SALVATION - REGENERATION VERSUS REFORMATION

    The purpose of the public sector, known as the system of human governments, is to establish and maintain order in our daily lives. Human goverments uses the system of (a) education to bring personal reformation, (b) incarceration to bring about rehabilitation, and (c) legislation as a means of regulation of the society in which we live. These temporary external approaches seek to change a person from the outside to the inside. All political systems rely on legislation, education, and rehabilitation to maintain order in our society and improve the quality of life.

     On the other hand, the religious system uses faith in the loving God of the universe teaches values, beliefs, hopes and aspirations to bring people close to God. That changes a person from the inside to the outside - from the heart, the central core of a person. Faith and power come as we comprehend knowledge, understanding, meaning, and application of the immaculate conception, virgin birth, life and the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. God offers permanent internal renewal of salvation through Jesus Christ by spiritual regeneration, mental reformation by spiritual transformation, and liberation by realization.

    The following is an outline to help understand salvation by regeneration, reformation by transformation, and liberation by the realization of faith in God.

OUTLINE #1: Six (6) Ways to Identify the Image of God in You?

Psalm 27:1 1 A Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?  Genesis 1:26-27 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Matthew 10:28 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

(1) No 1.   The image of God in you is the Indestructible nature of God that God put in the spirit of Man in the body of Man so God could live in the earth in the  Man – impossible to demolish, reduce to fragments, abolish, defeat, crush, hit so hard.    Acts 17:24-29 24 (1) God, who made the world and everything in it, (2) since He is Lord of heaven and earth, (a) does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25  Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, (3) since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 (4) And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, (5) and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising."    AMP Hebrews 7:16 16 Who has been constituted a Priest, not on the basis of a bodily legal requirement [an externally imposed command concerning His physical ancestry], but on the basis of the power of an endless and indestructible Life.
Without God man is the living dead. Romans 5:15.15 For if by the one man’s offense many died,(how? spiritually)...   5:16.16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation...   5:17 17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one... 5:18 18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation...  5:19 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners... 21 so that as sin reigned in death... 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 21 For since by man came death... 22 For as in Adam all die...   Hebrews 9:27 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, (Adam’s biological offspring)  but after this the judgment" (eternal death).          1 John 3:8 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."

(2) No 2.  The image of God in you is the Incorruptible nature of God that God puts in the spirit of Man in the body of Man so God could line in the earth in the Man – incapable of decomposition, containing errors in copying, contaminated.    1 Peter 1:17-19 17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.   

(3) No 3.   The image of God in you is the Inexhaustible nature of God that God put in the spirit of Man in the body of Man so God could give  consolation to Man in the earth through the Incarnation, Advent, Virgin Birth, Seed of the woman, Immaculate Conception – everlasting, impossible to use up, shows no sign of tiring.. 1 Peter 1:23 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed (of Adam, sperma) but incorruptible (seed of God), through the word of God (Luke 8:11) which lives and abides forever, 24 because “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.  Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you."  Romans 11:29 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.     Romans 6:23 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.     Romans 5:15 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 5:16.16  …but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.   5:17 17  …much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)    5:18 18 … even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.    5:19 19 … so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.   ... 21 …even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."   1 Corinthians 15:21-22 21 … by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 …even so in Christ all shall be made alive."   Ephesians 2:8 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…”

(4) No 4.  The image of God in you is the Insuppressible nature of God that God put in the spirit of Man in the body of Man so God could impart His life to the Man in the Man for Mankind – cause to stop, put an end to something perceived as a threat by the use of force, prevent from happening, operating, limit the effect, restrict, diminish.    2 Peter 1:2-4  2 Grace and peace  (the wrath of God sent and drove Adam from the Garden, Gen 3:24 be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, (1) 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these (2) you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."  2 Corinthians 12:1-4 1 It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.   1 Peter 1:3 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

(5) No 5.   The image of God in you is the Insusceptible nature of God that God put in the spirit of Man in the body of Man so God could assure Man the Man would never be alone – not easily affected, influenced, nor capable or permitting something to affect. Separating himself from God is spiritual death (Gen 2:16, 3:12 Adam hid from the presence of God), then physical death (5:1-5).   John 10:27-30 27 My sheep hear My voice,(not God’s voice) and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life (not God), and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand (not God’s hand). 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”" John 14:1-7 1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God,  (.) believe  /Believe also in Me. (Believe what about Me, I am the way to God) 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way (to God, not God), (I am) the truth (about the Way to God), and  (I am)  the life (God offer Adam’s offspring).   No one comes (back) to (God as) the Father (of their spirit, *Deut 32:15-18, Hebrews 12:9) except through Me  (the pattern, the way, manner, method, means, technique, system, approach, path, door, access point, route, street, arrangement) 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”"      Malachi 3:6 6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”  Hebrews 13:8 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  God made Adam so Adam could change but God does not change. Adam has freedom to choice to live with God or without God. God is not be able to separate Himself from man because man has the divine nature of God in his spirit.  When man separates himself from God, the man destroys the nature of God in his spirit, loses the presence of God in his life, loses the peace of God in his heart, and destroys the everlasting life of God in his body. He tries to live like a fish out of water his natural environment.

(6) No 6.   The image of God in you is the Indistinguishable nature of God that God put in the spirit of Man in the body of Man so God could be impartial to all Mankind – impossible to tell apart from something else, indistinct.  (1) Man is made in the image and likeness of God.  Genesis 1:27 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  (2) Adam has offspring in his image and likeness, Genesis 5:1 1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and (Adam) begot a son in his own likeness, after his (corrupted) image, and named him Seth.”  (3) God makes Jesus in His image and likeness, Luke 1:35 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. (4) Jesus makes believers in His image and likeness by adoption as sons.   Romans 2:11 11 For there is no partiality with God.    Ephesians 6:9 9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him  James 2:8 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.