truth the way the rest of the world does is because God in His electing grace through His Spirit has regenerated

Without the grace of the regenerating Holy Spirit  they are neither willing nor able to return to God

Paul knew it was the Holy Spirit of God that regenerated each of those hearts he'd come to love, and

The most fundamental definition of what it means to be a regenerated Christian is that you've been made But you might think you're different; that somehow you're stronger in your faith than generation after generation of faithful people who've been given this command, and you can remain committed to Christ

righteousness to those His Father had given to Him; the same book that goes on to tell us how the Spirit's regeneration

Those are not attributes you can attain on your own; they can only be achieved by the Holy Spirit's regenerating

saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously new life through the Holy Spirit, and He even holds in check the behavior of those who haven't been regenerated

He has regenerated your heart so that you now truly want to live for Him.

Peter here isn't pitting the work of Jesus against the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, who turned

saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6  whom he poured out on us generously This was that 'born again' moment in which you were regenerated , in which your heart of unbelieving