Jerry Shugart
Well-known member
Calvinist Thomas R. Schreiner wrote that "human beings enter into the world condemned and spiritually dead because of Adam's one sin."
According to the theory of Original Sin all people emerge from the womb spiritually dead. However, let us look at the following verse:
"He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5; NIV).
Joseph Henry Thayer says that the Greek word translated 'rebirth' "denotes the restoration of a thing to its pristine state, its renovation."
The word "rebirth" is translated from the Greek word paliggenesia, which is the combination of palin and genesis.
Palin means "joined to verbs of all sorts,it denotes renewal or repetition of the action."
According to BDAG, palin refers "to repetition in the same (or similar) manner, again, once more, anew of something a pers. has already done."
Genesis means "used of birth, nativity."
So when we combine the two words the meaning is a repetition of a birth. Therefore, when Paul used the Greek word translated "rebirth" to describe his salvation experience he was speaking of a repetition of a birth.
It is obvious that the reference is not to a "physical" rebirth, or the repetition of one's physical birth. Paul could only be speaking of a repetition of a spiritual birth. And the words that follow make it certain that the "birth" of which Paul is referring to is a "spiritual" birth--"renewal of the Holy Spirit."
Since the renewal of the Holy Spirit is in regard to being made alive spiritually then the previous birth of the Spirit must also be in regard to being made alive spiritually by the Holy Spirit. In other words, since a person is "rebirthed" by the Holy Spirit then that means that one must have previously been born of the Holy Spirit. That happens at conception.
In the following passage Paul speaks of being "alive" before he sinned:
"For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me" (Ro.7:9-11).
Paul is not speaking of "physical" death because he was alive physically when he wrote those words. He is speaking about breaking one of the Ten Commandments (v.7) and it was that which resulted in his "spiritual death."
In his commentary on this passage John A. Witmer writes, "As a result Paul 'died' spiritually (cf. 6:23a) under the sentence of judgment by the Law he had broken...so this sin deceived him...and 'put' him 'to death' (lit., 'killed' him), not physically but spiritually."
A persin must be alive spiritually before he can die spiritually.
According to the theory of Original Sin all people emerge from the womb spiritually dead. However, let us look at the following verse:
"He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5; NIV).
Joseph Henry Thayer says that the Greek word translated 'rebirth' "denotes the restoration of a thing to its pristine state, its renovation."
The word "rebirth" is translated from the Greek word paliggenesia, which is the combination of palin and genesis.
Palin means "joined to verbs of all sorts,it denotes renewal or repetition of the action."
According to BDAG, palin refers "to repetition in the same (or similar) manner, again, once more, anew of something a pers. has already done."
Genesis means "used of birth, nativity."
So when we combine the two words the meaning is a repetition of a birth. Therefore, when Paul used the Greek word translated "rebirth" to describe his salvation experience he was speaking of a repetition of a birth.
It is obvious that the reference is not to a "physical" rebirth, or the repetition of one's physical birth. Paul could only be speaking of a repetition of a spiritual birth. And the words that follow make it certain that the "birth" of which Paul is referring to is a "spiritual" birth--"renewal of the Holy Spirit."
Since the renewal of the Holy Spirit is in regard to being made alive spiritually then the previous birth of the Spirit must also be in regard to being made alive spiritually by the Holy Spirit. In other words, since a person is "rebirthed" by the Holy Spirit then that means that one must have previously been born of the Holy Spirit. That happens at conception.
In the following passage Paul speaks of being "alive" before he sinned:
"For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me" (Ro.7:9-11).
Paul is not speaking of "physical" death because he was alive physically when he wrote those words. He is speaking about breaking one of the Ten Commandments (v.7) and it was that which resulted in his "spiritual death."
In his commentary on this passage John A. Witmer writes, "As a result Paul 'died' spiritually (cf. 6:23a) under the sentence of judgment by the Law he had broken...so this sin deceived him...and 'put' him 'to death' (lit., 'killed' him), not physically but spiritually."
A persin must be alive spiritually before he can die spiritually.
