The New Birth, Geoff Thomas

Banner of Truth ^ | July 22, 2008 | Geoff Thomas

[jodyel]

Veddy long, but veddy good!

[sauron]

Thanks for the post!

Going to pass this on to my son. He's 20. If he reads half (he probably will), he'll profit thereby.

Sauron

[American Constitutionalist]

John the Baptist proclaimed in the wilderness to " REPENT " for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Why tell already moral people who were keeping the law to repent ?
The Greek meaning of repent far from what we have been indoctrinated by the so called " religious " community is actually translated to mean, to have to change of mind.
The litteral meaning of the Greek word metanoia is to have a change of one's mind.
Some would go on and say it means to repent from sin and keep God's law, to have a change of mind of one's own sins.
However ? The nation of Israel already had God's laws and know what is required of them concerning sin.
Repentance is also taught in the Old Testament.
So ? what was John the Baptist getting at ? his total message ? for it was a new kind of message shouted in the wilderness.
John's message perhaps meant to turn from one's attitude towards their own self efforts, one's self reasoning, one's self striving to justify themselves before God.
For by the law no man can ever be made justified before God.
Change your thinking, attitude that you can save yourself by keeping the law for the Kingdom of God was at hand and the Savoir is coming with Salvation in his wings.
Have a change of one's mind of how we related to God now, now we have a mediator, a go between between man and God.
Have a change of one's mind that you can try to save your self and rely on God's perfect plan of Salvation only in Christ Jesus Yeshua.
One must be born again to enter into the Kingdom of God, a new birth not made by human hands, or not made by human self efforts, not made by the arm of the flesh, but reborn of the spirit of God.
Jesus said what is of the flesh is of the flesh, what is of the spirit is of the spirit, and no, Jesus was not saying the the flesh here means, sin, sin, sin.
What Jesus was talking about here is that a new birth is by the holy spirit, a new birth by God.
Salvation is not in the arm of the flesh, nor is the new birth in the arm of the flesh, i.e. human efforts of keeping the law, it's by God's grace and God's grace alone in Jesus Christ Yeshua.
That is the truth of the Gospel, and for those who do not accept it, not believe it are blinded to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the the god of this world, the prince of this world the devil.

[jodyel]

Get him a really excellent bible too, sauron. I love my Living Bible, Life Application version.

Great notes, index, maps, profiles of biblical people....just an excellent study bible.

I have two...my first one given to me by my grandmother in 1994 is falling apart. :)

http://www.newlivingtranslation.com/05discoverthenlt/lasb.asp

God bless you both!

[HiTech RedNeck]

A lot of discussion about what it would mean for Nicodemus to visit Jesus at night. I’m curious where Jesus would have been at night. Was He camping out? Was He staying with friends? Was John there listening? At any rate, that divinely arranged visit gave us the famous John 3:16.

[jodyel]

Thanks for posting, american!

[American Constitutionalist]

Nothing but he truth of the Gospel my friend, the true Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord Yeshua.

[American Constitutionalist]

The message of the Gospel ? Gods saves sinners through Jesus Christ.

[jodyel]

I’ve always thought it was because Nicodemus did not want to be seen with that group.

Anyway, wonder how He puts us in the exact time and place we are supposed to be to accomplish His purposes.

Have you ever wished you could have been born when Jesus was on earth and gotten to be a disciple? Fascinating to think about.

[HiTech RedNeck]

That would have been a fascinating story. Probably would end up a martyr. Gladly, whether we are 1st century or 21st century or “however long until the earthly plan is wrapped up” believers, we go to the same heaven. And what a heaven that will be. Too good for us even to conceive in terms of what our mortal eyes or ears can see or hear. Because it is God’s home.

This whole sad mortal coil situation is because of men’s souls’ rebellion against God (deserting Him for Satan). Gladly, there is a salvation plan. It’s impossible to say too much good about God. Any of us and we’d be like, send that whole pack to hell, why should I let them give me a headache, let alone put me on a cross?

[Talisker]

A lot of discussion about what it would mean for Nicodemus to visit Jesus at night. I’m curious where Jesus would have been at night. Was He camping out? Was He staying with friends? Was John there listening? At any rate, that divinely arranged visit gave us the famous John 3:16.

Probably visiting someone's house, his disciples put up with him while he taught for awhile, and then moved on. This is a common and traditional way in the East for spiritual teachers to live. Traditionally, they own nothing, they teach and keep moving, unless they set up a monestary.

"As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, "I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." - Luke 9:57-58

[jodyel]

No doubt, and I sure would not have been dying for some of the peeps on this forum...and you know who I mean.

Couldn’t have been bothered with even creating something that I knew would cause me grief and I’d have to die for too.

Puhlease!!

[verga]

Have you ever wished you could have been born when Jesus was on earth and gotten to be a disciple? Fascinating to think about.

How much stronger/ better is your faith since you were not required to see the miracles.

[HiTech RedNeck]

You’d mean put Him up, not put up with Him, I hope... typically the worse the sinner (except the proud Pharisees that never would repent because it would mean giving up their game) the more they ended up loving Him.

[American Constitutionalist]

I have to reformat and edit my sentence , for some would see it in the wrong light.

Edited.That is the truth of the Gospel, and for those who do not accept it, not believe it are blinded to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Period.
The god of this world, the prince of this world the devil has blinded those to see the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the bible tells us so.
He has blinded those also to the truth that one must be born again ( Salvation ) to see and enter into the Kingdom of God.
For the natural man does not receive nor understand the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness unto the world, for they are spiritually discerned by the things of the spirit of God... i.e. they must have been born again and filled with the Holy Spirit to even start to receive and understand the things of the spirit of God.
But ? however ? the religious world ( i.e the arm of the flesh of human efforts. ) would have us to think " How dare they even speak of the things of God for they are not learned as WE ARE. "

[American Constitutionalist]

Sometimes even without asking God will show himself real from time to time in his own way.
God is real, even when I doubt him sometimes.
He has actually audibly spoken to me twice.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Sometimes it is tempting to say, oh to be a proverbial fly on Heaven’s wall. What was God thinking?

We can glean a lot out of the scriptures, though and I think we can get a general idea of what that fly would see based on how the Lord does act. Whatever else moves God, God is above all crazy with love. The great I Am is also Love. That’s how we can get such a crazy gift from God. The cross is God’s everlasting valentine and it performs as promised!! The big problem here isn’t God. The big problem is us!! We’re refusing this crazy love, being all packed full of ourselves in the devil’s power of pride, thanks to an ill understood (but quite obvious in consequences) fall. Though some of us are refusing it less and less, now, having accepted the salvation plan.

[American Constitutionalist]

Here in is love, not that we loved God, but God loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins...... it's all unmerited...... divine favor.

[Talisker]

You’d mean put Him up, not put up with Him, I hope... typically the worse the sinner (except the proud Pharisees that never would repent because it would mean giving up their game) the more they ended up loving Him.

LOL! I didn't see that. Yeah, well... what you said. And in the mean time, I'm claiming dyslexia.

And yes, i think quite a few "important" people made private, night-time visits to see Him, quite simply because they couldn't stay away...