461. Is Regeneration Different from the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

They are part of one process--the work of the Holy Spirit. Regeneration is the new birth by which we experience a change of heart, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit Titus 3:5 speaks of "the washing of regeneration." We are made members of the visible Church of Christ by baptism and renewed in the Spirit by the Holy Ghost. The "higher baptism," or the bestowment of the Spirit upon faithful believers, often differs greatly in degree, but it is identical in character and is the universal privilege of all Christians.