Church of Christ . What sinful man needs is not cleansing of the flesh but of the heart , which only God is able to do. No pastor, priest or any other human being has the power to regenerate any other person, by any religious ceremony whatsoever . But of God. John categorically declares that regeneration is of God alone.
Man plays no part at all in regeneration .
God alone, through His Holy Spirit, is the agent of regeneration. John's statement defines the relationship between the new birth and faith. Contrary to widely-held opinion, being born again precedes faith. Faith is not the precondition but the result of the new birth. This is the consistent teaching of the Scriptures.