Ye must be born again !

[Martin Marprelate]

The teaching of the Lord Jesus as He spoke to Nicodemus could hardly be more clear; the mighty power that gives new life to sinners comes from God, the Holy Spirit, and from Him alone. We see this first of all in the very term, born again. Our Lord could have used a variety of terms for this which Nicodemus might have found easier to understand; “You must start again….”, “…..take a new path”, “…..make a new beginning”. But all these terms involve things that we can do for ourselves. The one event in our lives over which we have no control is our birth. The time, the place, our gender, our weight and so forth are absolutely nothing that we ourselves can influence. The time simply comes for us to arrive and we are born.

We can then go on to look at the Greek word translated here as ‘again.’ This word, anothen, can also mean’ from above’. Indeed, that is its meaning in every other instance where it appears in John’s Gospel. For example, later in this very chapter (v31) John uses the word when he says, ‘He who comes from above is above all’.

Anothen appears in Matthew 27:51 when, as Jesus died, ‘The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom’, and in James 1:17 where we are told, ‘…..every perfect gift is from above’. Only in Galatians 4:9 does anothen clearly mean again. Here in John 3:3, most translations have rightly rendered the word as again because of the context. Nicodemus obviously understood it to mean that since he replied (v.4), “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter into his mother’s womb and be born a second time?” It seems to me that the Apostle John chose the word (under the influence of the Holy Spirit) deliberately to bring out this second meaning. “Nicodemus”, our Lord seems to be saying, “You need a birth that all your learning and religious observance cannot give you; you need a birth that comes from above”.

The same point can be seen in what is key verse in John 3, ‘That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit’. As we have seen, the word flesh (Gk. sarx), when it is contrasted with Spirit (Gk. pneuma) usually refers to sinful human nature (eg. Rom. 8:4ff). What this verse tells us is that anything that comes from Man, from the flesh, is flawed at source, and to suggest that there can be any human agency in the New Birth is to say that the flesh can give birth to spirit. Why is this? Why is Man so helpless to do anything to make himself right with God? Consider Ephesians 2:1; ‘And you [God] made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins’. Mankind’s condition is one of spiritual death. Now, it is all very well calling on men and women to put their trust in Christ; it is all very well to tell them how wonderful it is to be a Christian, to warn them of the perils of Hell and to entice them with the blessings of Heaven- all these things are right and proper- but if they are dead, then unless Almighty God breathes new life into their hearts, all your efforts will ultimately be in vain because dead people can’t hear. Gospel preaching is certainly of the utmost importance (1Cor 1:21), but only as God uses the preached word to bring sinners to salvation.

 

[Martin Marprelate]

Just in case not everyone is convinced by the evidence presented so far, consider John 1:11-13; ‘He came to His own (i.e. His Jewish compatriots, God’s chosen people under the Old Covenant), and His own did not receive him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God’. Do you see what this is saying? Coming from a Christian family (“blood”) cannot make you born again; nor can your own fallen will (“the flesh”); nor can some human third party help you, to the front and having some minister or evangelist pouring water over you, laying hands on you or praying over you (“the will of man”). It is God, and God alone who saves. Look at Romans 9:16; ‘So then, it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God Who shows mercy’, or James 1:18; ‘Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth.’. Finally, to see how the New Birth comes about in practice, let us turn to a few verses in Acts:-

Acts 2:47b: ‘And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved’. Who added people to the church? Was it the Apostles, with their signs and wonders (v43), or the people themselves making ‘decisions for Christ’? No, it was God Himself drawing men and women to the Lord Jesus (John 6:44).

Acts 14:48b: ‘And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed’. Not one more nor one fewer, but exactly those to whom God gave new birth.

Acts 16:14: ‘Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God’. Lydia was a God-fearer, a Gentile who attended the Jewish synagogue and tried to follow the moral teaching of the Old Testament, but she still needed to be born again, so did Paul open her heart to respond to God? Or did she open her own heart as she listened to Paul? Not at all. ‘The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken to her by Paul’.

