The New Birth

Q: What does the Bible say about the new birth?

The Bible teaches that the new birth, or being born again, is essential for seeing the kingdom of God. In John 3:3, Jesus tells Nicodemus, 'Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' This new birth is not a physical rebirth but a spiritual regeneration initiated by God. It is a work of the Holy Spirit that transforms a person's heart, resulting in a new nature that seeks after God and His righteousness. This spiritual birth is crucial for understanding and entering the kingdom of God, which is characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

Q: How do we know the doctrine of being born again is true?

The doctrine of being born again is affirmed by Jesus in John 3:3 as necessary for salvation. Jesus emphasizes the necessity of being born again in His conversation with Nicodemus. He asserts that without this spiritual rebirth, one cannot even perceive the kingdom of God. The Apostle John further reinforces this truth in 1 John 5:1, stating, 'Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.' This doctrine is critical to Reformed theology, affirming that regeneration precedes faith. It highlights that God initiates salvation, making it a divine act rather than a human decision.

Q: Why is the concept of being born from above important for Christians?

Being born from above is vital because it signifies God's sovereign work in a believer's life. The phrase 'born from above' signifies that the new birth is an act of divine sovereignty. According to John 3:5, one must be 'born of water and of the Spirit' to enter the kingdom of God. This reflects that human effort is insufficient for spiritual rebirth; it must come from God. Understanding this concept reinforces the belief that salvation originates in God's grace, not in human merit or works, which is foundational to the Reformed faith. It emphasizes that grace, like the wind, is sovereign and operates according to God's will.

Q: What does it mean to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit?

Regeneration by the Holy Spirit means being made alive spiritually, enabling a person to believe in Christ. Regeneration, or being born again, is the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of an individual. According to John 3:8, the movement of the Spirit is sovereign and cannot be controlled by humans. When a person is regenerated, the Spirit uses the Word of God to create spiritual life where there was once spiritual death. This transformation enables the individual not only to understand the gospel but also to respond in faith and repentance. It assures believers that their faith is not merely a human decision but a divine gift resulting from God's sovereign grace.

