Definition
Regeneration (Greek: ἀναγεννάω anagennao, παλιγγενεσία palingenesia) is the saving act by which the believer is “born again” by the Spirit of God — as the beginning of the new life in Christ. The corpus agrees on the reality of regeneration but is divided over its meaning as endpoint or starting point: for Nee/Lee it is explicitly the beginning, not the end; for Warnock it is a genuine but immature birth; for Noordzij it is a becoming-process, not a one-time moment.
Usage in the Corpus
Watchman Nee & Witness Lee
Regeneration is the starting point of the salvation journey, not the endpoint. “Saved” means for Lee: redeemed from Egypt (protected from judgment), but not yet entered into the Land. Regeneration gives access to the life of the Spirit; the entire salvation trajectory that follows (appropriation of the all-inclusive Christ) precedes the actual destination. The Lamb is not identical to the all-inclusive Christ. [Nee/Lee, The All-inclusive Christ]
George Warnock
Warnock describes regeneration as a genuine but undeveloped birth: “Our new birth, by the Spirit, genuine as it is, has not developed into maturity … like the seed which is produced by the flower, or the egg that is produced by the bird.” The potential of the new life is present, but the full maturity of regeneration is reached only in the Feast of Tabernacles phase. [Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Ch. 7]
Cees Noordzij
Noordzij emphasizes the processual character of anagennao: regeneration is a becoming-process analogous to pregnancy and birth. It is not a single moment but a series of spiritual steps leading the believer to full sonship.