hat any passage means is to study in their context the words
used. Paul is drawing a contrast between the Word of God outside of us,
written with ink upon parchment or graven on tables of stone, and the Word
of God written within us in tables that are hearts of flesh with the
Spirit of the living God (v. 3) and he tells us that if we merely have the
Word of God outside us in a Book or on parchment or on tables of stone,
that it will kill us, that it will only bring condemnation and death, but
that if we have the Word of God made a living thing in our hearts, written
upon our hearts by the Spirit of the living God, that it will bring us
life.(2) No number of Bibles upon our tables or in our libraries will save
us, but the truth of the Bible written by the Spirit of the living God in
our hearts will save us.

To put the matter of regeneration in another way; _regeneration is the
impartation of a new nature, God's own nature to the one who is born
again_ (2 Pet. i. 4). Every human being is born into this world with a
perverted nature; his whole intellectual, affectional and volitional
nature perverted by sin. No matter how excellent our human ancestry, we
come into this world with a mind that is blind to the truth of God. ("The
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. ii. 14.) With affections that are alienated
from God, loving the things that we ought to hate and hating the things
that we ought to love. ("Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which
are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." Gal.
v. 19, 20, 21.) With a will that is perverted, set upon pleasing itself,
rather than pleasing God. ("Because the mind of the flesh is enmity
against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can
it be." Rom. viii. 7, R. V.) In the new birth a new intellectual,
affectional and volitional nature is imparted to us. We receive the mind
that sees as God sees, thinks God's thoughts after Him (1 Cor. ii. 12-14);
affections in harmony with the affections of God. ("The fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Gal. v. 22, 23); a
will