As was stated before, I'm not sure of the popularity of this belief that God can't regenerate limbs. My suspicion is that the man, in the forum conversation, made his claim because he was trying to convince himself that the miracles, which Jesus performed, weren't true miracles. After all, people may try to convince themselves that a blind man wasn't really blind to begin with. Or maybe a dead man, who had been raised to life, wasn't actually dead. Maybe he was only in a temporary coma, and he happened to snap out of it the exact instant that Jesus commanded him to get up. However, regeneration of a limb would be a tough miracle to fake.
People, who don't want to believe, will do just about anything to convince themselves of anything other than the truth. I once saw a portion of a television program that was trying to explain the parting of the Red Sea. They went on and on about tides, and winds, and such nonsense. People try to convince themselves, even though God clearly said that the people of Israel walked across the Red Sea on dry ground. And just because that group of Israelites lived a long time ago, that doesn't mean they were stupid. I'm sure they could tell the difference between a shifting tide, and a supernatural parting of the sea.
If a person wants to believe that God is not able to regrow limbs, and if the accounts of the witnesses of Jesus in that day aren't good enough, then I will also point out another portion of scripture that is found in the Old Testament.
The prophet Ezekiel was able to witness God perform the type of miracle that others want to say God is not capable of. The following is found in Ezekiel 37:1-14.
"I felt the powerful presence of the Lord, and his spirit took me and set me down in a valley where the ground was covered with bones. He led me all around the valley, and I could see that there were very many bones and that they were very dry. He said to me, 'Mortal man, can these bones come back to life?'
I replied, 'Sovereign Lord, only you can answer that!'
He said, 'Prophesy to the bones. Tell these dry bones to listen to the word of the Lord. Tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: I am going to put breath into you and bring you back to life. I will give you sinews and muscles, and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you and bring you back to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'
So I prophesied as I had been told. While I was speaking, I heard a rattling noise, and the bones began to join together. While I watched, the bones were covered with sinews and muscles, and then with skin. But there was no breath in the bodies.
God said to me, 'Mortal man, prophesy to the wind. Tell the wind that the Sovereign Lord commands it to come from every direction, to breathe into these dead bodies, and to bring them back to life.'
So I prophesied as I had been told. Breath entered the bodies, and they came to life and stood up. There were enough of them to form an army.
God said to me, 'Mortal man, the people of Israel are like these bones. They say that they are dried up, without any hope and with no future. So prophesy to my people Israel and tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am going to open their graves. I am going to take them out and bring them back to the land of Israel. When I open the graves where my people are buried and bring them out, they will know that I am the Lord. I will put my breath in them, bring them back to life, and let them live in their own land. Then they will know that I am the Lord. I have promised that I would do this -- and I will. I, the Lord, have spoken.'"
-Ezekiel 37:1-14
Some may point out that Ezekiel's account was possibly a vision, and that God didn't actually turn a valley of bones into an army of people. In your mind, then, this account may mean nothing.
I won't say that the account certainly wasn't a vision. In certain parts of the book, Ezekiel clearly states that he had visions from God. However, there are two things to remember.
The accounts that took place in the book of Genesis certainly weren't visions. In that book, Moses clearly writes that God formed human beings from dust and made them come to life. We can then perform an ancestrial trace from Adam to Jesus. So we know that God's creation of Adam wasn't a vision that was given to Moses. If God is able to form a man from dust, then it's no surprise that he can form people from bones, or regenerate a limb. Therefore, the power of God is not in question.
Secondly, Ezekiel gives a clear testimony of what he saw. He was able to see what some people would like to see -- flesh appearing from nowhere.
This article isn't an attempt to convince anyone. The person who wants to doubt, is likely to doubt until the end. As was mentioned in a different article, logic and evidence won't convince those who are spiritually blind because spiritual blindness is a supernatural act of the Devil (2nd Corinthians 4:3-4). The purpose of this article is to give more possible reasons as to why there aren't accounts of Jesus regrowing limbs. It has nothing to do with a lack of power or compassion.
You may notice that I view God and Jesus interchangeably. This is because Jesus said "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." (John 14:9). He also said that he and the Father are one (John 10:30).