The New Birth by William Nicholson
You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,
through the living and abiding Word of God. 1 Peter 1 verse
23 No one is born a Christian. No one comes into the world with
a pure heart. The new birth is not affected
by baptism, yet some have wickedly declared that we are regenerated
by baptism, made children of God, and heirs of the kingdom
of heaven. A person may be baptized in infancy,
or in riper years, and yet, like Simon Magus, remain in the gall
of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. Acts 8, verse 23. The new birth is not merely external,
nor does it consist in mere religious duties. Some people have been
preserved from immoralities, yet they, too, must be born again. A man may perform a multitude
of religious duties and yet have an unholy heart. He may be honest
and fair in his dealings and yet be an enemy to God. He may
be of a generous to others and yet not of a gracious disposition. He may be able to say with the
young ruler, all these things have I kept from my youth up
and yet lack the one thing needful. The new birth is not merely a
profession of faith. Not all who profess Christ possess
Him. The new birth is a change wrought
by the power of the Holy Spirit in the understanding, will, and
affections of a sinner, which is the commencement of a new
kind of life, and which gives another direction to his judgment,
desires, pursuits, and conduct. The new birth is a divine change. Thus he who gave man his physical
being at first can alone create him in Christ Jesus unto good
works. He alone can enstamp his own
image and make us partakers of a divine nature. To give life
to the dead and to bring a clean thing out of an unclean is the
work of omnipotence and the effect of sovereign grace. who were
born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God." John 1, verse 13. The new birth is
an inward and invisible change. The understanding is enlightened. The judgment is informed. The affections and desires are
purified. The will is subdued and subjected
to the will of God. The soul is turned from the love
of the world and the creature to the great Creator and His
service. Regeneration cleanses the corrupt
fountain of the heart and demolishes the strongholds of Satan. It
is a change from heart-wickedness to heart-holiness, from enmity
to God to love to God, from the image of Satan to the image of
God. This new birth is a universal
change, extending to the heart and life. Not only the mind,
but the man is renewed. The tree is made good, and its
fruit is good. Therefore, If anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold,
the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. He who is born again
gives evidence that he has passed from death to life. It is visible
in his conduct. The observer of him perceives
the change. How different now from what he
once was. The following are the principal
evidences of regeneration. 1. Hatred to sin. 2. Victory
over the world. 3. Brotherly love. 4. Delight
in spiritual duties. 5. A life of holiness. 6. Self-loathing and constant
faith in the sacrifice of Christ. 7. Sincere Love to Christ