Last week, I brought you a message
from a most familiar, well-known portion of God's Word. You remember? For by grace are you saved through
faith, that not of yourselves, it's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. Very familiar scripture, yet
understood by so few. Well, this morning, I'm going
to bring another message And this message will also be from
an equally well-known passage of Scripture, probably better
known than Ephesians 2, 8, and 9. I'm asking you to take your
Bibles, and I wish that you would definitely pick up your Bible
and stay with me for the next 26, 27 minutes and follow in
the Scripture as I speak to you on the new birth, the new birth. And we're reading from John chapter
3, verse 1 through 8. Now, you know the Scripture.
This is our Lord's conversation with Nicodemus concerning the
new birth. And you need to hear me out.
You need to listen to what I have to say on this subject. I'm going
to say some things that'll be new to you, but they're not new
to the Scripture. They're just not being preached.
And perhaps you may receive some light on the subject of the new
birth. It may be that God Almighty will
be pleased by His great Spirit to speak to our hearts concerning
the new birth. Now let's look at it. Just go,
start with verse 1, John chapter 3, verse 1, the first line. And
let's just take each line, each line, and read through this scripture
and comment. Verse 1 says this, There was a man of the Pharisees
named Nicodemus. Now, who were the Pharisees?
This man was of the Pharisees. Well, the Pharisees in that day
were the religious leaders, men who prided themselves on being
moral, righteous, and holy before God and before men. And they
measured their holiness by their works and by their deeds. Now,
in Luke 18, our Lord gave us an illustration. He said a Pharisee,
two men went to the temple to pray. One was a publican, a sinner. The other was a Pharisee. And
he said the Pharisee prayed thus with himself. He said, God, I
thank Thee that I'm not like other men. I fast twice a week. I tithe everything that I possess. I give alms to the poor. That's
his works, his morality. I'm not an extortioner. I'm not
unjust. I'm not an adulterer. And he
spotted that publican and he said, I'm not like that publican.
So the Pharisees would not take the name sinner. They were not,
they didn't think, sinners. We'd be not sinners. The Pharisees
were deeply moral and religious. All right, this man was a Pharisee. Now, his name was Nicodemus.
Back then, in those days when parents named their children,
usually, especially the boys, they took a name that meant something
to them. And the word Nicodemus, you can
look it up. Look it up in Smith's Bible Dictionary
or any other Bible dictionary. The word Nicodemus means innocent
blood. That's what his name means. That's
the name his parents gave him, innocent. innocent blood. No doubt when this mother and
father saw this fine son having just been born, they said, ah,
what a beautiful baby. There's no corrupt blood here.
There's no pagan Gentile blood in his veins. He has pure blood
and we're going to give him a fitting name, innocent blood, Nicodemus. Oh, how far that is from the
truth. The scripture said, In sin my mother conceived me. I
was shapen in iniquity. I was brought forth from the
womb, speaking lies, the wicked are strained from the womb. They
didn't know this. He didn't know this. And then
notice the same verse. It says, there was a man of the
Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus was one
of the 70. There was a council, a great
Jewish council. They were the rulers of the synagogues,
the rulers of religion and the Jewish nation called the Sanhedrin. Seventy men belonging to the
Sanhedrin. This man, Nicodemus, was a member
of the Sanhedrin. He didn't know the Messiah. He
knew not the heavenly things. Christ said to him, if I told
you earthly things and you don't understand, how would you understand
if I told you heavenly things? Christ said, Nicodemus, are you
a ruler of the Jews and you don't understand these simple things
I'm talking about? This man didn't know God. He
didn't know Christ. He didn't know the scriptures
regarding the Messiah, the Savior. He was standing looking at the
Jewish Messiah and he was a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest
court, the 70, the council, and he was a teacher and he didn't
know the Scriptures. Oh, it's amazing how successful
men can be in religion and not know the Scriptures. We see that
today. It's amazing how high men can
climb in religion and not have any grace, any knowledge, any
understanding of who Christ is, what he came to do, why he did
it, or where he is now. You see, just like Nicodemus,
they have a form of religion. Nicodemus had the form. He had
the ceremonies. He had the religion. He had the
so-called form of godliness, morality, but that's all it was,
form. Well, he came to Jesus. Look
at verse 2. It says this Pharisee came to
Jesus by night. Now we all know why he came by
night. We know why he came by night. He came by night. He came
under the cover of darkness because he feared the Jews. Because he
knew that he would be put out of the synagogue. He would be
put off the Sanhedrin. He would be put out of office
if they found him coming to see Jesus of Nazareth. They all hated
Jesus of Nazareth, despised Him, rejected Him, called Him a devil,
an imposter. But He came to Jesus. And I want
to say this about Nicodemus. I'm glad He came. It doesn't
