Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig.

Today, the Doctrine of Salvation, Part 10.

For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonablefaith.org.

Today we begin a new subsection in our discussion of the doctrine of salvation on

regeneration or the new birth.

What do we mean when we talk about regeneration or being born again?

Regeneration can be defined as the act of the Holy Spirit whereby one becomes spiritually alive and a child of God.

The new birth is mentioned in the New Testament in a couple of places. For example, John chapter 1, verses 12, and 13 is an

important passage. John says, but to all who received him, that is Christ, who believed in his name,

he gave power to become children of God, who were born not of blood

nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Here John refers to that supernatural birth whereby one becomes God's child. As you're probably aware,

over in John chapter 3, we have a long discourse on the new birth between Jesus and Nicodemus,

a Pharisee. Let's turn then to John 3 and read John 3 verses

one in following. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

This man came to Jesus by night and said to him,

Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that

you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered him, truly, truly, I say to you,

unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time

into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is

born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is

flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.

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