Regeneration & Conversion¶
We've crafted an unofficial, source-cited, non-commercial index of Dr. R.C. Sproul's publicly available teachings, weighted by how many independent sources corroborate each point. The content is authored by Dr. R.C. Sproul and published by Ligonier Ministries (a few items are third-party YouTube re-uploads); see the Methodology & Rights page for more info. Quotations are brief, linked to their source, and reproduced for study under Ligonier's Copyright Policy (ligonier.org/copyright-policy). This site is humbly offered for personal use only, out of love and respect, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ligonier Ministries or St. Andrew's Chapel.
167 positions — 18 corroborated across multiple sources.
Well-attested positions¶
Independently stated in two or more of his messages.
The speaker personally experienced a powerful, lasting spiritual awakening upon conversion to Christ.
I know exactly what these men were talking about. I know that the day I was converted to Christ, my heart was set on fire, and to this very day, I have fire in my bones that will not quit.
Corroborated across 4 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 1:46 · The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier) · The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier) · The Road to Emmaus (Ligonier)
Genuine nonconformity is not merely being different, but requires internal transformation.
The key words in this beatitude are "for my sake." The nonconformity we are called to is not simply nonconformity for nonconformity's sake. Anyone can call attention to himself by being a maverick.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The World Is a Seducer (Ligonier article) · The Theater of God's Redemption (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 1:35
The speaker views abortion-on-demand as being more wicked than slavery.
Abortion-on-demand is far more wicked than slavery, and the present administration as I preach today has been totally committed to abortion-on-demand and even partial-birth abortion.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Birth of John the Baptist (Ligonier) · John Preaches (Ligonier) · Mary's Visit to Elizabeth (Ligonier)
The idea of spontaneous generation is flawed because it violates the fundamental principle that nothing can come from nothing.
It violates the most fundamental principle of science and philosophy: ex nihilo nihil fit , “out of nothing, nothing comes.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 33:49 · The Calming of the Storm (Ligonier)
Regeneration is defined as the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that changes the soul from spiritual death to spiritual life, while conversion is a result of that regeneration.
Regeneration is the work of God the Holy Spirit as He supernaturally and immediately changes the disposition of the soul from spiritual death to spiritual life. Conversion is a result of regeneration.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Holy Spirit in Regeneration (Ligonier article) · What’s the difference between regeneration and conversion? (Ligonier Q&A)
True transformation is achieved not through physical means, but through the renewal of the mind.
We don’t get the love of God from a hip replacement, a knee replacement, or even a heart transplant. The only way we can be transformed is with a renewed mind (Rom. 12:1–2).
Corroborated across 2 sources: Loving God with Our Minds (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
According to Jesus' teaching, regeneration must occur before a person can see the Kingdom of God.
Now what has to happen, according to Jesus, before a person can see the Kingdom of God? He has to be born again. So regeneration precedes seeing the Kingdom of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The New Birth (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 22:11
The purpose of regeneration is to bring the person to saving faith in Jesus Christ, giving them the certainty of that faith.
That is, when the Holy Spirit regenerates a human soul, the purpose of that regeneration is to bring that person to saving faith in Jesus Christ. That purpose is effected and accomplished as God purposes in the intervention. Regeneration is more than giving a person the possibility of having faith, it gives him the certainty of possessing that saving faith.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The New Birth (Ligonier article) · From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God (Ligonier)
The call to transformation does not mean withdrawing from society, but rather effecting change within the world.
The call to transformation does not mean withdrawal from the world. We need no more monasteries. We are to go beyond the forms of this world. We are to effect changes in the world.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The World Is a Seducer (Ligonier article) · The Theater of God's Redemption (Ligonier article)
Christians are called to be witnesses in the world and should not flee from it, but rather penetrate it with a new spirit.
We are called to be Christ's witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Jerusalem is in this world. Judea is in this world. Samaria is in this world. The ends of the earth are still on this earth. So we should not flee this world.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The World Is a Seducer (Ligonier article) · The Theater of God's Redemption (Ligonier article)
To be conformed to the image of Christ requires internal transformation, specifically regeneration by the Holy Spirit, not just behavioral adjustments.
And so what is required for us to be conformed to the image of Christ is not simply some small adjustments or behavioral modifications but nothing less than renovation from the inside, nothing less than regeneration, being made over again, being quickened by the power of the Spirit.
Corroborated across 2 sources: TULIP and Reformed Theology: Total Depravity (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 21:20
In historic Reformation thought, regeneration is understood to have logical priority over faith.
In historic Reformation thought the notion is this: That regeneratio precedes faith.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 23:55 · R.C. Sproul @ 0:13
The New Testament usage of the word 'generation' overwhelmingly and consistently refers to a group of people who are alive at the particular time.
But the usage of it in the New Testament overwhelmingly and consistently refers to a group of people who are alive at the particular time.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 16:50 · This Generation Will Not Pass Away (Ligonier)
The power of the flesh is broken and subordinate to the Spirit in regeneration, but the flesh is not completely destroyed at conversion.
That’s the struggle of sanctification, though the power of the flesh is broken and the power of the flesh is now subordinate to the Spirit to a very real measure in regeneration, the flesh, ladies and gentlemen, is not totally annihilated at conversion.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 16:08 · R.C. Sproul @ 3:12
To be regenerated means experiencing a supernatural transformation of the soul, moving from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.
What they mean by that is: “I really am a converted person. I’m not just professing faith. I’m not just a member of a church, but I have experienced the supernatural transformation of my soul, and I have been brought from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 2) (Ligonier) · Rebirth (Ligonier)
The speaker asserts that believers ought to baptize their babies, despite acknowledging the existential benefit of waiting until one is aware of their own faith.
Of all the doctrines that we wrestle with in the church, there is none I am more certain of than that we ought to baptize our babies. But the one thing I give my Baptist friends is the existential benefit of waiting to a later point when you are aware of your own faith and being immersed.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 1) (Ligonier) · Healing of the Leper (Ligonier)
Genuine conversion is not based on a mere profession of faith but requires the possession of genuine faith that fundamentally changes one's life.