Perhaps someone is thinking to himself, “Just a moment! This can’t be right. It is I who has to repent and to believe in Jesus (Mark 1:15), so being born again must depend on me to some extent”. This is perfectly true as far as it goes. Repentance and faith are, as it were, the two legs on which we enter the Kingdom of God, but it is the Lord Himself Who enables us to turn from sin, and to put our trust in the shed blood of Christ upon the cross to make us right with God. Look at Acts 11:18; ‘When they heard these things they ….glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life”’ and then at Eph. 2:8; ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God’. So both repentance and faith have their origin not in sinful Man, but in Almighty God. As an old hymn goes:-

‘Not the labour of my hands
Can fulfil Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears for ever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, or I die.
[Augustus Toplady]

People may feel that I have laboured this point rather, but there are a number of important issues which flow from this, the Doctrine of Free Grace. The first is that of assurance; if anything relating to my salvation depends on me, then I cannot be completely sure that I have done it properly, or perhaps there may still be something I still need to do of which I am unaware; but when I have seen myself as a helpless sinner who can do nothing in his own strength to make himself right with God and when I put my trust completely in the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone, I can be absolutely sure that I am saved, because, ‘He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them’ (Heb. 7:25).

The second issue that flows from the Doctrine of Grace is the supremacy and sufficiency of the Bible. If it is God, and God alone who saves, then why listen to the opinions of men when you have the very words of the Lord before you? Every preacher and every writer must be judged against the Scriptures. ‘To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them’ (Isaiah 8:20). Far too many Christians are being led astray by un-biblical teaching because they do not know their Bible well enough to detect it, or because they are over-awed by the reputation of some famous evangelist or Bible teacher. Yet, ‘God respecteth no man’s person’ (Gal. 2:6 A.V.). Also, if the New Birth comes from God alone, and if the Bible is the word of God, then why listen to those who speak of miracles, dreams or prophesies? Take a few moments now to read through Jeremiah 23, and perhaps to pray about it.

The same principle should apply to the churches’ evangelistic outreaches. If we believe salvation comes only from God, then we are completely dependent upon Him for conversions and church growth. Therefore we will seek above all to be faithful and obedient to His word in all our activities and avoid the gimmickry that is increasingly common today. We will also refrain from pressurizing seekers into making false professions of faith, but rather present the Gospel clearly, truthfully and earnestly, yes and winsomely too, and trust God to bless our work. Nowhere in the Bible are we called to be successful, but rather to be faithful; the success of the Gospel is ultimately God’s business (Psalm 127:1; Matt. 16:18b). How precious therefore will be the church prayer meeting, when the whole congregation comes together to seek God’s blessing upon its work, in humble reliance upon Him (cf. Acts 4:24ff). I am deeply concerned that much of what passes for evangelism today involves seeing how little Gospel truth can be conveyed in persuading people to ‘accept Christ’ more as a lifestyle accessory than as Lord and Saviour. Accepting Christ. What a ghastly phrase! It conjures up in my mind the sort of letter that employers write to job applicants:-

Dear Mr. J. Christ,

I am pleased to inform you that your application for the post of saviour has been accepted, on a trial basis, subject to the usual terms and conditions.

Yours sincerely,

A. Sinner.

Another term which one hears today is, “I gave my heart to Jesus”. Oh, really? According to the Bible, ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked’ (Jer. 17:9) and, ‘From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit……’(Mark 7:21f). Hardly an acceptable gift to offer to the Lord! Salvation is not, ‘giving one’s heart to the Lord,’ but Almighty God saying, ‘I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you’ (Ezek. 36:26). The man or woman who really knows his or her heart despairs of it, and cries out, ‘O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?’

 

[Brightfame52]

Born of the water and the Spirit !

Isa 44:3

For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:

Jn 3:5

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Being born of water and of the Spirit is no different from what Jesus stated in vs 3 Jn 3:3,6,8 and that is being born of the Spirit !

