Today I would like you to turn
in your Bible to the book of 1 John. 1 John chapter 5 at verse
1. Let's read this verse together.
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone that loveth him
loveth God. Everyone that loveth him that
beget loveth him also that is begotten of him. I pray that
you will Give me a hearing this morning. I have a very important
lesson from the Word of God about faith and regeneration. Faith
and regeneration. This one verse teaches us two
vital truths that are taught throughout the Word of God. The
first one is faith. You read in the text, whosoever
believeth. The second one we see in this
text is regeneration. It says, whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. These two truths are
vitally connected. Let me read you another verse
over in John 5, verse 24. Our Lord says, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeth on him
that sent me, there it is again, there is faith. At everlasting
life there is regeneration and shall not come into condemnation,
but is passed from death unto life. One cannot believe without
being born again, and one cannot be born again and not believe. God has married these two truths
together, and both are vital to our salvation. Where you find
one, you find the other. The text here in 1 John chapter
5, verse 1, The text here blends these two truths together in
delightful harmony. I want to ask you three questions
today, and hopefully from this verse we can answer them. What
is true faith? Secondly, how is it the proof
of regeneration? And thirdly, how is it manifested
in this life? So let's see if we can answer
this first question. What is faith? What is true faith? When it speaks here in the text,
whosoever believeth. What is true faith? Well, simply,
it's God's ordained means to receive salvation. God has ordained
this as the means to receive the Lord Jesus Christ who is
salvation. Now, why is faith in Christ Jesus
so important? We read in Hebrews 11, 6, without
faith it is impossible to please God. So why is faith in Christ
Jesus so important? The man that is without faith
is a man that is without Christ. And a man who is without the
Lord Jesus Christ is a man who is without salvation. Salvation
is in him. We read in this same chapter
in verse 12, He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath
not the Son of God does not have life. Now let me give you four
things on this first point. What is true faith? The first
thing we know, believing God is the duty and responsibility
of every person because it's the command of God. In 1 John
3, 23, we read this, and this is His commandment. Now notice
that, commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son
Jesus Christ and love one another as He gave us commandment. Believing
God is a duty and responsibility of every person because it is
the command of God. Now, although every sinner has
no ability to believe because of our sin, because of our spiritual
condition by nature, although every sinner has no ability to
believe God, no ability to come to God, no ability to rest in
Him, yet it does not change the fact that God has commanded him
to do so. So, faith and believing God is
the duty of every creature. Secondly, and yet we can say
that faith is the sovereign gift of God. It's the gift of God. Now you know the scripture, Ephesians
2, 8 and 9, For by grace are you saved through faith, and
that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Faith in the
scripture is never the product As it's revealed in the Scripture,
faith is never said to be the product of a sinful nature. Although faith is the duty of
the sinner, it is always spoken of as the gift of God. Believing God is the work of
God. In John 6, 29, we read this, this is the work of God that
you believe on Him whom He has sent. Believing God then is the work
of God. Faith in Christ is the fruit of God's elective grace. We read in 2 Thessalonians 2
verse 13, We are bound to give thanks always to God for you,
brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation. When? From the beginning. That's
God's sovereign election, God's choice unto salvation. Now notice
this, through sanctification of the Spirit, That's the new
birth. "...and belief of the truth were unto He called you
by our gospel." Faith in Christ Jesus is the fruit of God's elective
grace. It is a blessing of the covenant.
It is the operation of the Spirit of God, we read in Colossians
2.12. It is the result, now listen
to me carefully, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the result
of regeneration. Faith in Christ is because, and
it is a result of, one has been born of God. Notice what that
text says. Whosoever believes that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. One doesn't believe to be born,
one believes because he has been born of God. We read in John
chapter 1, Verse 13, that we're born not of blood, not of our
earthly heritage, nor the will of man, nor the will of flesh,
but we're born of God. Faith, my friend, is a gift of
God. The third thing we know about
faith is God-given faith rests upon a person, upon a person,
not a creed, not a profession. Not a position, this God-given
faith rests upon a person, Jesus Christ. It says in the text again,
whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ. This believing
does not simply agree with the doctrine or give mental acknowledgment
to the truth. The devils have done that. We
read in Luke chapter 4, the devils also came out of many and crying
out, saying, Thou art the Christ, the Son of God. The devils acknowledge
that God is God. But rather, this saving faith
rests upon a person, just not acknowledging the truth, but
resting upon Christ. It's to believe Him with the
heart that He is all that God says He is, and to fully rest
upon Him as our only and all of our salvation. We believe
who He is as revealed in the Word of God. It says here that
Jesus is the Christ, or we can render it this way, the Savior
is the anointed of God, in all His office and we trust Him. He is the prophet that Moses
said would come and reveal unto us the will and the mind and
the purpose of God. He is that priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek who made effectual atonement for
us. We read in this same epistle
that He was manifested to take away our sin and in Him is no
sin. He is the priest that came to
make a satisfying Substitutionary sacrifice to put away our sin.