I always say that we are not justified by a profession of faith but by possession of genuine faith. Anybody can say they believe and have their hearts tingling for a moment, but real conversion turns your life upside down.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier) · The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
Being born again by the Holy Ghost necessarily results in a changed person, making it impossible to be regenerated without transformation.
When you are born again by the Holy Ghost, you are a changed person. If you’re not a changed person, your conversion experience is false. You can’t be born of the Holy Spirit and not be a changed person—it is impossible.
Corroborated across 2 sources: New Wineskins (Ligonier) · The Parable of the Barren Fig (Ligonier)
Further positions¶
Drawn from a single high-trust (official transcript) source.
The miracle of transubstantiation is described as having two aspects: the substance changes, but the external qualities (accidens) remain the same.
While the substance of the bread and wine are changed to the body and blood of Christ, nevertheless, the accidens of bread and wine remain the same.
Source: The Battle for the Table (Ligonier article)
American culture has undergone a radical revolution, particularly in the sixties, which destroyed old taboos and shifted the view of chastity.
The cultural revolution of the decade of the sixties contained within it a major cultural upheaval with respect to sexual mores. The old taboos against premarital and extramarital sexual relationships were destroyed by the new sex ethic.
Source: Cultural Revolution (Ligonier article)
The divine announcement of the Savior's birth is presented as a gift for humanity, not an oracle of judgment.
The divine announcement is not an oracle of judgment but the declaration of a gift. The newborn King is born for us .
Source: The Glory of Christmas (Ligonier article)
God is fundamentally a calling God, demonstrated by His creation and His ongoing calls to humanity.
If the Bible teaches anything, it teaches that God is a calling God. The world was created through the call of the omnipotent Creator: “ ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” God also calls His people to repentance, to conversion, and to membership in His family.
Source: God’s Will and Your Job (Ligonier article)
The capacity for the specific kind of love described by John comes only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
The kind of love of which he speaks comes only from regeneration. Without the Holy Spirit’s transformation of the human heart, no one has this capacity for love.
Source: The Holy Love of God (Ligonier article)
The concept of a transcendent, self-existent, eternal first cause is necessary because alternative explanations, like spontaneous generation, are equally contradictory and irrational.
Throughout the Middle Ages, philosophers had not been able to gainsay the rational necessity of an eternal first cause, but by the time of the Enlightenment, science had advanced to such a degree that an alternative explanation could be used to explain the presence of the universe without an appeal to a transcendent, self-existent, eternal first cause or to God.
Source: In the Beginning... (Ligonier article)
Only those who have been born again are capable of confessing that Jesus is the Christ.
Only one who has been born again can confess that Jesus is the Christ.
Source: Jesus Christ, Anointed One (Ligonier article)
Non-regenerate Christians can still exhibit outward conformity to the laws of God, a concept termed civic virtue or civic righteousness.
The Bible acknowledges, for example, that one does not have to be a regenerate Christian to exhibit outward conformity to the laws of God.
Source: Love Beyond Performance: Why Virtue Without Love Is Worthless (Ligonier article)
Christians are called to work in areas of common concern, such as combating abortion and human rights violations, for the welfare of the entire human community.
For example, we march with the atheist and those of other religions to combat common evils such as abortion and human rights violations. These issues are not issues reserved for Christians but for the welfare of the entire human community.
Source: A Loving Provision (Ligonier article)
A person who is not genuinely converted cannot simply fall out of grace; rather, they were never truly converted in the first place.
It wasn't that Judas was genuinely converted and then fell out of grace and was lost; rather, although he was close to Jesus, he was never a converted man.
Source: Many Hear the Gospel with Joy but Don’t Continue in the Faith (Ligonier article)
Measuring spiritual reality, such as true conversion, is difficult because one cannot see the heart, leading people to count visible actions instead.
Anyone who has been involved in evangelism knows that we cannot see the heart, so the next best thing is to count the number of decisions that people make.
Source: Many Hear the Gospel with Joy but Don’t Continue in the Faith (Ligonier article)
God has the right to give a new name to a person after a profound struggle, signifying a permanent change.
He essentially says: “I’m going to give you a new name because God has the right to give a new name. In this combat, in this struggle that we’ve gone through here, I have touched you and I have changed you—permanently.
Source: The Many Names of God (Ligonier article)
The biblical concept of 'tradition' (paradosis) means the passing on of a gift, specifically the knowledge of God revealed in Scripture.
Literally, the meaning of “tradition” in the Scriptures is the passing on of a gift. The gift that is to be passed on is the gift of the knowledge of God, of what He has revealed about Himself in His Word, of what He inspired the prophets and Apostles to tell us in sacred Scripture.
Source: The Most Solemn Mandate (Ligonier article)
The work of regeneration is instantaneous, meaning a person is either born again or not.
When the Spirit changes the disposition of the human soul, He does it instantly. A person may not be aware of this internal work accomplished by God for some time after it has actually occurred. But though our awareness of it may be gradual, the action of it is instantaneous.
Source: The New Birth (Ligonier article)
The core difference between Reformed theology and semi-Pelagianism is that regeneration is a divine work that cannot be accomplished by man's own effort.
Regeneration, by being a supernatural work, is obviously a work that cannot be accomplished by natural man on his own. If it were a natural work, it would not require the intervention of God the Holy Spirit.
Source: The New Birth (Ligonier article)
Humans are born as children of wrath and can only enter God's family through adoption by faith in Christ.
Nobody is born into this world a child of the family of God. We are born as children of wrath. The only way we enter into the family of God is by adoption, and that adoption occurs when we are united to God’s only begotten Son by faith.
Source: The New Birth (Ligonier article)
The right to call God 'Father' is not natural but is a gracious privilege bestowed upon believers through adoption.
We do not have the natural right to call God “Father.” That right is bestowed upon us only through God’s gracious work of adoption.