Now false religion has corrupted the words of the Saviour and have introduced the false notion that water here means water baptism, a sort of water baptism regeneration from actual literal water ! However when Jesus speaks of being born of the water, its merely further clarification of being born of the Spirit, because of the Spirit's Purifying and cleansing effect, in the washing of regeneration and His Renewing Titus 3:5-6

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

And that is why Paul says right after describing the Holy Spirit's merciful Saving Work of Regeneration and Renewal, that He [The Spirit] had been poured out on them abundantly vs 6

6 Which he shed or poured on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

The word shed or pour is key and denotes Water being poured. The Pouring of the Spirit as water on Christ's seed Isa 44:3

3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:

Jesus in John 3 is actually referring to an OT Prophecy, Nicodemus being a Teacher of the Law should have been familiar with Ezk 36:25

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

And also Isa 44:3, of which all these OT Prophecies connect together about Regeneration and Spiritual Cleansing, the Blessed effects of Christ's Finished Covenant Work of the Cross ! Of course Jesus did know that Nicodemus Ignorance was due to the fact that his understanding of the scriptures had yet to be opened as Jesus will do to all His True Disciples as here Lk 24:44-45

44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

Without this Work of Christ upon our Minds by His Spirit, we shall never Understand the Scriptures ! And so it is with this Deadly Teaching of water baptism salvation or regeneration, the only hope of deliverance from this demonic error is that they themselves become born again, which is absolutely out of their control !

 

[CalTech]

Renewing of the Holy Ghost = New Birth

Titus 3:5

5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

After and following and connected with the Regeneration [The washing by the blood of Christ] comes the renewing of the Holy Ghost, or the New Birth. The New Birth of the individual is based on the washing of regeneration or simply put, Christ Blood, they having been purged [legally] from the guilt of their sins that had been laid upon Christ. Let's look again at this purging Heb 1:3

3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our[collectively] sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

This word purged is the greek word katharismos and means:

cleansing, purification, a ritual purgation or washing

a) of the washing of the Jews before and after their meals

b) of levitical purification of women after childbirth

c) a cleansing from the guilt of sins wrought by the expiatory sacrifice of Christ

Notice that it states, its a expiatory sacrifice. What does that mean ? It means to make amends, to atone, so its related to the atonement.

The word atonement is used throughout the OT with that Ideal

Its the word kaphar and it is translated many times as purge:

Isa 6:7

7And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

So here its related to having sin taken away !

Ps 79:9

9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.

So all those whose sins were purged by the blood of Christ, shall be renewed by the Holy Ghost, which is the New Birth. The word renewing is the greek word anakainōsis and means:

a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better, Its from a root word which means to make new. To be changed into a new kind of Life.

You see, because the person has been regenerated, has been forgiven of all legal guilt before God, A New Life which corresponds to their Justification by the blood of Christ, is given them, the New Birth. This New Birth is given to all for whom Christ died and rose again for. Remember Paul said of Him, who was delivered for our offences and raised for our Justification Rom 4:25

All these shall be Born Again, born from above where Christ sitteth on the Right Hand of God !

Amen!

It is HE, that has quickened us unto Salvation, by the workings of the Holy Spirit. "Born from above" means born of and by the Unction of the Holy Spirit. Once convicted by the Holy Spirit, which was to come to convict the world of it's sins. That is why salvation is not done by the working of fleshly works, but by HIS Gift, the Gift of the Faith of Christ, given by God the Father!


Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
AMEN!

 

[CalTech]

Just in case not everyone is convinced by the evidence presented so far, consider John 1:11-13; ‘He came to His own (i.e. His Jewish compatriots, God’s chosen people under the Old Covenant), and His own did not receive him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God’. Do you see what this is saying? Coming from a Christian family (“blood”) cannot make you born again; nor can your own fallen will (“the flesh”); nor can some human third party help you, to the front and having some minister or evangelist pouring water over you, laying hands on you or praying over you (“the will of man”). It is God, and God alone who saves. Look at Romans 9:16; ‘So then, it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God Who shows mercy’, or James 1:18; ‘Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth.’. Finally, to see how the New Birth comes about in practice, let us turn to a few verses in Acts:-

Acts 2:47b: ‘And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved’. Who added people to the church? Was it the Apostles, with their signs and wonders (v43), or the people themselves making ‘decisions for Christ’? No, it was God Himself drawing men and women to the Lord Jesus (John 6:44).

