Here's that first passage, 1
John chapter 3. We'll read verse 1 through 3,
and then we'll read 1 John chapter 5 and verse 1, and it is a study
and a sermon in itself. 1 John 3, 1 through 3. Well, actually, let me read verse
29. Because I don't believe there's a break in the original here
verse 29 of chapter 2 if you know that he is righteous You
know that everyone that is and everyone that does righteousness
is born of him Behold what manner of love? the Father hath bestowed
upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the
world knows us not because it knew him not. Beloved, now are
we the sons of God And it doth not yet appear what we shall
be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath
this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure." 1 John 5,
verse 1. Whosoever believes that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. And everyone that loveth him
that begotten, him that begot loveth him also that is begotten
of God. Look at the first half. Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. We'll look at
that later on in our study. Now, to get into this matter
of the children of God, I was thinking this week, perhaps no
one spoke stronger in the New Testament writing on the new
birth and its importance and its effect and its cause and
manner than that of the beloved John, the apostle of Christ our
Lord, who by the Spirit's inspiration has given us, as it were, five
of our New Testament books or epistles. There's the Gospel
of John, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and then the book of the Revelation,
inspired by the Spirit and written by John. Also, I'll say that
his gospel is the only gospel of all of the four that includes
the conversation between the Lord and the Jewish teacher and
ruler, Nicodemus, concerning the necessity and the nature
of the new birth, that unless, except, until, One is born again,
born of God, born of the Spirit, born from above. They can neither
enter into nor see the kingdom of God. And that's in John's
Gospel and Chapter 3. Now, in John 1, 12, and 13, He
makes the connection between sonship and the new birth, that
they who believe and receive him have been born of God. In 1 John, he makes seven mentions
of the new birth, or of being born of God. On top of that,
twice, he uses the like word begotten. So he makes these references,
nine in all, to the new birth and regeneration the first epistle
now in reference under the Saints having been begotten of God as
he said and the effect that it has upon them in whom it is worked
by the sovereign spirit of God here are some of the natural
effects of being born of God they love God they love others
the brethren and that are born of God, they practice righteousness,
or they have a new principle and they live in a new way of
life, and they cherish the hope of seeing Him in all of His glory,
to name a few of the privileges of they that are born of God. Now, John is also fond of describing
the Lord Jesus as, quote, the only begotten Son of God. In John 1.18. In John 3.16. in John 3 and verse 18, and in
1 John chapter 4 and verse 9, he speaks of him as the only
begotten Son of God. And theologians generally agree
that this is speaking of the eternal generation of the Lord
and Savior, or of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So there is
no way for us to overstate the importance of regeneration in
salvation and redemption. No way for us to overstate the
necessity and the importance of being born again. For it is
only by this act that they receive the nature and the privileges
of Sanjiv. That except, unless, until, this
is one of the great exceptions of the Lord that he mentioned,
and we find them in the gospel. Our Lord made what we call exception
statements or clauses. And except your righteousness
exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no wise
enter into the kingdom of God. Matthew chapter 5 and verse 20. Except you repent, you shall
all likewise perish. If you don't repent, you will
perish. Luke 13 and 3. Again, Matthew
18 and 3. ye be converted. It is a divine
necessity. And finally, that great one in
John 3 and 3, except a man be born again. I want to emphasize
that and make a little word study of the word except as it is used
here in these passages of the scripture. First of all, it has
the meaning except unless you're born again. If not born again,
without being born again, it states a definite necessity that
apart from such and without it, a thing cannot occur it cannot
be. Now here are some examples of
the use of the word as found in the Gospel of John. John chapter 3 and 2, no man,
said Nicodemus, can do these miracles that you do except God
be with him. John 6 44, no man can come unto
me except It were given to him of the father John 6 65 no man
can come unto me Except the father which has sent me draw him it's
again in John 12 and verse 24 except I Corn of wheat fall into
the ground and die it abideth alone But if it died it bringeth
forth much fruit speaking of course of an analogy of his resurrection
John 15 and verse 4 The branch cannot bear fruit except it abide
in the vine. If it is broken off or cut off,
it loses its source of life and of nourishment. In John 20 and
25, except, said Thomas, I see the print of the nail in his
hands and side and feet. I will not believe. Now some
expositors, from what we have read, connect verse 29 of 1 John
2 with the first chapter, with the first verse of the next chapter. Verse 29 again saying, except
everyone who does righteousness is born of him. Now that's a
clear connection that can never be broken. I'm going to quote
an old-timer, Samuel E. Pierce, born in 1776, a preacher
in those days. Regeneration, he said, is the
foundation of all righteousness in the soul, the very principle
from which it originates, unquote. So without it, without regeneration,
without the new birth, there cannot be the new principle of
life or this service unto God. Let me use an analogy, if I might,