Source: Our Father (Ligonier article)
Paul's conversion and subsequent theology demonstrate a radical transformation that is evidenced by his self-identification as a slave of Jesus Christ, not Gamaliel.
No, he says, “Paul, a bond slave of Jesus Christ.”
Source: Paul: A Servant of Jesus Christ (Ligonier article)
Modern pluralism is viewed as a departure from the original founding idea that used diversity to achieve unity under a transcendent being.
In our present concept of pluralism, we have taken a significant step away from the original idea upon which this nation was founded. Originally, the idea meant to take from the diversity or the plurality and to bring them together into harmony. Now, modern man is saying that he is cut off from God, cut off from the transcendent point of unity.
Source: Pluralism and Relativism (Ligonier article)
The current controversy regarding abortion is specifically about abortion on demand, not about situations involving rape or danger to the mother's life.
The issue today is over the question of abortion on demand. This issue has drawn sharp lines between people.
Source: Pluralism and Relativism (Ligonier article)
The unborn are denied the principle of self-determination, which is a right that even living people once lacked when they were totally dependent on others.
It is this principle of self-determination—having a say in my own condition and future—that is brutally denied to every unborn, aborted child.
Source: What Does “Pro-Choice” Mean? (Ligonier article)
Attempting to kill an offspring is not considered a responsible or moral way to handle the decision regarding reproduction.
To kill the offspring is hardly a responsible or moral method of handling this decision.
Source: What Does “Pro-Choice” Mean? (Ligonier article)
The ability to choose godliness or come to Christ is only possible through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.
Augustine was saying that apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit that God performs in the souls of the elect, no person in His own power is able to choose godliness, to choose Christ, or to choose the things of God.
Source: Radical Corruption (Ligonier article)
Regeneration is the initial step in redemption, and the new life that follows is a result of, but distinct from, the initial spiritual birth.
The fact that someone is a new person, a new creation, means that he has a new life, but his new life is not the same thing as his new birth. Rather, his new life is the result of his new birth, in the same way that each day of his life is the result of his physical birth.
Source: Regeneration: The Most Significant Beginning (Ligonier article)
Genuine nonconformity is not merely being maverick or dropping out, but requires internal transformation.
But authentic nonconformity rests on transformation. The Apostle Paul added a positive mandate to the negative prohibition. He said, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2).
Source: The World Is a Seducer (Ligonier article)
Jesus will reject those who claim to be part of His church but are not truly regenerated.
He will declare that they were never at any time part of His true church. “I never knew you.”
Source: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (Ligonier article)
A renewed mind, achieved through disciplined study, is the biblical definition of spiritual transformation.
Having a renewed mind is the biblical definition of spiritual transformation.
Source: The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article)
To be of the world means to conform to it, while dropping out of the world does not equate to transformation.
To be of the world is to be worldly. It is to conform to t his world. To drop out of the world is to be a nonconformist without transformation.
Source: The Theater of God's Redemption (Ligonier article)
The new earth will contain life-giving rivers and streams, but will lack the sea.
The new earth will have water. It will have a river. It will have life-giving streams. But there will be no sea there.
Source: There Will Be No Sea in the New Heaven and New Earth (Ligonier article)
Monergism means that the work of regeneration is solely God's power, not a combination of God's and man's power.
It means that the work of regeneration in the human heart is something that God does by His power alone—not by 50 percent His power and 50 percent man's power, or even 99 percent His power and 1 percent man's power. It is 100 percent the work of God.
Source: TULIP and Reformed Theology: Irresistible Grace (Ligonier article)
A fetus is considered a potential living human person and a developing person, not merely in a frozen state of potentiality.
Even if it cannot be proven that a fetus is an actual living human person, there is no doubt that it is a potential living human person. In other words, a fetus is a developing person.
Source: What Do We Mean When We Speak of the “Sanctity of Human Life”? (Ligonier article)
The miraculous birth of Christ occurred within an ordinary setting.
It is not unlike the way God sent His glorious Son to be born in an ordinary stable. There, the miraculous was born among the ordinary.
Source: What Was the Star of Bethlehem? (Ligonier article)
Reducing the meaning of circumcision in the Old Testament solely to ethnic or national characteristics is an oversimplification.
I think it would be a vast oversimplification to reduce the meaning of circumcision in the Old Testament simply to ethnic or national characteristics, a point which many Jews, in fact, did for which they received the scathing critique of the prophets and of the Apostle Paul himself in the book of Romans.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:38
God commanded Abraham to leave his familiar life and journey to a new land.
Abraham, get up and go forth from your country, from your relatives, from your father's house, and go to a land which I will show you, and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing and I will bless those who bless you, and the ones who curse you I will curse. And in you, Abraham, all of the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:14
The same power God uses in creation is the power He uses in redemption, which is invested in the baby in the manger.
But the same power that God unleashes in creation is that power that He visits this world with in His redemption and that He invests in this baby in the manger in Bethlehem.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:58
To be called Reformed means embracing distinctively Reformed creeds while also sharing a common evangelical heritage and a catholic foundation.
And so when we say that somebody is Reformed, we're saying all at the same time that that person embraces the distinctively Reformed creeds of history such as the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and so on. In addition they share a common evangelical heritage with other believers and the whole thing is based upon the catholic foundation.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:37
The affirmation of Jesus' virgin birth has been a central and essential article of Christian confession since the early church.
But from the earliest days in church history, the affirmation of the virgin birth of Jesus was central to the church's confession. I was just reading again in G.C. Berkhower's work the other day, called 'The Work of Christ.' That he said that, that from the first century through the nineteenth century it's been virtually a monolithic, non-negotiable article of confession of the Christian faith
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:00
Theologians historically viewed the virgin birth as having theological significance beyond merely confirming the apostolic witness.
But is there any theological significance to the virgin birth?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:13
Some people interpret the virgin birth as being primarily necessary to ensure Jesus was born without original sin.
So, some just simple see the explanation, the rational explanation for the virgin birth as being focused strictly in the whole question of Jesus being born with or without original sin.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:02
The New Testament calls believers not merely to be non-conformists for their own sake, but to be fundamentally transformed.