Acts 14:48b: ‘And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed’. Not one more nor one fewer, but exactly those to whom God gave new birth.

Acts 16:14: ‘Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God’. Lydia was a God-fearer, a Gentile who attended the Jewish synagogue and tried to follow the moral teaching of the Old Testament, but she still needed to be born again, so did Paul open her heart to respond to God? Or did she open her own heart as she listened to Paul? Not at all. ‘The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken to her by Paul’.

Perhaps someone is thinking to himself, “Just a moment! This can’t be right. It is I who has to repent and to believe in Jesus (Mark 1:15), so being born again must depend on me to some extent”. This is perfectly true as far as it goes. Repentance and faith are, as it were, the two legs on which we enter the Kingdom of God, but it is the Lord Himself Who enables us to turn from sin, and to put our trust in the shed blood of Christ upon the cross to make us right with God. Look at Acts 11:18; ‘When they heard these things they ….glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life”’ and then at Eph. 2:8; ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God’. So both repentance and faith have their origin not in sinful Man, but in Almighty God. As an old hymn goes:-

‘Not the labour of my hands
Can fulfil Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears for ever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, or I die.
[Augustus Toplady]

People may feel that I have laboured this point rather, but there are a number of important issues which flow from this, the Doctrine of Free Grace. The first is that of assurance; if anything relating to my salvation depends on me, then I cannot be completely sure that I have done it properly, or perhaps there may still be something I still need to do of which I am unaware; but when I have seen myself as a helpless sinner who can do nothing in his own strength to make himself right with God and when I put my trust completely in the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone, I can be absolutely sure that I am saved, because, ‘He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them’ (Heb. 7:25).

The second issue that flows from the Doctrine of Grace is the supremacy and sufficiency of the Bible. If it is God, and God alone who saves, then why listen to the opinions of men when you have the very words of the Lord before you? Every preacher and every writer must be judged against the Scriptures. ‘To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them’ (Isaiah 8:20). Far too many Christians are being led astray by un-biblical teaching because they do not know their Bible well enough to detect it, or because they are over-awed by the reputation of some famous evangelist or Bible teacher. Yet, ‘God respecteth no man’s person’ (Gal. 2:6 A.V.). Also, if the New Birth comes from God alone, and if the Bible is the word of God, then why listen to those who speak of miracles, dreams or prophesies? Take a few moments now to read through Jeremiah 23, and perhaps to pray about it.

The same principle should apply to the churches’ evangelistic outreaches. If we believe salvation comes only from God, then we are completely dependent upon Him for conversions and church growth. Therefore we will seek above all to be faithful and obedient to His word in all our activities and avoid the gimmickry that is increasingly common today. We will also refrain from pressurizing seekers into making false professions of faith, but rather present the Gospel clearly, truthfully and earnestly, yes and winsomely too, and trust God to bless our work. Nowhere in the Bible are we called to be successful, but rather to be faithful; the success of the Gospel is ultimately God’s business (Psalm 127:1; Matt. 16:18b). How precious therefore will be the church prayer meeting, when the whole congregation comes together to seek God’s blessing upon its work, in humble reliance upon Him (cf. Acts 4:24ff). I am deeply concerned that much of what passes for evangelism today involves seeing how little Gospel truth can be conveyed in persuading people to ‘accept Christ’ more as a lifestyle accessory than as Lord and Saviour. Accepting Christ. What a ghastly phrase! It conjures up in my mind the sort of letter that employers write to job applicants:-

Dear Mr. J. Christ,

I am pleased to inform you that your application for the post of saviour has been accepted, on a trial basis, subject to the usual terms and conditions.

