Born Again – TGN https://tgnghana.org United For The Gospel Tue, 13 Dec 2022 20:11:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 https://tgnghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/cropped-TGN-logo-1-32x32.png Born Again – TGN https://tgnghana.org 32 32 The Necessity Of The New Birth https://tgnghana.org/the-necessity-of-the-new-birth/ https://tgnghana.org/the-necessity-of-the-new-birth/#respond Thu, 01 Mar 2018 09:23:25 +0000 https://tgnghana.org/the-necessity-of-the-new-birth/ “Born Again”: This is one of the most used words in all of Christendom, not just limited to our generation but has been by generations past. Now you do not need to have been in the Christian faith for long to have probably heard this term thrown around. Indeed, it has been used so much […]

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“Born Again”: This is one of the most used words in all of Christendom, not just limited to our generation but has been by generations past. Now you do not need to have been in the Christian faith for long to have probably heard this term thrown around. Indeed, it has been used so much that it has lost its meaning and essence. Today, many professing believers use the term, “born-again Christian”. However, a fundamental understanding of what it means to be born again proves this as a wrong description. First of all, one cannot be a Christian unless they are born again. Hence, it is redundant to say, “born-again Christian”. Is there a Christian who is not born-again?

What does it mean to be born again?

When someone says they are born again, what do they really mean? I believe there is no better way to start answering this question than by searching the Scriptures and finding out what our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, had to say about it. Let’s examine a popular interaction Jesus had with a religious leader of his time which teaches us lesson about what it means to be born again.

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely, they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c]must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”  “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.”

In this text, John describes a visit Nicodemous, a religious leader of  the Jewish council paid to Jesus. One thing that pops out at us immediately is the timing of his trip. He goes to Jesus at night. Indeed, a lot of things can be said about this. Could it be that he came at night for fear of being associated with our Lord? Now from his initial statement, we see a sense of belief in Him. He upholds Jesus as a teacher who was sent from God because He (Christ) validated his being sent from God through the signs and miracles he performed (v. 2). We could easily walk away from Nicodemus’ statement and affirm he is one of us—a Christian.

However, our Savior’s response offers a sharp rebuke to us. As John recorded, Jesus replied to Nicodemus by saying, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Without understanding the context, it is easy to walk away confused as to what our Saviour’s response had to do with anything. After all, Nicodemus only made a statement that showed his admiration of Christ. As a Jewish leader, Nicodemus expected the kingdom of God and heaven to come soon with each passing day. With the appearance of Christ and his miracles, which were a verification of Him being sent by God, Nicodemus knew the time was near and as such, wanted to be a part of the kingdom of God and have a share of it. But Christ will have none of that. He tells Nicodemus that he MUST be born again. In his commentary on this, Matthew Henry points this out by stating,

A rebuke of what he saw defective in the address of Nicodemus. It was not enough for him to admire Christ’s miracles, and acknowledge his mission, but he must be born again. It is plain that he expected the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of the Messiah now shortly to appear. He is betimes aware of the dawning of that day; and, according to the common notion of the Jews, he expects it to appear in external pomp and power. He doubts not but this Jesus, who works these miracles, is either the Messiah or his prophet, and therefore makes his court to him, compliments him, and so hopes to secure a share to himself of the advantages of that kingdom. But Christ tells him that he can have no benefit by that change of the state, unless there be a change of the spirit, of the principles and dispositions, equivalent to a new birth. Nicodemus came by night: “But this will not do,’’ saith Christ. His religion must be owned before men”

Surprised by Christ’s statement of being born again before he can see the kingdom of God, Nicodemus asks, ““How can someone be born when they are old?”. “Surely, they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus in response  proceeds to tell him two things:

1. Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
2. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

Born of Water and the Spirit

To be ‘born again’ simply means to be born, again. That is a birth to be distinguished from our natural birth. Being born again is the work of the Holy Spirit, where he regenerates the heart of sinners, who are dead in their trespasses and sins from birth, and gives them a new breath and life, so that they can believe in the gospel. As Paul tells us in Ephesians 2 and Romans 3:10-18, we were born dead in our trespasses and sins and as a result, we do not seek God or do any good. Our hearts are desperately wicked, and all we desire is evil. As spiritually dead people, we cannot see light. In fact, Paul explicitly says we hate God and are enemies of God. Because we are dead in our sins, we cannot seek God or receive the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). It means therefore, that we need God himself, the Author of Life, to breathe new life into us so that we may seek Him. We do not have the ability to come to God on our own (John 6:37). We are slaves to sin and dead! And this is what Christ means when he says one CANNOT see the kingdom of God UNLESS they are born again.