between the natural and between the spiritual birth. It is by
that natural birth, the birth of the flesh, the birth from
our mother, that we enter into this present world and are suited
for life and activity in this present realm, having both a
body and a faculty that are able to function here or here in the
world. which we participate in the things
of the world. We're able to function. We're
able to live our life out in the world because it flows out
of our having been born into that environment. For that which
is born of the flesh is flesh. It is flesh, flesh only, flesh
always, flesh only will it ever be. It will never elevate itself
by its own ability or power into the spiritual realm. That's an
impossibility. Now on the other hand, that which
is born of the spirit, spirit is, we read, in John chapter
3 and is our entering into, it is our being born into spiritual
life and into the spiritual world. It is by that that we're translated
into the kingdom of His dear Son, made alive in the Lord Jesus
Christ, born of God, born again from above of the Spirit and
of God. Now, there are deep and wonderful
blessings that only come with or through the new birth or regeneration. They are the fruit of the new
birth. They do not appear or operate. until one has been regenerated
or born of God, which can never arise in a natural man as he
is in the flesh. It is only after regeneration. And as a result of generation,
except a man be born again. Now, turn with me if you'd like.
to that verse in 1 John chapter 5 and verse 1 that we read. And let's read it again if we
might do that. First of all, whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. This was a great one
to diagram in the preacher's class, in the Bible schools,
and such like. First of all, let's notice the
designation. Whosoever or whoever, whoever,
whoever they might be. Now, this verse, I say, is often
used by the Armenian to imply their universalism by the word
whosoever or whoever. To support free will they take
it to be whosoever every one without Exception they do the
same thing in John chapter 3 and verse 16 whosoever believes as
everlasting life in fact the whosoever And the whoever is
not only restricted, but it is also defined by the text and
the context in which it is found. For example, consider a converse
example. It's in Revelation chapter 20
and verse 15. Have you read this? Whosoever. was not found written in the
book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Now there is a
whosoever. This time whosoever was not found
enrolled in the book of the life of the lamb was cast into the
lake of fire. Now whosoever or whoever simply
means them. Take those phrases, as many as. Again, Armenians get universalism
out of that. But as many as definitely is
limited and restricted. It would be the same as those
that who would argue that this means all without extinction
when the very word intends a distinction, whosoever was not found, a definite
limitation is put upon that in its context. Now, in 1 John chapter
5 and verse 1, whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born
of God. Now pardon me if you would, a
short digression. But this would be at the same
time to imply that whosoever believes not that Jesus is the
Christ is yet unregenerate, has not been born of God. The one
that believes has been born of God. Then the one who does not
believe is unregenerate and is not born of God. Since believing
is a fruit and an evidence of the new birth. Believing, or
faith if you will, always follows after regeneration. There is
no such thing as a regenerate person remaining in their unbelief
all the days of their life. But let's be careful in handling
1 John 5 and verse 1, that regeneration is not the result of faith. That's not what John is saying
here. He is not saying that regeneration
is the result of faith, but that regeneration is the cause And
such faith has only Christ as its object, no other object. For what such are born of God,
they believe that Jesus is the Christ. They believe that he's
the Messiah, for Christ means anointed, Christ means Messiah. They don't just believe that
Christ was a good man, like so many in the church pews do in
our day and our time. They don't just believe that
Jesus was a social reformer. And they don't just believe of
him that he was a good man, or a Jew, or an anti-religionist. They believe that he is the Christ. the son of the living God. Remember the confession of the
apostle Peter found in Matthew chapter 16 and verse 16, when
Christ asked his disciple, who do men say that I am? And they
named off some, Jeremiah, Elijah, John the Baptist, and Christ
turned it on them and said, But who do you say that I am?" And
Peter, taking the lead, said, You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God. In John 1, 49, Nathanael was
so impressed that he said, you are the Son of God, you are the
King of Israel. When our Lord had stilled that
great storm in Matthew chapter 14 and verse 33, they said, of
a truth thou art the Son of God. As Christ calmed the wind and
saved them from its destruction. Even the demons called Him Jesus,
thou Son of God, in Matthew chapter 8 and verse 29. Now earlier in
this epistle, 1 John, John had spoken of Antichrist and of their
view of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you'll jump back with
me to 1 John chapter 2 and verse 22 and 23, I would like to read
that. Whosoever denies the Son, the
same has not the Father. Whosoever deny who is a liar
verse 22, excuse me, who is a liar? But he that denieth that Jesus
is the Christ. He is Antichrist that denieth
the father and the son. Whosoever denieth the son the
same hath not the father. Now let's go to 1st John chapter
4 and read a passage there in verses 1 through 3. Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they
are of God. Because many false prophets are
gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of
God. He said, here's how you may know.
Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
incarnate, is the Son of God, and is divine, is of God. And every spirit that confesses
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist
wherever you have heard that it should come and even now is
it already in the world? So look what he said he is a
denied. He is a Antichrist that denies
that Jesus is the Christ and that he has come from God that
he has been incarnated in the flesh he is also Antichrist Whoever
he might be and there are many and were many of them in that
day John said in 1st John 2 in verse 18 They denied that Christ
was God incarnate in the flesh and by this they denied the father
who sent him in the flesh into the world We don't have time
this morning to get into Antichrist or the Antichrist, though it
is a fascinating subject. So we settle in on 1st John chapter
3 and the blessings flowing from being born of God, which is also
called regeneration. In Titus chapter 3 and verse
5 and Matthew 19 and verse 29, the words there are the word
regeneration is used. from the two words that means
again and birth. The word regeneration, those
two words again and birth. A new birth, a spiritual birth
is the meaning of regeneration. So let me use the line from the
commentary of Samuel Isles again on verse four. that here the
apostle reflects on some truths concerning such as are born again
and made partakers of the divine nature. Verse 1, verse John 3,
and that word, behold, emphasize the word behold. This we meet
with now and again in the scripture. Behold says the speaker or the
writer and this calls upon the hearers or the readers to sharpen
their focus and to perk up their ears and to consider. It literally
means consider. It means to look to. It means
diligently give attention or consider because that which they
were about to behold and about to contemplate is a very important
truth that the writer or the speaker wish to set forth. It is not something to pass over
quickly or lightly. Now the object of our beholding
is a present truth. It is evident and a truth of
great importance. Thus the word behold. Now what
would the apostle have them to behold or to see or to contemplate? It's this. Behold what manner
of love the Father has given, has shed upon us, not just the
love, but the manner of the love bestowed upon us. And here again,
we have another word, the word manner. And what manner of love? And it gives emphasis to the
love that is bestowed. It is a love of a certain manner. And it is bestowed upon the us
and the we. That's a reference, of course,
to believers, to the children of God, to the saints, and to
the elect. And this word manner is sometime
in the New Testament and it can have the meaning of what possible
sort, whatever manner of love, what kind. It's the same word
that is used in Matthew chapter 8 and verse 27. What manner of
man is this? that even the winds obey him,
they said of Christ. What manner of man is this? Certainly not an ordinary man
is this one. In Mark 13 and 1, they said to
him, Lord, behold the manner of the stones in the temple. Not natural stones were they,
but they were special stones. And he said to Mary the angel,
what manner of salutation, she thought, is this that I have
heard. In Luke 7.39, What manner of
woman is that? So in 2 Peter 3 and 11, what
manner of persons you ought to be in all godliness. So what he is saying here, great
is the manner, great is the quality of this love that has been bestowed
upon us, both for quality and for quantity. What manner of
love. Luther called it a glorious,
sublime love Unquote. It is distinguished beyond comprehension. It is out of the ordinary, and
that with a special, distinct manifestation. In 1 John 3, 1,
we see what great love God has shed upon us that we are called
the children of God. We think the idea is not that
we might or could or possibly be called the children of God,
but that we ought to. It behoove we are called the
children of God. It is a tenso that we are called
the children of God. And such is a fact As John adds
in the middle of the verse, such are we. And in verse 2, now are
we the sons of God, the children of God, the sons and the daughters
of God, even now. in this vessel of clay, in this
tent that we dwell in, living in this world, in this flesh,
our sonship need not wait for that world and that time and
that glory to come. It is even in effect now. Now are we the children of God. And John declares this to be
a manifestation of the distinguishing love of God. What great love
God has shed that we are called, in fact are, The children of
God. Now there are other ways that
God's love is manifested toward us and that is set out in the
scripture. John 3 16. God so loved that
he gave his only begotten son. In Romans chapter 5 and verse
8, God commended his love, that is, he demonstrated his love
in that Christ died for us while we were sinners. Galatians 2
and verse 20, Christ loved me, says Paul, and he gave himself
for me out of that great love. In Proverbs 3, 11 and 12, Hebrews
12, 5 and 8, the chastening of the Lord is a sign of his great
love. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth. And that puts a distinction on
the love of God. Whom God loves, he chasteneth. And he discourages every child
that he receives. Now, chastisement is child discipline. That's the meaning of it. He
disciplines. He disciplines them as his children,
because they are. Now concerning who are the children
of God, concerning the doctrine of the love of God, who are those
whom God loves? Are all the children of God,
everyone in the world, even all of those that might be in a church? Does God love all without exception,
without a single exception? Now, the first question, who
are the children of God? Are all the children of God,
even the unregenerate, even the unrepentant, even those that
will perish in their sin? Now, another digression maybe.
