. We talked before about that being more than just changing our character. Sin is an inner instinct that we are trying to root out.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
We are to become pure, as God is pure. That means having His character, His morals.
Making the Connections
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2: 8-9 ESV)
God calls us to salvation by His grace but bestows the full measure of His grace only on His children.
Um, Manton. Didn’t you miss something? You said that morals “…grow from that internal principle of grace which is planted in our hearts by regeneration …” But then you didn’t say a word about grace!
Let’s roost on the grace-comes-after-regeneration part.
- “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4: 16 ESV).
- “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Ti. 2: 11-14 ESV).
- “Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (II Tim. 1: 9 ESV).
- “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Eph. 4: 7 ESV).
- “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” (Ac. 15: 11 ESV).
- “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring — not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” (Rom. 4: 16 ESV).
Salvation comes from the grace of God. Because of His grace and mercy, we can approach His throne.
But we can’t approach God’s throne unless we are sincere in ABCDing. Not just anyone has access to Him. His children do; His creations don’t.
Glossary
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
So, I am thinking the grace is there because the Plan of Salvation is offered — we just have to accept it. When we do and He regenerates us to be His children, then He gives us the full measure of grace. (Most likely, it is a package deal that is pretty much instantaneous.)
The trigger is faith. “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring …” He only offers it to those who are willing to submit to Him.
How Do We Apply This?
Back to morals. I really like the thought that they aren’t morals. Really, they are spiritual graces.
They are God’s character, which we are to imitate. God is going to help us be successful in becoming like Him when we are sincere.
Go be sincere today.
Heavenly Father. Through Your grace, You have made a way that we can have our relationships with You restored. However, You save the full measure of Your grace for those who submit to You. You regenerate us when You except our repentance. Help us to grow in Your grace and Your character. Amen.
What do you think?
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