"You Must Be Born Again!"
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," said Jesus (John 3:3).
Nicodemus was totally perplexed. He asked Jesus: "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?" (Verse 4.)
Jesus told him: "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (verse 7). But Nicodemus simply did not comprehend what Jesus was talking about (verses 9-12). How like so many people today! They, too, are baffled by these simple words of Christ.
Most professing Christians think they were "BORN AGAIN" when they "accepted Christ" and were "baptized." From that time, supposedly, they received the Holy Spirit and have been living a NEW LIFE in Christ.
True, a real Christian has received the Spirit of God, and is indeed living a NEW LIFE in Christ (Eph.4:22-24). But is this what it means to be "born again"?
The new birth described in the Bible is FAR MORE than most professing Christians have assumed. When Jesus spoke of being "born again," He did not mean what most people think.
Two Literal Births
Nicodemus was familiar only with the process of physical birth. Therefore he understood when Jesus said to him, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh" But then Jesus explained we must be born again—not again of the flesh—not again entering our mother’s womb, as Nicodemus thought He meant. He explained that we must be born of the spirit—born of God! God must be our Father this time! As we were born of the flesh through fleshly human parents, even so we must be born of the Spirit of our spiritual heavenly Father.
Here are two different kinds of birth—one physical, the other spiritual. When you were born of your fleshly parents you were composed of flesh. But "that which is born of the spirit is SPIRIT" (John 3:6)--no longer composed of flesh, but of spirit!
There will be no blood in the body of one "born of the Spirit." He will not have to breathe air to exist. He will be literally COMPOSED OF SPIRIT, declared Jesus.
That’s the plain teaching of your Bible! The new birth is not an emotional experience, but a literal birth!
So Nicodemus would not mistake the true meaning of being born of the Spirit, Jesus explained to him: "The wind bloweth where it listeth [where it wills], and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (verse 8).
Notice that carefully. When you are "born again," born of the Spirit of God, you will be invisible to mortal eyes like the wind (unless you choose to manifest yourself). The effects of the wind may be easily discernible, but the wind itself cannot be seen.
Clearly, Jesus compared the spiritual birth to the physical birth. The latter is a type of the former. Human parents pass on a physical nature at birth to their children; so when we are born of our heavenly Father, we will possess His Spiritual nature in its fullness!
And further into the lesson,
The POWER of God
Most of professing Christianity today also assumes that God is a "trinity" composed of God the Father, God the Son and God the "Holy Spirit." Could this be true? Let’s learn what the Bible tells us about the Spirit of God.
1. Is God’s Spirit the POWER by which He creates? Jer. 32:17; Gen. 1:1-3; Psalm 104:30.
COMMENT: It was by the Spirit of God that the Eternal (YHWH)--the Logos (Christ)--created the entire vast universe. Invisible spirit energy was literally transformed into the material creation we see about us (Heb. 11:3). And by His Spirit, God reformed the surface of the earth (Ps. 104:30). No wonder the Bible calls it the "power" of God!
2. How did the Eternal God utilize His Spirit of power to bring His various creations into being? Psalm 148:1-5. Notice the word "commanded" in verse 5. Also read Psalm 33:8-9 and Genesis 1:2-3.
COMMENT: God, the ultimate source of all power, willed that spirit energy emanating from Himself be TRANSFORMED into physical energy and matter. Christ—the Logos, or "Word" (John 1:1)--"spake and it was done." He is the One who said, "Let there be light." And the Spirit of God, moving over the face of the waters performed the command, and "there was light" (Gen. 1:3).
3. Does God also use His Spirit of power to sustain, preserve and rule His vast creation? Neh. 9:6; Heb. 1:2-3; Psalm 66:7.
COMMENT: God sits at the controls of the entire universe—He rules and sustains everything by the POWER of His Spirit!
4. Does God’s Spirit fill the entire universe? Psalm 139:7-10; Jer. 23:24. But do the Father and Christ have definite form and shape? Gen. 1:26; John 14:9.
COMMENT: God’s Spirit is not a "third person’ in the God Family. It is His divine POWER that emanates from Him and permeates the universe!
5. But what about I John 5:7 which many suppose proves God is composed of three persons?
COMMENT: This verse is left out of most modern translations of the Bible—for a very good reason! It is spurious—afraid! Most any Bible commentary reveals that this verse is not found in any old Greek manuscript and was not found even in the Latin Vulgate until as late as the eighth century. Admits Adam Clarke: It is lacking in "all the ancient versions but the Vulgate; and even of this version many of the most ancient and correct MSS. [Manuscripts] have it not."
Those who believe in a "trinity" grasp at this verse to support their belief because they have NO Bible proof for their conviction! Rather, history reveals the trinity concept is a pagan invention and belief found in many ancient countries. The Egyptian trinity consisted of Isis, Osiris and Horus; the worship of the trinity traces back to the worship of Nimrod, Semiramis and Tammuz soon after the Flood!
6. Is the Holy Spirit referred to in the Bible simply as "it"—not a person? John 1:32; Rom. 8:16, 26; I Peter 1:11.
COMMENT: In Greek, as in English, the word "spirit" is neuter. It naturally requires a neuter pronoun which is rightly translated into English as "it," and is usually so translated. However, in some cases the translators have used a masculine pronoun where the original Greek uses "it." John 14:17 is such a case. The pronouns "he" and "him" should have been rendered "it." No doubt the translators erred because they themselves assumed the Holy Spirit to be a person.
In John 14:26; 16:7-8, 13-14 the Holy Spirit is personified as the "Comforter" (Greek parakletos, which is grammatically masculine), hence the pronoun "he" (ekeinos) was used in the original Greek to agree with "Comforter," but should also be translated "it" in an English version.
The plain fact of the whole matter, which few have ever realized, is that the commonly accepted "trinity" doctrine attempts to limit for all time the size of the Family of God. It denies the very PURPOSE for which Elohim created mankind! You will grasp this astonishing truth more fully as you continue studying.
So what else may I assist you with?