| Salvation and Regeneration | | Regeneration: Begetting, Conceiving, or Birthing? | | Regeneration: New Birth, or New Life? | | Regeneration in John 3: What were they thinking? | | God's Divine Accommodation in Disclosing His Plan to Man | | The Miracle of New Life | | New Life: Indissoluble and Unseverable | | Regeneration: Holiness and Eternal Life | | Regeneration and Eternal Security, Part 1 | | Regeneration and Eternal Security: Part 2 | | Regeneration and the Incarnation: So What's the Difference? | | So How is Jesus the "Only Begotten Son?" | | So What's Going on In John Chapter 3? | | Summary fo the Doctrinal Statement on Regeneration |
|
Regeneration and Eternal Life
by
Ronald R. Shea, Th.M., J.D.
Regeneration: New Birth, or New Life?
Begetting, Conception and Birth: tikto and gennao
The Greek word commonly used for "giving birth" is tikto. It typically focuses on the labor of the mother in bringing about new life (texei, Luke 1:31, tekein, Luke 1:57 & 2:6, tektei, John 16:21), and could therefore be accurately translates "labor" in many instances. Occasionally, however, the verb tikto may focus on the child rather than on the mother. Examples of this focus can be found in Matthew 1:21, 23, 2:2, Luke 2:7, 11. However, no form of the word tikto is ever used in the context of regeneration.
Within Scripture, there are twelve actual references to being "regenerated" or "born again." (John 3:3, 5, 6, 7, 8; 1 Peter 1:23, 1 John 2:29, 3:9, 4:7, 5:1, 5:4, 5:18.) None of these are described by the term 'tikto.' In every case, the Greek word used to describe the event of regeneration is derived from the Greek root gennao. Some common English words that are derived from this Greek word include genealogy, genes and genetics.
In the active voice, the word gennao normally refers to the male act of begetting. (That is, the male act of implanting his seed and igniting new life through sexual intercourse.) We see this word used to describe the male act of begetting in the geneology of Christ recorded by Matthew. In the verses quoted below, the term "egenneise" is the aorist tense (simple past tense) of the Greek word "gennao."
2 Abraham begot (egenneise) Isaaac, Isaac begot (egenneise) Jacob, and Jacob begot (egenneise) Judah and his brothers.
3 And Judas begat (egenneise) Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat (egenneise) Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram . . .
15 . . . And Eliud begat (egenneise) Eleazar; and Eleazar begat (egenneise) Matthan; and Matthan begat (egenneise) Jacob;
16 And Jacob begat (egenneise) Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Matthew 1:2-16
Verses 4-14 are omitted for brevity, but they continue to use the term egenneise with respect to the male act of begetting. In each of the cases italicized above, gennao depicts the male act of begetting or implanting new life, not the female act of conceiving, nor the female act of giving birth, which occurs nine months after conception. This use of the term 'gennao' occurs no less than thirty-eight times in the first seventeen verses of Matthew, recorded, in part, above.
In the passive voice, gennao normally means "to conceive." This makes intuitive sense since conception is the female counterpart of begetting. Begetting and conceiving are describing the same fundamental event from the standpoint of the man and the woman.
In the active voice, the word gennao is occasionally used with reference to the act of giving birth, which takes place nine months after begetting / conception (Matthew 1:16, 2:1, 2:4, Luke 1:35, 1:57, 7:28, and John 16:21). When gennao is used in this sense, the focus is more on the new life coming into the world than it is on the labor of the mother.
Although it would be an overstatement to suggest that the usage of gennao as "to give birth" is rare, it is, without question, the exception. As a general rule, gennao is the male action of implanting his seed in a woman unto the creation of new life. Its usage with reference to birth is a minority usage of this word.
|
Regeneration: Begetting, Conceiving, or Birthing? |
|
|