Yours sincerely,

A. Sinner.

Another term which one hears today is, “I gave my heart to Jesus”. Oh, really? According to the Bible, ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked’ (Jer. 17:9) and, ‘From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit……’(Mark 7:21f). Hardly an acceptable gift to offer to the Lord! Salvation is not, ‘giving one’s heart to the Lord,’ but Almighty God saying, ‘I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you’ (Ezek. 36:26). The man or woman who really knows his or her heart despairs of it, and cries out, ‘O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?’

AMEN!!!!!!
Praise His Glorious name, which is above ALL names!
Free will has nothing to do with it!
It's ALL the works of God granted and given to WHOM HE desires to grant it to......which is a GIFT!
The Lord bless you abundantly!
In HIS love.....

 

[Brightfame52]

Regeneration or New Birth is the Spiritual Application and implantation of that Spiritual Life as a result of being quickened together with Christ, when He was Raised [As our Surety and Head] from the Dead Eph 2:6

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

The word raised synegeirō and means:

to raise together, to cause to raise together

2) to raise up together from mortal death to a new and blessed life dedicated to God

So the New Birth in Time is the evidence of all whom were in Christ when He rose as their Surety from the Dead. Hence we are Born Again by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead 1 Pet 1:3


3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Before this, we are spiritually dead Eph 2:5

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved )

And this is what it means to be Saved by Grace, to be given a New Birth because of the Resurrection of Christ from the Dead as Our Federal Head and Shepard, who gave His Life for the Sheep !

 

[Brightfame52]

Being begotten again !

1 Pet 1:3

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

This being begotten again means being born again, anew 1 Pet 1:23

23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

This being born again or begotten again by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead means that because He lives after death, all who He died and rose again must live also Jn 14:19; 1 Cor 15:22, this because He lived and died as their Federal Head and Surety Representative, and for that, all whom He represented must partake and do partake of His Resurrection See Phil 3:10. All for whom He died and rose again in behalf of have a title to it. Also in light of that it is written Rom 5:19b

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Being made Righteous here is Experientially Righteous, just as by the disobedience of the one [Adam] the many were made experientially sinners ! We become experientially righteous by New Birth !

The word made above as in made righteous is the greek word kathistēmi and does mean:


to constitute, to render, make, cause to be

To make Righteous, the word make means:

to bring into existence by shaping or changing material, combining parts

to produce; cause to exist or happen; bring about

to cause to be or become; render

And so through Christ's one act of obedience the may He died for shall be caused to be righteous, constituted righteous which carries the idea of being created Eph 4:24

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

All for whom Christ died shall be by New Birth from partaking of His Resurrection created into this New Man, created in Righteousness and True Holiness, Thank God for His Unspeakable Gift of Jesus Christ !

 

[Brightfame52]

Ezk 36:26

When God gives the New Heart in New Birth, He is giving these things as well

Ezk 36:26

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

The word heart here is the word leb and means:


inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding

a) inner part, midst

1) midst (of things)

2) heart (of man)

3) soul, heart (of man)

4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory

5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will)

6) conscience

7) heart (of moral character)

8) as seat of appetites

9) as seat of emotions and passions

10) as seat of courage

The same word is translated understanding here Prov 6:32

32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

As wisdom here Job 36:

5 Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.

Its translated Mind Num 16:28

28 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.


So in New Birth He gives as a Gift of Grace a New Heart which means New Will, Understanding, Affections , Mind and other Faculties, that is needed to Live a New Life unto the Glory of God, to begin with Faith and Repentance, which is a change of mind !