But perhaps you have heard of a certain view or teaching held
by some in past days and in our time. And the teaching is called
the Universal Fatherhood of God. and the universal brotherhood
of man. It's twin. That all are God's
children. Everyone is a child or the children
of God and that makes God the father then of all. So the universal
fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man. This view
is only held by what I'll call ultra-liberals and apostate universalists
and Armenians. Only they hold this view of the
fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. And then I want to make
a point. I distinctly remember when I
was young in the pasturing, maybe it was the 60s and the 70s, when
this view was resuscitated and revived again, put forth and
promulgated with greater strength than ever. A fresh generation
of apostates revived that old egg of Pelagianism and started
teaching the universal fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man.
My point is, I remember how Arminian Evangelicals, Fundamental Baptists
were what some of them were called, They opposed this with a vengeance,
and they condemned it. And yet they themselves were
preaching a conditional universalism as to the salvation of men, that
God loved all, that Christ died all. So they came into distinction
between their doctrine and their practice. While they insisted
that one must be born again, it was a free will, decisional,
conditional new birth with free will sole winner as the midwife
in that transaction. Now concerning their sonship
of being the children of God, there are two great truths here
that we want to consider. Number one is adoption. Number
two is regeneration or the new birth, being born of God, being
quickened. First of all, some scripture.
I mentioned John's Gospel chapter 1 and verse 11 through 13. If I turn back there, and read
it in our hearing. John 1 and verse 11 through verse
13. He came unto his own, and his
own received him not. But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. They received him, they were
born of the will of God. In Romans chapter 8, verse 15,
you have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba,
Father, Father, Father. In Ephesians chapter 1 and verse
5 we read, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will. One more, in Galatians chapter
4 and verses 4 through 7. But when the fullness of time
was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under
the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of son. Get that? The intent of redemption
from the law is that. we might receive the adoption
of sons. And listen, and because you are
sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his sons into your
heart, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore, conclusion, thou art
no more a servant, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of
God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now those are great and wonderful
scripture. And in that passage in John 1,
11 through 13, we have two things. We have the right of sonship,
number one, and number two, being born of God. And I think that
verse confirms 1 John 5 and 1, they that believe that Jesus
is the Christ of God have been born. Now, first we see there
in verse 11, where it has something to consider as twice it is mentioned,
his own. He came unto his own. His own received him not. Here is the rendering of Marshall's
interlinear Greek-English New Testament. Quote, To his own
things, or possessions, or world he came, and his own people him
received not. But then verse 12, as many as
received him, to them gave he power. Here the word is the word
exousia and it means a right or a privilege and such like. Authority to become the sons
of God. Not by strength, not by ability,
but as a right, which includes being born of God. Now, Notice
the exclusions in verse 13 of John chapter 1. Verse 13, not
of blood. Now what does that mean? Well,
not has no reference to the blood of Christ. It has reference to
human descent. Not by blood, has nothing to
do with humanity or human descent. Not being Abraham's seed. won't
do it. And not being highborn, that
won't do it either. Then he says also, not by the
will of the flesh. This is not a work of the flesh,
not free will, it's not natural ability. And then he says again,
not of the will of man, not by the persuasion of anyone, not
even the preacher, not even a good and forceful minister of our
Lord. But the new birth, he said, is
of God. Born of God, He has begotten
us again unto a living hope, true and inheritant, incorruptible
and undefiled, and that fades not away. 1 Peter 1, 3 and 4. And by both adoption and regeneration
are we manifested as the son and the children of God. And
we're put among the children as the word adoption signifies. The word adoption in the scripture
means placing among the son, bringing one into the family
who is not so naturally or by nature. And this new birth is
a new principle of life put in us, and it manifests itself in
certain ways. In righteousness, as in 1 John
