What Is Regeneration and When Does It Occur?
Upon placing our faith in Christ, we experience both justification and regeneration. Within Christian theology, there is considerable debate regarding the timing of regeneration, whether it occurs before or after faith or baptism. However, I believe that Scripture clearly indicates that we are regenerated, raised, made alive, or born again through faith in Christ. While the concept of regeneration can be found throughout Scripture, the Greek word "palingenesia," meaning "regeneration," appears explicitly in only two verses. Although I will briefly touch on the subject of baptismal regeneration where relevant, my primary focus here will be on refuting the idea of pre-faith regeneration. For a fuller discussion of baptism and its relation to salvation, you can refer to my article, “ Baptism: A Deep Dive Into Its Role In Salvation .” Matthew 19:28 The first explicit use of the word "regeneration" appears in Matthew 19:28, where Jesus says, “Truly I say ...