 

[Brightfame52]

They that know His Name shall Trust in Him Eph 1:13

Ps 9:10

10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

Eph 1:13

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

It seems this scripture Ps 9:10 gives us to understand that a Knowledge of God or Christ is a qualification in order for one to put their Trust in His Name or in Him; but the knowledge comes as a fruit of the New Birth Heb 8:11

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

Jer 31:34

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.6

 

[Brightfame52]

2 Cor 7:9-10

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Titus 1:1

Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

Now Godly Repentance or Sorrow must come from a Godly Source, The New Birth is that source. New Birth is that Sovereign giving of a Godly Principle that disposes one unto actions that are Godly, Holy, and well pleasing unto God by Jesus Christ; Without whom we can do nothing of any Spiritual good ! For faith and repentance are the principle acting's of the New Birth, which is a communication of the Life of God in the Soul. If men of the flesh can perform such godly actions, what needs be for the New Birth, the New Heart ? All one has to do is continue in such well doing in the flesh !

 

[Brightfame52]

New Birth is a Promise of the New Covenant !

What many in organized religion do not understand is that New Birth is a promise New Covenant Blessing. Here it is stated Jer 31:33

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Yes, the promise is here clearly stated, that God will given New Birth to all for whom Christ died for, because He satisfied by His Blood all the conditions of the New Covenant that procured for them a New Life dedicated to God ! Matt 26:28

28 For this is my blood of the new testament or covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

When God says " I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, He is speaking of the components of New Birth !

This is why all for whom Christ died, by His Resurrection they shall be begotten again ! 1 Pet 1:3

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

The word begotten again means:

to produce again, be born again, born anew

2) metaph. to have one's mind changed so that he lives a new life and one conformed to the will of God

New Birth must be effected by the Blood of the Covenant for the many it was shed for Matt 26:28

 

[percho]

The first man is of the earth, earthy: From 1 Cor 15:47
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: From 1 Cor 15:48
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, From 1 Cor 15:49

Is that above a reference to the following?
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gen 2:7
Forasmuch then as the children (?of Adam?) are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; Heb 2:14


1 Cor 15:50,51 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Is that above because of the following? From John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh;

 

[37818]

1 Cor 15:50,51 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Is that above because of the following? From John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh;

No. 1 Corinthians 15:50-51 is speaking of the bodily resurrection. John 3:6 is the new birth, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

 

[percho]

No. 1 Corinthians 15:50-51 is speaking of the bodily resurrection. John 3:6 is the new birth, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Rom 8:20
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
When does that take place? The following?
Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. [It just dawned on me, is this the age of flesh and blood, the soul of the flesh is in the blood Lev 17:11 ?] “But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; “nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. Luke 20:34-36---- Is that the revelation of the sons of God?

Now consider the Spirit of Adoption [Rom 8:15] of which those, in Christ,[2 Cor 5:17] have the first-fruit there of; What does Paul state relative to that? Rom 8:23 YLT And not only so, but also we ourselves, having the first-fruit of the Spirit, we also ourselves in ourselves do groan, adoption expecting -- the redemption of our body;

Convince me from scripture all of that isn't speaking of the exact moment as 1 Cor 15:47-54

for in hope we were saved, and hope beheld is not hope; for what any one doth behold, why also doth he hope for it? and if what we do not behold we hope for, through continuance we expect it. Romans 8:24,25

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13

 

[37818]

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Rom 8:20
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
When does that take place? The following?
Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. [It just dawned on me, is this the age of flesh and blood, the soul of the flesh is in the blood Lev 17:11 ?] “But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; “nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. Luke 20:34-36---- Is that the revelation of the sons of God?

Now consider the Spirit of Adoption [Rom 8:15] of which those, in Christ,[2 Cor 5:17] have the first-fruit there of; What does Paul state relative to that? Rom 8:23 YLT And not only so, but also we ourselves, having the first-fruit of the Spirit, we also ourselves in ourselves do groan, adoption expecting -- the redemption of our body;

Convince me from scripture all of that isn't speaking of the exact moment as 1 Cor 15:47-54

But they are speaking of 1 Corinthians 15:47-54.


