Regeneration, Repentance & Faith

Read the text

John 3:1–16

Read the primary passage aloud twice. On the first reading, listen for the burden of the text. On the second, mark repeated words, contrasts, commands, promises, causes, and conclusions.

• Ezekiel 36:22–32
• Acts 2:36–41
• Ephesians 2:4–9

Language desk

Words that clarify—not words that perform.

Confirm each gloss by its use in this context. A lexicon offers possibilities; the sentence, paragraph, author, and canon determine what a word is doing here.

Form the doctrine

The theological claim

New birth is God’s sovereign work and produces repentant faith, not passive fatalism.

Defense drill

Say it under pressure.

Explain the relationship between divine initiative and the real human command to believe.

• State the opposing claim in a form its adherent could recognize.
• Open the controlling passage and establish the immediate context.
• Make one clear argument before adding supporting texts.
• Ask a diagnostic question, listen to the answer, and return to Christ and the gospel.

Wednesday assignment

Carry the truth into the week.

Write a gospel invitation that includes God’s action and the hearer’s responsibility.