Just like Nicodemus, we cannot come to God till God replaces our hearts of stone with a heart of flesh. As flesh gives birth to flesh, our flesh cannot aid us in coming to Christ. The Spirit, who gives birth to spirit, must breath new life into us. This is the first point Christ makes. We must be born again by water and spirit. Some have argued that Christ speaking of water and spirit means that one is not truly born again till they are baptized. This is false. As Jonathan Edwards said, “We contribute nothing to our salvation except the sin that made it necessary”. Baptism does not contribute to our regeneration. Christ speaking of being born by spirit and water is a reference to Ezekiel, where God says in Ezekiel 36:25-27,

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules”

“Born by water and spirit”, is all a reference to the work of the Holy Spirit in our coming to faith. We are washed and cleansed through the preaching of the word, and the Spirit puts a new heart and spirit in us, that we can believe. Paul talks about this when he says in Ephesians 5:26-27, “that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” The Spirit of God acts upon the preaching of the Word of God to bring one to saving faith (see Romans 10:14).

The Wind Blows Where It Pleases:

In Christ second statement, he relates the work of the Spirit in salvation to the wind blowing. He says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”. This simply means that, just as we have no role in determining where the wind blows, so it is with us being born again: We have no CONTROL over it. The Spirit of God regenerates who he wants. It is a grace of God. One cannot will themselves to be born again; It is the Spirit of God who initiates and brings it to completion (John 1:13). We play no role in the work of the Spirit in regeneration. We are dead in our sins and so we cannot!
Regeneration MUST Precedes Faith
With that being said, it must mean that regeneration or being born again, must precede faith. We cannot believe without being Regenerated, and we cannot be regenerated without believing. Although simultaneous as we see in Lydia(Acts 16), our hearts must be open( or so to speak: born again), before we come to saving faith. It is crucial to make this distinction as Christ also pointed out, “You cannot see the kingdom of God(believe) UNLESS you are born again(regenerated).

The Essence of the New Birth

Simply put, it is the new birth that ushers us into the kingdom of God and the gates of heaven are open to us. Without the new birth, as stated, we will remain dead in our sins and trespasses, we will continue to hate the God of the universe and worst of all, we remain under the wrath of the thrice Holy God. We need to be born again. We need God to act upon us and convert our stony hearts that does not love God to a heart of flesh that loves God and cherishes Him above all. The new birth, is essential to Christianity.

What Must The Sinner Do?

To be born again is a sine-qua-non, a necessity to entering God’s kingdom and no one can bypass the process. So one who is not a Christian may ask; “what must I do?  Simply trust in what Christ has done for sinners. He died in the place of sinners that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Sinner, run to Christ for rescue from sin. Christ beckons you to come to Him in faith repenting from your sins, that he may give you rest.

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]]> https://tgnghana.org/the-necessity-of-the-new-birth/feed/ 0 The Dangers Of Sin https://tgnghana.org/the-dangers-of-sin/ https://tgnghana.org/the-dangers-of-sin/#comments Thu, 26 May 2016 19:28:53 +0000 https://tgnghana.org/the-dangers-of-sin/ Take care , brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share […]

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Take care , brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end (Hebrews 3:12-14).The book of Hebrews contains some of the stern warnings in Scriptures against sin, drawing lessons from the Israelites who were saved from Egypt and later perished in the wilderness for disobedience towards God. These warnings  are  to ensure believers don’t presume on the grace of God. Believers are not to play trifle with the salvation they have received from the Lord, hence these numerous warnings.