1 John 3:2, ". . . Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. . . ."

 

[percho]

Behold, I was (2) brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother (1) conceived me. Ps 51:5 NKJV

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. [fn]” The Greek for again also means from above; also in verse 7. John 3:3 NIV

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” Rom 8:15 NKJV
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Rom 8:11 NKJV

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 1 Cor 12:13 KJV
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn (see Col 1:18 out of the dead) who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, Heb 12:22,23 NKJV
But Jerusalem which is above (Heavenly Jerusalem, Mt Zion) is free, which is the mother of us all. Gal 4:26 KJV

Has the Spirit of Adoption put us into the mother of us all, the church of the firstborn from the dead, Mt Zion, for the adoption to whit, the redemption of the body unto the praise of his glory (Eph 1:14)? Will Zion give birth to her children?

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. Isa 66:7 Col 1:18 Acts 13:30,33

Isa 66:8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.

 

[Brightfame52]

In the Regeneration !

The New Birth and Regeneration are distinct, but yet they go hand in hand and cannot be really divided. One is a Noun in scripture, a Place in Christ, that is Regeneration, and the other is the Effect of being in that Place, New Birth !

The fact is this, everyone Christ died for, His Body the Church Eph 5:23-25

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the Saviour of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Has been or are Regenerated, or in the Regeneration ! Its a Place ! Matt 19:28

28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

 

[Brightfame52]

Hope and Faith from New Birth !


That the Hope we receive from the New Birth by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as Per 1 Pet 1:3

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

That this Hope is the same as Faith, is because we could not Hope [Spiritual Hope] for Eternal Things as Per Col 1:23

23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

They are joined together here 1 Pet 1:21

21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

Because the Gospel brings to Faith's Eye, things we hope for that are naturally unseen, so Faith is the Substance of things Hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, of which Christ Himself set forth in the Gospel Hope is Unseen 1 Pet 1:7-8

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

It takes that New Birth to See and Rest in a Unseen Christ, who is spiritually set forth in the Gospel Gal 3:1

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 7

 

[Brightfame52]

What about the New Birth ?

Jn 3:3,7

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

That word born again in the greek is γεννάω-
ἄνωθεν and means: I beget, bring forth, give birth to

from above, from the beginning, again


So its actually being given birth from above !

And its meaning is given birth from Him that is above Col 3:1

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.


In other words, that is where being born again comes from, from the Risen Christ who sitteth on the Right Hand of God.

Now one of the mistakes of false religionists, is that of their failure to understand the New Birth. For the most part, all religionists believe and teach that man plays a part in being born again from above, that man plays an active part in a spiritual birth and or that new birth concerns the sin nature, that some kind of way the sin nature is born again,however these are delusions and lies.

In the New Birth, a New and Distinct Nature is Created or begotten Eph 4:24

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

And this New Creation entity is added to the Old Nature of flesh, which is flesh Jn 3:6

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

This is Two Separate entities Gal 5:16-17

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.


The Person having been born again is now joined to and exists in each distinct nature,and this without altering his former personality, but yet there is an adaptation of his individuality into submission to the New Creation or Nature, so Paul can say, put off the Old Man and Put on the New Man !

Understanding this confounds those who say they live a sinless life, and those who teach lost of salvation because of sin, for the New Creation cannot sin because born of God !

 

[Darrell C]

Define word regeneration !

In coming to a biblical understanding of the word regeneration, we shall define the word. Its used only Twice in the NT :

Matt 19:28

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Titus 3:5

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

The word in the greek is the feminine noun paliggenesia:

) new birth, reproduction, renewal, recreation, regeneration

a) hence renovation, regeneration, the production of a new life consecrated to God, a radical change of mind for the better. The word often used to denote the restoration of a thing to its pristine state, its renovation, as a renewal or restoration of life after death

Its made up of two greek words palin which means:

anew, again

a) renewal or repetition of the action

b) again, anew

And the word genesis which means:

source, origin

a) a book of one's lineage, i.e. in which his ancestry or progeny are enumerated

2) used of birth, nativity

3) of that which follows origin, viz. existence, life

It also means generation as in Matt 1:1

1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

So the word can mean a New Generation, A new beginning, A New existence, or origin, A New source, a New reproduction.