That’s not the non-conformity that the New Testament is talking about, but we read the rest of the verse and we see that we are not simply to be non-conformists for non-conformity’s sake, but we are to be transformed.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:15
The renewal sought by David is a transformation that originates from the center of the person and results in a new pattern of future behavior.
So the renewal that David is looking for is a renewal that'll come from the center of who he is, that will then give a whole new pattern of behavior for the future.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:52
Being regenerated means that a person is no longer in the flesh, and conversely, being in the flesh means one is unregenerate.
So if you are regenerate, then you are no longer in the flesh. If you are in the flesh, you are not regenerate.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 29:26
Even regenerated Christians are capable of committing serious sin and falling away from grace.
Even after we're regenerated we still lapse into sin, and not only into sin but into serious sin.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:51
The concept of a 'carnal Christian'—someone converted but who has not produced the fruit of repentance—is foreign to New Testament teaching.
And this whole idea of the carnal Christian, as being somebody who is truly converted but has never really brought forth the fruit of repentance, is as foreign to the teaching of the New Testament as it is new on the horizon of Christian thinking and Christian doctrine.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:17
The Christian life requires a radical departure from the world's standards and customs, calling for a completely different lifestyle.
Whereas the New Testament calls you to a completely different realm of behavior, a whole different lifestyle. Where the apostle says don't let fornication, for example, even once be named among you as befitting saints.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:23
Arius used the concept of 'begotten' to argue that Christ was not fully divine because anything that has a beginning in time is less than God.
He is the begotten Son of God, but he is not God; and he argued from the Greek language, that the language of the New Testament that describes God -- that describes Christ as being begotten, the language of Greek means there "to be, beget, or to happen," and it carries the implication, particularly biologically of that which has a beginning in time. And anything that has a beginning in time is less than God, because God has no beginning in time.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:39
To claim the universe was created by chance is equivalent to claiming it was created by nothing, which misuses the term 'chance'.
When you say to me that the universe was created by chance, you are saying the same thing as saying the universe was created by nothing, and you’ve taken a perfectly good word to describe mathematical possibilities and now informed it with magical power.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:20
Before rebirth, the heart is described as being calcified, inert, and like a stone.
Prior to rebirth your heart is calcified. It's reified. It is a thing without life, without pulsing and without movement. It's inert, like a stone.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:34
True spiritual renewal involves a transformation from an inert state to a living, beating, and pliable state.
It's inert, like a stone. And when God awakens you by His Spirit, that which was stone now begins to pulsate. It begins to beat. It becomes pliable and alive as a beating heart.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:49
The speaker suggests that when people argue for abortion rights, they are shifting the discussion from a legal right to a moral or ethical right.
I think what people mean (although I don't have an opportunity to question everyone who makes this argument) that every woman has a right to her own body -- I think what they mean by that is that every single woman in the world has the moral and ethical right to her own body.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:39
The struggle for spiritual growth is a warfare between the old, pre-regenerate self and the new life quickened by the Holy Spirit.
That's between the disposition of the heart of the old man. That's your pre-regenerate desires. When you are converted to Christ, you are not instantly cleansed of sin or healed of the desire and disposition for sin. That old man is putting up a death struggle now with the new man that has been quickened within you by the Holy Spirit.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:34
The human nature, even after regeneration, struggles with concepts that magnify God's sovereignty and minimize human contribution to salvation.
Minimizing the effects of the fall upon the human race is so deeply rooted in our nature that even after we’re regenerated, we still have to struggle with any concept that would magnify God and minimize our contribution to salvation.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Jacob's conversion did not happen during the initial encounter, but much later during a wrestling match with an angel.
But most historians and Old Testament scholars agree that his conversion does not take place here in chapter 28. It doesn't take place until later in chapter 32, which is only four chapters later, but it's several years later, where again God meets Jacob in the night in the form of an angel and there is a wrestling match, a titanic struggle that goes all night, a battle for the soul of this man, until finally when the dawn breaks, the angel of God prevails upon Jacob and leaves Jacob crippled, and Jacob finally surrenders.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:38
Christians are called to be transformed rather than conformed to the world's values.
Be not conformed to this world but be transformed.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:24
The key to a transformed life is the renewing of the mind through learning the Word and values of God.
The name of this radio program is taken from this text, Renewing Your Mind, because what Paul says is the key to the transform life is through the renewing of your mind. And that renewal of the mind means a mind that is learning the Word of God, the things of God, the values of God, that we might be the people of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:01
The term 'called' refers to those who are separated from fallen humanity to receive God's specific saving grace.
Those who experience being called out of, ek kaleo, who are called out of the world, who are separated from the mass of fallen humanity to receive the specific saving grace of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:18
The internal call is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that makes those formerly dead in sin alive, quickened, and able to hear and see.
Not just an external call that is heard with the ears, but it has to do with the supernatural work of God the Holy Spirit on the heart or on the soul by which those who formerly were dead in their sin and trespasses are now made alive, are quickened, and are given ears to hear and eyes to see what previously they were impervious to.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:58
The internal call from God results in the quickening of spiritual life and affection, transforming the heart.
He called me internally, and where my heart was hostile to him prior to that internal call, now he has quickened not only spiritual life, but religious affection.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:02
The Bible teaches that there is a continuity between prenatal and postnatal life.
I think the Bible does teach that there's a continuity between prenatal and postnatal life.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:40
The speaker believes that the biblical view that people are called 'children' before birth does not necessarily mean they are children at the moment of conception.
And even if we could say that the Bible teaches that they're children before they're born that doesn't mean that they're children at conception. It's not that clear.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:24
The speaker finds the account of Elizabeth speaking to Mary, where the baby in Elizabeth's womb leaps for joy, to be evidence that the fetuses were living human beings.
