a mystical revelation of God to the soul as providing the true ground for one's assurance. Such is their interpretation, for example, of Romans 8:16. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. The term "regeneration" is also affected by subtle shifts in meaning. John Calvin considered regeneration to represent the activity of New Birth - not its completion. While the current usage of the term looks back on New Birth, early on it meant the process of new birth itself, that is that God is working in the life of His children. His commentary on John 3 and many of his defenses of infant baptism in the Institutes show this interest not to consider regeneration only as a single event in the believer's life. References External links Spindleworks.com article opposing presumptive regeneration Apuritansmind.com article in support of presumptive regeneration Baptism Calvinist theology History of Calvinism in the Netherlands Christian terminology 20th-century Calvinism