Again, the New Birth is a outcome of this Regeneration.

One of the definitions of regeneration is :


a renewal or restoration of life after death

This Our Lord experienced, in His resurrection.

Acts 3:15

And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Acts 13:34

And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.


Rom 6:9-10

9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

I could multiply scriptures, but the point is to show that in the sense of restoration of life after death, Christ experienced a regeneration.

I believe this is what He meant in Matt 19:28, when He says in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the Throne of His Glory.

When did this occur if not after His resurrection ? Scripture plainly intimates that after His suffering, His death and resurrection, He shall enter into His Glory. Lk 24:26,20

26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Suffer what things ? see vs 20

20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

When He rose from the Dead He became Lord of both the dead and the Living Rom 14:9

For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

This word revive means the same as regeneration, a restoration of life after death.

After Christ's humiliating death, and His resurrection, He entered into His Mediatorial Glory as both Lord and Christ Acts 2:36

Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

He was invested with [from the Father] all power in both Heaven and Earth Matt 28:19

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

If these things were not entering into His Throne of Glory as stated in Matt 19:28, I don't know what is ?

And if so, that's the regeneration He spake of.

Now one more thing about the Matt 19:28, in the original there is no punctuation, that is the translators supply them as they deem it best to their Judgment. In light of that, there should have been a period after the words followed me instead of the comma.

And so it would read Matt 19:28

28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me. In the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus was specifically telling His Disciples, the ones who followed Him, the Twelve, that they would be Co Rulers with Him in the Spread of His Gospel Kingdom throughout the Earth. Perhaps what Jesus had in mind was this what He spake unto them earlier in Matt 16:17-19

17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

This I believe is a direct fulfillment of Isa 32:1

1Behold, a king[Jesus Christ] shall reign in righteousness, and princes[The Twelve] shall rule in judgment.

Now the main point hitherto is that Jesus Christ resurrection from the dead, is a regeneration and entering into His Glory !

You are ignoring the context of the passages you are quoting. The restoration of the Kingdom of Israel is the physical picture of the promise of God as found in the Old Testament. And just as the physical Kingdom (which is yet to come) is a picture of the Eternal Kingdom established by Christ (which no man will be "co-ruler of), even so the restoration of Israel is a picture of the reconciliatory Work of God in Christ.

Regeneration and the New Birth are one and the same. One is not regenerated and then born again. I would agree we could use a "seed analogy," however, one must keep in mind that the seed of the believer is dead. We are, at birth, born dead. The reason is because we do not have the life Christ came specifically to give man. No man had the life of Christ prior to the coming of the Comforter at Pentecost, and it is at this time that men began to be born again. We are saved when we baptized with the Baptism with the Holy Ghost:

Acts 11:11-17 KJV

11 And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.

12 And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:

13 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;

14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.

15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.

16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

Consider:

18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.


We receive the Life Christ came to bring, Eternal Life ... at salvation.

John 3:16 KJV

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


Keep in mind that the Gospel was yet a mystery (unrevealed truth) during Christ's ministry. For Nicodemus, "the Kingdom of God" would have been a reference to the Millennial Kingdom, not the Kingdom we now know Christ established. While we can understand what the Lord meant, and what Kingdom He meant, Nicodemus did not. The Lord will go on to explain to Nicodemus how the New Birth would be made possible:


John 3:9-14 KJV

9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:


John 3:16 KJV

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


It still remains true, no man will enter into the Kingdom, the Millennial Kingdom that is, apart from being born. That is why we are taught by Christ about the Sheep and Goat judgment: all unbelievers will be destroyed at that judgment, and only those who have been born again during the Tribulation will enter. This can also be seen in the Great Supper of God in Revelation 19 and Ezekiel 39.

There is only one moment of regeneration for the believer, and that is at salvation. This is the New Birth.

God bless.