Something to know about the New Birth !
Something to know about the New Birth ! New Birth is not the cause of Life, but Life is the cause of the New Birth. For Birth is nothing but the advancement of Life already began, which life is the product of quickening. Quickening gives Life, and The New Birth makes it manifest. For instance, when a Child is born or birthed into this world, its not the beginning of its life, however it is being manifested or brought to light in its new Physical environment, BUT the Life itself is a Miracle Production of God Himself, and from that point it begins its advancement unto an actual Birth. The generator of the Life is the Father, which is Christ, the Head of His Seed, and so gives it Life 1 Cor 15:45
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
The word quickening here is zōopoieō:
to produce alive, begat or bear living young
2) to cause to live, make alive, give life
a) by spiritual power to arouse and invigorate
b) to restore to life
c) to give increase of life: thus of physical life
d) of the spirit, quickening as respects the spirit, endued with new and greater powers of life
3) metaph., of seeds quickened into life, i.e. germinating, springing up, growing
Remember how it is said that so and so beget so and so Gen 5:3
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:
So in this sense Jesus begets His Seed. The Word Father means:
father of an individual
2) of God as father of his people
3) head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan
4) ancestor
a) grandfather, forefathers -- of person
b) of people
5) originator or patron of a class, profession, or art
6) of producer, generator (fig.)
7) of benevolence and protection (fig.)
8) term of respect and honour
7
9) ruler or chief (spec.)
And so Christ is the Head of His Church, He gives it Life 1 Cor 15:45
And Just as Seth was in Adam's loins in order for Adam to beget him, Then all those Born Again/New Birth had their origin in the Loins of Christ, their Head !
So New Birth is linked to Election in Christ Eph 1:4 !
The difference between the first birth and the New Birth is that in the first birth physical life is in view. In the New Birth spiritual life is in view. That Christ quickens (makes alive) men is not, as Nicodemus erred, the same thing (the babe) doing the same thing (being birthed again). It is the giving of Eternal Life to those who are ...
... dead.
John 6:49-54 KJV
49
Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50
This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Two things to know about regeneration:
1. Only faith in Christ brings about regeneration;
2. No man was born again prior to Pentecost.
Christ contrasts The Living Bread from Heaven with manna from the heavens (sky). Manna provided physical life, Christ provides Eternal Life.
Regeneration for Old Testament Saints is not a Biblical Doctrine, because either men began to be born again on the Day of Pentecost or there are two ways to obtain Eternal Life. No man was believing on Christ in the salvific way that is required, that He died for their sins, and rose again the third day.
The eternal indwelling of God was prophesied here:
John 14:15-23 KJV
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot,
Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him,
If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
It is the Comforter that convicts the World, and He began that on the Day of Pentecost:
John 16:7-9 KJV
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away:
for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9
Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Christ is the Baptizer, and it is He that baptized men into Himself. When He does that one is born again.
The dead is made alive in regeneration. And they did not have life prior to that. Thus to teach men are regenerated and then born again is in error. To teach regeneration and the new birth as two events is error. To overlook the context of a passage to create a proof text is error.
As I said, I am not trying to give you a hard time, I am trying to help you understand.
God bless.