The New Birth
It is of the utmost importance that we have a clear
understanding of what Jesus meant when speaking with Nicodemus said, “Ye must
be born again.” The new birth is a
spiritual birth. It is as much a birth as
The natural birth; it is not just a figure of
speech. The first birth is of the “seed
of man”. The second birth is of the
“seed of God.” You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed,
sperm) but from one that is immortal by the ever living lasting Word of God.
(I Peter 1:23) Therefore,
you cannot become a child of God by joining the church, any more than a monkey
could become a man by joining the human race.
He may act like a man, dress like a man and try to live like a man—but
he would still be a monkey. Now, if by
some miracle, the monkey could be born again of the “seed of man,” then—and
only then—could he become a man. The
only way to become a child of God is to be “born from above” by the
“incorruptible seed of God”.
What is the new birth?
* The new
birth is a new creation. (II Cor. 5:17) Therefore if any person is
[ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature
altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!
* The new birth is a spiritual resurrection. (Eph.
2:1-9) We were “made alive when you were dead…raised us up together with
Him…even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He
made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ…”
* The new birth
is regeneration. (Titus 3:5) He saved us, not
because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of His own
pity and mercy, by [the] cleansing [bath] of the new birth (regeneration) and
renewing of the Holy Spirit.
* The new
birth is receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, by faith. (John
1:12) But to as many as did receive and
welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children
of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His
name
* The new
birth is being made the “righteousness of God”.
(II Cor. 5:21) For our sake, He made Christ [virtually] to
be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued
with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we
ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His
goodness.
* The new birth is compulsory
if you are to become a child of God: “Ye
MUST be born again.”
I. Jesus and
the two births
In John 3: 1- We see Jesus and Nicodemus face to
face—Jesus the Son of God, and Nicodemus the son of natural man. What a shock it must have been to learn that
his religion was not enough! It never
is. He came to Jesus, addressing Him as
“a teacher come from God.” Jesus knew
Nicodemus as He knows all men. (John 2:24-25) But Jesus [for His part] did
not trust Himself to them, because He knew all [men]. And He did not need anyone to bear witness
concerning man [needed no evidence from anyone about men], for He Himself knew
what was in human nature. [He could read
men’s hearts.] And Jesus knew that he needed more than a teacher—he needed
a Savior. He needed more than religion—he
needed regeneration. He needed more than
law—he needed life. Jesus began by going
right to the point when He said, “Ye must be born again.” Nicodemus asked, “How can a man be born when
he is old?” Then Jesus pointed out the
dissimilarity in the two births: “That
which is born of flesh is flesh” (the flesh will never change); and that which
is born of the Spirit is spirit” (the
Spirit will never change).
The flesh birth:
1. …produces an
old, sinful nature. (Psa. 51:5) Behold, I was
brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me
[and] I too am sinful].
2. …produces a
corruptible nature. (I Peter 1:23) You have been regenerated (born again) not from [in
introduction]
3. …produces an
old nature under the sentence of death. (Romans 6:23) For the wages which sin pays
is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in
union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.
4. …produces an
old nature that makes every unsaved person a child of the devil. (John
8:44) You are of your father, the devil,
and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are
characteristic] of your father. He was a
murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he speaks a
falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the
father of lies and of all that is false.
The new birth:
1. …produces a
sinless nature. (I John 3:9) No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly and
habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him [His principle of
life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice
sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.
2. …produces a
nature that cannot sin. (I John 3:9)—[in above]
3. …produces a
righteous nature. (II Cor. 5:21) [5th * above]
4. …produces a
divine nature (II Peter 1:4) By means of
these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so
that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness
and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed)
and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.
Every born again person experiences two natures: the
old from the physical birth which is now dead and the new from the new
birth. By the old birth, we are children
of the devil until by the new birth we become the children of God. This is why we must be born again!
II. Do not try
to understand this Scripture in the light of personal experience. Keep in mind that this verse is speaking of
the new nature—not the old nature, because the old nature is born of fallen
man, and is depraved. The new nature is
born of God and is holy.
(I John 3:9) No one born (begotten) of
God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature
abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently
within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of
God.
The new nature:
1. does not commit sin, because it is the product of
the “seed of God”.
2. cannot sin, because it is the divine nature of God (II Peter 1:4 – above)
And since God cannot sin, the new nature that issues
from His holy seed cannot sin.
The old nature dies but one still lives in a body of
flesh. He brings his experience into his
new life – all is recorded in the “flesh computer”…the brain.
1. the flesh
does sin any time you let it sin. (Romans
6:12) Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable)
bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil
passions. As a child of God, you will bring your flesh under submission to
the Spirit by His power and not yield to the desire of the flesh; OR you will
live a defeated life. But [like a boxer], I buffet my body [handle
it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after
proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should
become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].
(I Cor.9:27)
2.
