8/31/1975
The New Birth
It is of utmost importance that we have a clear understanding of what Jesus meant when he said to Nicodemus (John 3), ‘you 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 a human being, the second of the seed of God. Therefore, you cannot become a child of God by joining the church, not more than an animal can become a human being by deciding to become part of the human race. The only way to become a child of God is to be born from above, by the incorruptible seed of God.
Then we may ask– What is the new birth? The new birth is a new creation, a spiritual resurrection, a regeneration. The new birth is in one sense partaking of the divine nature of God. The new birth is receiving Christ as Savior and Lord by faith. The new birth is being made the righteousness of God. The new birth is compulsory if you are to become a child of God. ‘You must be born again’.
In John 3 we see Jesus and Nicodemus face to face, Jesus the Son of God, Nicodemus the son of natural man. Nicodemus was a very religious man, but he was not yet a child of God. When he learned that his religion was not enough, he was shocked, He had addressed Jesus as a teacher, but he needed regeneration. He asked how can a human being be born again when he is old? Jesus explained the difference in the births. He said that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, and the Spirit never changes. Birth of the flesh produces an old sinful nature, a corruptible nature under the sentence of death, a nature that makes every unsaved person a child of the devil. The new birth produces a sinless nature, one that cannot sin, a righteous nature and a divine nature. Every born again person has two natures, the evil and the good, this is why we must be born again. The old nature is not born of God, the new one is. [N.B. this is not quite what either Jesus or Paul say. The new creation takes place in the old outer nature which is wasting away. It is the inner self— the will, the mind, the emotions of the already existing self which are being renewed day by day. A Christian doesn’t have two selfs, or two natures. Romans 7 is not a description of the Christian person post conversion].
As a child of God you must not yield to the temptation of sin, the power of a righteous life is not found in the old nature. The corruptible must put on incorruption. The sinner must come to God by faith, believing that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried and that on the third day he arose. My faith in Christ, that he is God, is personal evidence that I am a child of God. If you are born of God you will do the right things at all times at all costs. This is outward proof of the new birth. If we do not have this proof, now is the time to get on our knees and accept Christ as our personal Savior.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In