Elizabeth says to Mary that when Mary approached her having Jesus in her own womb, Elizabeth says that the baby in her womb leaped for joy. Presumably John the Baptist, whose vocation is to be a herald of the King, to point people to Jesus, responds to the conceived Jesus in the womb of his mother while John the Baptist himself is still in the womb of his mother; that there is recognition and reaction to Jesus by the Herald of Jesus while both are still in the womb.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:31
One simple and obvious line of demarcation for determining if a person exists is birth, when the infant is breathing on its own and is no longer dependent on the mother's nourishment.
One of the most obvious simple and easy lines of demarcation that we can ever find is birth, and many people say "There's no question about that. Once the umbilical cord is cut and that infant now is breathing on his own, is no longer dependent upon the nourishment system of his mother and is an individuated human being, then they're clearly alive."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:09
The most obvious point of demarcation where the process of a child's production begins is at conception.
But as I say the most obvious point of demarcation where the process of the production of a child begins is at conception.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:53
A fetus is not merely an undifferentiated mass of protoplasm, but rather a mass that is already genetically differentiated and possesses features like a heartbeat and brain waves.
It is not an undifferentiated mass of protoplasm. It is a mass that is already genetically differentiated and one that has a heartbeat and brain waves and so on.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:26
The discussion of life should not be diminished by using derogatory terms like 'sewage' to describe an aborted fetus.
Heard another person described an unborn baby that was aborted as simply so much domestic sewage. Now again, that is an intemperate, emotive statement that adds little to any sober discussion of when life begins. But if we're going to call an aborted fetus 'sewage' then this demeans the process that involves a beating heart.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:43
The natural development of a living human being begins at the point of conception.
We know this much for sure that at conception the natural development of a living human being begins.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:08
The difference between an unfertilized egg and a fertilized egg is the process of conception.
I said "The obvious difference is conception." That is a difference.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:33
Faith itself is a gift from God, resulting from regeneration, which changes the heart's disposition.
So what Augustine was saying to Pelagius, what Luther was saying to Erasmus, what Calvin was saying to the world, what Edwards was saying to Chancey, and what we're saying to our friends today is that faith itself is a gift that is given, and it is engendered in us by regeneration.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:23
The desire to come to Christ is a result of God's prior work of grace, which is why regeneration precedes faith.
But the reason I want to come to Christ is that because God has already done a work of grace in my soul. And without that work I would never have any desire to come to Christ. That's why we say that regeneration precedes faith.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:40
The concept of creation in the Hebrew word 'bara' inherently includes the idea of providence and sustenance.
In fact, we could use some illustrations here from the world of music, and we see that in the Hebrew concept of creation is built into it the idea of providence, the idea of sustenance, that what God creates He sustains.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:16
Redemption flows from creation, meaning that without creation, there is no possibility or hope of redemption.
If you have no creation, as the humanists, then in the first place you have no possibility of redemption, because frankly there is nothing of ultimate value to redeem.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:18
The speaker argues that while the unborn child is a victim, the mother who undergoes the moral struggle is also a victim.
But something is often overlooked in this trauma is that the unborn child is not the only victim. For every child who is killed in abortion, there's at least one other victim. It's the mother of that child.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:53
While natural brotherly love does not require regeneration, reaching the highest level of agape is a separate matter.
Now, obviously you don't have to be born again, you don't have to have a supernatural transformation of your character in order to experience brotherly love. There is a natural love that we can experience apart from our regeneration. But to move to the level, the highest level, of agape is another question altogether.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:31
The speaker experienced his conversion to Christianity in September of 1957.
Then in 1957, in September of that year, I had my conversion to Christianity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:39
The speaker argues that St. Augustine's view that sex in marriage was merely a necessary means for procreation is not found in Scripture but stems from ancient Greek and Oriental views that devalued physical things.
Now I'm persuaded that that viewpoint that even the great St. Augustine advocated is one that is found not in Scripture but has its roots in ancient Greek and Oriental views that depreciated the value of anything physical.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:42
The text describes a unique historical event where a woman would conceive a child while remaining a virgin.
At no time in the history of the world, however, had any woman ever had a child while she remained a virgin. This would be the first and last time in all history that such an event would take place.
Source: The Annunciation (Ligonier)
An unregenerate person cannot convert themselves; Christ enters the heart of the unbeliever without needing to knock.
When Jesus enters the heart of the unbeliever, He does not bother to knock. He comes in and opens the door for you.
Source: Asking & Knocking (Ligonier)
The term 'begotten-ness' refers to an eternal relationship, not a beginning in time.
In other words, the church acknowledged that the Bible speaks of the begotten-ness of Jesus, but that begotten-ness refers to an eternal relationship, an eternal begotten-ness set apart from any other kind of begotten-ness by the term monogenes .
Source: A Basket Case (Ligonier)
The story of Jesus' birth is not a fairytale but a historical account that establishes the Savior's entrance into the world.
This story does not begin with the words, “Once upon a time,” because this is no fairytale. This is sober history, announcing the entrance into this world of our Savior.
Source: The Birth of Jesus (Ligonier)
Christians who kept common names derived from pagan deities after conversion because those names no longer held religious or theological significance.
In the early church, Christians who were formerly known by common names derived from the divine pantheon of deities in paganism retained those names after their conversion because their origins no longer had any religious or theological significance.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
The speaker asserts that God hears the cries of the unborn, emphasizing the moral outrage over the destruction of life.
I know you get tired of my saying it, but sixty million unborn babies’ blood cries from the earth, and God hears every one of them.
Source: The Crucifixion (Part 1) (Ligonier)
A person cannot initiate or cause themselves to be born again; it is entirely a supernatural work performed by God.
But there is nothing you can do to be born again; God does it all, not 99 percent, but 100 percent.
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 2) (Ligonier)
A defective doctrine of regeneration is the belief that a person can be reborn without being fundamentally changed in their life and devotion.
It is a defective doctrine of regeneration in which people believe that you can be reborn and yet be unchanged.
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Because a person has been regenerated and justified, they are expected to live a life that reflects this new status.
Live like people who have a new life, because if you are regenerate, you have a new life, and if you are justified, you are a new creation.