matter what time of night He came or what time of day, I'm
just glad He came. It doesn't matter the reason
for which He came, but I'm glad He came. He came to talk to Jesus
Christ. He came to listen. He came to
inquire about this man, Jesus Christ. Well, I tell you, I'm
glad He came. At least He came. At least He
came. And if He ever is going to learn
anything about God, He's going to have to come to Christ. The
Scripture says that. The Scripture says, God, who
at sundry times and in divers manners spake to our fathers
with the prophets, He hath in these last days spoken to us
by His Son. No man knows the Father but the
Son, and He to whom the Son will reveal Him. He said no man has
seen God. The only begotten Son declares
Him. So this man Nicodemus did the
right thing for whatever reason at whatever time, it doesn't
matter, but he did the right thing. At least he came to Jesus. Mary sat at his feet and listened
to him. I wish people would come and listen. I wish folks would
open the Bible and listen. God speaks today through His
Word just like He spoke then through Christ His Son. He speaks
to His Word. I wish they'd come and listen,
take the Word, open it, sit and listen, inquire into the things
of God, like we're doing right now. You're sitting there listening.
Got your Bible open. Let's see what the man has to
say. Let's see what God has to say. Let's see what the Scripture
says. Let's be quiet and listen. I don't care what time of night
you come or for what reason you come. You may come to prove me
wrong. That's all right, but listen.
And Nicodemus, now listen to what he said in verse 2. He came
to Jesus by night and he said, Rabbi, Master, this man had been
taught some etiquette. This man had been taught some
respect. He came to our Lord Jesus and he called him Master.
And he said this, he said, I know you're a teacher come from God.
I know you came from God because no man could do the miracles
you do except God be with him. I've had people come and sit
and listen to me preach on this television program and not agree
with what I have to say. But they say this at the close
of the message, well, I've never heard it that way, but that's
what the Bible says. He's teaching the Word of God.
He's not just up there screaming and yelling and ranting and raving
and raising money. He's teaching the Word of God.
This is what the Bible says, so I'm going to come back and
hear him again. And that's what Nicodemus said. He said, Master,
I know you came from God because you speak the Word of God and
you do the works of God. And no man could do what you're
doing except God be with him. Even this Pharisee was no fool,
are you? He wasn't a religious fool. He
didn't know Jesus Christ, who he was or what he came to do,
but he wanted to know. He wanted to find out. He knew
he came from God. He knew he spoke for God. He
knew he did the works of God. He knew God was with him. This
is an honest man. This is an observant man. Oh,
I wish you would compare preachers. I wish folks wouldn't blindly
follow men because of their charisma or because of their crowds or
because of their so-called deeds. I wish they'd listen, listen.
listen to what they're saying. What are they saying? And Nicodemus
came to listen. He said, Rabbi, Master, I know
you're from God, because no man could do what you do except God
be with him. Nicodemus had the law, he had the form, he had
the ceremony, but he recognized that Jesus of Nazareth had something
he didn't have, and he wanted to inquire about it. Nicodemus
had the law, he had the form, he had the ceremony. What do
you have? Same thing, maybe. And he realized that Jesus Christ
had something he didn't have. He had the power of God, the
presence of God, the truth of God, the Word of God, the promise
of God. What Nicodemus had didn't satisfy
him or he wouldn't have come. You ever thought about that?
This man Nicodemus, high up in religion, nevertheless came to
Jesus by night and said, I know you came from God because no
man could do what you do except God be with you. And I know something
else is going on in his mind. He's not satisfied with his form
and with his ceremony and with his tradition and with his so-called
righteousness. He knows Christ has something
he doesn't have. And that's the presence and the
power and the promises and the truth of God. And he doesn't
know how to say it. He doesn't know what he doesn't
have. He doesn't know what he hasn't heard. He doesn't know
what he doesn't know. But he's inquiring, and he's
come to the right person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, notice
our Lord's reply. Now, listen. Notice his reply. He said, Nicodemus, verily, verily,
that's truly, truly, or its equivalent, thus saith the Lord. This is
the record. That's what he's about to say.
Thus saith the Lord, truly, truly." This is God speaking. This is
the authority of God speaking. I say unto you, truly, truly,
verily, verily, I say unto you, authority. This is not comparing
notes and this is not guessing. This is authority. This is God
speaking. Listen to it. Except a man, any
man, any man, you, me, Nicodemus, religious or otherwise, in the
church or in the world, except a man, any man, be born again. Be born again. He cannot see
the kingdom of God. Those two words, born again,
do you have a Bible with a reference, a center reference? There's a
a figure there beside born again, a letter or a number. What does
the center reference say? It says born from above. Nicodemus,
except a man, you or any man, as high as you are in religion,
