Regeneration and renewal – Praying for the Earth
It’s time for me to get grounded and remember the eternal impacts of the Holy Spirit on our lives is more important than the physical state. It’s important for us to renew and regenerate, not just our minds and bodies but this should extend to our world – the Earth.
Regeneration is mentioned in the New Testament and renewal only five times in various forms. Regeneration means to birth again. The connection to our salvation is well established and doesn’t need much explanation here. Renewal in its variations is a little more challenging to describe, especially because there’s the possible linguistic connection to the washing of regeneration. That is, the section could be translated the regeneration bath of the Holy Spirit and renewing, thus equating the two terms.
However, most translations treat terms as separate actions or conditions for which the Holy Spirit is responsible. This works best with the rest of biblical data. Probably the most well-known passage focusing on renewal is Romans 12: 1-2.
In this reference, we’re commanded to present our bodies as holy and acceptable living sacrifices, and also to refuse to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
The instrument through which the transformation takes place is a new mind, by the Holy Spirit. This renewal happens internally, and man is renewed in knowledge by the image of the Creator.
Therefore, the renewal comes about intellectually, throughout the ministrations of the Holy Spirit, as we seek, study, store, and obey the spectacular word of God.
I pray for the rebirth of our Earth and all of God’s creations.