There is nothing good in the flesh…even the good that
we think we can do with the strength of our flesh does not please God. (Romans
7:18) For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot
perform it (I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to
carry it out.) The power to live the
Christian life is only found in the new divine nature – and He is the One Who
will live out His life through you. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ
(in Him I have shared His crucifixion]: it is no longer I who live, but Christ
the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith
in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who
loved me and gave Himself up for me.
If you have been born again, you walk true to your NEW
nature and you have the choice to “overcome the world, the flesh, and the
devil” with the desire and power the indwelling Holy Spirit gives you. Christ in you, the hope of glory!
III. The New
Birth is Incorruptible
(I Peter 1:23) You have been regenerated
(born again), not from a mortal, origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is
immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God. In this
verse, we have 2 seeds, 2 births, and 2 natures.
1. The
corruptible seed issues a corruptible nature. (Romans 1:23) And by them the glory and majesty and excellence of the
immortal God were exchanged for and represented by images, resembling mortal
man and birds and beasts and reptiles. The
seed of man became depraved in the loins of Adam when he sinned in the Garden
of Eden (Gen.3:6-10) Corruptible man can produce only corruptible
seed. (Matt 7:18) A good (healthy) tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit,
nor can a bad (diseased) tree bear excellent fruit [worthy of admiration]. Romans 3:23 “All have sinned…” because all
are born in sin.
2. The
incorruptible seed issues an incorruptible nature (II Peter 1:4 – above) therefore, the incorruptible seed of God
issues a new nature that cannot be corrupted at any time, or in any way. The new birth produces the life of
Christ. and the life is made living in
man by the indwelling Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:8-10) So then those who are living
the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal
nature] cannot lease or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him. But you are not living the life of the flesh,
you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really]
dwells within you [directs and controls you], But if anyone does not possess
the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, s
not truly a child of God]. But if Christ
lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and
guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to
you].
The seed of man is corruptible; the birth of man is
natural. Therefore, the nature of man is
sinful. The seed of God is
incorruptible; the new birth is spiritual.
Therefore, the new nature is Divine nature and different than your old
nature.
IV. The New
Birth – It Means
Moses
lifted up the serpent for a sinful, disobedient people (Num. 21:5-9) When anyone was bitten by a serpent, he had a
choice: he could humble himself and by a
simple act of faith, look and live (Isa.
45:22) or he could refuse to look on
the serpent of brass and die.
“Even so must the Son of man be lifted up” Just as the serpent in the wilderness was the
only means for the healing of Israel
The sinner must come to Christ by faith, believing.
1. That Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
(Isaiah 53:1-12, Zech.13:6)
2. And that He
was buried. This is the proof of His
death. He was in the sepulcher three
days and nights.
3. He rose
again the third day according to the Scriptures. This is the Gospel that saves – but it is
powerless to save until the sinner believes.
(Romans 1:16) For I am not ashamed
of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, for it is God’s power working unto
salvation [for deliverance from eternal death] to everyone who believes with a
personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance to the Jew first and
also to the Greek.
The new birth is found in that:
1. “God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son.” – to be the only means of the new birth. (John
3:16, Acts 4:12)
2. Jesus Christ
gladly came into the world to become the only means of the new birth. (John 12:27, 17:1-5)
3. The Holy
Spirit came into the world on the Day of Pentecost to convince men of their
need of the new birth (John 16:7-11) A
personal faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the
only means of the new birth.
V. The New
Birth – Its Threefold Proof
( I John 5:1) Everyone who believes (adheres to, trusts, and relies on
the fact) that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) is a born again child of God;
and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him (His
Offspring).
Every born again child of God has the threefold proof
of the new birth – proof that he is a child of God. This threefold proof is: inward proof, outgoing proof, and outward
proof.
1. “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the
Christ is born of God” My faith in Christ – that He is God – is personal
evidence that I am a child of God. (I
John 5:10,13) He who believes in the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and
relies on Him] has the testimony [possesses this divine attestation] within
himself. He who does not believe God [in
this way] has made Him out to be and represented Him as a liar, because he has
not believed (put his faith in, adhered to, and relied on) the evidence (the
testimony) that God has borne regarding His Son. (13) I write this to you who believe in
(adhere to, trust in, and rely on) the name of the Son of God [in the peculiar
services and blessings conferred by Him on men], so that you may know [with
settled and absolute knowledge] that you
[already] have life, yes, eternal life. This
is INWARD proof of the new birth.
2. “Everyone that loveth is born of God.”(I
John 4:7-11) We are to love our fellow man with the love of God. This we are not capable of doing in the
flesh; we must let God love man through us.
Such hope never disappoints or
deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through
the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.
(Romans 5:5) This is OUTGOING proof of the new birth.
3. “Every one that doeth righteousness is born
of Him.” (I John 2:29)
If you are born of God, you will make a practice of
doing right at all times and at all cost.
(II Cor. 5:17) This is OUTWARD proof of the new birth.
If you do not have the threefold proof of the new
birth, now is the time to get on your knees and accept Jesus Christ as your
personal Savior – by faith in His vicarious death, burial and
resurrection.
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