as important as you are, unless you're born again, born from
above, not from below, born from above, born not by your act,
but by an act of God, born from above, born of God, not persuaded,
not talked into a decision, but born again, born from above. You know, the whole religious
world begins at the wrong end in the matter of the new birth.
I hear people talking about the new birth. All of these high-flying
evangelists and important people talking about the new birth come
down to the church and get born again, read your Bible and get
born again, believe and get born again. You're not born again
because you believe. You believe because you're born
again. You're not born again because you love God. You love
God because you're born again. Born again comes first. A baby doesn't, he's not born
because he cries. He cries because he's born. A
baby is not born because he breathes. He breathes because he's born.
He's born and then he breathes. He's born and then he cries.
He's born and then he sees. He's born and then he hears.
He's born and then he loves. And that's what our Lord is saying
in Nicodemus. You're not going to see the kingdom of God, understand
the kingdom of God, even perceive the kingdom of God, unless you're
born from above, born of God. It doesn't begin with man, it begins
with God. This whole religious experience begins with God. Salvation
begins with God. Creation begins with God. Jesus
Christ was in the world and the world knew Him not. He came into
His own, His own received Him not. as many as received Him. To them gave He the power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name,
which were born, not of blood, that is, not of natural genealogy,
not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but born
of God. That's why they received Christ.
That's why they believed on Christ. That's why they embraced Christ,
because they were born from above. born of God. That's first. Did
you know that? Read it. Here stands a man, religious,
moral, self-righteous, a student, a governing ruler in the Jewish
religion. He doesn't know who Christ is.
He doesn't have any peace or joy. He doesn't see the kingdom
of God, the mysteries of the kingdom of God. And Christ said,
your problem is you haven't been born again. except a man's born
from above he cannot see the kingdom of God now listen James
chapter 1 verse 18 of his own will begat he us through the
word of truth what is the word of truth the Bible who is he
God Almighty whose will not our will his will of his own will
begat what is begat born begat he us with the word of truth.
Listen, he hath begotten us again unto a living hope. Listen, I
Peter 1.23, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible by the word of God that liveth and abideth
forever. Our Lord said, Nicodemus, unless
a man, any man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God. Now, down in verse 5, our Lord
said, look down there a moment, verse 5, Except the man is born
again. He cannot enter the kingdom of
God Well there he's talking about being a part of it Entering into
the kingdom of God here in verse 3. He's talking about understanding
it. He can't see it Except the man's born again. He doesn't
even know there is a kingdom of God. He doesn't understand
it You see the kingdom of God is spiritual. We're carnal The
kingdom of God is heavenly. We're of the earth. The kingdom
of God is within you. It's not outward demonstration.
Romans chapter 14 verse 17 says, The kingdom of God is not meat
and drink. It's righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Ghost. The Son of God hath come and
given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true.
This is the true God. This is eternal life. It's got
to be a work of God, a work of grace, a work of the Spirit of
God before there's a knowledge of, an understanding of, an interest
in the Kingdom of God. You see that? Except a man, I say this to you,
truly, truly, except a man born again, he can't even see the
Kingdom of God. He can't comprehend it. He can't
understand it. He can't see it. And then Nicodemus
revealed his ignorance. Here's this religious scholar
and his lack of understanding when he said, born again? How can a man be born when he's
old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb?
My friends, it's not wise to make light of scriptures. It's
not wise to ridicule the Word of God even if you don't understand
it. Our Lord said, I say unto you, I say unto you, except a
man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Don't
ridicule that. Don't make light of it. If you're
wise, you'll inquire as to what it means. And the next verse
tells you. Again, he said, verse 5, truly,
truly, verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, He cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. Unless He's born again, He can't
even see it or comprehend it or understand it. Unless He's
born of the water and the Spirit, He cannot enter. He cannot be
a part of the kingdom of God. See, the kingdom of God is a
holy kingdom for holy people. It's a spiritual kingdom for
spiritual people. It's a heavenly kingdom for heavenly
people, not carnal, fleshly people. Flesh and blood can't inherit
the kingdom of God. What is this water? What is this
water, born of the water? Well, it's not baptism. It's
not literal water. It's the Word of God. Of His
own will begat He us with the Word of truth. Wherewithal shall
a young man cleanse his way by taking heed to the Word of God?