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Being born of the Spirit means a person is no longer a slave to sin, even though they may still struggle with sins.
It is one thing to be a sinner; it is another thing to be a slave of sin. We all sin, but if we have been born of the Spirit, we are no longer slaves to that sin. We can no longer say to God, “I can’t help it. I’m dominated by the power of sin.”
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When a person comes to Christ and is born anew, the old life is put to death, resulting in a new existence.
Paul says: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” This is a strong statement to the effect that when we come to Christ, when we are born anew, the old man has been put to death.
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Believers must be careful not to confuse outward church membership with true spiritual regeneration.
Have you responded to the gospel, or have you hardened your heart and been satisfied with the outward appearance and respectability that goes with membership in the visible church?
Source: Eternal Appointment (Ligonier)
The speaker is convinced that Philip explained to the eunuch that baptism is the new sign of the covenant, replacing circumcision.
I am convinced he explained to the eunuch that just as circumcision was the sign of the covenant before Jesus, now the new sign of the kingdom of God and the new covenant was the sign of baptism.
Source: The Ethiopian Eunuch (Ligonier)
The practice of infant baptism has a long historical precedent that cannot be dismissed by taking a single verse out of its broader context.
There is clear evidence that for the first one hundred and fifty years of Christian history, the universal practice of the Christian church was infant baptism, which was not seriously challenged until fifteen hundred years later.
Source: The Genealogy of Jesus (Ligonier)
The calling Paul describes is a sovereign, effectual call that brings about what God designs, not merely an external invitation.
It is a sovereign call, an effectual call that brings to pass what God designs in the call.
Source: The Golden Chain (Ligonier)
Spiritual status is a binary condition, meaning one is either regenerated by the Holy Spirit or not, leaving no middle ground.
The sheep and the goats define those who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and those who are not, because you can’t be somewhere in the middle. You’re either born of the Holy Spirit or you’re still in the flesh—there is no middle ground.
Source: Good & Bad Fruit (Ligonier)
People are known as saved or unsaved, regenerate or unregenerate, by the fruit of their lives, not by their words.
How do you know whether you’re a sheep or a goat? How do you know if you’re saved or unsaved, regenerate or unregenerate? Our Lord told us the answer to that question: “You shall know them by their words.” That’s not what He said. He said, “You shall know them by their fruit.”
Source: Good & Bad Fruit (Ligonier)
Anyone who has true faith has been born again, and even if they sin, they are no longer a bondservant to sin.
Anyone who has true faith has been born again, and anyone who has been born again, though they may sin and fall, is no longer a bondservant to sin.
Source: The Gospel to Samaria (Ligonier)
True Christians are universally indwelt, baptized, and empowered by the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion, eliminating the concept of 'haves' and 'have-nots' among believers.
Anyone who is a Christian is born of the Spirit, indwelt by the Spirit, has been baptized by the Holy Spirit, and is empowered by God for ministry.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The gifts of the Spirit, including indwelling and empowering, are all given at conversion without any time delay.
the point is that all these gifts of the Spirit in terms of indwelling and empowering are given at conversion, with no time difference.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Before conversion, a person is not seeking God; rather, they are fleeing from God.
Prior to your conversion, you are a fugitive from God. You do not seek God; you flee from God.
Source: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
Paul's discussion of kinsmen according to the flesh (Israelites) contrasts with the spiritual adoption received by those converted to Christ.
But now he is talking about his original kinfolk, his blood brothers, his nation, his kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.
Source: Israel's Rejection of Christ (Ligonier)
The process of grafting the Gentiles into the olive tree is a matter of divine support, not the Gentiles' own strength.
But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The gentile converts had a duty to minister materially to the Jewish believers because they had been partakers of their spiritual things.
For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.
Source: From Jerusalem to Illyricum (Ligonier)
The biblical term for conversion is 'to receive' Christ, which means to embrace Him, and this is distinct from the modern, patronizing language of 'to accept' Him.
The language in Scripture is to “receive” Jesus. To receive Jesus is not the same as to accept Him. To accept somebody, in our modern language, is to tolerate him. To receive Him, in biblical categories, is to embrace Him.
Source: Jesus Rejected (Ligonier)
True Jewish identity and circumcision are not merely physical or outward, but are internal, residing in the heart and Spirit.
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
Source: The Jews Are as Guilty as the Gentiles (Ligonier)
A life that does not bear fruit from conversion is worthless and must be discarded.
The ax is at the root of the tree, and every tree that does not bring forth fruit is worthy of being cut down and thrown in the fire.
Source: John Preaches (Ligonier)
A key fruit of conversion is demonstrating compassion and helping others in need.
If you are a converted person, you cannot see somebody naked and fail to give them something to clothe them. If you saw somebody hungry, you would give them food.
Source: John Preaches (Ligonier)
One of the fruits of conversion is the commitment to ethical behavior, specifically not stealing from others.
So, beloved, one of the fruits of conversion is to not steal.
Source: John Preaches (Ligonier)
Modern neo-Pentecostalism has adjusted its understanding to view the baptism of the Holy Spirit as empowering Christians for ministry rather than guaranteeing immediate victory over sin.
It is only in recent times, in the advent of neo-Pentecostalism, that adjustments have been made to say that, no, what the baptism of the Holy Spirit really does is empower Christians for ministry rather than necessarily producing in them an immediate victory over all sin.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Based on a poll, many people who identify as born-again Christians hold theological views that contradict essential Christian doctrines, such as believing salvation comes through good works or affirming reincarnation.
The majority of those identifying themselves as born-again Christians said they believed people get into heaven through good works. A vast number of them affirmed reincarnation. More than half argued that there were several ways to God apart from Christ.
Source: Life in the Early Church (Ligonier)
True conversion is not guaranteed by merely responding to a sermon or altar call; genuine change may occur later.
Do you think I was really converted back then, thirty years ago, when I listened to that sermon and responded by walking down the aisle? Or do you think my real conversion came thirty years later?
