The New Birth

John G. Reisinger, well-known and well-loved evangelist, author, and teacher of the Word of God for over fifty years continues his series on the "Doctrines of Grace" with this booklet. "Being born again" and "being saved" are not the same thing. They are two parts of one whole but must not be confused. Both are essential to true conversion. It is impossible to experience one without experiencing the other. The question is not one of time and sequence, that is, which is first and which is second, but rather one of cause and effect. Does our faith cause the new birth or does the new birth cause faith? The quesiton, "Why does one person believe and become saved, while another rejects Christ and is lost?" will be answered differently according to our understading of the nature of regeneration. In one case, we will attribute the cause of man's faith to his free will, and in the other case we will give the Holy Sprit the glory for enabling us, by regenerating us, to believe and be saved.