THE NEW BIRTH!
By Bibleman
According to the Bible and the experiences of born again Christians the New Birth is an amazing event! This great event establishes the truth of the Christian religion because only God, the Creator of man and all things, could perform such a unique and life-changing transformation in the hearts and lives of His people. No other religion or system of belief can purify or completely change the human heart and spirit within man.
WHY A NEW BIRTH?
Everyone is born with a carnal and sinful nature inherited from Adam. The apostle Paul described this nature as the law of sin that dwells within us (Rom. 7:7). It is not possible to be holy or live a life of righteousness because this old nature continually brings us into captivity to the law of sin. No matter how hard we try to live right and serve God this rebellious nature wages war against our mind, persuading and overpowering us to commit sin. With this carnal nature it is simply impossible to live a holy and righteous life that is pleasing and acceptable to God (Rom. 8:8). Who, then, can deliver us from this sinful nature that we are born with and which dwells in us? The apostle Paul answers this question, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Rom. 8:2) Because of Christ we can receive a new nature and be free from indwelling sin. Only when the old carnal nature is dead and destroyed can we be freed from sin and able to live a life of righteousness (Rom. Chap. 6).
WHAT IS THE NEW BIRTH?
The carnal nature separates man from fellowship with God. In order to restore a personal relationship with God man’s carnal nature must be changed from its fallen state to a state of righteousness. God has provided a way for man to be reconciled back to Himself through a new birth experience. The atonement of Christ makes it possible for man to be redeemed and brought back into fellowship with God. God performs the spiritual healing of the soul that is necessary to root out the old sinful, unredeemed nature with its unholy disposition, appetites, passions, temperaments and evil tendencies and create in man a spiritual nature that is pure and holy. God can now place His Holy Spirit into a pure and sanctified vessel, restoring the fellowship that was once lost (Ep.2:22). The new birth is a spiritual transformation of one’s heart and spirit from the old sinful and carnal nature that each inherits from Adam to a spiritually regenerated nature that is purified and holy. The prophet Ezekiel describes the new birth as a act whereby God gives one a new heart and a new spirit and places His Holy Spirit within (Ez. 11:19,20, 36:26,27). King David asked God to create in him a clean heart and a right spirit (Ps. 51:10). The old corrupt and depraved carnal mind which sought to please the flesh is renewed with a spiritual mind that seeks to please God (Rom. 8:6-10, 12:2; Eph. 4:23) All who are born again or spiritually begotten by God become His sons and daughters (Rom 8:15-17; 1 Pet. 1:3). The new birth gives us a new nature free from indwelling sin, restores fellowship with God, enabling one to live a life of holiness through the indwelling Holy Spirit and provides cleansing and pardon from all of our iniquity (Jer. 33:8).
NEW BIRTH IS NECESSARY!
No one can be saved having the old sin nature because it is full of trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). It is a nature that is obedient to the will of the devil and disobedient to the ways of God (Eph. 2:2). It is a nature that is bent on fulfilling the evil desires of the flesh and mind. No one can be holy if they have an earthly, sensual and devilish nature that produces evil fruit (Jn. 15:2,6; Jam. 3:14-16). This is why Jesus said “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…Ye must be born again.” (Jn. 3:3,7) No one can be saved from their sins and made holy unless they are spiritually begotten by God. This is why Jesus “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Tit. 2:14) Jesus warned that those who have a nature that produces no good fruit will be cast into the fires of hell (Jn. 15:2,6 Mt. 25:46).
HOW ARE WE BORN AGAIN?
There are many misconceptions in the church world today concerning the new birth. Some teach that you are born again the moment that you believe in Christ and accept Him as your personal Savior. Others teach in baptismal regeneration or that water baptism alone has the power to save. Yet others seem to deny the born again experience altogether by proclaiming that holiness is not possible in this life. Then there are those who teach that God does not change ones nature but only pretends that they are holy by looking at Christ instead of the sinner. All of these theories are inconsistent with the biblical fact that Jesus died to save us from our sins and make us holy. Any who teach that salvation belongs to the unsanctified or to those who do not possess the Holy Spirit are in serious error. Jesus said that the new birth happens when a person is “born of water and of the Spirit” (Jn. 3:5) The apostle Peter taught in order to be born of water and the Spirit one must repent and be baptized for the remission of his sins so he could receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). If we truly believe in Jesus Christ we must repent of all our sins and be baptized for the remission of those sins so the Holy Spirit can cleanse our heart and life. We cannot earn salvation by any works of righteousness on our
own part, but only by the “washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” (Tit. 3:5) The apostle Paul taught that the new birth consisted of being “baptized into Christ” (Rom. 6:3). Water baptism symbolizes what the Spirit of God does in our life and signifies the type of life that we have chosen to live in Christ. Baptism signifies the death and burial of the old nature and rising up with a new cleansed nature in Christ (Rom. 6:3-6). The new birth begins when we fulfill God’s requirements of repentance and baptism into Christ.
THE NEW NATURE!
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) The born again Christian has a renewed mind and a new nature, “which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:23,24). With a newly transformed mind and sanctified life the Christian is able to walk in holiness because he is no longer conformed to the world but to the image of Christ ( Rom. 8:29, 12:2; Col. 3:10). With the indwelling Holy Spirit, born again Christians can successfully overcome the flesh, the world and the devil (1 Jn. 2:14-17). Born again Christians are partakers of the divine nature of God which is a pure and holy nature that is dead to sin and alive to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Pet. 1:4; 1 Jn. 2:29, 3:3). Any who do not practice righteousness do not have this nature from God (1 Jn. 3:9, 10). All who have this spiritually-minded nature seek only the will of God and to be led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:1-14; 1 Pet. 4:2). A mans thoughts and actions reflect the type of nature he has. Are all your thoughts and actions pure and holy?
THE NEW LIFE!
The born again Christian is to completely abandon his former way of life and walk in holiness (1 Pet. 1:14-16). The members of his body are to be yielded to God as instruments of righteousness who no longer obey the lusts of the flesh (Rom. 6:12-19). Obedience to the truth of God’s word will keep the soul and heart pure, producing genuine love and the fruits of holiness (Jam. 1:21-25, 3:13-18; Pet. 1:22,23) Born again Christians are called saints because they are the sanctified ones who have the Holy Spirit. The saints are careful to guard themselves against the devils temptations so they can remain holy and undefiled by sin (1 Jn. 3:6-10, 5:18). They no longer seek to fulfill the desires of the flesh and mind being subject to the wrath of God (Eph. 2:3). Walking in the Spirit enables the Christian to mortify, subdue and extinguish any sinful desires (Gal. 5:16-26). Since believers belong to Christ they are to glorify God in everything they do in body and spirit (1 Cor. 6:20, 10:31).God abides in the hearts of all His saints who practice love and obedience, through His indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Jn. 3:22-24, 4:7-9). Experience this new life, for yourself, today!
