Regeneration, while sometimes perceived to be a step in the ('order of

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

'), is generally understood in

Christian theology Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...

to be the objective work of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

in a believer's life. Spiritually, it means that God brings a person to new life (that they are " born again") from a previous state of separation from God and subjection to the decay of death ( Ephesians 2:5). Thus, in Lutheran and Roman Catholic theology, it generally means that which takes place during

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

. In

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

(Reformed theology) and Arminian theology, baptism is recognized as an outward sign of an inward reality which is to follow regeneration as a sign of obedience to the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

; as such, the Methodist Churches teach that regeneration occurs during the new birth. While the exact Greek noun for 'rebirth' or 'regeneration' () appears just twice in the

( Matthew 19:28 and Titus 3:5), regeneration in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

is held to represent a wider theme of re-creation and spiritual rebirth, including the concept of "being born again" ( John 3:3–8 and 1 Peter 1:3; regeneration is also called the "second birth"). In some schools of Christian thought, it is held that when a person expresses belief in Jesus Christ for their salvation, they are then born of God, "begotten of him" (1 John 5:1). As a result of becoming part of God's family, the person becomes a different and new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).

New Testament references

Matthew 19:28 is translated in many English translations of the Bible (such as in the Geneva Bible,

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...

, and American Standard Version) as Jesus referring to "the regeneration". The New International Version refers to "the renewal of all things" and the English Standard Version refers to "the new world". In Titus 3:5, the writer of the epistle refers to two aspects of the mercy which God has shown believers, "the washing of regeneration (i.e.

) and renewing of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

Historical interpretations

Anglican Bishop Charles Ellicott notes the "wide range" of meaning: in Titus 3:5, "the word ... is applied to baptism, as the instrument of the regeneration or new birth of the individual believer", but "there is to be a 'new birth' for mankind as well as for the individual". However, much of the historical theological interpretation of "regeneration" has focused on ''individual'' renewal, as shown in the following theological schools of thought:

Baptismal regeneration , Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

and

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

theology holds that "baptism confers cleansing of riginalsin, the infusion of regenerating grace and union with Christ." Official Roman Catholic teaching specifically states that regeneration commences with

General evangelicalism

During the period of the Great Awakening, emphasis in

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

theology began to be placed on regeneration as the starting point of an individual's new life in Christ.

Pelagianism

Pelagius Pelagius (; c. 354–418) was a British (Celtic Britons, Brittonic) theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius was accus ...

believed that people were born pure, with God's spirit already at work, making the need for spiritual regeneration from a previous sinful state irrelevant. Since Pelagius, modernist

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

has seen regeneration as more a matter of education than spiritual renewal.

Calvinism and Reformed theology

Reformed theology Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

teaches that regeneration precedes faith through the

doctrine Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...

of Total depravity. Before regeneration a sinner is dead and until the sinner is regenerated and given a new nature, the sinner cannot believe.

characteristically views baptism as an outward sign of God's internal work, as

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

stated: “all who are clothed with the righteousness of Christ are at the same time regenerated by the Spirit, and that we have an earnest of this regeneration in baptism.” Regeneration is further described as the "secret operation of the Holy Spirit."

Arminianism

Arminian theology teaches that the first steps are taken by God in the form of prevenient grace. Arminians differ from Calvinists in affirming that God's grace is resistible. "When our wills are freed, we can either accept God’s saving grace in faith or reject it to our own ruin." When someone believes, it is not grace which makes one to differ from another person, but the freed response to exercise faith to accept that grace. According to Classical Arminians if a person is regenerated it is due to that person's response to grace with faith alone; if a person is rejected, it is due to that person's choice alone. Prevenient grace is appropriated or rejected before regeneration; those who do not reject it come into the light by grace in concert with their freed will operating synergistically. After a believer has under the influence of prevenient grace made the faithful decision to follow Christ, God regenerates them spiritually. In contrast to

, which teaches that regeneration is the decree of God, Arminianism teaches that a sinner must repent and place their faith in Christ as the condition to regeneration and, in this manner, regeneration is by faith, not by decree. Wesleyan–Arminian theology teaches that the New Birth contains two phases that occur together, justification and regeneration:

Quakerism

The Central Yearly Meeting of Friends, a Holiness Quaker denomination, teaches that regeneration is the "divine work of initial salvation (Tit. 3:5), or conversion, which involves the accompanying works of justification (Rom. 5:18) and adoption (Rom. 8:15, 16)." In regeneration, which occurs in the New Birth, there is a "transformation in the heart of the believer wherein he finds himself a new creation in Christ (II Cor. 5:17; Col. 1:27)."

Citations

General and cited references

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External links

* {{Christian Soteriology Christian personal development Christian soteriology Christian terminology