Source: Life in the Early Church (Ligonier)
A person responding to an evangelistic call may have made a false profession of faith, suggesting that genuine conversion is not guaranteed by mere outward response.
So, I said, “In all likelihood, it’s more probable that you originally made a false profession of faith.”
Source: Life in the Early Church (Ligonier)
The speaker asserts that abortion-on-demand has become an established societal convention that is extremely difficult to reverse.
We have now established abortion-on-demand as a societal convention in our culture, which is almost impossible to overturn once it has been established.
Source: A Little Leaven (Ligonier)
Paul contrasts conformity to the world with transformation through the renewing of the mind.
Paul now contrasts conformity with transformation. We are to flee from one to the other. The first thing Paul says negatively regards what it means to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, “which is your reasonable service.” Here is what it does not mean: to be conformed to this world.
Source: Living Sacrifices to God (Ligonier)
Transformation is achieved through the renewing of the mind, which is the necessary first step toward a new life.
How? “By the renewing of your mind.” If you want a new life, if you want a transformed life, you first must have a new mind.
Source: Living Sacrifices to God (Ligonier)
While a changed mind is necessary for transformation, it is not sufficient; the heart must also be involved.
If it does not get to your heart, you will never be transformed.
Source: Living Sacrifices to God (Ligonier)
The process of becoming a transformed person involves thinking like Christ, which leads to a new mind, a changed heart, and finally, a changed life.
When we begin to think like Christians, we get a new mind. Out of that new mind, we pray that the heart will be changed. When the heart is changed, the life is changed, and we are a transformed people.
Source: Living Sacrifices to God (Ligonier)
Theologically, the seed falling on stony ground describes a spurious conversion, which is characterized by momentary joy that does not endure.
What I see here theologically is a vivid description of the spurious conversion.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
Human beings cannot enter the kingdom of God unless they are born again, a process that is a gift from the Father.
The Scriptures and Jesus, however, tell us clearly that unless a man is born again, he cannot even see the kingdom of God. He cannot enter the kingdom of God. Jesus told His disciples in John 6 that nobody can come to Him unless it is given to Him by the Father.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
True faith is impossible without prior regeneration, which is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.
The only people who ever embrace the Word of God are those who have first been changed by the Holy Ghost to receive the Word of God.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
The transfiguration is a favorite narrative for the speaker, second only to the resurrection.
However, very close to it on my list is the transfiguration, of which we’ve just heard.
Source: Transfiguration (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Mary's agreement to the miraculous birth was an expression of her submission to Gabriel's announcement, rather than an imperative that obligated the angel.
We looked at the last part of her response where she said, “So let it be unto me, even according to thy word.” That was not so much an imperative that the angel was obligated to obey but an expression of Mary’s submission to Gabriel’s announcement.
Source: Mary's Visit to Elizabeth (Ligonier)
The announcement of Jesus' birth in the New Testament was marked by songs originating from both heavenly and human sources inspired by the Holy Spirit.
His birth was announced by a choral from heaven and celebrated by human agents under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Source: Mary's Visit to Elizabeth (Ligonier)
True conversion involves a fundamental change in the person, and failure to change indicates a false conversion experience.
A dreadful teaching has spread throughout evangelical Christianity that you can become converted to Christ and never change. This “carnal Christian” idea is impossible. It is blasphemy.
Source: New Wineskins (Ligonier)
The preaching of major revival figures like Wesley, Whitefield, and Edwards shared a common theme: conversion.
If you study that period of church history and the preaching of John Wesley, George Whitefield, and Jonathan Edwards, you will see a common theme that runs through their preaching. It was the theme of conversion.
Source: The Parable of the Barren Fig (Ligonier)
False conversion is temporary and unproductive, failing to sustain life or bear fruit.
False conversions are like the seed that falls on the tiny bit of earth under which there is stone. It takes root for a second, but the roots don’t go deep enough to sustain life. It springs up quickly, but it withers and dies as soon as the sun comes up, bringing no fruit whatsoever.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
The true test of conversion is not the timing or manner of the experience, but whether the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart and whether the person bears fruit.
The question is not, “When and where were you converted?” but “Are you converted?” It is not about whether you answered an altar call, raised your hand, prayed the sinner’s prayer, or signed a card. Does the Holy Spirit dwell in your heart? Has your life been changed by the regenerating grace of God the Holy Spirit? The only test for that is whether you bear fruit.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
A genuine conversion experience is necessary and must be verified through self-examination to ensure one is truly in a state of grace.
We need to search our hearts to make our calling and election sure, lest we be deceived.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
A sudden, radical healing could be a threat to a man's established existence and dependency on others.
If, all of a sudden, Jesus makes him whole, that changes everything. No more handouts. No more assistance. He will have to be productive.
Source: The Pool of Bethesda (Ligonier)
Humanity receives the right to become children of God through belief in Jesus' name, a birth that is supernatural, not derived from human will.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Source: The Prologue of John's Gospel (Ligonier)
Being truly a Christian means one is necessarily regenerated, making the phrase 'born-again Christian' redundant.
The simple reality is that everyone who is truly a Christian is born again. There are no other kinds. There is no such thing as a non-born-again Christian or an unregenerate Christian.
Source: Rebirth (Ligonier)
Spiritual rebirth is a supernatural work accomplished by God's immediate power, which humans cannot perform themselves.
It is a supernatural work. It is done from above by the immediate power of God, and it is something that only God can do. You cannot make yourself reborn any more than Lazarus could have brought himself out of the tomb.
Source: Rebirth (Ligonier)
The experience of conversion is a visceral, spiritual event, not merely an intellectual understanding of doctrine.
It was not simply a matter of intellectual conviction. It was not just the setting forth of the notitia , which is the necessary data of the content of our saving faith. There was more here than simply the engagement of the mind. It was visceral.
Source: The Road to Emmaus (Ligonier)
The spirit of bondage is characteristic of the unregenerate person, while the Spirit of adoption signifies a new relationship with God.