The believer, purchased and redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice is eternally secured never to be separated from Christ. Sadly, this truth is wrongly taken by some as a license to live their lives licentiously, disregarding the commands and laws of God. Anyone who thus lives, we may conclude has not truly known the Lord. The warnings in Hebrews are instructive for the believer to live victoriously and not under the bondage and slavery of sin.

Perhaps one of the least spoken about subject in our generation is the doctrine of sin–want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.¹ Sin is the breaking of God’s law and the Bible affirms that all humans are guilty of sin and without Christ, are separated from God (Romans 3:23). The believer who has come to saving faith in Christ is indeed saved, sanctified and set apart for “good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”(Eph 2:10). However, there still remains in him residues of the fallen old Adamic nature which needs to be subdued and brought under control of the Spirit’s ongoing progressive sanctification. John Owen, in his book Indwelling Sin In Believers aptly captured the dangers of sin in a believer. He wrote:

Wherever you are, whatever you are about, this law of sin is always in you; in the best that You do, and in the worst. Men little consider what a dangerous companion is always at home with them. When they are in company, when alone, by night or by day, all is one , sin is with them. There is a living coal continually in their houses; which, if it be not looked unto, will fire them, and it may be consume them. Oh, the woful security of poor souls! How little do the most of men think of this inbred enemy that is never from home! How little, for the most part , doth the watchfulness of any professors answer the danger of their state and condition! ²

Sin is dangerous and not to be toyed with in its slightest appearance. Paul writes that “Abstain from all appearances of evil (1Thes 5:22 KJV). Peter admonishes that we should “gird up the loins of [our] mind, be sober… [and ] as obedient children, not fashioning  [ourselves] according to the former lust…”(1Peter 1:13-14 KJV).

“Take care brothers…”(v.1a) the Hebrews writer admonishes. This is a warning to believers against the potency and power of sin not dealt with by submission to the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. Sin kills faith. It produces unbelief. Sin deceives. Sin hardens and kills our conscience. Like a sniper, sin, if not dealt with can take us out and lead to apostasy: “lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (v.1b). The battle against sin is both individual and communal. The author further tells us; “But exhort one another every day … that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin”(v.13). Sin is deceitful. Its pleasure is temporal and cannot be compared to the eternal glory and reward that awaits us (Hebrews 11:23-28).

Unlike Cain who asked “Am I my brother’s keeper?”(Genesis 4:9), we as believers are each other’s keeper and must be engaged in watching over each other to ensure we finish this race together living victoriously over sin by the power available in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Our union with Christ is only true when we are actively engaged in resisting sin in cooperation with the Spirit’s work of progressive sanctification:

For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end (Hebrews 3:14).

Notes

1: Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 14

2: John Owen, Indwelling Sin in Believers, Vintage Puritan Series GLH Publishing Louisville, KY

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]]> https://tgnghana.org/the-dangers-of-sin/feed/ 2 Born Again Into The Kingdom Of God https://tgnghana.org/born-again-into-the-kingdom-of-god/ https://tgnghana.org/born-again-into-the-kingdom-of-god/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2015 09:20:53 +0000 https://tgnghana.org/born-again-into-the-kingdom-of-god/ There was a time in the history of this country the phrase “Born Again” was popular among Christians. In evangelistic meetings, “Are you Born Again?” is the most likely question you will hear. Proselytising friends will ask “Are You Born Again?”. The expression was ubiquitous. Today, the story is different. The gospel−the preaching of the […]

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]]> There was a time in the history of this country the phrase “Born Again” was popular among Christians. In evangelistic meetings, “Are you Born Again?” is the most likely question you will hear. Proselytising friends will ask “Are You Born Again?”. The expression was ubiquitous.

Today, the story is different. The gospel−the preaching of the cross and of eternal life−has vanished into oblivion. In its stead, we have psychology, self-esteem, self-improvement, and prosperity masquerading as gospel on many pulpits−big and small.

