“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Every spring, I make my way into the garden.
There’s something deeply satisfying about digging into the dirt, pruning away dead growth, and waiting—sometimes not so patiently—for signs of life to appear. I know the rhythms by heart now. First come the tiny shoots. Then the blooms. Then the fruit. The transformation humbles me because what looked dead just weeks ago is now bursting with new life.
That image helps me understand what God has done in each of us.
The theological word for this is regeneration.
While it may sound lofty, it describes something deeply personal: God’s power to bring a dead soul back to life. It’s more than a metaphor. It’s the miracle of salvation. Paul puts it plainly in his letter to the Ephesians: “You were dead in your sins… but God made us alive with Christ.” (Eph. 2:1,4–5)
Regeneration isn’t self-improvement. It’s spiritual resurrection.
At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit breathes new life into a person, opening their eyes to truth, softening their heart to grace, and creating a whole new nature within them. It’s the fulfillment of what Jesus told Nicodemus: “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3)
The doctrine of new birth is a foundational truth of the Christian life. And this theology matters.
Too often, we reduce faith to behavior management or moral performance. But regeneration reminds us that salvation is first and foremost an act of God. It’s a heart transplant (Ezek. 36:26), a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), a spiritual rebirth (John 3:5–6). And once God has made us alive, that life begins to grow … slowly, deeply, and sometimes even underground where no one sees it yet.
So if you’ve placed your faith in Jesus, you have been regenerated—even if you’re still in the early spring of your spiritual journey. And just like a gardener who patiently tends her plants, God is faithfully tending to the new life he’s planted in you.
Put It Into Practice
Read and Reflect. Spend time this week in Titus 3:3–7. As you read, ask: Do I live like someone who has been washed and renewed by the Holy Spirit?
Remember Your Story. Take a moment to look back. What has changed in your life since coming to Christ? Where do you see signs of new growth?
Pray for New Life: Ask God to bring spiritual renewal both in your life and someone else’s. Pray boldly for regeneration in the heart of someone you love.