He is that prophet. He is that priest. He is God's
King whom God set over all things. The Father, the Love of the Son
has given all things into His hands. Those who are born of
God gladly submit to Him. Gladly bow to Him. Now I ask
myself and you this question. Is He my prophet? Is He my priest? Is He my Lord? Saving faith and
real, genuine faith bows to the Lord Jesus Christ in all of His
offices, bows to Him, loves Him and says, He's altogether lovely.
True faith is total reliance upon a person, Jesus Christ. You know, this word in the text
here, believeth, means to fully trust, to totally commit. That's what Paul said, I know
whom I have believed, and I am persuaded He's able to keep that
which I've committed unto Him. This word believe means to fully
trust, to totally commit, to be persuaded of, to place confidence
in, and reliance upon the Lord Jesus Christ alone. And that's
what saving faith does. Like Paul said in Philippians
3, he counted everything but loss and ruin that he might win
Christ and be found in Him." Salvation is in a person, my
friend. It's to believe Christ and to rest in Him, and that's
what saving faith does. Now, here's our second question.
Wherever this faith exists, it is the proof of regeneration.
Wherever this faith exists, that rests in a person in all that
God says Christ is, and resting fully in Him, true faith, wherever
this is found, Wherever this faith exists, it is the proof
of regeneration. Notice what the text says. Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born, not will be born, but
is born, has life, has salvation. This saving faith only exists
in the regenerated soul, in the soul that's begotten of God.
Now, how can I know I'm born of God? Being born of God is
essential to enter into the kingdom of God. He said, See, except
he be born again, no man can enter into the kingdom of God
unless he's born of God. I need this birth from above. Now, how can I know? How can
you know that I'm born of God? I'm begotten of God? That I'm
regenerated by God the Holy Spirit? Well, let me ask you this question.
What do you think of Jesus Christ? What do you think of Him? Is
He everything to you? Is Christ your all, or is He
just something? Is he just a doormat, a fire
escape, or is the Lord Jesus Christ everything to you? It
is a certain teaching of Scripture that those who believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ are saved and not condemned. Those who believe
Him are saved, my friend. In 1 John 5, verse 12, we read
again, He that believeth on the Son has what? Life. And he that
believeth not the Son of God hath not life. In verse 20 we
read, And we know the Son of God is come, and has given us
an understanding that we may know Him that is true, and we
are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This
is the true God, and this is eternal life. We read in John
3.18, He that believeth on Him is not condemned. In John 3.15
we read, Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have eternal life. In John 3.36 we read, He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. There is no condemnation
to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. This saving faith
only exists in regenerated souls. Now, this is not promoting the
fatal idea of easy believism. Nor is it promoting presumption. My friend, it's not presumption
to believe God. And those who believe God and
believe the Lord Jesus Christ and rest in Him, believing His
Word, they are S-A-B-E-D. They have received by God's grace
and they're enjoying by God's mercy, by the gift of faith wrought
in the soul. Saving faith that's given of
God and brought in the soul and worked in the soul simply lays
hold on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is salvation, who is life. Wherever this faith exists, it
is the proof of regeneration. Those who believe God are born
of God, and those are the only people who do. Now, in closing,
let me ask you this question. Thirdly, how is this faith and
regeneration manifest? Well, the text plainly answers
this. Let's read it again. 1 John 5,
verse 1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ is born of God. And every one that loveth Him
that beget, loveth God who has begotten us unto life, loveth
Him also that is begotten of Him. How is faith and regeneration
manifested in this life? We love God. because He first
loved us, and we love one another. Life is the reason for love. We have been called by effectual
grace, quickened by the Holy Spirit, made new creatures in
Christ, and the fruit of the Spirit in us is love. That's
what Galatians 5, verse 22 teaches. The fruit of the Spirit is what?
Love, joy, peace, gentleness, meekness, temperance, faith,
these things. They're the fruit of the Spirit,
not the product. of the flesh. In 1 John 4, 7
we read, Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God,
and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. Verse
20 in that chapter, 1 John chapter 4, verse 20, If a man say, I
love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth
not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God in
whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we
from him, that he who loveth God loveth his brother also."
Believers love God because He first loved us. And believers
also delight to love one another. And this love is the evidence.
He said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples,
that you love one another. Believers delight to love one
another and forgive one another because of the work of salvation
that God has wrought within us. The Apostle put it this way in
Philippians 2 verse 13, for it is God, it is God which worketh
in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. Whosoever believeth that Jesus
is the Christ, he is born of God. And everyone that loveth
Him, loves God, they also love those who are begotten of God. That's how this faith and regeneration
is manifested in this life. We love God and we love one another.