ALONE WITH GOD     

Office Of The Holy Spirit--New Birth

  "Jesus answered and said unto him (Nicodemus), Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." John 3:3-7.

  To many the reality of being born again is quite as strange as it was to Nicodemus, a master in Israel. The reason it was a mystery to him was, he only understood the things which he could comprehend in a natural way; spiritual things were to him in the unknown. And for similar reasons today many exclaim with Nicodemus, "How can these things be?" The fact is hid to many that spiritual things are as real as temporal things they forget that if matter can act upon matter so also spirit can act upon spirit. "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 2 Cor. 4:3, 4.

  Nicodemus understood natural birth, and for this reason Jesus employed natural birth to explain to him the operation of the Spirit, and we shall avail ourselves of the same opportunity and proceed to unfold the mysteries of the heavenly birth by comparing it with the natural birth. There are two agents used in bringing about natural birth—father and mother. There are also two agents used in bringing about spiritual birth— Word and Spirit.

  First we will notice our spiritual Father. "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many FATHERS: for in Christ Jesus have I begotten you through the gospel." 1 Cor. 4:15. Paul here represents himself as the father of the Corinthian church from the fact that he was the first to preach Christ unto them. He also calls both Timothy and Titus his sons. 1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:2; Titus 1:4. But there is a higher and stricter sense in which God is called our Father. "But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God." John 1:12. In the New Testament we are spoken of at least six times as the SONS OF GOD, and many times God is declared to be our Father.

  Second, the new covenant and church is our mother. "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the MOTHER of us all." Gal. 4:26. In the case of natural generation a child is begotten, brought forth, or born; so also in the spiritual we are begotten. "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers. for in Christ Jesus I have BEGOTTEN you through the gospel." 1 Cor. 4:15. "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." 1 Pet. 1:3. The apostle says "begotten again" from the fact that we have all been begotten once naturally, hence when we are begotten of the Spirit we are "begotten again."

  Born: "Jesus answered and said unto him (Nicodemus) Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:35. Jesus says "born again" for the same reason that Peter says "begotten again." We are first begotten (by our earthly parents), and then "begotten again" (by the Word and Spirit of God). We are first born (of our earthly parents), and then "born again" (of the Word and Spirit of God). "Being born again, not of corruptible seed (mortal parentage), but of incorruptible (immortal), by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." 1 Peter 1:23.

  Natural birth is attended with pain and anguish, ending in joy and happiness. "A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world." John 16:21. Spiritual birth also is attended with sorrow. "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of." 2 Cor. 7:10. "Now when they heard this (the gospel), they were pricked in their hearts, and sad unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37. Only those who have passed through the remorse of conscience and godly sorrow of conviction can realize the joy of pardon; for joy is the blissful end to those who will persevere. "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth."Luke 15:7. "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." Isaiah 12:3.

  It is impossible for anyone to see the kingdom without the birth from above. "Except a man be born again he can not see the kingdom of God." There are a great many sects in the world today that do not recognize this fact, but expect to get to heaven by their forms and ceremonies; and others suppose that if they have been christened in infancy and subsequently confirmed, their way is clear. But far above the confusion and din of Babel strife and ignorance we hear the voice of the Great Teacher resound from shore to shore, declaring to all, from the master of Israel to the modern formalist, the glorious unchanging truth: "Ye must be born again." To gain an existence in this material world we must of necessity come God's way—be born of the flesh. Likewise to gain an existence in the spiritual world or kingdom of grace, we must come God's way—"be born again." it.