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Essay / The Biblical Doctrine of Regeneration
The Biblical doctrine of regeneration has suffered at the hands of its enemies as well as its friends. His enemies marketed the doctrine in the 1970s after a secular Southern Baptist running for president of the United States announced that he was a "born-again Christian." Soon after, many products on the market were described as "born again." Love songs spoke of feelings akin to being “born again.” Actors and athletes were considered "born again" in their respective careers when they made a comeback of one type or another. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayMore tragic than that, perhaps, is the treatment that the biblical doctrine of regeneration has received from its " friends” declared. , it seems that differences in theology or even theological systems depend on how key words are understood. Regeneration is an example of these terms being used in different ways. Some groups want it to serve as a framework covering the entire Christian experience. Others limit it to a two-tiered approach: presumptive or promised regeneration at infant water baptism and full regeneration some time later in life. Still others limit their understanding to an instantaneous act of new birth that occurs in the moment of faith. The common understanding of regeneration is a new birth. That is, the moment an individual believes in Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit places a human spirit inside the individual, which is their potential location for storing doctrine and the ability to have temporal fellowship with God. The Holman Bible Dictionary defines regeneration as the radical spiritual change in which God brings an individual from a condition of spiritual defeat and death to a renewed condition of holiness and life. The biblical doctrine of regeneration emphasizes God's role in bringing about this spiritual change. Another word for regeneration is rebirth, hence the phrase born again..