I Peter 1.23 says, We're born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible by the Word of God. that liveth and abideth
forever, in whom you trusted after you heard the word of God.
The word of God is the seed of life. That's right. The word
of God, the gospel, is the power of God unto salvation. You see
that? The water, born of the water,
is born of the word, the seed of the word. Now, what's the
Spirit? It's the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit of God
takes the word of God and regenerates the sinner. Makes that word effectual
to the heart. In 1 Corinthians 2, the scripture
says, The natural man receiveth not the things of God, the foolishness
to him. Neither can he know them, they're spiritually discerned.
And eye hath not seen, and ear hath not heard, and it hath not
entered the heart of man the things God has prepared for them
that love him. But he hath revealed them unto
us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth the
deep things of God. deep things of God and makes
them known to us. So the Holy Spirit takes the
Word of God, the seed of life and begets or quickens, regenerates
a sinner and he lives. He lives, that's right. Paul
wrote to the Thessalonians in chapter 1, 1 Thessalonians. He
said, brethren, I know your election of God because our gospel didn't
come to you in word only. It came to you in power in the
Holy Ghost in much assurance. So here's how man's born again.
The Word of God is preached in the power of God's Spirit. And
God's Spirit takes that Word and sends it into the heart. That seed is planted in the heart,
and that seed lives. The Word of Life is what it is.
The Word of Life, Christ, is the Word of God. The new heaven
requires a new nature. And that new nature comes at
the new birth. We're born children, we're born
babes, and we grow. And it's by the Word of God that
we grow. It's by the Word of God that
faith comes. It's by the Word of God we're
comforted by the promises of God. All right, look at verse
6. He said, Nicodemus, that which is born of the flesh is flesh.
And if you could reenter, your mother's womb would be born,
you'd still be flesh. You're born from a natural father and
a natural mother. But when a person is born of
the Spirit, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Born
of God, born from above, born of the Word of God, and born
by the power of God, and born by the Spirit of God. And when
a person's born, he cries. When he's born, he sees. When
he's born, he hears. When he's born, he believes.
But it's by the power of God that you're born. Now watch this,
and he says in verse 7, marvel not at this, don't be amazed.
Don't be amazed at this Nicodemus. Now listen to me, don't go away.
The wind blows where it listens. The wind blows where it pleases.
You know what he's saying? The wind blows where it pleases.
You got any control over the wind? Neither do I. Go outside,
the wind's blowing, blowing where it pleases. You can't tell from
whence it's coming, and you can't tell where it's going. It's a
sovereign wind. It blows where it pleases. It
comes from where it pleases and goes where it pleases. Even so
is everyone who is born of the Spirit of God. Are you with me? This is my Lord speaking. Except
a man born again, he can't see the Kingdom of God. You're talking
to a man who doesn't even know what you're talking about. Except
a man born of the Word of God and the Spirit of God, he can't
enter the Kingdom of God. And don't be amazed at this,
that I say unto you, you must be born again. The wind blows
where it listeth, where it wants to blow. And you hear the sound. You can't tell whence it cometh
or whither it goeth. Even so is everyone that's born
of God. Who commands the wind? God does. Where does the wind come from?
From God. Where does the wind go? Where
God sends it. Who commands the wind? The disciples
said, what manner of man is this that even the wind obeys his
voice? Psalm 139 says, he bringeth the
wind out of his treasures. Psalm 145 says, he causes the
wind to blow. And I'm saying this, the new
birth is from above, of God, by the word. by the power of
the Spirit, sovereignly, as God pleases. He'll be merciful to
whom He will, and you'll save whom He will. Now listen, just
like the wind is His grace, all sovereign and all free, great
God, how unsearchable are Thy ways, how deep Thy judgments
be. The Spirit, like a heavenly wind,
blows on this son of flesh, creates a new heavenly mind and forms
life afresh. The sovereign will of God alone
creates us heirs of grace, born in the image of His Son and saved
by His sovereign grace. The new birth. Did that help
you? I hope so. You want to hear it again? Want
to play it for a friend? Sit down and order at the table.
Just two dollars. We'll make it and mail it to
you because we want you to have it. The new birth. Here's the
address on the screen. May God bless you everyone.

The New Birth

What does the Bible say about the new birth?

How do we know the doctrine of being born again is true?

Why is the concept of being born from above important for Christians?

What does it mean to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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The New Birth

What does the Bible say about the new birth?

How do we know the doctrine of being born again is true?

Why is the concept of being born from above important for Christians?

What does it mean to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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