"Regeneration, it is that complete change of heart and character which the Holy Spirit works in a person when he/she becomes a real Christian. We call it “a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness.” It is the same thing as being “born again,” or “born of God,” or “born of the Spirit.” “Except a man be born again” means “except a man be regenerate.” “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature;” that is, he is “born again, or regenerate.” (John iii. 3; 2 Cor. v. 17.)"
A comment on your above statement and I do not mean to offend you in any way brother, but I would like to demonstrate to you the Biblical
State of a New Testament saint:
THE BIBLICAL NEW TESTAMENT SAINT
(An overview of the Biblical state of the New Testament Saint)
#1 N. T. SAINT’S SOUL [Saved – Eternally Secure]
Priceless – Eternal [The most valuable substance that he possesses]
The New Testament Saint’s Soul is
hindered by Sin and Man’s Sinful Nature.
The New Testament Saint’s Soul’s Destination = Heaven.
The New Testament Saint - Imperfect Communion and Fellowship with God.
#2 N. T. SAINT’S BODY - FLESH [Under Condemnation]
The New Testament Saint’s Body (Flesh) is
hindered by Sin and Man’s Sinful Nature.
The New Testament Saint has a Hope of possibly not Dying.
The New Testament Saint that Dies has the Promise of a bodily Resurrection.
The New Testament Saint that Dies has the Promise of a New Body (like Christ’s) in the future.
#3 N. T. SAINT’S SPIRIT [Regenerated - Quickened]
The New Testament Saint’s spirit has been regenerated and cannot be separated from God.
*
The New Testament Saint’s spirit is
hindered by Sin and Man’s Sinful Nature.
The New Testament Saint’s spirit is
aided by the Holy Spirit in understanding Spiritual Truth.
The Holy Spirit of God Dwells
within The New Testament Saint and Promises Never to Leave.
#4 N. T. SAINT’S CONSCIENCE [Weak and Often Ineffective]
The New Testament Saint’s Conscience is
hindered by Sin and Man’s Sinful Nature.
God’s word and the indwelling Holy Spirit can
influence the New Testament Saint’s Conscience.
#5 N. T. SAINT’S MIND [Corruptible – Although we have Christ’s Mind]
The New Testament Saint’s Mind has been changed (altered).
**
The New Testament Saint’s Mind is
hindered by Sin and Man’s Sinful Nature.
The New Testament Saint has the Mind of Christ which can
influence us to live righteously.
God’s word and the indwelling Holy Spirit can
influence the New Testament Saint’s Mind.
#6 N. T. SAINT’S HEART [Wicked, Evil & Deceitful – Capable of Perfection]
The New Testament Saint’s Heart is
unchanged.
***
The New Testament Saint’s Heart is
hindered by Sin and Man’s Sinful Nature.
God’s word and the indwelling Holy Spirit can
influence the New Testament Saint’s Heart.
The New Testament Saint has the Promise of a New Heart in the future.
* The New Testament Saint’s
spirit has been changed (altered), but is not yet fully perfected – Holy (Sinless).
** The New Testament Saint’s
mind has been changed (altered). In addition to our own mind we now have the “Mind of Christ” (1Corinthians 2:16). However we have to “let” His Mind be in us (Philippians 2:5) and we have to “arm” ourselves with His Mind (1 Peter 4:1) in order to have His Mind become effective in our lives.
*** The New Testament Saint’s
heart has
not been changed. We do not have a New Heart YET.
PLEASE NOTE: Why do we Christians have such great difficulty living for the Lord? It's because we still live in this carnal flesh (
body); we still have a weak
conscience; we still have a
mind that is subject to corruption; and our
heart is still wicked, evil, and deceitful! Thank God He has saved our soul and regenerated our spirit! Now we know
WHY Christians can commit heinous sins and iniquity.
The following are the Biblical Definitions for the words
heart,
mind, and
conscience (our FACULTIES) and
soul &
spirit (our SUBSTANCE - I omitted our
body since we should be real familiar with it
) PLEASE NOTE: I did not obtain these definitions from Webster's Dictionary or Strong's Concordance or any book, article, etc. written by another man. When it comes to
spiritual matters Webster & Strong are very little help, since only God can give us the discernment, understanding, and wisdom to understand His words. These definitions are the result of searching the Scriptures for over a year in pursuit of a study that I have done on the Biblical heart of man:
THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF THE HEART {Our Motivator}
The heart is that
faculty within a man or woman which is the center or seat of our 1 thoughts, 2 meditations, 3 considerations, 4 perceptions, 5 concepts, 6 reasoning, 7 understanding, 8 beliefs, 9 imaginations, 10 fears, 11 doubts, 12 counsels, 13 intents, 14 desires (affections - emotions), and 15 pride. The heart is where the 16 will resides and operates.
(1. Job 17:11; 2. Psalms 19:14; 3. Deuteronomy 8:5; 4. Deuteronomy 29:4; 5. Acts 5:4; 6. Mark 2:8; 7. Proverbs 8:5; 8. Romans 10:9-10; 9. Genesis 6:5; 10. Isaiah 35:4, Luke 21:26; 11. Mark 11:23; 12. Jeremiah 7:24; 13. Hebrews 4:12; 14. Psalms 37:4, Colossians 3:2; 15. 2 Chronicles 32:26; 16. Psalms 101:2, Psalms 119:69, Psalms 119:145, Isaiah 32:6, 1 Corinthians 7:37, Ephesians 6:6.)
THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF THE MIND {Our Facilitator}
According to the Scriptures the mind is that
faculty within a man or woman wherein resides our intellect or intelligence. In the Bible the mind is separate and distinct from the heart in purpose, though similar in function and operation.
THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF THE CONSCIENCE {Our Regulator}
According to the Scriptures the conscience is that
faculty within a man or woman wherein resides the awareness of right and wrong (good and evil), and which influences the heart and mind as to the lawfulness or unlawfulness of our own affections & actions. According to the Scriptures the human heart and conscience are separate and distinct from each other in purpose and in operation.
THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF THE SPIRIT {Our Life}
According to the Scriptures the spirit (pertaining only to mankind) is that
substance [which is given by God] within a man or woman wherein our very life resides i.e. the spirit is life itself. In the Bible the spirit is separate and distinct from the heart and the soul in purpose, though it may have some similar characteristics.
THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF THE SOUL {Our Essence}
According to the Scriptures the soul is that
substance within a man or a woman, which is created at the moment of birth, (when the body receives the spirit) and which is the very essence of their being. The soul within a man or woman is that substance that distinguishes mankind from all of the other living creatures in God’s creation. The soul is that substance which separates an individual from every other individual and makes them unique.
I hope this may be of some help to you. I am sorry for the long post, but this matter is of utmost importance for us to know and understand and is very helpful in being able to live an overcoming life. (It took me nearly 50 years to learn this, so maybe someone else can benefit from it sooner than me.)
I don't have space here to expound on this subject, however I have posted my "original" study on my web site: "thywordistruthkjv.com". However, since I am not inspired (and neither are my writings), I have since "revised" my study (3rd. "Major Revision")
and have not converted it to HTML to post on my site yet.