Much of the content of our preaching lacks power to convict of sin. Why is this so? Somehow, we have managed to bury the gospel message under rubbles of pragmatism. Our need for salvation-−forgiveness of sins and reconciliation to God-− has been overshadowed by the need to address so called pertinent life issues. As if the gospel has no relevance to this life. If we are to poll what is humankind’s greatest need, I trust we will have various responses. Top on the list I believe will be alleviation of poverty, disease and world peace. These answers will be influenced by our immediate needs as humans. If you follow world history, you would have observed the varied needs postulated as humanity’s needs; climate change, child labour, child trafficking, poverty, disease, terrorism and the likes. These indeed are important. But they are not our utmost need. They are only the symptoms and evidence of our fallen nature. Sin is our utmost predicament.

If it is true (and it is) that sin is our utmost predicament, then salvation from that sin is our utmost need. The mayhem of our times is just symptoms of the true state of the sinful heart of humankind. Scripture is replete with descriptions of our sin problem. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 8:23); “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…” (Jeremiah 17:9). We are sinful and wretched−needy of God’s grace. “Desperately wicked”! That is an apt description of the human condition. The Bible goes straight to the root of all our predicaments: Sin. Because of our sinful nature, God condemns us all under His divine righteous judgement as fallen and separated from Him. To be separated from God is to be an enemy of God. Who can bear the thought of being an enemy of God? But that is what our sinful nature makes us until we are reconciled to God. Paul writing to the Ephesians described their former state before they were reconciled to God by faith.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 1:1-3).

The above describes every person who has not come to saving faith. (i) They are dead in sins. (ii) They are followers of Satan−the prince of the power of the air. (iii) They are children of disobedience. (iv) They follow after the passions of their flesh and carry out the desires of the body and the mind. And finally, (v) they are children of wrath−enemies of God. God’s wrath is upon them. Naturally, anyone who has not come to saving faith is heading towards eternal damnation and separation from God for all eternity.

Our destination is the place where we are going. In theology it refers to one of two places; either we are going to heaven or we are going to hell. In either case, we cannot cancel the trip. God gives us but two final options. One or the other is our final destination.1

Here is where God’s work of reconciliation comes in. Jesus says “Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”(John 3:3). Here, Jesus gives us the−sine qua non-prerequisite of entering the Kingdom of God. He tells us what is necessary to be reconciled to God. We must be born again. So what does it mean to be born again? The expression born again as used by Jesus is the Greek word anothen 2 which means “born from above” or “things which comes from heaven”. To be born again therefore is firstly a work initiated by God’s Spirit before humans respond through faith in Christ Jesus. It is God’s merciful act of grace towards humanity, where He saves us from sin and reconciles us unto Himself through Christ Jesus. For the Christian, salvation is not a consequence of our moral worth. Our moral worth is like filthy rags before God. Just as our natural birth is a necessary condition to be part of the human race, to be born again is also an indispensable necessary condition that has to be met to be a member of God’s family.

The necessity to be Born Again as a condition to enter God’s kingdom−eternal life−can be seen from the use of the literal device of repetition: “Truly, Truly…” I believe Jesus meant to drive home clearly a non-negotiable: “You must be Born Again”. Though it greatly counts, to be born again is not necessarily a change of mind or transformation of character. Anyone can undergo a character transformation without necessarily being born again. The starting point for all of us is to acknowledge we are sinners separated from God by sin brought upon the whole human race by the fall and disobedience of Adam. All, without Christ, are spiritually dead; a consequence of Adam’s disobedience. We all carry in our genes Original sin.(Romans 3:11-12, 23, 5:12). Alienated from God by sin, the Father placed our sins upon Jesus as an atonement to save us from sin and reconcile us to Himself through faith. “For God so loved the world, [that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “…he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.(2 Corinthians 5:21). Saving faith that leads to salvation is God Himself effecting a work of regeneration in our hearts by His Spirit. By ourselves, we are unable to come to God: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day”(John 6:44).

To be Born Again therefore is a work of God and we have to cry out for mercy to be given a heart that believes (Ezekiel 36:25-27).Would you acknowledge your need of a Saviour? Come just as you are. Forsake your sins. Repent and turn to the Saviour of our soul.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.(John 1:12-13).

Notes:

1:R. C. Sproul, Chosen By God (1986 Tyndale House Publishers)

2:https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G509

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