One is the spirit of bondage. That is the spirit that is produced by the flesh. That is the spirit of the unregenerate, unconverted person. That person remains in prison, incarcerated to his old nature, a slave to the sinful impulses of his own recalcitrant heart.
Source: Sanctification (Ligonier)
Receiving the Spirit of adoption means one no longer lives in the bondage of sin but has the ability to cry out to God intimately as 'Abba, Father.'
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’
Source: Sanctification (Ligonier)
Entering the family of God is not achieved through biological birth, but only through God adopting the individual.
The way you get into the family of God is not by biological birth; the only way you enter into the family of God is if God adopts you.
Source: Sanctification (Ligonier)
After conversion, a Christian must continually struggle against the residual influence of their fallen nature.
You have to fight against it from the day you are converted till the day you enter the gates of heaven. In the sense that each one of us has a residual force of the fallen nature of the sarx , the flesh that each one of us fights with, every Christian is a carnal Christian.
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
Before rebirth by the Holy Ghost, humanity is in a state of imprisonment through sinful impulses, requiring a new birth to enter God's kingdom.
In any case, we must get the idea out of our heads that we have the moral power by nature to incline ourselves to the things of God. Jesus clearly told Nicodemus that unless a man is born again, he cannot even see the kingdom of God, let alone take steps to enter it. Rather, the metaphor Paul uses is one of slavery. By nature, prior to our rebirth by the work of the Holy Ghost, we are in prison through our sinful impulses.
Source: From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God (Ligonier)
The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs until the redemption of the body.
For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The divine calling is not merely an outward summons but an inward work of the Spirit that changes the heart and soul.
When we are talking about “the called” or “the elect,” those who are the called-out ones from the world are those who have not merely been summoned outwardly, but those whom the Spirit calls inwardly by coming into their hearts.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The transfiguration was a radical transformation of Jesus' visage that occurred while he was conversing with the Father.
The transfiguration took place not during Jesus’ conversation with the disciples, but while Jesus was conversing with His Father, presumably on His knees speaking to the Father. Peter, James and John were merely onlookers and “on-listeners,” as it were. Suddenly, what the Greeks called a “metamorphosis” took place before their very eyes.
Source: The Transfiguration (Ligonier)
The magi, upon arriving in Jerusalem, inquired about the location of the newborn King of the Jews.
The testimony of the magi, once they arrived in Jerusalem, was that they were trying to locate the final destination of this astronomical phenomenon’s movement. They inquired with this question: “Where is He who is born King of the Jews?”
Source: The Triumphal Entry (Ligonier)
The phrase 'spring up' means 'leap up,' indicating that the living water is dynamic, energetic, and powerful.
When it is said that this living water of which Jesus speaks will “spring up,” it means “leap up.” It is so alive, so dynamic, so energetic, so powerful that not only will it assuage thirst for the moment, but it will begin to pour out of the soul of the person.
Source: The Woman at the Well (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Before conversion, humans are naturally incapable of seeking God.
All the while, the Scriptures tell us that in our natural, fallen condition, none of us ever seeks God. The quest for God does not begin until your conversion.
Source: The Woman at the Well (Part 1) (Ligonier)
A person's testimony about a specific date of being 'born again' describes a conversion experience, which may be distinct from when regeneration actually occurred.
That person is testifying to a conversion experience. They may have been regenerated earlier than that but only became aware of their state of conversion at a later time.
Source: What’s the difference between regeneration and conversion? (Ligonier Q&A)
The Holy Spirit's work in the New Testament includes regeneration, which changes hearts, and continues to work out sanctification.
In the New Testament, one of the most important works of the Holy Spirit is the work of regeneration, by which He changes the disposition of our hearts and then dwells within us, never to depart. He works within us to work out our sanctification and bring us into conformity to Christ.
Source: How does the Holy Spirit work distinctly in the Old and New Testament? (Ligonier Q&A)
The Spirit departing from Saul was not the Spirit of regeneration, but rather a specific anointing given to him for his role as a king.
Where the case of Saul is concerned, the Spirit that departs from him is not the Spirit of regeneration; it’s that anointing God had given to him to fulfill his function as a king.
Source: How does the Holy Spirit work distinctly in the Old and New Testament? (Ligonier Q&A)
Theologically, God was able to cause Jesus to be born through the virgin birth, thereby bypassing the normal process of original sin.
So, we know theologically that God could have this child born through the virgin birth, bypassing the normal process of original sin.
True seeking after God only begins after a person has been converted.
The seeker after God is the Christian. You don’t really begin to seek after God until you’re converted.
Source: If “no one seeks for God,” why did Paul call his listeners to seek God? (Ligonier Q&A)
He generally refuses to re-baptize an infant who already received an evangelical baptism.
The way I generally treat it is this: if a person who had an evangelical baptism as an infant wants me to re-baptize him, I won’t do it.
Source: Is Roman Catholic baptism valid? (Ligonier Q&A)
Sproul asserts that baptism does not convey regeneration, stating that regeneration is solely a sovereign work of God the Holy Spirit.
I would say, first of all, that I’m not at all an advocate of baptismal regeneration. I don’t think that baptism conveys regeneration either for infants or for adults.
Source: What would you say in response to the doctrine of baptismal regeneration? (Ligonier Q&A)
The Bible distinguishes between being born of the Spirit (regeneration) and being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
In the New Testament there’s a distinction between being born of the Spirit—which is the work of the Holy Spirit to regenerate us, to change the disposition of our hearts and make us alive spiritually—and to baptize us in the Holy Spirit.
The inward call, or effectual calling, is the internal work of the Holy Spirit that regenerates the elect and brings them to saving faith.
In theological terms, this is known as “effectual calling.” It is the internal call by which God calls His elect to Himself through the power of the Holy Spirit, changing the disposition of their hearts through regeneration. The inward call that is accomplished by the Holy Ghost is effectual in that it brings about God’s desired and decreed consequence.
Source: What does it mean to be “called” in the New Testament? (Ligonier Q&A)