2.29, if we know that he is righteous and everyone that does righteousness
is born of God. And in the end of chapter 3,
I'm sorry, in the end of verse 1, chapter 3, 1 John, being sons
of God, being born of God, and doing righteousness, but still
the world knows not this blessed sonship. The world does not know
us, because they do not know God that bestowed it. And they
don't know God. They don't know us as the children
or the sons of God. They know not the Father. They
know not the Son. We don't expect them to, for
they have not been enlightened. Just as the Jews knew not the
Son, because they knew not the Father. Knowing not the Father
when the Son came they did not knowing. John 16 and verse 3. So they who do not understand
the sonship of Christ will neither understand the sonship of grace. If they don't understand that
Christ is the unique Son of God, neither will they understand
the uniqueness of the Sonship of the Elect. They do not understand
that. And granted, we have not yet
received the full consummation of our adoption and of our sonship. We are now the children of God
here this morning, but we still are living in this world. We're
not in that world to come. We are yet in tribulation. must
be so, John 16 33. We're counted as sheep for the
slaughter, Romans 8 36. We grow sick, we grow weary in
the body and in the flesh. We struggle with the indwelling
sin according to Romans chapter 7. We live in these bodies of
clay which are bodies of dead. We are upon the earth and we
are not in heaven. And we don't go in the dark and
we don't have a halo about our head as we go about. But we are
the sons of God in this life and in this world and waiting
for its great and wonderful consummation. We have received the spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The spirit bearing witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God. Romans 8, 15
and 16. because you are sons God has
sent forth his spirit into your heart whereby we cry Abba Father
Galatians chapter 4 and verse 6 only sons that is the children
of God have the Holy Spirit and only after they are made regenerate
and this Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchase possession Ephesians 114 2nd Corinthians
1 and verse 22 He's called the earnest of our inheritance the
down payment as we say the guarantee therefore that the work shall
be continued and consummated and this spirit dwelling in us
is a constant witness of our adoption and is the seal and
the earnest of of the covenant of grace toward the elect. And John says, we know we are
now sons of God, and what we shall be has not yet appeared,
as he said in our text. Not yet appeared in its fullness. In part, but yes, not in full. But when he, or it, shall be
revealed, the Son, the Lord, the grace of God in Jesus Christ
makes it appearing, then shall it be revealed. And notice what
he said, two things. One, we shall be like him. When
he doth appear, when this full manifestation doth take effect,
we shall be like him. And number two, we shall see
him as he is. We won't be like Him in every
way. That's not what Paul means. We won't be divine. We won't
be gods. We're not going to turn into
a bunch of little gods running about heaven. We won't be sovereign
lords as He is, but He has predestinated us to be conformed to the image
of His Son, Romans 8 and 29. We must undergo our change before
we can see him as he is. And as Calvin wrote on this,
as the image of God is renewed in us, we shall have eyes fitted
for the sight of God, unquote. And not until then will the two
occur simultaneously. When our great change comes,
we shall be like him. He said, Paul did in Philippians
3.21, he shall change our vile bodies that it might be fashioned
like unto his glorious body. And we shall have eyes, we shall
have the glory then fully consummated that he has will for us before
the foundation of the world. Next Sunday morning, God willing,
I hope to preach on John 17.24, I will that they Whom you have given me, be with
me where I am. It says John chapter 3. Everyone
having this hope in them, this hope of you're the sons of God,
we'll see him as he is, we'll be like him. Everyone that has
that hope purifies themselves even as he is pure. It is a great
influence upon the life of those that are born again. This hope
is a sanctifying influence on the children of God. or having
that hope, they therefore live as righteous as they are enabled
to do. Now are we the sons of God. What will appear we don't know
yet, but when it comes, we shall be like Him, we shall see Him
as He is. Blessed, glorious hope is that
for the children of God. We imagine, sometimes we think,
what will heaven be like? And we can't fathom it. Unlike
Paul, we're not caught up to see things wonderful. Unlike
Isaiah, we're not caught up to see the Lord high and exalted
on His throne. But we have the Word of God that
gives us teachings and tells us. And when we think on that,
our minds are overwhelmed. We just can't imagine what it
will be like. But to see Him and to be like
Him as He is.